The businessperson's guide to saying what needs to be said and asking questions that need to be asked

In the business world, the first step to great results is good communication.Talk Lean uses original research and a fresh approach to teach businesspeople how to say difficult things and ask difficult questions in a way that is positive, effective, and comfortable for everyone involved. You'll learn how to begin meetings and conversations in a way that is succinct, empathetic, and effective, while putting people in a positive and receptive frame of mind. You'll learn how to listen and respond during meetings to maximise both productivity and empathy and how to close meetings in positive ways that lead to great results.

Offers proven techniques for improving communication and making an impact professionallyWritten by Alan Palmer, head of Interactifs UK, which offers communication coaching to major corporate clientsIdeal for executives, team leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone whose success depends on great communication

Alan Palmer was educated at Oxford and INSEAD and has spent most of his career working for advertising agencies and management consultancies in London and Paris. He is a senior figure at Interactifs, who provide coaching and training to a variety of major clients from financial services to the car industry, from business schools to manufacturing companies. The company is based in France but operates in some 20 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America. Alan runs the UK operation of the business, which incorporates English-speaking divisions of Interactifs France's clients as well as customers unique to the UK.

Preface ix

Acknowledgements xi

Part One: Introduction 1

1 What the book is about and who its for 3

2 All different . . . and all alike 15

Part Two: Straight to the point in less than a minute: opening your meetings and conversations 23

3 The benefits of straightforward, straightaway 25

4 Begin at the end 39

5 And how are you feeling about announcing this objective? 57

Part Three: Talking lean DURING the meeting: the keys to productivity 73

6 Why meetings run rough: the grit in the engine 75

7 Dont just listen with your ears! 85

8 Responding: first principles 99

9 The three paths: 1 HIM/HER and 2 ME 119

10 The three paths: 3 US 135

11 Dealing with the non-verbal 149

12 What do you think? 163

The Interactifs Discipline: Schematics 177

Interactifs Training Programmes 181

About the author 185

Index 189