Brokers need to be more professional in the way they communicate, giving the right message in different ways to different audiences, Graham Davies told delegates.
Davies, a barrister with a comedic touch, kept the auditorium in stitches while getting across a serious message: "Don't do to others as you would like done to yourself, do to others as they would like done to them," he said.
Davies told delegates to identify the four types of people and communicate with them differently.
The director type just wants enough information to make a quick decision. Their motto is: "ready, fire, aim", he said, so be brief and don't expect any praise for your work. The socialiser likes to be the centre of attention, your friend and to talk around the issue, so talk about anything else first before getting your message across, Davies said.
The relator prefers stability to change, unless it can be proven to be absolutely necessary – the relator actually reads software manuals. You will need to carefully argue your case with them. The thinker likes details and likes them a clear and ordered manner, so you will need to present all the background information and the supporting facts and figures to show you thought seriously about your case.
Davies said brokers then had to decide on their message – one sentence, or what you would say if you only had ten seconds. He said to spend more time on this than anything else. He suggested coming up with a triptych – three words or phrases to endorse your message, such as blood, sweat and tears. Then you need the A,B,C,D. A is an attention grabber, B is a benefit, C is credentials and D is destination. You will never be misunderstood again after this.
