Communicate with Impact

00:36 – Welcome to the Arch MI Podcast! Our host, Blaine Rada, has over 30 years of experience in the mortgage industry and wants this podcast to be a useful resource of tips and lessons for those in the industry. His aim is to help you separate yourself from the competition when the market is already so flush with many different choices for customers and clients to choose from. Blaine also describes himself as a “high content presenter,” which means there is a lot of information for you to digest.

2:18 – Before diving into today’s podcast, it’s important to understand Blaine’s overall worldview when it comes to sales, which is “Selling is not about getting the sale.” What this really means is that your focus shouldn’t actually be on getting the sale, but rather on being of service and establishing that you are the best fit for your borrower, for your client. This type of attitude shift generally leads to more authentic business and more sales.

3:35 – Today’s topic is about communication and how to communicate with impact. Communication now is rather casual, which by no means is a bad thing, but this also means it is no longer intentional. What do we do in those moments that need to be significant, where our communication can make or break an important moment? Impactful and clear communication is a skill that needs to be practiced.

8:25 – “The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw. Blaine brings up this quote because we may think we’re communicating – we text, we speak, we write – but we really don’t know how our words are being received or understood. Blaine will share a few tips on how to have impactful communication that serves the purpose you intend for it to serve. 

9:00 – What would Blaine’s one piece of advice be to make communication more effective? He recommends to think before you communicate. If you want your communication to serve its purpose and be effective, you have to give it some thought. Maybe you don’t reply right away, take time to compose your thoughts, reassess the situation if it feels emotional; then come back to it and create a more constructive and productive response.

11:18 – There are three reasons why we don’t think before we communicate. First, we’re distracted! We have so much going on in our day, we’re surrounded by screens at work and home, we’ve almost always got something going on outside of just our thoughts. It’s hard to be intentional with communication if we’re so distracted all the time.

12:32 – The second reason we don’t think before we communicate is because we’re multitasking. Multitasking in humans is actually a myth anyway; it’s what computers do, but not the human brain! While we can think of many things at the same time, neuroscience shows us that our brains’ primary focus is really on one thing at a time.

15:17 – The third reason is because of something called “pre-crastination.” This is the idea that everything is urgent, everything has to be addressed right now. Technology, for all of its benefits, has exacerbated this problem by making communication so rapid-fire that we now expect (and find ourselves compelled to send) instant replies. Blaine calls this mental trap pre-crastination.

20:10 – If you want to be successful in sales, one of the things that our communication needs to accomplish is empathy. Empathy is expressed through the art of conversation. How do we achieve this, especially in a digital world?

22:00 – Empathy can demonstrated through shared experiences and relating with others through those connections. Expressing empathy in a conversation makes people feel heard, valued, and understood. Blaine recommends the book We Need to Talk by Celeste Headlee as a great resource about the art of conversation, filled with tips and tricks to have on hand.

23:23 – The other part of having good conversations is to ask good questions, which also needs practice. We should be more interested than interesting. You can truly stand out by asking questions and listening to others, demonstrating that you are sincerely interested in learning about the people around you. 

24:30 – Blaine has a tip for better listening. Most of the time, we are crafting our responses while someone is talking. Don’t listen to respond, listen to understand what that person is saying!

25:22 – Blaine wraps up with key takeaways from this episode. First, the importance of good communication, thinking about what you say and your responses to make your communication more impactful. Second, being aware of the reasons that we aren’t thinking before we communicate – distractions, multitasking, and pre-crastination. Sometimes, it’s okay to take a step back, think about what to say, and craft a better message. And third, expressing empathy through conversation to truly connect with people.

27:17 – Let’s end on a call to action! 1) Take a step today. Take this information and try it out in your own life and work. 2) Tell a friend! If you find these podcasts to be valuable, share it out with your friends, family, and even your competitors. 3) Talk to us! Your account manager at Arch MI is always available to chat about how to help your business. We also want to hear your feedback about this podcast – let us know what you want to hear and what you think of the content.