Developing strong interpersonal skills can help you strengthen your farm operations, enabling you to inspire trust, lead with confidence, and create a harmonious working environment. Unfortunately, in today s information era where messages fly from BlackBerrys like pellets at a shooting range, interpersonal communications can fall by the wayside.
While email is an efficient method of communication, it s only words. Words make up a mere seven per cent of our communications, while tonality and body language round out the remainder at 35 per cent and 58 per cent respectively. Resist the temptation to resort to email for most discussions. Mastering the art of in-person communication is the mark of a real leader.
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TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION
Think of your daily conversations like tennis and baseball. Basic communication proceeds like a tennis game back and forth, back and forth. Quality interpersonal communications, on the other hand, are more like baseball, where the pitcher needs to pay attention to the catcher s subtle signals before he can make a successful move. Ask yourself. Are you just throwing your message out there, or are you considering the other person s perspective? By doing the latter, you ll begin to build the most important ingredient for successful leadership: trust.
The building blocks of trust
Whoever you re working with whether it s family members, new hires, long-term employees, suppliers, or others trust is essential. The four key elements of communication that are essential to building trust are:
1. Openness
Be open to giving and receiving feedback.
2. Straightforwardness
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
3. Reliability
Do what you say you will do.
4. Acceptance
Who you are is OK with me.
Of these four elements, acceptance is the most underrated, but also the most important. Acceptance creates a climate that allows the other elements to flourish, enabling people to feel safe and speak honestly. Each time you incorporate these elements into your communication you are creating the building blocks of trust.
Developing strong interpersonal skills can help you strengthen your farm operations, enabling you to inspire trust, lead with confidence, and create a harmonious working environment. Unfortunately, in today s information era where messages fly from BlackBerrys like pellets at a shooting range, interpersonal communications can fall by the wayside.
RECOGNIZE THE BEHAVIOURAL STYLES
To understand and apply behavioural styles, the best place to start is with yourself. What type of style do you have and how does it affect the way you communicate?
Each year at Syngenta Grower University, I introduce the DiSC model, developed by noted American psychologist William Marston. The DiSC model identifies four basic behavioural styles and provides insight into the best methods of communication for each:
1. Dominance ” Get it done
People in the dominance category are drawn to solving problems and getting results. Many Ds enjoy having power and authority just as much as they love challenges and risk-taking, which is usually apparent through high levels of self-confidence. Dominant individuals may portray a lack of concern for others and lose their patience, while their biggest fear is losing control. When communicating with this group, get to the point and show your competence. Be prepared for responses that are concise and blunt.
2. Influence ” Have Fun
Sometimes referred to as a people person, this type is motivated by social recognition and is fearful of rejection. Influential individuals tend to be persuasive, and can also seem impulsive and disorganized. When approaching an I, keep conversation informal and follow up with written details. Keep in mind they enjoy the limelight and don t like to limit their ideas or capabilities.
3. Steadiness ” Harmonize
People in the steadiness quadrant tend to value stability and tradition. They like to accomplish tasks by working with others and are fuelled by sincere appreciation. Steady individuals sometimes fear the unknown because of its potential impact on peo-
