Rewire Your Brain for Great Communication.
Posted on March 05, 2020 by Michele Stills, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
For effective communication, you must first be present and in-the-moment, able to pay attention and process complex and inconsistent signals.
The problem with communication is the very thing that makes communication possible – our brain. Why blame the brain? Because it is lazy. Our brain values closure over the right or best answer, and it hates anything new. New things get our amygdala-lizard brains all in a tizzy and can make us behave in ways that even we don’t recognize. The good news is that we can outsmart and rewire our brains with just a little effort.
Let Your Body Lead Your Brain, Mindfully
For effective communication, you must first be present and in-the-moment, able to pay attention and process complex and inconsistent signals. Here are some ways your body can lead your brain into more effective communication.
Do your best to get physically comfortable. Remove distractions such as your cell phone. If your meeting is online, Skype or telephone, don’t try to multitask. Stay present in the conversation. If your body language becomes that of someone who confidently, compassionately, and actively listens with an open mind, your brain will follow.
Make a conscious effort to put away your own biases and emotions and listen. If you think that a misunderstanding has occurred, ask open-ended, clarifying questions in a respectful tone using appropriate body language. If you find yourself wanting to ask a question that you think you know the answer to, stop. That’s the wrong question.
Always pay attention to how you are feeling and to what your gut is telling you.
Are you nervous, angry, afraid, or even hungry? These are factors that can cause you to act from emotion, inhibiting productive communication. Here is an acronym that can help you to stop and assess how you feel before you make an emotional communication blunder. HALT
Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired
If your self-assessment finds any of these, HALT! Take a moment to get grounded – have a snack, deep-breathe, whatever it takes to calm those feelings so that you can act and interact with clarity. When you do respond, you’ll find it much easier to do so effectively and connectedly.
