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Trust is not only the key to successful relationships. It’s also good for business.
In fact, a recent PwC Trust in U.S. Business Survey found 93 percent of business executives agree the ability to build and maintain trust actually improves the bottom line.
That’s where Abbey Kish comes in. Kish, a local corporate trainer, works with teams and executives to sharpen their conversation and presentation skills to help them build trust every time they speak.
“When people trust you, they see your potential. They feel a connection,” says Kish, who started her communication career working with economists at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center.
The key, she says, is to communicate with intention. Through one-on-one coaching and half-day intensive sessions, she helps clients identify their communication strengths and eliminate pitfalls.
Kish’s targeted approach
“We first identify where you’re really strong. Maybe you crack jokes and make your listener laugh. Or maybe you’re good at building quick trust,” she says. “Whatever it is, we make sure you’re aware of it, because most people are not aware of where their strengths are.”
She then helps them eliminate what she calls the “noise,” everything that detracts from the message, such as indirect eye contact or lack of confidence, tone, volume or distracting hand gestures to reveal “a pretty incredible product of communication.”
Her custom, hands-on workshops are interactive. Participants perform conversation and presentation challenges to help identify “the good, the bad and the ugly of how the team shows up” in front of people they don’t know.
“I look at a team to see ‘What do you need in this moment?’ It’s all highly customizable to the strength and maturity of the team and what they’re looking to accomplish,” she says.
Her current work with a local sales team involves group sessions and regular one-on-one consultations with each representative to help increase performance. They discuss recent conversations with prospects and customers to identify ways to improve.
One big challenge for many clients: Networking events. She helps them reflect on interactions and whether the conversations achieved the desired result.
“It’s not that they did something wrong. It’s that none of the conversations resonated, and they don’t know why, because they haven’t identified the thing that needs to be leaned into,” she says.
In those networking environments, especially on the sales side, she teaches “permission speaking,” which involves giving the subject just enough information about the topic – one sentence, usually less than 20 words — to pique their interest before going further into a deeper explanation.
“Once you get someone to say, ‘Tell me more about that,’ boom. They’ve given you permission to say anything you want about what you do,” Kish says. “The biggest mistake people make is sharing too much information when the listener didn’t ask for it.”
Who can most benefit?
Kish’s ideal client is someone who leans in and is excited about the power of communication. “They’ll get the best results,” she says.
Otherwise, anyone who is not getting the results they want from conversations could benefit from her services.
“Once you get a hold of your conversations, everything else falls into place,” she says.
To learn more, visit online at abbeykish.com.
