Every one is NOT like you!
When I was a child, my mother used to espouse the old adage… “You can’t please all of the people all of the time.” Whilst we know that not everyone will like you, it’s important to also know not everyone is like you.
What’s the difference?
Often when I speak to people about sharing ideas or information with their team, all I hear is frustration. For example, a finance manager who tried to upskill one of his team members by presenting her with, what was for him a life changing book, on how to use various Excel features.
A few weeks passed when he stopped by his team member’s desk and asked how she was finding the book. Her reply was, she hadn’t even opened it!
This made him furious until I explained why.
You see, everyone is not like you!
Most people have a preferred way of consuming information.
For some, they learn things by reading (as was the case with the aforementioned finance manager), others it’s by watching how to do something (demonstrations, observations, videos etc), some by doing with someone watching and providing feedback, or referencing notes/videos at the same time, and others by observing, reflecting and then trying something themselves.
Which are you?
It is important to know your preferred style when learning for two reasons:
- It will help you know how to best receive information to ensure you process it appropriately.
- It helps you
learn that everyone is not like you!
Just because you learn one way doesn’t mean everyone else learns the same way.
This is a highly valuable piece of knowledge for ANYONE in business today. Whether you are trying to communicate value to a customer or prospect, trying to get people on board with a new system, or simply sharing information with colleagues. When you know the various ways humans “receive” information, you can adapt your information to suit your audience.
The more you prepare you information to accommodate the different ways people learn, the greater the impact of your information.
So, rather than waste time creating or presenting in a style that suits you, ask yourself, how can I create information that my customers, prospects or colleagues can easily digest regardless of their style?
#productivityspeaker # productivity #female productivity speaker
Want help getting your message out to customers, prospects or colleagues ? Visit www.donnahanson.com.au to find out how Donna can help.
