Author Interview #18 [Kazuyoshi Masuda]
This time, we interviewed Kazuyoshi Masuda, the author of "Get Results at Work with 'Confidence'! 20 Communication Skills That Really Get Through in the Workplace," which was released on June 30, 2021, and is currently enjoying great popularity. We asked him about episodes from the writing process, key points of the content, and more.
Author Profile
Kazuyoshi Masuda
Representative of Fuji Mirai Creation LLC, Human Resources Development Consultant, Nationally Certified Career Consultant, Industrial Counselor
He achieved results while working at an education and training service company and was promoted to a management position within five years of joining. Although he produced results immediately after his promotion, he suffered from autonomic ataxia due to stress from workplace relationships. He recovered temporarily and changed jobs, but the condition recurred, leading to a leave of absence. He recovered after changing jobs again to a consulting firm, where he was involved in training over 800 sales professionals and achieved results. He became independent in 2019. With a mission to "believe in the potential of oneself and the people around you," he is dedicated to developing talent that will carry the future of the workplace. As a training instructor, he has conducted over 530 training sessions in total, contributing to the development of over 7,900 business professionals. His training sessions, which aim to improve communication skills to achieve results at work, are well-received for being concrete and easy to understand.
Author Interview
――First of all, what was the reaction from those around you after the book was published?
Kazuyoshi Masuda (hereinafter Masuda): I received messages from many people, such as acquaintances from when I was a company employee in Tokyo and fellow training instructors, saying, "I bought it" or "I read it." I was also happy that some people wrote book reviews on their own blogs. There were even business owners active in the same region who purchased it for their own skill development, saying they wanted to learn.
――Book reviews are definitely one of the things that make you happy! Now, let's get to the main topic. Please tell us why you wanted to write this book.
Masuda: I had published e-books before, but those were more about branding to make myself look good.
This book was sparked by my desire to write about the issues I have felt regarding the workplace and the things many business professionals struggle with, including my past experiences, from the perspective of a human resources development expert.
I didn't have any problems with communication in the workplace; in fact, I struggled and had a painful time because it didn't go well. I wanted to convey that even people who didn't succeed like I did can improve their communication skills and get results at work.
――It seems you also had a past where you struggled with workplace relationships. What kind of solutions did you find for yourself?
Masuda: I'm not good at lying or hiding things. It shows on my face immediately (laughs).
I decided to turn that to my advantage and be as honest as possible, including showing my weaknesses. It's not something that's easily done, and there is a risk in letting others hold your weaknesses against you.
However, when I honestly showed my weaknesses and talked, I was able to build trusting relationships with people who understood. The reason I started my current work as a freelance training instructor and career consultant is that I no longer have resistance to honestly exposing myself. If you think that lies and secrets will eventually be found out, it is better to talk about yourself honestly. Please think about what you can do to make your workplace one where that is possible.
――Honestly exposing yourself, that seems like the essence of communication. You already had experience with e-publishing, but what was difficult or challenging for you during the writing process this time?
Masuda: My writing habits appeared clearly, and when I reread it, I realized it was hard to read, so I had a lot of trouble correcting it from there. Being self-absorbed is scary (laughs).
Also, in the process of revising and writing, there was a period where I couldn't think of what to write. Even if I stopped writing once and tried to start again after a week, I couldn't write. It's tough if you don't keep writing something every day.
――So there was a battle as a writer... Because it was created through such hardship, who do you especially recommend this book to?
Masuda: I want people who are not getting along with their bosses, subordinates, seniors, or juniors at work to read it. I especially recommend it to workplace leaders and young business professionals who are planning to further improve their skills from now on.
I also want people who are not good at writing and conveying things, not just speaking and listening, to read it.
Also, I recommend that people involved in employee education, OJT, and management in the workplace read it to use as a hint for developing young employees.
――Then, please tell us an effective way to read this book so that readers can make the most of its teachings.
Masuda: I recommend using it for in-house study groups and training. It is said that there are input and output methods for learning, but if you read the book to get input and then output to verify if you can actually do it, you can feel the degree of skill acquisition. Please use in-house study groups and training as a place for output.
If you can feel that you have acquired the skills, it will lead to "confidence," as in the title of this book. I want people to measure their degree of acquisition through study groups and training, rather than just reading it and finishing.
――It's truly a book you want to keep in the workplace! What is your favorite recommended point of this book?
Masuda: Chapter 5 touches not only on communication techniques such as "speaking and listening" but also on creating a workplace that allows those techniques to be demonstrated. Getting support from many people and talking a lot about dreams and visions are essential actions for having confidence and getting results at work. This is a point I would like you to read carefully and put into practice.
As a result of practicing this myself and gaining confidence, I have recovered from autonomic ataxia.
――In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, situations where we communicate by "speaking and listening" have increasingly become online. What do you think are the merits and demerits?
Masuda: In online communication, because it is done through communication, it tends to be difficult to convey with words alone. If you are anxious about your IT skills, you tend to assume that it is difficult to convey, and your sense of being bad at communication tends to grow even larger.
On the other hand, parts that are easy to miss when not online, such as facial expressions and gestures, can be clearly seen on a computer screen, etc., which is useful for confirming the other party's true intentions. If you pay attention to the non-verbal parts, you can understand parts that could not be grasped by words alone. This can be said to be a merit of online communication.
Online is a good opportunity to communicate with people at a distance with whom it was previously difficult to communicate.
――We should also acquire communication skills unique to being through a screen. What do you think is important in terms of mindset as the receiver, not the sender?
Masuda: When receiving a conversation, it is important to face the other person purely. When listening to a story, if you are thinking about "how to reply to the other person next" or "what I would think," you will not be able to listen to the other person's story accurately. If you face the other person seriously and receive the story, there is a high possibility that the other person will show a reaction such as "I'm glad I was listened to." To reach that point, training is necessary to consciously listen to the other person's story seriously. Let's put your own thoughts aside for a moment.
――As the receiver, it is important to concentrate on "listening." Finally, please give a message to the readers who read this note!
Masuda: I think there are many people who are not good at communication. If you feel you are not good at it, you can also say that there is a chance to turn your weakness into a strength. I hope you will read this book to get hints for improving your communication skills, get results at work, and live a happy life. If you want to gain confidence as a business professional, I definitely want you to read it once. Even I, who was a business professional without confidence, can now conduct training on communication in front of people, so it will be okay!!
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Book Introduction
You can't get your point across to your boss at work, you're bad at communication, and you get nervous. You get a stomachache just thinking about presenting at a meeting. How can you become able to communicate in the workplace? This is a book I want to send to people who have such worries.
I was a company employee who only failed at work and had no confidence. I worried about how to get my point across to my boss, sometimes ran away, and as a result of worrying too much, I experienced two leaves of absence due to autonomic ataxia.
There, as a result of communicating honestly with the person in front of me, my thoughts and ideas were conveyed more and more, and I began to get results at work. Currently, I am independent as a human resources development consultant, and I am teaching many business professionals how to improve skills related to communication in the workplace.
In this book, I have summarized skills related to communication that are important in the workplace based on what I have realized over 17 years in the field of human resources development, from four perspectives: "posture/attitude," "how to convey words," "how to write sentences," and "how to create a workplace." You can acquire 20 skills organized with a focus on "communication that gets through in the workplace."
There is no need to lament that you are bad at communication anymore. Let's carefully acquire communication skills one by one to get through in the workplace, and become able to get results at work with confidence!
[Table of Contents]
Chapter 1: Why doesn't your story get through in the workplace?
Chapter 2: Posture and attitude that really get through in the workplace
Chapter 3: How to convey words that really get through in the workplace
Chapter 4: How to write that really gets through in the workplace
Chapter 5: Creating a workplace where stories really get through
Please also enjoy the free full text release up to Chapter 1!