1. Sometimes people just want you to acknowledge the problem.
When my kids fall over, they don’t want a PowerPoint presentation on why they should have been looking where they were going. They want, “Ouch… that looked like it hurt.”
Turns out adults aren’t much different.
Communication lesson: Answer the emotion before the information.
2. Nobody likes being interrupted.
Apparently, it’s terribly rude when I interrupt my kids. Yet somehow, adults do it in meetings all the time. If someone hasn’t finished their thought, don’t start planning yours.
Communication lesson: Listening isn’t waiting for your turn to speak.
3. “That’s not what happened!”
If you’ve ever retold a story your child was involved in, you’ll know they’ll interrupt immediately if you’ve got one tiny detail wrong.
People care deeply about feeling accurately understood.
Communication lesson: Before you respond, make sure you’ve understood the real issue.
4. They know when I’m pretending to listen.
Kids have an incredible ability to spot fake attention. You can say “Uh huh…” while checking your phone exactly once before they call you out.
Adults notice too.
Communication lesson: Being present isn’t just about turning up, it’s about tuning in.
5. If I use too many words… they’re gone.
I can watch their little eyes glaze over in real time. By sentence number four, they’re thinking about how to negotiate more screen time.
Board members aren’t thinking about Minecraft, but grown up audiences switch off too.
Communication lesson: Get to the point. You don’t have to tell them everything you know.
6. Eye rolls are feedback.
My boys don’t politely tell me when I’m boring them. They sigh. They wander off. They suddenly remember they are absolutely busting for the bathroom.
Adults are just more polite about it.
Communication lesson: Your audience is always giving you feedback. Pay attention.
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Why train with ThinkBox?
At ThinkBox Media we believe in Strategic Customised Training. This means your training will be developed specifically for you; your industry, your concerns, your real scenarios.
A mining executive is not likely to face the exact same issues as a doctor, a government minister or a not-for-profit organisation. One Size fits all trainings do not work.
Some people need a lot of time to improve their performance, others get stuck on the messaging. Many bigger companies already have some bases covered by their own comms teams freeing up more time to focus on the practical skills.
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