Funeral directors, wanna get better at communicating your value to client families? It all begins with better communication!

1. HOW TO BE A
BETTER COMMUNICATOR
WITH YOUR FAMILIES

2. How can we effectively
COMMUNICATE OUR VALUE
to client families?
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HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

3. THE SOLUTION?
It’s not through pricing.
It’s not through your services.
It’s not about the market.
It’s not even about strategy...
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HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

4. IT’S ALL ABOUT
CREATING A MEANINGFUL
4
CONNECTION
HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

5. 5
THE KEY IS
HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

6. WITH GREAT COMMUNICATION YOU CAN...
● Gain clarity and understand your families’ needs.
● Handle miscommunications.
● Make better decisions.
● Clearly articulate your valuable solutions.
● Increase client family satisfaction.
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HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

7. HOW CAN I BECOME A GREAT
COMMUNICATOR?
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HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

8. SPEAKING IS ONLY
10% OF THE EQUATION
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HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

9. DEFINITION
9
GREAT COMMUNICATION
Being able to convey information to people
clearly and simply, in a way that means things are
understood and get done. It’s about transmitting
and receiving messages clearly, and being able to
read your audience.
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HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

10. NONVERBALLISTENING SPEAKING
PREPARATION &
CRITICAL
THINKING
THE 4 ELEMENTS OF GREAT COMMUNICATION
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HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

11. 11
This stage of communication requires preparation, and critical
thinking skills. It’s about creating a clear message, and the
structure and tools to effectively get it across. It’s easier to
communicate with families when you have the right facts and
possible solutions in your back pocket.
PREPARATION & CRITICAL THINKING
THINKINGHOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

12. “A wiseman reflects before he
speaks; a fool speaks, and then
reflects on what he has uttered.”
1212
— French Proverb
THINKINGHOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

13. HOW TO PREPARE FOR A MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION
Have an outcome in mind
Choose one specific goal or outcome & put it into one bite-sized sentence.
Visualize the outcome
Imagine the conversation leading to your specific desired outcomes.
Use structure (but stay flexible)
Have a few “checkpoints” for your conversation (ie. beginning, middle, end).
Anticipate possible objections
And come prepared to respond, rather than react to them.
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THINKINGHOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

14. GO INTO EVERY CONVERSATION WITH GRATITUDE
NON VERBAL
“My client
families
value my
work”
“I enjoy creating
connections
with families”
Get into a good
head space with
gratitude and
other positive
affirmations.
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HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES
“I’m grateful
for this
opportunity”

15. 15
LISTENING
Knowledge is power. And the more you know about your client
families and their loved ones, the better you will be at
connecting and engaging with them. They want to know if they
can trust you to help them celebrate and remember their loved
one and listening is the first step in proving you can do just that.
LISTENING
HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

16. “One of the most sincere forms of
respect is actually listening to what
another has to say.”
1616
— Bryant H. McGill
LISTENINGHOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

17. THE 4-STEP EMPATHETIC LISTENING PROCESS
1. Give them your full attention - Clear away any distractions
or noises and give them your undivided attention.
2. Listen for the *gold* - Listen closely to uncover the true
essence of what they’re trying to communicate.
3. Offer a reflection - Summarize and paraphrase what
they’ve shared to test your understanding.
4. Ask follow-up questions- Go deeper with questions to
further clarify and understand.
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LISTENINGHOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

18. GOOD
● Be genuinely interested.
● Listen for the gold (main idea).
● Do not change the topic.
● Ask questions to clarify issues.
● Be patient and hear them out.
● Acknowledge them with non-verbal cues.
● Repeat back or summarize to ensure that
you understand.
BAD
● Thinking about something else.
● Looking around the room.
● Only thinking about your agenda.
● Listening only for facts.
● Judging.
● Interrupting while the other person is
speaking.
● Simply waiting to make your own
point.
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LISTENINGHOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

19. 19
NON VERBAL
Your families are subconsciously receiving your energy,
emotions and intentions behind your words. By paying attention
to how you feel, and what you want your client families to sense
from you, you can master the art of nonverbal communication.
NON-VERBAL CUES
HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

20. “It’s not about what you say
but how you say it.”
2020
— Anonymous
NON VERBALHOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

21. 21
7% of communication
involves actual words
93% of communication is
how people respond to
your body, movements
and voice
93%
DID YOU KNOW?
NON VERBALHOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

22. VOICE & TONE
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HONEST
COMFORTING
EDUCATIONAL
UPLIFTING
LIGHTHEARTED
TRUSTWORTHY
RESPECTFUL
CONVERSATIONAL
but not distasteful
but not overwhelming
but not salesy
but not cheesy
but not too casual
but not unapproachable
but not stuffy
but not slang
SPEAKINGHOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

23. “I know that you believe you
understand what you think I said, but
I am not sure you realize that what
you heard is not what I meant!”
— Robert Closkey
SPEAKING
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HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

24. 4 WAYS TO BUILD RAPPORT QUICKLY
1. Ask questions like: what they do? Where are they from?
2. Share a story that is vulnerable, or that they’d appreciate
3. Be a good host and offer them a drink or snack
4. Find a relation or commonality between you
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SPEAKINGHOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

25. 25
SPEAKING
The language you use plays a role in how your client families
perceive your funeral home, and the services you offer. There
are words, phrases and techniques that can take your level of
service from good to great!
SPEAKING
HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

26. GOOD
● Brief
● Clear
● Specific
● Consistent
● Ask questions
● Offer stories & testimonials
● Using client’s name
BAD
● Long-winded sentences
● Too much information
● All over the place
● Getting too personal
● Talking about yourself
● Only sharing facts
● Using “you” statements
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FACT: The majority of people have an
attention span of 8 seconds!
SPEAKINGHOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

27. REMEMBER...
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HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

28. “People will not remember exactly what you
did or what you said, but they will always
remember how you made them feel.”
— Maya Angelou
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HOW TO BE A BETTER COMMUNICATOR WITH YOUR FAMILIES

29. THANK
YOU!