Today, I spoke to Morey Stettner, who is the author of Skills For New Managers, and and the editor of Managing People at Work. In this interview, Morey talks about how to gain confidence in the business world, how to communicate more effectively in the workplace, and much more.
How do most people gain confidence in the business world?
Most people gain confidence in business by knowing their strengths and weaknesses. It’s important to know what you do well and capitalize on it. It’s equally important to know what skills you need to improve and take steps to polish those skills. High self-awareness drives confidence. When you can detach yourself from the here-and-now and dispassionately assess what you’re doing well–and what you need to work on–you command attention and radiate self-assurance.
What are your tips for communicating more effectively in the workplace?
To communicate better, listen more than you speak. Ask friendly questions that invite others to open up. Ideally, you want to apply the 80/20 rule so that others speak for 80 percent of the conversation and you limit your talking to the remaining 20 percent. If someone makes a point, tells a story or expresses an opinion, stoke your curiosity and ask at least one follow-up question. That builds trust and rapport. Motormouths or “me-based” personalities, by contrast, tend to drive away potential allies by hogging conversations and ignoring others’ comments.
How do you persuade your boss to take on a project outside of your normal responsibilities?
Persuade your boss by encapsulating the three most powerful reasons why you are the best person to take on the project. By thinking in threes, you provide enough support to substantiate your argument without going overboard and rambling. Better yet, you show your boss that you’ve mapped out what you want to say in a coherent manner and you’ve isolated three compelling, undeniably persuasive points that are tough to rebut.
What are some issues people face when they present to their colleagues and management?
Some traps that presenters face include babbling and over-explaining, failing to organize their remarks and relying too much on slides. When you give a presentation, less is more. Begin by previewing what you’re about to cover and then stick to a simple outline in which every sentence advances you toward your conclusion. Resist the urge to indulge in tangential thoughts or long-winded asides. Organize your speech in three sections or chapter headings. And limit your use of slides so that you’re not dumping data on bored listeners. Dole out juicy tidbits of hard-hitting information in your slides, not thickets of text that confuse and disorient the audience.
What is your best advice for newly appointed managers?
New managers need to listen and learn. Don’t rush to prove your greatness; first, ask lots of intelligent questions on how people excel, what systems they favor, insights they’ve gained, etc. Don’t volunteer your opinions; if asked, give succinct views and prepare to back them up. Don’t pretend to know more than you do; admit what you don’t know and let others educate you.
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Morey Stettner is a writer and communication-skills consultant in Portsmouth, NH. He’s the author of five books including Skills For New Managers (McGraw-Hill), and The Art of Winning Conversation (Prentice Hall), and the editor of Managing People at Work. He also writes articles for Investor’s Business Daily that run every Monday on IBD’s “Managing for Success” page. A dynamic speaker and seminar leader, he has led hundreds of training programs across the United States on topics such as sales skills, public speaking, and attentive listening. He graduated magna cum laude from Brown University.
