An Interview With Luping Liu
I’m delighted to share with you an interview with Luping Liu. She was born in China and is a long-term Japan resident. Leading human resources for the Asia-Pacific region for a global firm, successful communication is crucial for Luping, but she hasn’t always found it easy with English as her third language.
We talk about
- What it takes to be a thoughtful and strategic communicator
- How to deliver a tough message to a colleague
- How to avoid a disaster even when you think you’re well prepared
- What to do if you don’t know what your audience is interested in
- How to build your confidence even if you don’t think your English is good
You can
read the writeup below
or listen to the audio here (英語リスニングの練習におすすめ)
Enjoy!
What type of communicator do you want to be?
I hope I’m a thoughtful and strategic communicator because the nature of my job in human resources requires a lot of communication. To deliver conversations with different parties smoothly, thoughtful and strategic planning is important.
What do you keep in mind to communicate strategically?
Two elements. 1. You have to have a good plan for the conversation. 2. You have to have the relevant content.
What is a communication success that you have had?
One time, I had to deliver a tough message to a person who wasn’t doing well at their job. Before the conversation, I spent time putting myself in their shoes to consider their perspective. When I had the conversation, of course the message was tough and some parts were emotional, but in the end the individual accepted what I delivered and the conversation ended well.
What do you recommend for people who have to deliver a tough message at work?
Be thoughtful and strategic. Communication goes both ways. There should be mutual agreement. You have to set the stage so that both sides feel comfortable. So the most important thing when delivering a tough message in a corporate environment is to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. What are the facts that the other person is saying that you didn’t see?
What was a communication “failure” that you’ve experienced?
When I wasn’t prepared, the conversation or presentation often went wrong. I was asked to present some ideas to our management team. I thought I was doing the right thing, presenting about exciting talent acquisition and diversity topics. I got all the data that I thought might be beneficial for the management team. But I didn’t check beforehand whether they were interested. They didn’t think it was exciting at all. It was a disaster. When you communicate with others, you really have to understand what they feel is valuable to them – not just what you want to say. It’s more about what they want to hear from you.
What have you learned from that experience?
Now before any presentation, I check what people care about and whether my content is aligned.
What if you don’t have a chance to find out what your audience is interested in beforehand?
You can check at the beginning if they have any reaction to the ideas that you’re going to present. Of course, you have to be prepared with as much information as you can, so that you can switch around if necessary.
What is a current communication challenge for you?
I have a tendency to get very excited about topics that I’m passionate about. Often, I share too much information or detail. My challenge is to be more concise.
What communication resources or
advice do you have for readers?
You have to be aligned with the people you want to communicate with. Since I’m not a native speaker of English, I’ve put a lot of effort into learning English first and then putting my thoughts across in English. It’s not easy. Practice is important. And get some tips to communicate effectively.
As you mentioned, I participated in the Sasuga You! Self-Discovery Weekend. It was very interesting and helpful. Two reasons. 1. Before the retreat, I wasn’t confident. I thought that because I wasn’t a native speaker, my English wasn’t good. Through the retreat, I found my confidence. We’re not native speakers, but we’re doing our best to communicate in English.
I often get advice and coaching from Helen. And I find the weekly Sasuga! Tips For You to be useful, and free webinars.
Another very good resource is podcasts, which Helen introduced to me. I found it’s very useful because I commute to work – spend one hour on the train. Now, I listen to podcasts. I don’t understand perfectly, but I get a sense. Gradually, I can catch more. That has been very helpful.
(Note from Helen: You can change the speed of podcasts to make them slower if it’s easier for you. I speed them up to save time – lol!)
What else do you want to share with readers?
My two top tips. 1. Accept who you are. 2. Think that you can be a role model to others. You’re not just trying for yourself. You’re trying for others.
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