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By Haylee Payne
“The art of communication is the language of leadership.”
James Humes, author
At Empire Estate Agents we’ve been undergoing staff core training sessions where we learn about our own individual communication profiles and ways we could and should be communicating with others. Why? There are a number of reasons and each one helps us to help you.
Everybody is different and has a different way of communicating
We recognise that communication is very important in terms of being able to be effective in our workplace, and in our personal lives too. On a daily basis, real estate agents are required to communicate with our colleagues, property owners, tenants, creditors and other third parties — daily life is all about communication.
Understanding provides results
By taking the time to understand how we communicate verbally and physically, we begin to understand how best to communicate with someone to achieve positive results. The training we receive helps us to understand and appreciate our differences, not only within our office but in dealing with property owners and tenants, and as we discover and discuss our behavioural differences we can communicate to a greater degree.
Perception versus reality
When we communicate with others we automatically think that the person receives the information just as we are providing it — we make assumptions, but everyone has their own way of listening, conveying and processing information. By understanding how we personally communicate and how another person receives information, we can interact in more meaningful, clear and concise manners.
In the workplace – sellers and buyers, and tenants and owners
On a daily basis as real estate agents, our sales team and property managers liaise with sellers, buyers, tenants and owners to be able to make the selling, buying, leasing and renting processes as easy and problem-free as possible. Is the person I am speaking to processing the information literally or are they inferential? Do they need to be given the global picture or do they prefer specifics?
Instant decisions versus the procrastinator
As part of our training, we analysed our own staff communication profiles and found some of us easily make decisions while others need to be given information multiple times to be able to come to a decision. For those who need the information repeated, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be talked into a decision but they may have to hear the information a certain number of times before coming to their own conclusion. It could be a case of needing to be convinced once or twice or even three times, however, it some circumstances it could be that a person needs to hear the information six, seven or eight times and they still may not proceed. You will recognise these people as they may frustrate you with their procrastination as they sweat over their decision for days or even weeks!
We see this in our day-to-day business with tenants and property owners alike. A common example our offices see is when rent is in arrears. Tenants obviously get upset when they receive a notice regarding rent owing and we need to be able to clearly explain the process of paying rent and the reasoning behind breach notices. Our training helps us to explain the process and procedures of our office to a variety of people in a more effective manner. Yes, some people need it explained eight times or more!
It’s fun!
I highly recommend communication training as it allows you to understand the people you work with, the people you come into contact with and even your friends and family. Most importantly, when you understand how you communicate and how you prefer to receive communication, it can reduce a lot of stress and you will start to have fun understanding everyone’s differences. As we keep training and learning about communication profiles our skills will improve, which will ultimately help us give our clients the best service possible.
About the author
Haylee Payne is the trust accountant at Empire Estate Agents in Victoria Park. Along with her superhero colleagues, Haylee works hard to resolve challenges and improve our overall processes so we can work better together and for the greater good. Haylee is always available to help her team members or clients through tough situations.
Need more information on this topic? Or can we help you with other property management questions? Feel free to call and speak to us at Empire Estate Agents on (08) 9262 0400 or email reception@empireestateagents.com.