“Beginning today, treat everyone you meet like they would be dead by midnight! Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding that you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.” ~Og Mandino~ 

Whether you are out networking with your peers, interacting with your family members and loved ones, communicating with the aim to sell a service or product or you are simply selling your ‘personal brand’, the ability to connect deeply with your audience is key to a meaningful interaction and positive outcome.

Poor communication has led to wars, feuds lasting generations,  the loss of business sales/opportunities and even the breakdown of once loving relationships between friends and family members. ”Any problem, big or small, within a family, always seems to start with bad communication. Someone isn’t listening.” ~Emma Thompson~

Here are 11 simple and effective strategies/principles for empowered and meaningful Interactions with others:

1. It all begins with Rapport! In order to be in rapport with others you have to be in rapport with yourself. Rapport means you genuinely step out of yourself and add value to others by making a seamless shift to them. “You get to speak to people’s unconscious mind when you’re in deep rapport.” ~Kim Redman~

2. Set the tone for the communication by blessing the person(s) with a sincere prayer in your heart, and meditate on the outcome you desire even before you engage with others. “Intention governs everything! Set the right intentions. It must be good and ecological for all. That is, WIN-WIN-WIN outcomes for you, the other party and the Universe.” ~Kim Redman~

3.  Listen! Listen! Listen! Listen to the other person with ALL your senses-your ears, eyes, gut, body-language and most of all with your heart…and hear what isn’t being said. Listen actively. Active Listening is using sensory acuity to notice shifts in the other person and subsequently using the right language to respond accordingly. Heart-centered listening means you are communicating at such a deep level that transcends mere words and gestures! “One learns about people through the heart, not through words, eyes or the intellect.” ~Mark Twain~

4. Shift the energy by speaking from an authentic, caring and loving place. Think of how you can add value to the other person and how they can add value to you. The whole interaction should be an exchange of values for both parties. (Do not repress your feelings or pretend to be something you are not, because people can sense insincerity from a mile!) Feel all your emotions, even negative ones such as anger, fear, guilt, sadness, frustration and MASTER them. “Feelings are like a see-saw, they come and go, up and then down. Your feelings should not be your driver, they do not express you, rather you must take control and direct how you express your feelings in a healthy way. In the end, YOU are responsible for feeling your feelings!” ~Whole Woman Network, WWN~

There are no coincidences in life. The people you encounter in life are there for a reason. You’ll get a chance to meet some people many times over, and some others you may only come across once. Always leave a lasting impression. You have the power to touch and inspire everyone you meet. “Beginning today, treat everyone you meet like they would be dead by midnight! Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding that you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.” ~Og Mandino~

5. Be less focused on being RIGHT and channel your energy on DOING right. Give up that unattractive and unproductive attachment to being right. It is simply your selfish, egoistic self crying out for attention and self-worship! Let it go and treat people with courtesy, always! In the words of Bestselling Author and Speaker, James McNeil; ‘Treat everyone you meet with respect because everyone has something of inestimable value to add to the world.” Understand that we all want the same things: a deep need to be valued, appreciated and loved.  “The basic building block of good communication is the feeling that every human being is unique and of value. ~Unknown~

6. Understand what dominant representational systems they are operating in, such as Visual, Kinesthetic, Auditory, Audio-Digital etc. Then, respectfully, enter their version of the world and then gently bring them out to a good meeting point (Examples;  Avoid interrupting auditory people, use/mirror body language with people who are more kinesthetic and use words to paint a vivid picture with visual people).

7. Be comfortable with silence…allow the pauses in conversations to breathe, connect without words and give room for the other party to collect and articulate their thoughts. It is okay to be quiet if you have nothing to say. It is better to be a great listener than to pretend to ‘fake it’ and speak about things that you are clearly not versed in. “If you have nothing to say, say nothing. It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” ~Mark Twain~

8. Perception is projection. This framework of thinking popularized by Carl Jung simply posits that everybody standing before you is a projection of your unconscious mind. So in communicating, it is critical to be gentle with others and be gentle with yourself. Avoid being judgmental. It blocks the information and connection pathways between people. “When you judge people, you have no time to love them.” ~Mother Teresa~

9. Create healthy boundaries in all your interactions. Be clear on what your value system is and understand your guiding principles. Once you have clarity on who you are, it is easier to communicate with others and share your essence with them. ”In the last analysis, what and who we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do.” ~Stephen Covey~

10. Consciously enter a co-creative space and value plane with each interaction you engage in. Your mission is to speak from an empowered place and add value. Communicate from a state of awareness and do it with passion, power and purpose. You have the ability to lead the dance and direct the movie. And you must be present to do it well. If you are communicating to sell products or services, be aware that there is a shift towards an empathy-driven and value-based economy.

Now more than ever, all other parameters being equal  (service quality, benefits and product performance etc.), people tend to buy from and/or do business with those they know, like and trust. “In today’s world, it is more difficult to fake integrity. All the skills in the world are for naught if you do not communicate and operate from an authentic core.” ~Bob Burg~

11. Post-conversations/interactions, release people with love in your heart. Every opportunity you get to network and interact with others is an opportunity to improve your communication skills. Simply reflect on all your interactions, take the learning, celebrate what you did great, identify what needs improving and resolve to do better next time!

Join the conversation on our Facebook page and share your what’s working well for you so far! Let’s connect better by communicating better!

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The preceding is a guest post from Juliet Ume, MBA –Wealth Management Consultant & Life-Coach at Whole Woman Network. Juliet is an avid Life Connoisseur and a passionate advocate of WomEntrepreneurship, Investment & Financial Literacy for women. Her mission is simply to engage women, regardless of their levels of income or background,  to return to ‘wholeness’ and live Healthier, Sexier, Wealthier Lives using Faith-Based, Scientific and Common-Sense principles! Follow her on Twitter: @wholewomaninc, @julietumeinc

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