Context setting is an essential skill for leaders. Its utility is not limited to leadership coaching or work, it has application in all possible areas of your life where you want to create an impact through communication.
Have you experienced that you spoke something and that was not paid attention to, then another colleague said the same thing and everyone went gaga over it?
You must have felt bad at that point of time. But, did you scrutinize why that happened? There are chances, in your speech context was missing.
Context is about setting the scene and letting people know why what you share matters. If you set the context properly it increases your buy-in and amplifies your presence. While if you fail to do so, your words go unheard and you are not able to leave an impression. Many of those who are good at context setting, pick others’ ideas in meetings, add context and get credit for the contribution, though I do not recommend this unless you give the credit to the person who originally comes with the idea.
If you are going to have a difficult conversation, where others are less welcoming to your ideas and views, context-setting becomes a critical tool to cause a breakthrough. Many leaders make it a point to set the context before every important conversation to ensure objectivity. Now, you must be thinking about how can you get better at it.
Before you set the context for others, you would need to clarity of context, so ask yourself the following questions:
Why does my message matter to me and others?
What outcome do I expect out of it?
What objections I may encounter?
What response would resolve the objections?
How would others receive the message?
How can I course-correct if the listeners misunderstand?
How long would I speak for?
These questions would empower you to present your ideas in an impactful manner. Plus, keep in mind, that it’s not always a one-time job. In many conversations, you would need to set the context, again and again, to get your message through.
If you set the context in the beginning of a conversation, it helps everyone to stay on track. In such cases, if the dialogue goes off the road, coming back on track becomes effortless.
You would have noticed, that while setting the context you do nothing but answer the ‘why, when and how’ of a conversation. If displayed effectively, a context deepens the engagement and gives a reason for others to stay with you in the conversations.
The benefits of context-setting are endless. Before we stop talking about them, the instant benefit you can realize is saving time.
Change your game!
Vivek
Tags: #CEOCoaching #ExecutiveCoaching #LeadershipCoaching #BestCEOCoachIndia #ExecutiveCoachIndia #LifeCoach #Mentor