Showing posts with label Business presentations Conference presentations Facilitating meetings Presentati. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business presentations Conference presentations Facilitating meetings Presentati. Show all posts
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Communication Skills - So What If I Speak Fast
A lot of us speak quickly when we are on the phone with our customers or clients
Sometimes it is because we have so many calls in cue or because we feel pressured to get on to the next call. Whatever the case, it is a habit that can cost us business.
Why?
When we speak too quickly, customers can assume that you are just making a perfunctory call. You really don't care. Someone told you to call and query him or her. They can also feel that you are trying to pull something or that you are giving them the "bum's rush." It can make them angry.
Problems that speaking quickly can cause
When you speak quickly, it affects other vocal issues. For example, speed affects the clarity of your words. Literally, the lips, teeth and tongue can't get into the right position in your mouth.
Customers expect to hear the words as they learned them. If you are slipping over syllables or eliminating them all together, customers start focusing on what you just said, versus what you are currently saying. They feel like they are translating a foreign language. It affects comprehension. Also, if any of your customers are not native born, English-speakers, it may be difficult for them to make any sense out of what you are saying.
Speaking quickly also affects the tone of your voice. It is impossible to sound friendly, sincere or empathetic without pausing. Your voice may even be a monotone. If the voice is a monotone, the customer concludes you are disinterested. Who wants to do business with someone who is disinterested?
Ways to slow down
First, you should get yourself into the mind set that when you are at work; you need to put on you "cash voice," the voice that earns you a living. On-air personalities speak a lot slower on television than they do when they are with friends and family. They know that if they speak quickly, viewers will be complaining, and they will lose their jobs. What on-air personalities learn is the value of pausing. In fact, they pause a lot. They pause not only at the end of sentences and clauses, but whenever they want to emphasize a point or idea. They know that they more they pause, the more their listeners understand.
To get comfortable pausing, use your voice mail system to give you feedback. When you send internal voice mail messages, press "review" before you press "send." If you hear yourself speaking quickly, redo the message until you are satisfied.
Get feedback from family members when you are at home. Ask them to tell you to pause more or to remind you that you are mumbling. Fast talkers also mumble.
If you have a child, read out loud to your child. Children demand that you really get into the story. They will tell you to slow down because they want to enjoy the story. As you drive down the street, use your car as a laboratory. Say out loud what you are seeing and over-enunciate each word. No one will hear you. Over-enunciating will get you used to saying every syllable in the word.
While speaking quickly is a habit, it is not a habit that helps you to develop relationships with your customers. The more you pause, the more they feel you care. The less likely they are to become upset.
A one or two second pause can make a huge difference. Put on your "cash" voice and see what a difference it will make.
All the best with your communications!
Posted in
Business presentations Conference Presentation skills training Public,
Business presentations Conference presentations Facilitating meetings Presentati
by effectivecommunication.com.au
Monday, October 10, 2016
Leadership Skills - Inspire Your Team To Win
The following statement is one of the greatest secrets of effective leadership:
"We shall no longer strive for our own way but commit ourselves, honestly and simply, to inspiring others to develop the power to be their best."
Hardly the stereotypical spirit of the legendary, tough-minded CEO!
But if leadership is a challenge for you, then you must begin to lead by that statement. If you are constantly dealing with others not measuring up to your self-compared expectations, if you are pushing your team members down rather than pulling them up, and if you want overall better performance from your team, now is the time to close the gap.
Are you holding others back, or are you inspiring them to win?
Leadership is all about influence and motivation. Neither happens naturally, but they are both the results of intentional leadership decisions.
As a leader, you must recognize that your role is not a title. Leadership is a position. You must realize that people came to work NOT to make you successful, but to become more successful themselves. You must understand that the team is more important than you are and that the team needs to receive the credit for your success.
How does a leader deploy these truths?
Follow these ideas:
Leadership Is Influence
People always do things for their reasons, not yours. Leaders must develop an environment that helps team members thrive, while still moving them to higher levels of “followership.”
Master Motivation
Recent studies provide several big motivators for higher levels of performance: significant contributions, goals and quota participation, positive dissatisfaction (knowing you can do better), recognition, and clear expectations. The same studies tell us that the big demotivators include belittling, manipulation, discouragement, lack of personal growth, and a condescending leader.
About 50 percent of your leadership challenges will dissipate when you raise the bar and close the gap in the areas of influence and motivation.
All the best with your leadership!
Posted in
Business presentations Presentation skills training Sales presentations,
Business presentations Conference presentations Facilitating meetings Presentati
by effectivecommunication.com.au
Monday, June 8, 2015
PRESENTATION - IS YOUR AUDIENCE REALLY LISTENING TO YOU?
How many
times have you wondered if your audience was really listening or cared about
what you were saying when giving a presentation?
Obviously,
the goal is to be heard by your listeners, yet, are there ways you can be sure?
Yes and
here is how and what seasoned and expert presenters do!
ASK
It's so
simple, but very few presenters take the time to check in with their audience.
Periodically pause and ask your listeners rhetorical or open-ended questions
such as, "Do you agree?" "Have you seen this also?"
"What issues do you see?" A variety of open-ended and rhetorical
questions take people from being passive to being more attentive.
LOOK THEM
IN THE EYE
Sustained
eye contact cannot be ignored. Avoid scanning. Look at one person at a time for
a full sentence or thought. When you do, you will get some sort of reaction
from the listener. The individual will smile, nod or demonstrate through their
body language that they are listening.
MOVE
CLOSER
If you
come into the audience, people feel you have something important to say. You
connect with them. You have nothing to hide. Your proximity makes them set
aside their phones, laptops or tablets and listen up!
TURN UP
THE VOLUME
Louder
voices are taken more seriously. Softer voices lull people to sleep, and a
monotone really annoys them. An interesting voice with lots of highs and lows
commands attention.
AMPLIFY
YOUR ENERGY
Go bigger
with your gestures than seems comfortable to you. Let energy flow from your
face and hands. If you have a big point, let your audience see it. They will
respond to your enthusiasm for your topic.
TELL THEM
A GOOD STORY
A
personal story with a business point always draws people in. They envision what
you say and maybe even connect it to their own lives. As you think of the story
you want to tell, decide on what details to include or exclude to make the
story poignant or powerful.
SITE
RELEVANT EXAMPLES
If the
example is compelling, you win people over. You influence them and make them
see your point.
PUT
NUMBERS INTO CONTEXT
Statistics
come alive when you show what they mean to the whole scheme of things. "We
will save 4% in the next year or 5.4 million dollars. Steve Jobs once talked
about the capacity of an iPod by saying, "Imagine a thousand songs in your
pocket."
SPEAK IN
SHORT STATEMENTS
Do not
drone on. Say what you need to say in the fewest words possible. Use strong
descriptive adjectives and adverbs. Show criticality.
USE
ANALOGIES
When a
subject is over people's heads, attention drifts. However, with the use of
simple analogies, you can get people on the same page very quickly.
USE
HUMOROUS ASIDES
Season
your topic with humorous asides. Everyone responds to humor, but most speakers
think it is too risky. Listeners love humor when it is appropriate. It
re-invigorates the dreariest of topics.
Presenting
would not be so difficult if we could be assured our audiences were paying
attention. Do not make the mistake of thinking your words alone will make people
listen. About every four or five minutes, we need to change things. Do
something different. The best presenters incorporate all of the above
suggestions as often as they can in every presentation.
Posted in
Business presentations Conference presentations Facilitating meetings,
Business presentations Conference presentations Facilitating meetings Presentati,
Communication,
Conference presentations
by effectivecommunication.com.au
Thursday, May 28, 2015
LEADERSHIP - 5 THINGS LEADERS SHOULD NEVER SAY
Words contain power and will set the scene and direction for those who follow your lead
If there’s one thing Sir Richard Branson understands, it’s the pressure of conveying a clear message (either in meetings, public statements, or speeches) without sounding negative.
According to his book, The Virgin Way: Everything I Know about Leadership, here are five words and phrases he tries to avoid.
1. “That’s not a bad idea.”
If this is your response to an idea, your team won’t be clear on whether you love the idea or hate it. “Not bad” could mean you actually kind of like the idea. On the other hand, you didn’t specifically say you love the idea. Don’t leave your audience confused.
“Be definitive,” writes Branson. “If you approve or disapprove of something, be assertive and make your position absolutely clear, making sure you explain why.”
2. “You’re not going to like this, but …”
This phrase sets up your listeners to hear something negative. As a leader, it’s your job to inspire people and instill them with positive feelings – even if what you’re about to share might upset or frighten them. Branson suggests instead saying something like, “This may be a tough nut to crack, but I’m sure we’ll get it done.”
3. “We’ve had better years.”
Leaders are often asked to provide some kind of public commentary on results for the month, quarter, or year, but Branson views the above phrase as a cop out. “People want the truth, not some sugarcoated version of it,” he writes. Admit the reality of your situation and follow up with an honest assessment of how you plan to achieve better results in the future.
4. “That said…”
Branson considers this to be “possibly one of the most destructive phrases in the English language.” When people hear these words, you invalidate anything you said just a minute ago. This can create great resentment among your listeners. “As a verbal bridge from the pros to the cons, try using something like, ‘Of course, we shouldn’t overlook…’” writes Branson.
5. “No comment.”
Branson understands that sometimes leaders aren’t at liberty to discuss sensitive information, but he dislikes this classic approach to discretion. “A stark ‘no comment’ tends to come across like, ‘We’re guilty as hell and don’t want to talk about it until our lawyers have come up with a plausible alibi,’” writes Branson.
Instead, he suggests saying something like, ‘I’m really sorry, but until we gather all the facts, we are not in a position to issue a statement.’
As a leader please consider and like Richard Branson try to avoid the above phrases during speeches, meetings, and presentations
Remember, words contain power and will set the scene and direction for those who follow your lead.
All the best with your leadership!
Posted in
Business presentations Conference presentations Facilitating meetings Presentati,
Leadership,
Leadership coaching,
public speaking training
by effectivecommunication.com.au
Monday, December 1, 2014
THANKSGIVING
You might be aware EffectiveCommunication.com.au (EC) has offices in both Asia Pacific & Americas serving international clients and this week in North America most people's attention is focused on Thanksgiving.
As Americans invest this time to pause, reflect and be thankful for all the good they have, why not do the same wherever you are geographically, wherever you work and whoever you work with!
Here are 10 reasons why you can be thankful for the job you have
1. Can you imagine how you would feel if you didn’t have a job?
2. Regardless of whether or not you like your job, you are getting paid.
3. You have far more impact on the people you come in contact with than you will ever know.
4. The people you work with are an amazing group of people from whom you can learn new things each day. And, if you don't like your colleagues much, you can always learn what NOT to do from their negatives.
5. Count it a privilege to be able to use your talent and skills on a regular basis.
6. Be thankful, as there are far too many people who have no job and no means to make an income.
7. You are serving as a role-model and influence not only to those you provide for, but also to others who you don’t know and may never know.
8. The mental stimulation and physical exercise you get each day regardless of what your job might be is helping keep you engaged and feeling young.
9. You have the ability to dream and have the means to help fulfill your dreams.
10. You have the ability to prepare for the future and be ready for it
Regardless of your employment situation you can always choose to be thankful for what you do have.
All the best this Thanksgiving!
Posted in
Business presentations Presentation skills training Sales presentations,
Business presentations Conference presentations Facilitating meetings Presentati
by effectivecommunication.com.au
