At holiday and social festivities across Canada, real estate professionals will meet consumers from all walks of life: homeowners, tenants, business owners, investors, wanna-be owners and future heirs. Too often, when real estate brokers and salespeople encounter the general public in settings other than a real estate office or open house, the result may be a communication disaster fraught with lost opportunity on both sides.

The problem starts off simply. One party-goer asks another: "What do you do?" When the one being queried holds a real estate license, the conversation may get misdirected. A response of "I'm a Realtor," "I sell real estate," or a variation on that theme, will definitely elicit a response, but will the seeds of a new working relationship be sewn? (After all, this is the goal of every consummate communicator who makes their living through sales.)

Brokers and salespeople who proudly announce they're in real estate may not be providing as much information as they intend. When members of the public hear this statement, their reaction may take one of two forms:

• Bad experiences in real estate may cause them to make a crack about the market, outrageous commissions or salespeople in general. Some may vent their spleen over past real estate injustices.

• Consumers who are unaware of real estate's complexity or ignorant of the depth of a professional's training and knowledge may not see anything more to discuss. This type of introduction puts the onus on the consumer to cut through stereotypes and misconceptions about the industry and its representatives to translate this fact into something uniquely and personally useful or relevant.

After watching a few painful encounters at holiday functions this year, it seemed time to enter into the spirit of gift-giving and share a few ideas from my professional development/mandatory education program, Sharpen Your Communication Edge: Strategies for Strengthening Client Relationships (Copyright © 2004 PJ Wade, The Catalyst).

"In the nineteenth century, a famous literary mind lamented that 'the problem with communication is the illusion that it has been achieved.' Here we are in the 21st century asking, 'Has much happened to improve our communication powers since then?' Although technology enables us to reach almost anyone and anywhere on the planet within seconds, have our communication skills improved as dramatically as the leap from quill pen to handheld computer would lead us to believe?

"To hold the attention of today's savvy prospects and retain past clients, real estate professionals must develop innovative, strategic communication skills that differentiate them from the pack and make them worth remembering every time a real estate need arises."

Everyone knows the old saying: "You only have one chance to make a good first impression." Real estate professionals spend thousands on advertising, yet when a consumer comes within hailing distance, often the chance to create a great first impression is ignored. Even though this may be the only time the professional has that consumer's full attention, the encounter may only add to the consumer's confusion or disinterest. Broad-stroke statements like "I'm in real estate" can obscure a professional's individual strengths and uniqueness.

Now, don't think real estate professionals are the only mis-communicators out there. Stock brokers, investment dealers, financial advisors, retirement planners, private bankers -- the full range of financial services professionals -- speak a common tongue that is lost on even fairly knowledgeable consumers.

Some communication problems arise because real estate professionals take their own depth of knowledge for granted and forget how much information there is to share. Brokers and salespeople are licensed to sell real estate in their province where "real estate" or "bien immeuble" carries a specific but very broad legal definition:

• Ontario's amended real estate law, which comes into force January 5, 2005, incorporates this definition: "real estate includes real property, leasehold and business whether with or without premises, fixtures, stock-in-trade, goods or chattels in connection with the operation of the business."

• BC's new Real Estate Services Act, ready to be implemented on January 1, describes real estate using a differently worded definition.

This legalese may be tough going for the uninitiated, but it does embody the diversity and complexity of real estate. Years of writing and speaking about real estate to consumers and other business professionals have proven to me how much these groups are both fascinated and confused by real estate. This means an encounter between a consumer and a real estate professional should result in an exciting exchange of valuable, fascinating information:

• Real estate brokers or salespeople who clearly translate what they do into brief statements of specific benefit to a listener should catalyze mutually-beneficial encounters.

• Consumers who ask questions about popular misconceptions, common overlooked opportunities, investment strategies and much more will also come out winners.

Cheers and Happy Holidays!