I hope you have had a successful week!

Last week’s Thought was; “Thriving in a Global and Multicultural World” and how, even though we can empathise and relate to people from our own culture, we might find the same empathetic and social skills get us nowhere when interacting with someone from a different cultural background.

You can see this and all of my previous blogs HERE.

So, we know that communication is very much about Emotional, Social and Cultural Intelligence and so much more! And yet, when people think about ‘Communication’, they often think about the words they use.

And words are such a tiny aspect of Communication!

If you are familiar with some of the research done around face-to-face communication, you will know that the words we use have around 7% impact on what we are saying!

And our tone of voice has 38% impact and our body language 55%.

So, the effectiveness of our communication relies heavily on our non-verbal channels, which make up a significant 93% of the overall impact.

And that’s just when we are face-to-face. So, how about when we are on the phone and on a video call? Well, of course, the words will have more impact but this may surprise you … still only slightly! Why?

When you take your next phone call, listen out for the non-verbal cues and the same on your next video call. If someone asked you to repeat back all of the words spoken, how many would you remember?

You are more likely to remember how you connected with the other person / people than the words. And that’s what communication is really all about isn’t it!

And, when writing emails, letters or text messages, there is still a tone of voice right?

Communication is beyond words … 

“Beyond words lays a world of unspoken significance. Our non-verbal channels hold the key to truly impactful communication, revealing the depth of our emotions, intentions and authenticity”

People are out in the world wondering why they can’t get their point across as effectively as they’d like to. They are probably good communicators and yet there are some fundamental mistakes they are making without realising. With a simple tweak here and there, I can help you to overcome that.

If you, or someone you know, would like to explore this with me, why not book a Communication Mastery Call with me personally? You will leave this call with insights into where you may be going wrong and then start to master the way you are communicating.

Also, the next available Communication Code Group Coaching Programme starts on the 20^th October! Check this out now in the link above.

I’ll be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips!

With best wishes for your success,
 

Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering you to Thrive!
The Communication Code
LinkedIn 

I hope you have had a successful week!

Last week’s Thought was; “Unlocking the Power of Social Intelligence!” and incorporating a deeper understanding of social dynamics, social cues, and the ability to navigate complex social situations effectively. You can see this and all of my previous blogs HERE.

Does this apply to ALL social situations though?

I mentioned last time that a step on from Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence is Cultural Intelligence…

What is it?

• It refers to the capability to effectively work and relate across different cultures and diverse social contexts. It goes beyond social intelligence by emphasising the understanding and appreciation of cultural norms, values, beliefs, and behaviours.
• It encompasses the ability to adapt and adjust one’s behaviour, communication style, and mindset to effectively interact and collaborate with individuals from different cultural backgrounds.
• It involves being aware of one’s own cultural biases, developing cultural empathy, and acquiring knowledge about diverse cultures to foster inclusivity, respect, and effective cross-cultural communication.
• It enables individuals to navigate global and multicultural environments with sensitivity and competence, building meaningful connections and successfully collaborating across cultural boundaries.

So, you are already do this to some degree! At the same time, how can you further develop your Emotional, Social and Cultural Intelligence?

If you would like to explore this with me, why not book a Connective Communication Call with me! Also, the next available Communication Code Group Coaching Programme starts on the 20^th October! Check this out now in the link above.

So, can we apply what we already know about Emotional and Social Intelligence to Cultural Intelligence?

Well, here’s some food for thought with the following quote …

“Individuals who have a strong ability to empathize and relate to people in their own cultures might find the same empathetic and social skills get them nowhere when interacting with someone from a different cultural background.”

-David Livermore-

[Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The New Secret to Success]

I would love to hear what you think about this and I’ll be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips!

With best wishes for your success,

PS: I invite you to book your Connective Communication Call with me if you haven’t already  – choose a time that best works for you HERE

Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering you to Thrive!
The Communication Code
LinkedIn 

Last week’s Thought was; “Empowering Others to Thrive!” and how having empathy is so much more empowering than showing sympathy with others. You can see this and all of my previous blogs HERE.

We all want to have effective conversations that build great relationships and empathy is absolutely key in achieving this.

And this is “Social Intelligence”, which is a step on from Emotional Intelligence.

While emotional intelligence focuses on understanding and managing one’s own emotions and those of others, social intelligence expands on this by incorporating a deeper understanding of social dynamics, social cues, and the ability to navigate complex social situations effectively.

Social intelligence involves perceiving and interpreting social cues accurately, adapting our behaviour to different social contexts, and building and maintaining successful relationships. It encompasses all of the things we have been talking about over the past weeks; empathy, active listening, collaboration, conflict resolution, and influencing others positively.

Social intelligence goes beyond individual emotional awareness to include a broader understanding of social interactions and the ability to navigate them skilfully.

In doing so, we develop our verbal and non-verbal fluency; the use of verbal conversation and body language are the primary forms of social intelligence and these help other people understand our intentions.

There are also these ‘social rules’ aren’t there around the basic understanding of interactions in a group based on perceived social status. And that’s another topic in itself!

When I develop Coaching and Training Programmes, I incorporate Emotional Intelligence, Social Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, Global Intelligence and Cosmopolitanism and will no doubt be writing thoughts around these too going forward!

Now, here’s some food for thought …

“Self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. 

But when we focus on others, our world expands.

Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for connection – or compassionate action.”

-Daniel Goleman-

[Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships]

I’m signing off for now and will be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips!

With best wishes for your success,

PS: I invite you to book your Connective Communication Call with me if you haven’t already  – choose a time that best works for you HERE

Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering you to Thrive!
The Communication Code
LinkedIn 

Last week’s Thought was; “The Path to True Connection” and the difference between empathy and sympathy. You can see this and all of my previous blogs HERE.

One of the most important aspects of coaching is having Empathy with the person who is being coached. When we coach people, how are we being empathic?

If we are sympathetic with them, this can be very disempowering and we would rather build them up, right?

How do we feel when someone sympathises with us, rather than showing empathy?

I’d like to share an example with you of empathy in action (and this can be in any kind of conversation, not just when coaching):

Let’s say that someone has lost their confidence and struggling to overcome a problem. They say they are feeling stuck.

If we just say something like “You poor thing, it must be terrible to feel like that”

On a scale of 1 – 10, how empowering is that?

Whereas, if we summarised what they just told us to check we have got it right and then asked a question more like this; “In the past, when you struggled with something, how did you overcome it?”

On a scale of 1 – 10, how empowering is that?

I would say that the second one is closer to a 10.

Why? Because it’s non-judgemental and says that we believe in them and they can overcome this.

The chances are that they have overcome something in the past. By us  reminding them and taking them there, they can tap into that positive energy to ignite resolve, resilience and negotiate their way through this struggle.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts and experiences with this.

“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.”

-Malcolm X-

[African American religious leader and civil rights activist]

 

I will leave you with that thought and will be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes for your success,

PS: I invite you to book a free call with me if you haven’t already  – choose a time that best works for you HERE

Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering you to Thrive!

LinkedIn 

Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “The Affinity Connection” which was about building affinity through our communication. You can see this and all of my previous blogs below.

What builds an affinity between you and them? For me, empathy is key.

Have you found that people often find it difficult to say what the difference is between Empathy and Sympathy?

“Empathy fuels connection. Sympathy drives disconnection.”

-Dr Brene Brown-

[Motivational speaker, research professor, author, and podcast host]

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings, perspectives, and experiences of others. It involves putting oneself in someone else’s shoes, genuinely connecting with their emotions, and demonstrating compassion and understanding.

That’s not to say that is someone fell into a dangerous pit we would throw ourselves in with them to empathise! We don’t have to do that to show empathy.

Empathy goes beyond sympathy (which is simply feeling sorry for someone). With empathy, we strive to grasp the emotions and thoughts that someone is experiencing, creating a deeper connection and fostering a sense of shared humanity. And helping people to find the best solution that would work best for them.

Empathy is a crucial aspect of human connection, fostering better relationships, understanding, and cooperation. By practicing empathy, we can promote kindness, tolerance, and a greater sense of community and belonging.

“Empathy and social skills are social intelligence, the interpersonal part of emotional intelligence. That’s why they look alike”.

-Daniel Goleman-

[Author of the best-selling Emotional Intelligence, as well as many other works in emotional and social intelligence, leadership, and education].

 

I will leave you with that thought and will be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes for your success,

PS: I invite you to book a free call with me if you haven’t already  – choose a time that best works for you HERE

Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering you to Thrive!

LinkedIn 

Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “Unmasking the Communication Illusion” which was all about our own personal awareness of how effectively we communicate. You can see this and all of my previous blogs below.

I mentioned last week about a presentation I went to. The presenter was very knowledgeable and yet she raced through the session so quickly and what would have been a brilliant session was lost on most of us.

Unless someone told her, she is probably unaware that her session could have been so much more impactful. (I don’t know this lady and we were not asked for feedback, so it didn’t seem appropriate for me to offer any at that time).

Here’s the thing …

We may believe we are really good communicators but how do we actually know whether we are?

Well, I believe it’s all in the connections that we make with people …

If we are communicating well with someone, we tend to feel an affinity with that person, we feel heard, seen and understood by them.

The written word can be more tricky though can’t it! That’s because we aren’t in front of that person, we don’t have any body language to give us context. There will be a tone to the written word, however that’s open to interpretation!

So, how can we tell whether we are communicating well when we write?

Firstly, of course we will have an indicator in the way the other person responds to us (if you require a response that is). There are also tools out there to help us measure success, depending on the context and mode of communication.

Personally, for longer conversations, I prefer to have a face-to-face conversation whenever possible. If that’s not practical, then a video conversation.

Then I use the written word to share information, as I am writing to you now. Of course, the written word is also useful to share facts and figures and keep a trail / record.

I would love to hear how useful my “Thoughts for the Week” are for you? I welcome feedback and how these could be improved in any way. My aim is to give you value, so it’s very important to me to do just that!

Thank you!

I also invite you to book a free call with me if you would like to explore anything that’s holding you back right now. Choose a time that best works for you HERE

 

“It’s affinity and communication, and an empathy for the human condition, that binds us all, and keeps a soul in wonder”

–Tej Kapoor-

[Managing Director and Head of Fosun RZ Capital India, a Beijing-based venture capital fund.]

 

I will leave you with that thought and will be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes for your success,

Korinne Le Page

Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering you to Thrive!

Thrive Web Site

LinkedIn 

Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “From Virtual Barriers to Real Connections” which was all about overcoming virtual barriers to achieve effective communication skills and using technology to enhance virtual communication.

You can see this and all of my previous blogs below.

What happens when Communication goes ‘south’?

The majority of our waking hours (roughly 70%), are dedicated to interacting with others, so when it goes wrong, it can result in conflicts and feelings of frustration.

And let’s face it, many of us have never been taught effective communication techniques that produce the desired outcomes! Communication in general is not covered in most school curriculums, so we have to learn this as we go along.

I have been researching this with clients, people on my workshops and group coaching programme and asked these questions …

What exactly constitutes effective communication?

The successful exchange of information, ideas, thoughts, and feelings between individuals or groups. It involves transmitting a message in a way that ensures the intended meaning is accurately conveyed and understood by the recipient(s).

What are the key elements of effective communication?

Most of them said …

• Clarity: Clear and concise messages successfully sharing information, ideas, and feelings with others.
• Active Listening: As we looked at with “Listening to see and hear”.
• Non-verbal communication: Body language and tone of voice.
• Feedback: How we give and receive feedback.
• Empathy: Stepping into someone’s shoes (different to sympathy).
• Adaptability to different people’s needs – asking them what they need!
• Conflict resolution: effective communication helps resolve conflict in a positive way (and can avoid it in the first place).

It’s all about connecting, understanding and achieving desired outcomes through friendly and meaningful interactions and I’m going to be writing more thoughts around each of the above over the coming weeks.

Effective communication is not solely about transmitting information; it is about establishing meaningful connections, fostering understanding, and achieving desired outcomes through clear and empathetic interaction.

What is effective communication NOT about?

Effective communication is NOT just getting your point across to others quickly. It takes time to think, create a message, listen, understand and then take action.

It is extremely hard to do and takes lots of conscious thought and effort to frame, position and maintain.

I went to a presentation recently and the lady presenting was extremely knowledgeable. And yet she spoke so quickly and in a monotone voice that she lost most of us along the way. Some of us left wishing we had been able to take away more from the session.

I invite you to book a free call with me to see how you could master communication. Choose a time that best works for you HERE

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

–George Bernard Shaw-

[Famous for his role in revolutionising comedic drama, a literary critic and a prominent British socialist.]

I will leave you with that thought and will be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes for your success,

Korinne Le Page

Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering you to Thrive!

Thrive Web Site

LinkedIn 

Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “The Power of Showing Up” about how we choose to be when we are around other people.

You can see this and all of my previous blogs HERE.

How we show up is all about communication isn’t it and how we connect with each other and it’s so much more than how we talk.

When I run Communication workshops, people often arrive thinking that it’s all about how they speak and they expect to learn tips and tricks around that. And then they realise that there is so much more to it than that.

And it is interesting how people believe they are good communicators because they talk a lot! But are they? What do you think?

Personally, I have found that the best communicators are actually speaking less than others, and yet they are taking it all in. And because they are not speaking, they are so much more attentive of what’s going on.

So, when they do speak, they have something valuable to say, or they may aske a really pertinent question to help clarify something that’s being discussed. 

“Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.”

-Bernard Baruch-

[Financier and presidential adviser]

It is possible do you think to be speaking and observing everything at the same time?

Is it possible to fully listen to someone while preparing your response to them?

Ideally, we need pauses in between speaking and responding to have the best communication. Why do you think that is? Can you think of someone who does that? Is it easier to communicate with them?

Nowadays, the relentless pace of life creates a pressure to keep the conversation flowing, but at what cost? Unfortunately, in our rush to keep up, the quality of our interactions is often sacrificed.

How much are we using all of our senses while we are speaking? By being mindful of all our senses, we can enhance our communication skills and improve our ability to understand and connect with others.

“If you make listening and observation your occupation, you will gain much more than you can by talk.”

– Robert Baden-Powell-

[Boy Scouts Association]

So, we have to be able to see and observe while we are in a conversation, as much as we speak and it takes a lot of concentration to be an active listener!

I can help you or someone else with this by providing a safe and supportive environment to learn and grow. I will listen, guide and encourage to develop the skills and confidence to become a more effective listener and communicator.

I invite you to try this for free! Choose a time that best works for you HERE

“Of all the skills of leadership, listening is the most valuable — and one of the least understood. Most captains of industry listen only sometimes, and they remain ordinary leaders. But a few, the great ones, never stop listening. That’s how they get word before anyone else of unseen problems and opportunities.”

-Peter Nulty-

[Fortune Magazine]

I will leave you with that thought and will be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips.

With best wishes for your success,

Korinne Le Page

LinkedIn 

Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “A Life Less Ordinary” about the incredible Darren Robson who left such a powerful legacy. He most definitely lived a life less ordinary and empowered so many others to do that too, myself included.

You can see this and all of my previous blogs HERE.

Darren was a down to earth guy and people felt relaxed in his company, while at the same time, he wanted to get to know them and always saw the best in everyone he met.

As you know, I’m a coach and also run  a number of programmes around Communication. My last couple of posts have been around ‘proximity’ and how we become the people we spend most of our time with.  So, what has this got to do with Communication?

Well, I believe that it’s all about how we ‘show up’ when we are with other people and yes, that may be different depending on who we are with! And how they show up with us to some degree.

Life can be so challenging sometimes when you just want to pull up the covers in the morning, burrow deeper into your mattress, and hide away from it all. This is precisely why showing up is such a big deal.

And here’s the thing …

Do we decide how we will be with others depending first on how they are with us? If we do that, who is in control? And it’s not that we want to have control over others, ideally we want to remain equal to them. And that is communication in itself.

So, of course we want to spend most of our time around those we are most comfortable with, can be ourselves and feel good.

At the same time, when we are around those who we feel less comfortable with, do we have to change the way we are? Of course not. If we do, then we’re just perpetuating this circle of potential conflict.

 

“The energy we show up with is more often than not the energy we encounter”. –Rasheed Ogunlaru-

[Author of the book Soul Trader – Putting the Heart Back into Your Business]

 

If we ‘show up’ the same way with everyone, every time, what have we got to lose?

According to Jeffrey Fry (Author of ‘Distilled Thoughts’), the formula for success is 2% talent, 8% luck, and 90% of showing up every day.

How do you show up every day with everyone?

 

Instead of showing up to let everyone know how great we are, show up to find out how great everyone else is.

-Simon Sinek-

[Author and Inspirational Speaker]

 

I will leave you with that thought and will be in touch again soon with more thoughts and tips.

*|FNAME|*, if you would like to explore this further with me, I would love to hear from you. You can choose a time that best works for you HERE 

With best wishes for your success,

Korinne Le Page

LinkedIn