Talk Less, Say More: Three Habits to Influence Others and Make Things Happen

178 Pages·2009·11.58 MB·english

by  Connie Dieken

(continued from front flap) “Talk Less, Say More $21.95 USA / $25.95 CAN
Communication is the single greatest challenge in is packed with powerful advice to D Attention spans are getting shorter every day.
business today. Talk Less, Say More will help you I
get your points across and make things Are distracted, impatient people tuning you
reach your A-game in interpersonal communication, E
giving you more power to change minds and inspire happen in today’s time-pressed world. K out before you can make your point?
remarkable results—while talking less. Connie’s forward-thinking, actionable
E
This book solves the problem.
T A L K L E S S
communication shortcuts can
N
,
elevate anyone’s game.”

—Bruce Carbonari

Chairman & CEO, S AY M O R E Talk Less, Say More is a revolutionary guide to
T 21st-century communication skills to help you
Fortune Brands “Connie Dieken’s three-step strategy is a
A be more infl uential and make things happen in
smart, practical guide for business leaders and
our distracted, attention-defi cit affected world.
L
others who want to create a high-performance It’s full of specifi c tips and take-aways to ensure
K
culture. It’s an important, powerful book on that you’re fully heard, clearly understood, and

L will ignite positive action in any business or social
how to master communication
E situation.
in the 21st century.”
S
—Tom Swidarski You’ll achieve more with less. Less wordiness. Less
S
tune-out. Less frustration. You’ll gain more time. More
President & CEO,
, positive outcomes. More rewarding relationships.
“Thanks to Connie’s communication Diebold
S
expertise, she makes it easy for anyone Whether you’re a business leader, emerging leader, or
3
to transform from a good communicator A salesperson, you need to persuade others to succeed.
Habits
to
into an excellent one. Her three simple This book will get you there. It will help you cut
Y
C O N N I E D I E K E N is the country’s foremost through distractions, demands, and information
principles are based on real-world experiences
Fortune 500 leadership communication coach, an and demonstrate the power of a strong Influence Others and overload to get real results.
Emmy® Award–winning former television news M
communicator.”
anchor, and an inductee of the Radio/Television Author Connie Dieken coaches leaders to communi-
Broadcasters Hall of Fame. She is the founder and —David Lingafelter O Make Things cate with purpose. She’ll help you instantly gain more
President of onPoint Communication, where she President, power and infl uence while spending less time being
has guided thousands of leaders from organizations Moen Incorporated “Connie Dieken is a R tuned out.
like Apple, Olympus, and McDonald’s to be more Happen
true communication virtuoso and a
influential and achieve positive results. E With this book’s fast-paced, no-nonsense style,
genuine phenomenon. She is on a mission
you’ll discover Connie’s Connect-Convey-Convince®
www.TalkLessBook.com to elevate our ability to communicate. Talk
methodology. These three powerfully simple habits will
Less, Say More should be required reading for help you:
Jacket Design: Michael J. Freeland
all leaders and emerging leaders. It can instantly
Author Photograph: Michele Monet
transform the way people respond to you, giving CONNIE (cid:127)(cid:127) CONNECT with anyone to instantly capture their
you the power to deliver brief, clear messages undivided attention
(cid:127)(cid:127) CONVEY and nail information without overloading
that infl uence the world.”
DIE K E N
or confusing
—Robert Johnson (cid:127)(cid:127) CONVINCE anyone to take the action you want and
Managing Counsel, feel good about it
McDonald’s Corporation
(continued on back flap)
OVERALL MATTE FINISH
E1FFIRS 08/20/2009 19:25:57 Page1
PraiseforTalkLess,SayMore
‘‘Talk Less, Say More is packed with powerful advice to get your
points across and make things happen in today’s time-pressed
world. Connie’s forward-thinking, actionable communication
shortcutscanelevateanyone’sgame.”
—BruceCarbonari,Chairman&CEO,
FortuneBrands
‘‘ConnieDiekenisatruecommunicationvirtuosoandagenuine
phenomenon. She is on a mission to elevate our ability to
communicate. TalkLess Say Moreshould berequired reading for
allleadersandemergingleaders.Itcaninstantlytransformtheway
peoplerespondtoyou,givingyouthepowertodeliverbrief,clear
messagesthatinfluencetheworld.
—RobertJohnson,ManagingCounsel,
McDonald’sCorporation
“ConnieDieken’sthree-stepstrategyisasmart,practicalguidefor
businessleadersandotherswhowanttocreateahigh-performance
culture. It’s an important, powerful book on how to master
communicationinthe21stCentury.”
—TomSwidarski,President&CEO,
Diebold
‘‘Talk Less, Say More has become an integral part of our sales
training program. In today’s manufacturing environment, our
sales engineers must be able to quickly gain mind share of our
customers,delivertheappropriatemessages,andwinnewbusiness.
TalkLess,SayMoreprovidesthecommunicationtoolscriticalfor
success.’’
—DanaFritz,Manager,GlobalSalesTraining,
RockwellAutomation
‘‘Talk Less, Say More is the answer to become an effective
communicator.Connie’sprinciplescanbeemployedimmediately
toimprovebothyourpersonalandbusinessinteractions.”
——TerryBauer,CorporateDirectorof
SalesExecution,ReinhartFoodService
‘‘Thanks to Connie’s communication expertise, she makes it easy
foranyonetotransformfromagoodcommunicatortoanexcellent
one. Her three simple principles are based on real-world experi-
encesanddemonstratethepowerofastrongcommunicator.’’
——DavidLingafelter,President,
MoenIncorporated
E1FFIRS 08/20/2009 19:25:57 Page2
E1FFIRS 08/20/2009 19:25:57 Page3
TALK LESS,
SAY MORE
3 to
Habits
and
Influence Others
Make Things
Happen
CONNIE
DIEKEN
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
E1FFIRS 08/20/2009 19:25:57 Page4
Copyright#2009ConnieDieken.Allrightsreserved.
TalkLess,SayMore;Connect,Convey,Convince;onPointCommunication;Communiclutter;
MakeThingsHappen;YouLostMeatHello;andCommunicationIntelligenceareregistered
1
servicemarksofonPointCommunication 2006–2007.
PublishedbyJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,Hoboken,NewJersey.
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ISBN:978-0-470-50086-6
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10987654321
E1FFIRS 08/20/2009 19:25:57 Page5
Tothetwomostinfluentialpeopleinmylife,
SpencerandAli
E1FFIRS 08/20/2009 19:25:57 Page6
E1FTOC 08/20/2009 14:19:41 Page7
Contents
Introduction Connect-Convey-Convince1
CONNECTManagingAttention
5
connect
10SignsYouMayBeaWeakConnector 7
CHAPTERONE WhyConnect? 11
CHAPTERTWO StayinTheirMoment 17
CHAPTERTHREE Frontload 29
CHAPTERFOUR GoldilocksCandor 43
ConnectReviewandActionPlan 54
CONVEYManagingInformation
59
convey
10SignsYouMayBeaWeakConveyor 61
CHAPTERFIVE WhyConvey? 65
CHAPTERSIX TheEyesTrumptheEars 71
CHAPTERSEVEN TalkinTriplets 83
CHAPTEREIGHT TellStories 91
ConveyReviewandActionPlan 99
CONVINCEManagingAction
103
convince
10SignsYouMayBeaWeakConvincer 105
CHAPTERNINE WhyConvince? 109
CHAPTERTEN SoundDecisive 115
CHAPTERELEVEN TransferOwnership 127
CHAPTERTWELVE AdjustYourEnergy 137
ConvinceReviewandActionPlan 150
PuttingItAllTogether
155
AbouttheAuthor
159
Acknowledgments
161
Index
165
E1FTOC 08/20/2009 14:19:41 Page8
E1CINTRO 08/19/2009 13:8:35 Page1
connect
convince convey
Introduction
Connect-Convey-Convince1
Face-to-face communication skills are plum-
meting in the twenty-first century. What does it
take to be an influential communicator in today’s
information-overload,attention-deficit,distraction-
drivenworld?Doyouhavetomorphintoasuper-
human communicator to keep people tuned in to
yourideaswhenyou’reface-to-face?
No, when it comes to communicating influen-
tiallyinourfast-paced,Twitter-happysociety,less Now More
is more. Than Ever,
You can become a high performance commu- Less Is More
nicatorifyousimplygetintothepractice ofusing
threehabitsintherightorder.Thissimpleshiftin
how you get your points across will create an
enormous change in how people respond to
you, whether you’re talking to an audience of
one or one thousand.
Forget the endless communication techniques
thatyou’veheardaboutovertheyears.Allofthose
1