As Tom Maddocks so rightly pointed out in one of his recent ‘Lessons from The Apprentice’ blogs, a huge part of the challenge of The Apprentice, and business in general, is good communication. Whether during a tete-a-tete with Sir Alan Sugar, in a sales pitch or in a piece of sales or marketing literature – great communicators will always be one step ahead.
But what makes for good communication? Take Week 7’s shining star Helen as an example – here are three ways that she made sure she was firmly on her audience’s (i.e Sir Alan Sugar’s) radar.
- Personality.
Helen is certainly one of the more personable characters of series 7. Consistently positive and pro-active, Helen is a great self-starter with a very positive and enthusiastic attitude, and importantly it comes across in all of her communication.
- Consistency.
It wasn’t really until week 7 that Helen came to the fore. But thinking about those in the limelight in the preceding weeks, we think that’s a good sign. Jim… Melody… Susan… all have particularly strong points and particularly bad points when it comes to communication skills. Helen, however, has been consistent in her attitude and approach and that’s left a lasting impression on her audience.
- Awareness.
Even when performing in front of millions, Helen doesn’t lose sight of her purpose. She has excellent listening skills, and is good at dissecting the brief and vitally, thinking before she acts. Helen ensures she always keeps the audience at the front of her mind. She understands how to get the best response from each audience, and she tailors her communication accordingly.
