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Leadership Tool: The Power of Being Specific
Many of us fall into a common pattern of speaking in platitudes, abstractions, or generalities. This often happens when we are distracted and not completely focused. Think about the last time someone asked, “How are you?” Many of us automatically reply, “Fine, thank you. And you?” and then we continue on with our day. We back on these habitual communication patterns.
If you’re trying to influence others in an organization or build trust with key relationships, a powerful leadership technique is to stop talking in abstractions. Instead, dive deeper into the specifics of a conversation. Moving into specifics makes the experience of the conversation more engaging, leading to a stronger connection with the other people. Here’s three ways you can experiment with being more specific.
1. Share a problem
People love to problem solve and give advice. Ground the conversation you’re having with the specifics of a problem to engage your listener. Imagine that you’re leading a team and looking to connect with other leaders in your company. Here’s a contrast between abstract versus specific problem sharing.
Abstract problem: I’m having an issue with one of my team members. He often fails to meet my high expectations, and I’m worried that this will be an ongoing problem.
