Ask the Master Newsletter Archives

Welcome to the previous editions of the Ask the Master newsletter. On your left you will find links to tips and the how to’s of running a Virtual Assistant practice. We hope you enjoy your stay and if you have a question you’d like answered send it to submission@vatp.ca.

Virtual Communication

If communication is key, what message are you sending?

Warmly,
Mary-Lou Ashton
Master Virtual Assistant

Questions In This Edition
(Click on the links to go to that question.) What can I do to improve communication with a client?

• What can I do to improve communication with a client?
• What do I need to pay attention to when communicating with a client?
• What challenges do emails represent?
• What else can I do to support communicating via email?
• What is a hard communicating skill to learn?

One of the first things you can do to improve communication with your client is to have regular contact with them, ideally no less then every other week. This allows you to get to know their communication style and adjust your style to fit theirs. If they are not detailed oriented then just give them the bottom line in a very succinct manner, if they want to know all the details have that prepared for them, regardless of your preferred communication style.

As you get to know the client better you will be able to pick up on their energy levels. Follow the lead of your client. If they are fractured, overwhelmed or irritable then take that into consideration when communicating. If you have something negative to communicate to them take steps to offer alternate solutions or find a silver lining if possible. If they are relaxed or at ease take those opportunities to get to know them on a more personal level.

Listen for what is not being communicated by paying attention to the tone of their voice. Do they get excited when they speak of something? Can you hear passion around a particular issue? Do you hear frustration when you talk about a certain item? Look for ways to support them based on what is not being said.

Email represents even more communication challenges as the tone can be interpreted. I have seen individuals, including myself, become upset by an email when the originator did not write it with the same underlying tone. I did a wonderful exercise around this with my coach where he read the same email once with the tone I interpreted and again with the opposite tone it may have been written in. It is very easily misunderstood.

So what can you do about this? Take you time in responding! While you may compose an initial response, do not send it until you have had a chance to mull over what was said and are responding not reacting! You can't take an email back once it has been sent.

Because of the lack of tone represented in emails you can use both punctuation and emoticons to convey your message. If you are confused use a couple of question marks, excited use exclamation marks, no edge to what you are saying use a smiley face, joking around send a winking face. All of these tools can support you in conveying the tone of your message and reduces the chance of it being misinterpreted.

Learning to speak your truth and be okay with saying no can sometimes be one of the toughest skills for a VA to learn. Most of us have come from an environment where we didn't have a say it what we did. Having a say is one of the greatest joys of owning your own business and because you get to create something that works for you it is okay to say no to a client request or be honest about how you feel about things. Not every request is for you and not every client will be for you. Stretch this muscle as you develop your client relationships through communicating what is true for you.