Business communication practices are guidelines that most organizations have in place even if they aren't written down. Workplace communication benchmarks may include answering the phone by the second ring, sending a thank-you note or simply being competent and courteous when answering the phone.
When business is booming these practices tend to slide a bit. After all, who's checking to see if every customer received a follow-up call when the next customer is waiting for service?
However, in a challenging business climate it's these very fundamentals that can spell the difference between survival and demise. Even savvy ball club managers have their teams "get back to basics" when they're faltering.
Do a review of these fundamental, but often overlooked, workplace communication practices to see if you need to get back to basics.
A - Articulation. It's so common today to hear sloppy enunciation that we begin to hear it as normal. But your customers may pay more attention to careless communication skills especially during phone conversations. They may voice their disapproval simply by not purchasing your product or service. Poor communication skills can hurt your branding.
Help your team brush up with a few tongue twisters or engaging them in word games each week to keep skills sharp. Have fun. But don't let this elementary communication skill cost you business.
B - Build Rapport. Every customer encounter is an opportunity to build rapport. Smiles, a handshake, a name remembered are the basics. A birthday or a pet's name remembered or a call just to ask if they have any questions should also be a part of your communication fundamentals.
Hire happy people and teach them the skills of the job. An unhappy person infects everyone with the cranky bug-don't tolerate it. There are enough enthusiastic and competent people in the market today that replacing them should be easy.
C - Confidence. A strong, confident voice sends a positive message to your customers. Customers want to feel certain that they are buying the right product or service and a self-assured, confident but not arrogant voice can foster that feeling.
If you're not already making periodic calls to your company to hear how the phone is answered start immediately.
Smart companies are ramping up their selling and communication skills during this challenging market. The emphasis on developing a relationship in even the shortest transaction is the new standard no matter the size of the organization.
Take the time to hone the essential ABC's of communications before adding advanced skills. Now is not the time to let things slide. Add training and assessments and you'll be ready when business is booming again.
Kamis, 09 November 2017
Rabu, 25 Oktober 2017
How to Improve Your Communication Skills in the Workplace and in Business?
People struggle at work because they spent years in school hoping to get a good job upon graduation but it taught them NOTHING about how to talk and influence their way to the top. They don't get promoted because they are good at talking with people around them, but not with people above them. Here are some suggestions how you can improve your communication skills in the workplace and in business:
Observe And Learn From How Successful People Talk
Observe and learn from the top executives in your workplace. Make opportunities to attend meetings or work with them. Observe how they sell their ideas and communicate with people. You can also watch TV interviews of top executives being interviewed. Study how they express themselves.
Train Yourself To Speak Up
Do mock presentations and video yourself. Then replay to review yourself critically. Do you see an eloquent leader in the making? Identify the areas for improvement and re-do the video presentations until you are happy to see the way the person (you) communicate in the video.
Speak In Church
You could build up your confidence through speaking in a church. The church is a good platform to improve your communication skills as a lot of church activities revolve around speaking publicly in groups.
Join A Toastmasters Club
Or, join a toastmasters club in your area. A toastmasters club gathers like-minded people in regular meetings to express their ideas and make speeches. Members evaluate and give each other marks for the expressions and speeches, with the objective to improve each other's presentation skills.
Practice Talking And Selling Your Ideas
With modern computer technology, people's communication skills have fallen backwards. People type rather than talk verbally, and feel more comfortable hiding behind their computers. Most successful business deals, however, are still transacted in a face-to-face meeting. It has, therefore, become even more urgent to practice selling your ideas. Get into office meetings and customer presentations in the workplace that allow you to improve your communication skills so that you can be natural in front of others.
Read Communication Books That Has Plenty of Real Life Examples
Go to the bookshop and look for good communication books. Find one that has plenty of everyday real life examples that you can learn from.
Attend A Communication Skills Course to Improve Your Chances for the Next Job Promotion
Most companies have an annual training budget. Check out your staff manual. Find a suitable course and get approval from your boss to utilize the training budget to improve communication skills. Or, suggest to your training department to include a communications skills course into their training agenda for you.
Observe And Learn From How Successful People Talk
Observe and learn from the top executives in your workplace. Make opportunities to attend meetings or work with them. Observe how they sell their ideas and communicate with people. You can also watch TV interviews of top executives being interviewed. Study how they express themselves.
Train Yourself To Speak Up
Do mock presentations and video yourself. Then replay to review yourself critically. Do you see an eloquent leader in the making? Identify the areas for improvement and re-do the video presentations until you are happy to see the way the person (you) communicate in the video.
Speak In Church
You could build up your confidence through speaking in a church. The church is a good platform to improve your communication skills as a lot of church activities revolve around speaking publicly in groups.
Join A Toastmasters Club
Or, join a toastmasters club in your area. A toastmasters club gathers like-minded people in regular meetings to express their ideas and make speeches. Members evaluate and give each other marks for the expressions and speeches, with the objective to improve each other's presentation skills.
Practice Talking And Selling Your Ideas
With modern computer technology, people's communication skills have fallen backwards. People type rather than talk verbally, and feel more comfortable hiding behind their computers. Most successful business deals, however, are still transacted in a face-to-face meeting. It has, therefore, become even more urgent to practice selling your ideas. Get into office meetings and customer presentations in the workplace that allow you to improve your communication skills so that you can be natural in front of others.
Read Communication Books That Has Plenty of Real Life Examples
Go to the bookshop and look for good communication books. Find one that has plenty of everyday real life examples that you can learn from.
Attend A Communication Skills Course to Improve Your Chances for the Next Job Promotion
Most companies have an annual training budget. Check out your staff manual. Find a suitable course and get approval from your boss to utilize the training budget to improve communication skills. Or, suggest to your training department to include a communications skills course into their training agenda for you.
Rabu, 04 Oktober 2017
Communication - Seven Verbal Communication Skills That Improve Workplace Management Effectiveness
Successful executives, managers and supervisors know that the importance of effective communication in the workplace cannot be underestimated. Poor communication is responsible for mistakes, conflict, and negativity in the workplace. Have you ever thought the following?
"Oops, I know I said that, but what I meant to say was..."
" Why can't I get buy in from the team?"
"That mistake could have been avoided if I had only said...."
Two common communication barriers are:
Not being aware of effective communication skills
Being in a hurry.
Since effective communication in business is essential to success at your company or organization, it makes sense to improve your communication skills. The good news is that you can learn some basic communication skills and use them today to improve the quality of your workplace relationships with both employees and customers.
Seven Communication Skills for the Workplace
1. Personal Contact
Did you ever wonder why companies spend thousands of dollars sending sales people across the country when they could do a phone call for much less? The reason is that people relate to one another better when they can meet in person and read each other's body language. What's more, people can feel the energy the connection creates. You can also smile and shake someone's hand when you greet them, which creates a powerful connection.
2. Develop a network.
No one achieves success alone. Success in any company requires a team effort.
Make an effort to get to know managers and employees in different departments within your company,
Meet new people in professional organizations.
Become active in your community.
3. Always be courteous.
Courtesy lets people know that you care.
The words "Thank You" show that you appreciate your employees' efforts, and this is important because appreciation is the number one thing that employees want from management.
A little change like saying, "Would you please..." instead of just, "Please..." will make you sound less dogmatic and will improve your relationships with your employees.
4. Be clear
Since people often hear things differently, and they may be hesitant to ask you to explain what you said, you should ask, "Did I explain this clearly?" This will confirm that people understood you.
5. Compromise
You can decrease the tension associated with conflict if you always ask, "What is best for the company?" This gives people a different perspective on your requests, and they will be less likely to take any conflict personally.
6. Be interesting and interested
Even though most of your workplace communications will be about business topics, it is also important to share your personal side. Let your staff know about your interests and your family, and ask them about theirs. Telling a few short personal stories about your interesting experiences will make your employees feel more connected to you as a person. Read your hometown paper daily so you know what is going on in your community and what personal concerns your staff may have about them.
7. Listen
Listening attentively to your employees demonstrates respect. Listening isn't easy because everyone's mind tends to wander. So to help you concentrate on what the other person is saying, keep a good eye contact --without staring, and then make a comment about it or ask a question.
Improving your communication skills is a process that happens gradually over a period of time. The good news is that you have opportunities to practice your communication skills every day at work. Here's a tip to help you improve faster. At the end of each day, take a moment to review your communications during the day. What was effective? What wasn't effective? That way you will continue to learn and improve your communication skills.
Communication is the key to success in business
That is why you should be aware of how you are communicating at all times. As a result... you will become a role model for effective workplace communication skills to your employees. This is important because the ultimate goal of any supervisor, manager or executive is to turn ordinary workers into extraordinary employees. You can take a huge step toward doing this by honing your own communication skills.
"Oops, I know I said that, but what I meant to say was..."
" Why can't I get buy in from the team?"
"That mistake could have been avoided if I had only said...."
Two common communication barriers are:
Not being aware of effective communication skills
Being in a hurry.
Since effective communication in business is essential to success at your company or organization, it makes sense to improve your communication skills. The good news is that you can learn some basic communication skills and use them today to improve the quality of your workplace relationships with both employees and customers.
Seven Communication Skills for the Workplace
1. Personal Contact
Did you ever wonder why companies spend thousands of dollars sending sales people across the country when they could do a phone call for much less? The reason is that people relate to one another better when they can meet in person and read each other's body language. What's more, people can feel the energy the connection creates. You can also smile and shake someone's hand when you greet them, which creates a powerful connection.
2. Develop a network.
No one achieves success alone. Success in any company requires a team effort.
Make an effort to get to know managers and employees in different departments within your company,
Meet new people in professional organizations.
Become active in your community.
3. Always be courteous.
Courtesy lets people know that you care.
The words "Thank You" show that you appreciate your employees' efforts, and this is important because appreciation is the number one thing that employees want from management.
A little change like saying, "Would you please..." instead of just, "Please..." will make you sound less dogmatic and will improve your relationships with your employees.
4. Be clear
Since people often hear things differently, and they may be hesitant to ask you to explain what you said, you should ask, "Did I explain this clearly?" This will confirm that people understood you.
5. Compromise
You can decrease the tension associated with conflict if you always ask, "What is best for the company?" This gives people a different perspective on your requests, and they will be less likely to take any conflict personally.
6. Be interesting and interested
Even though most of your workplace communications will be about business topics, it is also important to share your personal side. Let your staff know about your interests and your family, and ask them about theirs. Telling a few short personal stories about your interesting experiences will make your employees feel more connected to you as a person. Read your hometown paper daily so you know what is going on in your community and what personal concerns your staff may have about them.
7. Listen
Listening attentively to your employees demonstrates respect. Listening isn't easy because everyone's mind tends to wander. So to help you concentrate on what the other person is saying, keep a good eye contact --without staring, and then make a comment about it or ask a question.
Improving your communication skills is a process that happens gradually over a period of time. The good news is that you have opportunities to practice your communication skills every day at work. Here's a tip to help you improve faster. At the end of each day, take a moment to review your communications during the day. What was effective? What wasn't effective? That way you will continue to learn and improve your communication skills.
Communication is the key to success in business
That is why you should be aware of how you are communicating at all times. As a result... you will become a role model for effective workplace communication skills to your employees. This is important because the ultimate goal of any supervisor, manager or executive is to turn ordinary workers into extraordinary employees. You can take a huge step toward doing this by honing your own communication skills.
Senin, 25 September 2017
Improving People Skills: Get Ahead In Life With Interpersonal and Communication Skills That Work!
Day in and day out, whether at work or running our own business, we have to interact with people. We may talk face-to-face, by phone or Skype, by email, or on popular virtual gathering places like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Never before have we had so many ways we can connect to people, and never has it been so critical to make your presence strong and consistent no matter the platform.
Did you know every relationship begins with you? Every person you deal with will present you with different interpersonal challenges but how you handle them and communicate is up to you. Much has been written about how we can influence our work relationships but for now, let's look at a quick review of best practices in people skills.:
• Hear with an active ear. This is an essential skill for workplace communications. Our jobs are demanding, we have a lot to get through in a day and a lot of people to talk with. If we short-change our interactions results can include mixed messages, incomplete information and impaired productivity. When you have to interact with someone, be it the mail clerk or someone on your leadership team, you need to engage in active listening and really 'hear' what they're saying, rather than jumping the gun to give your response. If you think about it, there really is a difference between 'listening' and 'hearing'.
• Speak clearly and be concise. There is nothing worse than someone taking 25 minutes to explain a sales concept or give a debriefing on the next in-house professional development initiative when it could have easily been communicated in less than 10. Everyone is busy and you have to respect their time.
• Be approachable. If you constantly keep yourself at arm's length from your employees or colleagues, you're sending a message that you're difficult to approach. All that does is cast out negativity which, in turn, is counter-productive. Let people know they can come to you with problems and that you'll do your best to be objective and help them find a solution quickly and efficiently.
• Foster team spirit. People resonate with workplace camaraderie. They like to know they're being supported in their jobs. It helps them stay motivated and engaged. Do everything you can to instill this in those around you. A happier workforce is a very productive one.
At the end of the day, relationships are at the core of any business. People within your company are essential to your success, and the people coming to you for service and solutions are counting on the fact that your company stands behind what it says it can do. By taking stock of your people skills and working to improve them as necessary, you can ensure it's a win-win for all.
Did you know every relationship begins with you? Every person you deal with will present you with different interpersonal challenges but how you handle them and communicate is up to you. Much has been written about how we can influence our work relationships but for now, let's look at a quick review of best practices in people skills.:
• Hear with an active ear. This is an essential skill for workplace communications. Our jobs are demanding, we have a lot to get through in a day and a lot of people to talk with. If we short-change our interactions results can include mixed messages, incomplete information and impaired productivity. When you have to interact with someone, be it the mail clerk or someone on your leadership team, you need to engage in active listening and really 'hear' what they're saying, rather than jumping the gun to give your response. If you think about it, there really is a difference between 'listening' and 'hearing'.
• Speak clearly and be concise. There is nothing worse than someone taking 25 minutes to explain a sales concept or give a debriefing on the next in-house professional development initiative when it could have easily been communicated in less than 10. Everyone is busy and you have to respect their time.
• Be approachable. If you constantly keep yourself at arm's length from your employees or colleagues, you're sending a message that you're difficult to approach. All that does is cast out negativity which, in turn, is counter-productive. Let people know they can come to you with problems and that you'll do your best to be objective and help them find a solution quickly and efficiently.
• Foster team spirit. People resonate with workplace camaraderie. They like to know they're being supported in their jobs. It helps them stay motivated and engaged. Do everything you can to instill this in those around you. A happier workforce is a very productive one.
At the end of the day, relationships are at the core of any business. People within your company are essential to your success, and the people coming to you for service and solutions are counting on the fact that your company stands behind what it says it can do. By taking stock of your people skills and working to improve them as necessary, you can ensure it's a win-win for all.
Selasa, 12 September 2017
Workplace Communication - 7 Steps to Turn Resistance Into Cooperation and Gain Respect
Employee resistance to change in the workplace is nothing new. Leaders and managers accept the pushback that comes when rolling out new procedures, changes in operations, shifts in hours, status, or even the loss of a prime parking space. How you deal with resistance makes the difference between gaining cooperation and respect and being viewed as an uninvolved, autocratic administrator.
Whether the resistance comes from a single dissenter or an entire department, use the following 7 steps to gain cooperation and respect:
Step1. Clearly state what you want, when you want it and how it will affect individual jobs. Use a firm but neutral or positive tone of voice. Refrain from conveying disappointment, anger or defeat. Your particular situation or location will dictate the appropriate vocal expression.
Step2. Decide beforehand how much time you will allot to objections, groaning and griping. Inform the person or team you are addressing about the time limit. Let them vent.
Step 3. Listen to understand concerns. What underlying emotions are behind the complaints? What are the real fears behind the protests? Often the real fears will not be voiced in the initial session and until further questioning your understanding may be based on false assumptions.
Step 4. Check your perceptions by reflecting back your understanding of the concerns. Do not allow another round of protests, rather simply check for confirmation.
Step 5. If appropriate, ask for suggestions. Not every circumstance will allow for this but to the degree that employees feel engaged in the process the quicker the cooperation. Once again, do not allow suggestions to go on forever and keep the conversation on suggestions only-not grousing. Be involved. Listen and list possibilities without judging. Put it all down. Be open to viable proposals.
Step 6. Suggest a review or an opportunity to revisit the impact of the change after a test run or implementation. This is a good practice to put into place whenever a new procedure or shift has taken place, regardless of the initial response. Small changes made at this re-visit may prevent a complete breakdown if left unchecked. This is also an excellent opportunity to increase face-time, engage employees and learn something new.
Step 7. If these steps fail, explain the costs of noncooperation. Change is what makes an organization stay competitive, robust and profitable. Dissenters may be in the wrong position or job so act accordingly.
Cooperation comes when people know and feel they are part of something bigger. Employees understand that changes occur but welcome the opportunity to influence the outcome and success. However, just because you communicate openly and involve employees by asking for suggestions, does not mean they make the final decision. Be a leader-listen, learn and then implement.
Whether the resistance comes from a single dissenter or an entire department, use the following 7 steps to gain cooperation and respect:
Step1. Clearly state what you want, when you want it and how it will affect individual jobs. Use a firm but neutral or positive tone of voice. Refrain from conveying disappointment, anger or defeat. Your particular situation or location will dictate the appropriate vocal expression.
Step2. Decide beforehand how much time you will allot to objections, groaning and griping. Inform the person or team you are addressing about the time limit. Let them vent.
Step 3. Listen to understand concerns. What underlying emotions are behind the complaints? What are the real fears behind the protests? Often the real fears will not be voiced in the initial session and until further questioning your understanding may be based on false assumptions.
Step 4. Check your perceptions by reflecting back your understanding of the concerns. Do not allow another round of protests, rather simply check for confirmation.
Step 5. If appropriate, ask for suggestions. Not every circumstance will allow for this but to the degree that employees feel engaged in the process the quicker the cooperation. Once again, do not allow suggestions to go on forever and keep the conversation on suggestions only-not grousing. Be involved. Listen and list possibilities without judging. Put it all down. Be open to viable proposals.
Step 6. Suggest a review or an opportunity to revisit the impact of the change after a test run or implementation. This is a good practice to put into place whenever a new procedure or shift has taken place, regardless of the initial response. Small changes made at this re-visit may prevent a complete breakdown if left unchecked. This is also an excellent opportunity to increase face-time, engage employees and learn something new.
Step 7. If these steps fail, explain the costs of noncooperation. Change is what makes an organization stay competitive, robust and profitable. Dissenters may be in the wrong position or job so act accordingly.
Cooperation comes when people know and feel they are part of something bigger. Employees understand that changes occur but welcome the opportunity to influence the outcome and success. However, just because you communicate openly and involve employees by asking for suggestions, does not mean they make the final decision. Be a leader-listen, learn and then implement.
Senin, 21 Agustus 2017
What's Your Communication Quotient? Workplace Communication - Your Key to Success!
Forget GQ! These days it's your CQ that matters...your Communication
Quotient. Degrees and awards are fine, your bilingualism and knowledge of the
latest programming languages are nice, but how good a communicator are you? In
English? With co-workers and customers?
Every job description emphasizes it: must have excellent communication skills.
In performance reviews many get marked down for it. And as entrepreneurs who
wear many hats, speaking with many voices is also a requisite skill. So how is
your communication quotient?
Communication takes many forms. Think for a moment about a typical workday. You
must communicate with customers, clients, co-workers (both superiors and
subordinates), vendors, and even city, state and federal bureaucrats. Perhaps
you even have interns or volunteers to communicate with. On occasion you're also
speaking with the media, members of your association or even competitors. How
well are you communicating with each?
Each form of communication draws on different skills, each requires different
approaches and sometimes even a different lexicon. The checklist below has
broken out many of these types of communication into categories. Place a plus,
minus or equal sign next to each line to rate whether you see yourself as
already strong (+), average (=) or weak (-) in each area.
Can You Interact Successfully with Strangers?
- Make Small Talk?
- Ask them About Themselves?
- Tell Them About Yourself?
- Introduce Two Strangers to Each Other
- Discuss Current Events with Confidence
Networking and the ability to work a room are invaluable skills for a small
business owner. Knowing how to introduce yourself to others through your
elevator speech can also open many doors of opportunity. As you meet strangers
are you exuding confidence? (To read more about elevator speeches:
expressionsofexcellence.com/articles.html#elevatorspeech.)
Being able to mingle and mix, compliment strangers and inquire of their line of
work is an effective way to expand your sphere of influence and prospect for new
business. You can even qualify prospects deftly while schmoozing.
How Effective Are Your Communication Skills?
- Can You Give A Prepared Speech?
- Can You Speak Extemporaneously?
- Can You Make A Sales Presentation?
- Can You Interview Someone Else? Be Interviewed?
Some basic communication tenets to keep in mind in public speaking situations:
1. Speak clearly and audibly at all times.
2. Don't rush your presentation. Pare its content down if you have too much to
cover in the time given.
3. Enunciate effectively. For many, English is a second language. Focus on the
consonants of each word.
4. Employ vocal variety to keep people paying attention. Avoid sing-songy
patterns of speech.
5. Learn all about interview dynamics
How Versatile A Communicator Are You?
- Can You Make A Cold Call?
- Can You Train Others?
- Can You Conduct A Meeting As Its Leader?
- Can You Constructively Critique Another's Performance?
I help small business owners take the chill out of cold calls. Once you
understand the rules of the game, develop your script, learn to bypass
gatekeepers and handle objections adeptly you will find cold calling to be
better than going to the dentist.
(For more information on cold calling instruction: ExpressionsofExcellence.com/cold_calling.html)
o Sometimes the true test of your understanding something is the challenge of
training others. How well can you communicate your knowledge to others? Do they
"get" it? Are you sure? Training requires its own approach.
o Taking the lead in conducting meetings and discussions can be a delight once
you understand how best to apply your leadership. You don't have to master
Robert's Rules of Order to be able to fairly and ably conduct meetings.
o Constructively critique another's performance can be one of the hardest things
to do. Learn to separate performance from person, to get specific and also offer
remedies or corrective plans, as well as benchmarks for success.
o Employ active listening techniques to insure you are hearing the other party
and they are feeling heard as well. Many professional and interpersonal
difficulties arise from a feeling of not being heard. Learn ways of insuring
that you are hearing correctly and similarly being heard.
When The Going Gets Tough...
- Can You Handle Constructive Criticism?
- Can You Assert Yourself When Necessary & Speak Up?
- Can You Negotiate Effectively?
- Can You Co-exist With Diverse Personality Styles?
See Hecklers, Hardliners, and Heavy Questions for tips on this difficult area of
communications.
Many of us shy away from speaking up and speaking our for fear of negative
feedback or political ramifications. In our quest to be liked or avoid "making
waves" we bite our tongue and look the other way instead of righting wrongs and
correcting improprieties. Yet there are times when speaking up and speaking out
is the right thing to do. Learn to speak your mind when it's time,
professionally and with precision, to get the results you desire.
Negotiating effectively can involve different types of communication skills. You
may actually want to induce silence, or to repeat yourself, reiterating your
stance or stipulations, for effect. Listening skills and creative problem
solving skills are also involved. Learn to speak the language of win-win and be
able to reiterate your adversary's perspective so as to build consensus.
There is no right way to speak. Each of us speaks in our own communication
style. Some of us use long sentences and many words, others are short winded and
direct. Learn recognize how best you communicate and how to best communicate
with others.
How Effectively Can You Communicate in "One-on-One" Situations
- Can You Instill Trust in Others? Engender their Support?
- Can You Diffuse Verbal Criticism and Maintain Control?
Learn coaching and training techniques for speaking one-on-one with co-workers,
subordinates and superiors. Learn to communicate with others so as to build
trust and confidence in others.
Where Do You Go From Here?
We're all developing our Communication Quotient on the job. Learn to recognize
how different forms of communication require different skills. Make a point of
analyzing your style and the results it engenders. Where can you improve? Can
classes, practice or coaching help? Become a student of improved communication.
As for feedback. Study those whose communication style you respond to. Seek to
raise your own CQ!
Quotient. Degrees and awards are fine, your bilingualism and knowledge of the
latest programming languages are nice, but how good a communicator are you? In
English? With co-workers and customers?
Every job description emphasizes it: must have excellent communication skills.
In performance reviews many get marked down for it. And as entrepreneurs who
wear many hats, speaking with many voices is also a requisite skill. So how is
your communication quotient?
Communication takes many forms. Think for a moment about a typical workday. You
must communicate with customers, clients, co-workers (both superiors and
subordinates), vendors, and even city, state and federal bureaucrats. Perhaps
you even have interns or volunteers to communicate with. On occasion you're also
speaking with the media, members of your association or even competitors. How
well are you communicating with each?
Each form of communication draws on different skills, each requires different
approaches and sometimes even a different lexicon. The checklist below has
broken out many of these types of communication into categories. Place a plus,
minus or equal sign next to each line to rate whether you see yourself as
already strong (+), average (=) or weak (-) in each area.
Can You Interact Successfully with Strangers?
- Make Small Talk?
- Ask them About Themselves?
- Tell Them About Yourself?
- Introduce Two Strangers to Each Other
- Discuss Current Events with Confidence
Networking and the ability to work a room are invaluable skills for a small
business owner. Knowing how to introduce yourself to others through your
elevator speech can also open many doors of opportunity. As you meet strangers
are you exuding confidence? (To read more about elevator speeches:
expressionsofexcellence.com/articles.html#elevatorspeech.)
Being able to mingle and mix, compliment strangers and inquire of their line of
work is an effective way to expand your sphere of influence and prospect for new
business. You can even qualify prospects deftly while schmoozing.
How Effective Are Your Communication Skills?
- Can You Give A Prepared Speech?
- Can You Speak Extemporaneously?
- Can You Make A Sales Presentation?
- Can You Interview Someone Else? Be Interviewed?
Some basic communication tenets to keep in mind in public speaking situations:
1. Speak clearly and audibly at all times.
2. Don't rush your presentation. Pare its content down if you have too much to
cover in the time given.
3. Enunciate effectively. For many, English is a second language. Focus on the
consonants of each word.
4. Employ vocal variety to keep people paying attention. Avoid sing-songy
patterns of speech.
5. Learn all about interview dynamics
How Versatile A Communicator Are You?
- Can You Make A Cold Call?
- Can You Train Others?
- Can You Conduct A Meeting As Its Leader?
- Can You Constructively Critique Another's Performance?
I help small business owners take the chill out of cold calls. Once you
understand the rules of the game, develop your script, learn to bypass
gatekeepers and handle objections adeptly you will find cold calling to be
better than going to the dentist.
(For more information on cold calling instruction: ExpressionsofExcellence.com/cold_calling.html)
o Sometimes the true test of your understanding something is the challenge of
training others. How well can you communicate your knowledge to others? Do they
"get" it? Are you sure? Training requires its own approach.
o Taking the lead in conducting meetings and discussions can be a delight once
you understand how best to apply your leadership. You don't have to master
Robert's Rules of Order to be able to fairly and ably conduct meetings.
o Constructively critique another's performance can be one of the hardest things
to do. Learn to separate performance from person, to get specific and also offer
remedies or corrective plans, as well as benchmarks for success.
o Employ active listening techniques to insure you are hearing the other party
and they are feeling heard as well. Many professional and interpersonal
difficulties arise from a feeling of not being heard. Learn ways of insuring
that you are hearing correctly and similarly being heard.
When The Going Gets Tough...
- Can You Handle Constructive Criticism?
- Can You Assert Yourself When Necessary & Speak Up?
- Can You Negotiate Effectively?
- Can You Co-exist With Diverse Personality Styles?
See Hecklers, Hardliners, and Heavy Questions for tips on this difficult area of
communications.
Many of us shy away from speaking up and speaking our for fear of negative
feedback or political ramifications. In our quest to be liked or avoid "making
waves" we bite our tongue and look the other way instead of righting wrongs and
correcting improprieties. Yet there are times when speaking up and speaking out
is the right thing to do. Learn to speak your mind when it's time,
professionally and with precision, to get the results you desire.
Negotiating effectively can involve different types of communication skills. You
may actually want to induce silence, or to repeat yourself, reiterating your
stance or stipulations, for effect. Listening skills and creative problem
solving skills are also involved. Learn to speak the language of win-win and be
able to reiterate your adversary's perspective so as to build consensus.
There is no right way to speak. Each of us speaks in our own communication
style. Some of us use long sentences and many words, others are short winded and
direct. Learn recognize how best you communicate and how to best communicate
with others.
How Effectively Can You Communicate in "One-on-One" Situations
- Can You Instill Trust in Others? Engender their Support?
- Can You Diffuse Verbal Criticism and Maintain Control?
Learn coaching and training techniques for speaking one-on-one with co-workers,
subordinates and superiors. Learn to communicate with others so as to build
trust and confidence in others.
Where Do You Go From Here?
We're all developing our Communication Quotient on the job. Learn to recognize
how different forms of communication require different skills. Make a point of
analyzing your style and the results it engenders. Where can you improve? Can
classes, practice or coaching help? Become a student of improved communication.
As for feedback. Study those whose communication style you respond to. Seek to
raise your own CQ!
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