We’re all passionate about something. At Humanize IT, our passion is helping MSPs have better conversations - not presentations - with their clients. Imagine how much better an individual’s passion for something could be if they collaborated on it with others.
Collaboration is key to discovering new ideas, improving concepts, and bettering discussion. You have to remember that you’re not the only intelligent person in the room. When you are willing to collaborate with other smart individuals in the same room as you, you are able to create an even better product than if you were to attempt it on your own. If you were to decide to take the venture alone, you would be left with only your own ideas; we don’t even want to think about all of the value lost if you chose to not receive input from others.
Humanize IT frequently invites experts from various areas to join the podcast as guest speakers. From cyber security pros to published authors, we’ve seen many types of talents come onto the podcast and share their knowledge. Every single time, it produces a valuable discussion where both sides share their experiences, knowledge, questions, answers, and ideas.
MSPs (and other types of businesses) should prioritize collaboration when meeting with their customers. Have you ever left a client meeting feeling really great about the outcome? It was likely because you and the other individuals were truly collaborating and working together in the conversation. When ideas and opinions from both sides are shared, you’re always able to do more.
Collaborative conversations can also turn into a debate. So long as it doesn’t result in an argument, this isn’t a bad thing. A debate is typically a sign that both sides are heavily weighing the facts and putting their heads together to come up with answers. A collaborative conversation should also have a leader. The leader isn’t there to “be in charge” but rather to ensure that everyone in the room is truly being heard. Think of them as the judge of a tennis match; they are watching two sides go back and forth and ensuring the conversation stays “in bounds,” or within the scope of the topic.
Activity is important to producing a fruitful discussion. Does your team spend meetings scrolling through their phones or picking at their coffee cup? If so, you’re not going to have a good discussion because there is a serious lack of engagement. Engagement is key to collaboration.
In order to get your team to be engaged in the conversation, you, as the leader, must make them feel valued. Simply telling them “Thanks for coming to this meeting, I really value your time!” is not going to do the trick. Instead, make eye contact with them and ask them for their opinion on the topic. For example, if your CFO has not offered their input, try asking aloud what the estimated financial impact will be on the project that is being discussed. This is an easy way to give them a cue and invite them to join the conversation.
When you are looking for the outcast in the room who isn’t contributing to the conversation, consider that they may be someone who isn’t comfortable speaking in front of others, especially if it’s a larger group. Try pulling them aside after the meeting so they can speak to you one-on-one and offer their ideas in a setting that may put them at ease.
All collaboration will be unique depending on the people involved, the topic being discussed, and the knowledge and ideas being laid out on the table. You’ll know you’re on the right track when you are humanizing the conversation so that will be able to relate to each other once again.
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