Written by Laura Hirst, Consultant, NECS Consultancy
Communications expert, Simon Bucknall, provided a practical and enlightening talk on effective communication, which kept attendees energised and engaged throughout the session at a recent Young MCA event. Hosted at the EY offices in Manchester, communication challenges were explored before discussing the different ways in which communication could be improved. Simon reiterated during the session however that improvement would only occur if there is an interest and / or desire. He also emphasised the value of effective communication and the change which occurs as a result of the interaction. The main key hints and tips were:
1. Understanding the thought process in the listener’s mind – this can be achieved by focusing on how you want the receiver to change, think or feel by the way you act, and the benefit(s) to the person
2. Increasing the frequency of referencing ‘you’ throughout communication – this demonstrates your focus on the listener to aid connection on a personal level
3. Using storytelling and time-phrases – this illustrates your value to the listener
4. Start a story file – to log moments of useful experiences you can reference at a later date
Attendee Abdul-Aziz Kouame, a young consultant from NECS Consultancy, stated; “It was my first MCA event, so I did not know what to expect in terms of format, but I have to say that Simon was brilliant and there were some useful techniques shared that I’ll be applying.”
The overall takeaway was not about ‘knowledge being power’ but being able to access what is relevant in that moment.
Further Young MCA sessions with Simon Bucknall are being planned for 2024.