In today’s fast-paced business landscape, effective communication plays a pivotal role in driving growth and success. How can business leaders harness the power of communication to cultivate stronger relationships, foster collaboration, and propel their organizations forward?

To delve into this topic, Ford Saeks, host of The Business Growth Show, sat down with communication expert and former opera singer, Allison Shapira. Their enlightening conversation uncovers the key strategies and practices that can transform your communication approach and elevate your business to new heights.

How to Harness the Power of Communication:

• Set the stage for feedback: Start meetings by creating an environment that encourages open and honest feedback, fostering a culture of trust and collaboration.
• Embrace devil’s advocacy: Prompt team members to provide pushback and play devil’s advocate, inviting diverse perspectives and uncovering potential blind spots.
• Conduct regular check-ins: Schedule monthly one-on-one check-ins with team members to discuss what’s working, what’s not, and how you can better support them, providing a safe space for feedback outside of performance reviews.
• Seek spoken feedback: When requesting feedback, opt for spoken communication rather than written, as it encourages immediate and authentic responses without the burden of overthinking.
• Praise publicly, criticize privately: Recognize the importance of praising team members publicly for their accomplishments, while addressing areas of improvement privately to preserve their dignity and maintain positive morale.
• Leverage the power of your voice: Just as an opera singer uses their voice to evoke emotions, business leaders can utilize their speaking voice to inspire action and motivate their teams towards success.

In today’s business landscape, effective communication is the cornerstone of growth and success. Allison Shapira’s insightful conversation with Ford Saeks on The Business Growth Show sheds light on the strategies and practices that can revolutionize the way we communicate in business. By setting the stage for feedback, conducting regular check-ins, and leveraging the power of our voice, we can build stronger connections, foster collaboration, and propel our organizations forward. Embracing these key takeaways will empower leaders to create a culture of open communication, innovation, and achievement, driving sustainable growth in the long run.

For more expert advice in business, sales, marketing, life, and everything in-between, tune in to future episodes of Fordify LIVE! every Wednesday at 11AM Central on your favorite social media platform, or you can listen to new episodes of The Business Growth Show Podcast every Thursday on the podcast network of your choice.

Meet Allison Shapira:
Allison is one of the world’s foremost experts on public speaking and presentation skills. She is the Founder/CEO of Global Public Speaking LLC, a communication training firm that works with emerging and established leaders to help them speak clearly, concisely, and confidently. She is an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School and has spent over 15 years working with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations around the world.

Allison studied classical voice at Boston University. After becoming disillusioned with the field of opera, she moved into public diplomacy, where her operatic training made her a powerful speaker and coach. Allison started her own communication business in Boston, MA, and consulted with presidential advisor David Gergen when he taught the Arts of Communication at the Harvard Kennedy School. Over ten years later, she would teach that same course.

In 2012, Allison took a leap of faith and moved the company to Washington, DC. She engaged other trainers and coaches and published Speak With Impact: How to Command the Room and Influence Others with HarperCollins Leadership, making her teaching and philosophy available to people around the world.

Find Allison Here: https://allisonshapira.com/