What you will get today (10min read)

1. Updates from our community

2. The content of the month

3. The framework of the month

4. The illustration of the month

5. Zoom on The Slim Method

1. Updates from our community

As always, some gratitude for the existing readers and the new joiners: the community continues to grow and currently sits at 108 readers, +4% growth compared to May.

Thank you for subscribing and for being the pioneers of this community!

2. The content of the month

"Somebody who is truly strong inside doesn't have to show off. They don't have to talk." (Robert Greene).

If you don't know Robert Greene yet, he wrote the famous book 48 Laws of Power. It was so controversial that when it was published it was banned in US prisons... there was a fear of manipulation! This article on Medium will give you some insight into this controversial book.

Another Robert Greene book I count as a favorite is The Laws of human nature. In this book, Robert explains how to deal with individuals who have irrational, narcissistic, agressive and megalomaniac tendencies.

In true Robert fashion, he focuses on business, wars and history to drive home his view.

I am fascinating by human psychology. If you are, go ahead and read Robert's work.

Quick 30 sec illustration of this book in the video below.

3. The Framework of the month

Feedback Delivery framework

Sharing feedback, especially when the content is sensitive, can be a tough task.

My 6-step model will help you share feedback in a constructive and positive way:

1. Share your Feelings

2. Back up your feelings with 3 Facts

3. Open the Dialogue

4. Consider the Impact

5. Take Action

6. Seek Agreement

If you're interested, I built a deck that delves into each step. Feel free to reply to this newsletter and the deck is yours :)

4. The Illustration of the month

5. Zoom on The Slim Method

Today we are going to zoom in on Section 2: Master your Outer-Self.

Topic #1 in this section: MASTER YOUR COMMUNICATION.

I am working with a leader I currently coach in communication. I observed her conducting an interview with a candidate. During the interview I paid attention to her body language:

• Arms folded

• Downturned mouth

• Worry lines in her forehead

• Tense body

The interview was done virtually, to assist in feedback I took screenshots so that we could discuss her body language.

When I showed her the screenshots, she said "Oh my God, is that really me? Is this how I came across during the interview"?

Communication is our way to express who we are and how we feel.

How to become a master in communication in 3 steps:

• Step 1: Define communication. Communicating is not only speaking.

  • First, it is how you present yourself through body language & external appearance. Unconsciously or not, we would not address a man in casual clothing the same way we would a man in a smart suit.

  • Second is how you speak, the words you use and the tone you use.

  • Third, in our hyper-connected lives, it is how you communicate; emails, social media and messaging apps. Writing "ok" doesn't have the same meaning as "okay".

     

• Step 2: How to communicate effectively?

  • Be aware of your image & your brand by performing a self-audit. If you need some help performing your audit, I am happy to help.

  • Speak less, observe more: the more you listen and observe, the more you understand your environment and its dynamics.

  • When you speak, observe how people respond and do a quick check: Do you want me to clarify? Do you agree? What are your thoughts on this?

     

• Step 3: Writing is an underestimated skill

  • Being obsessed with communication, I have realized people often forget to add context or put themselves in other people's shoes.

  • Example at work: It's 9am, you start your day by launching Slack. First message you read is from your boss: "Your sales pipeline is not updated, can you fix it by 11am? I have a meeting with the Director. Thanks". What a way to start your day! Not super motivating.

  • We are so caught up with our own challenges and problems that we put our self interests first.

  • Same example, said differently : "Hi John, how are you doing? I have a meeting with the Director at 11.30 this morning. The agenda is sales pipeline review. We were supposed to have a clean and updated pipeline for yesterday evening. I just realized that yours is not updated yet. Could you please update it by 11am?".

  • Longer? Yes. More context? Yes. Demotivated? No. Effective? Way more.

To conclude on this section, I will leave you with this quote:

"Develop your communication skills, once you open your mouth, you tell the world who you are."

(Les Brown).

Do you want to deep dive into this topic?

Do you want to leverage The Slim Method?

Drop me an email at theslimethod@gmail.com or book a call here.

That's it for this month!

I hope you enjoyed the content. Feel free to share it around you and spread the word :)

If you have a question or feedback to share : theslimethod@gmail.com