When I first entered the world of business (having left the world of teaching with considerable trepidation), I was told I wasn’t tough enough to make it in a world dominated by men. I ignored the advice and instead focused on defining my messages and the best ways to make them heard.
The tips below are the culmination of years of thinking, refining, and experimenting. I hope they expedite your own message-defining and message-receptivity.
Use the Force-Field Analysis
Kurt Lewin’s Force Field Analysis is a valuable tool for planning your strategy. Essentially, you write down the current state and then the ideal state as far as your goal attainment is concerned. Then, in one column, write down the forces preventing you from reaching the ideal state. In a second column, list the things that will propel you closer to your goal.
Use an Incubation Period
You will often be able to make your message more focused if you set it aside for a while and then return to it later for revisions.
Make Your Action Plan Flexible
You will need an action plan, broken down into both long- and short-range steps.
Learn to Sound Simultaneously Proud and Humble
With some effort, you can learn to subordinate expertise so you can include it in your messages without sounding as if you’re bragging.
Success is often a question of persistence. Are you hearing this message?
About the Author
Dr. Marlene Caroselli is the author of 60 books.
