Level up your people skills

George Bernard Shaw, the Irish playwright and political activist said, “the single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place”

This is so true! How often do we delude ourselves thinking we have been clear and others have understood our communication - when it's patently not the case

When we think of being a great communicator or having great 'people skills', we often think of words such as empathy, story telling and even personality. In truth, despite being what appear to be super successful communicators, many of us struggle to communicate mindfully these days, especially when it comes to communicating with people who are different from ourselves. People with different skill-sets, different backgrounds, different cultures and different age groups to ourselves

This is important because being able to communicate well with people who are different from ourselves paves the way for diverse perspectives and learning. Multiple ideas breed creativity, they prompt teams to find new solutions to problems. Embracing these conversations can uncover blind spots, help you to foresee potential pitfalls, and create better adaptions to changes – at work, at home, in our whole life. What's more, because of their unique perspectives, knowledge and experiences, diverse teams are more likely to bring pioneering ideas to the table than are more homogenous groups

People who are good communicators cultivate a culture of respect where everyone feels valued and heard. The really great news is that what this means in business is increasing employee engagement and satisfaction, which we know drives productivity and performance

So you see, being able to communicate well, communicating mindfully not mindlessly, with people from diverse backgrounds, is not merely a benefit - it's a game-changing strategic advantage

Communicating mindfully is a key skill for all of us, especially at work

Our first tip to help you communicate mindfully, not mindlessly is, rather than speaking in someone's direction, think about what is similar in your position, perspective, personality and goals rather than what is different

Our second tip to help you communicate mindfully, not mindlessly and avoid speaking in someone's direction, is to be more focussed on connecting with them and what they are saying in the conversation rather than focussed inwards on what you are feeling or thinking

Our third tip is to learn to be more aware of how our own behaviour can impact successful communication and the outcomes we achieve, in particular our ability to really listen to what the other person is saying

We encourage you to think about the impact your communications can have. Mindful communications have the power to cause a huge ripple effect, creating waves of understanding and empathy that can reshape our businesses and society so we can all grow and thrive together

In today’s dark age of division, the power of communicating mindfully is a beacon of hope – let’s close the divide to grow and thrive - at work, at home, in our whole life!

To help you level up your People skills, we created the People muscles Upskill. Our People muscles Upskill combines bite-sized videos, private podcasts, 121 Mentor sessions, bespoke Journals and purposeful self-reflection exercises for you to apply - at home, at work, in your whole life. Building People muscles focusses on communications and relationships - building your people strength, so you can excel and inspire - in every interaction, at every level - from the new starter to the CEO

You will build your ability to communicate mindfully not mindlessly, courageously not cowardly, present with purpose and poise, and perform, even excel in great teams so you build your interpersonal strength

 You can explore People muscles Upskill Here