Teaching Communication Confidence - Short #200

HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs

In this short podcast episode, Bryan shares some strategies for teaching communication confidence, which may come in handy if you have newer techs who feel nervous or struggle to communicate with other people.

The main way to build confidence is to get them to talk in the first place. Scripts and roleplay scenarios during training can help get people used to speaking and give them a reference. Whether we're in sales or not, we have to share information and complete business transactions. Roleplaying those conversations in a controlled, familiar setting allows your more timid team members to put in the reps.

The youngest generation in the workforce tends to be exceptionally uncomfortable talking compared to others; they often prefer to communicate via text. These techs can learn a lot from spending time with customer service representatives (CSRs), especially in difficult situations with upset clients. Then, you can address the non-verbal cues that also play a massive role in in-person communication.

At Kalos, we have developed software that allows people to record voice memos that are then transcribed. We combine this with soft skills training to help build confidence in our team members so that our leaders can understand what their teams are doing. Communication also starts at the top, so leaders must be honest with themselves about their communication skills and how well they regulate emotions and positively convey information. Leaders are also ultimately the ones who are responsible for understanding their team's communication gaps and creating the guidelines.

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