|
|
|
Be Powerful with Positive Communication
Positive communication is the key to your success at work, at play, and at home. Here's how to make a difference in your life.
1) People judge others by their actions. This means you are being judged by the perceptions you create with your words...
Building Your Project Team
Building Your Project Team By Arthur Cooper (c) Copyright 2005 http://www.arthurcooper.com/ Suppose that you as a manager have been asked to form a team for the life of a particular project. How should you set about choosing your people and...
Chasm of Change---Restructuring --- The Goliath of Change
Copyright 2005 Rick Johnson
Restructuring --- The Goliath of Change
Richard L. Daft one of the country’s recognized academic leadership experts raises the question, “What kind of people can lead an organization through major change?” A...
Designing and deploying human centric processes
Suggestions for success in human-centric process reengineering projects, by applying best practices in knowledge intensive environments. A lot of effort has been carried out in the last years to re engineer processes in order to automate all or...
Five Secrets to Showing Your Customers You Really Care
Five Secrets to Showing Your Customers You Really Care Copyright © Ed Sykes. All rights reserved During our recent online poll, we asked the following question: What upsets you the most when receiving poor customer service? Eighty percent of the...
Jealously Guarded Secret of One Overlooked Hidden Selling Technique
Do you know Mr. Q plays an important role in your online business? "Just who's Mr. Q?" I bet you've this question now. No. Mr. Q isn't someone from a notorious prison. Neither is he a fictitious character from comic book. I'm talking...
PR: Behavior Modification Specialist
While awaiting economic recovery, business needs to attract the attention of its most important external audiences in a more targeted and focused way. Primarily to impact the perceptions of those key outsiders so that resulting behaviors help...
Technology & Your Business: A Beneficial Relationship
As a home-based business owner, you probably don't have a high-priced IT manager on staff to fill you in on which technologies could help boost your efficiency and success. You may also lack the confidence to incorporate new technology into your...
Why and How to Work with a Consultant
A good consultant provides specialist abilities and experience, innovative ideas, second opinions (reality checks), unbiased appraisals, and new approaches. A good consultant will leave you with tools, plans, and materials, and will transfer...
Why Communication Skills Don't Work In Customer Service
Every time my firm conducts communication skills training, we know someone is going to object.
“That doesn't work. Everybody's heard of active listening. You can't use that stuff anymore.”
And we have to admit, there's a lot of truth in...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Communication Check List
Use this check list to assess your communication skills.
Focus
* Do you pay complete attention to others when they are speaking? (A wandering focus discourages open communication.)
* Do you manage your thoughts during a conversation, focusing them on understanding what the other person is saying? (Effective listening requires more concentration than any other form of communication. If you're thinking about anything other than what the person is saying, you're defeating your ability to understand.)
* Do you postpone preparing your reply until after you have heard everything the other person has to say? (Thinking about what you plan to say while the other person is speaking prevents you from understanding what that person is saying.)
* Do you ignore distractions, such as other people, ambient noise, and the surroundings? (Attending to distractions makes you appear uninterested, unfocused, and rude.)
* Do you make eye contact during a conversation? (Watching a person's face shows that you're paying attention. You also gather nonverbal messages, which can convey most of the important information being conveyed to you.)
Environment
* Do you convey confidence, courage, and strength during your conversations? (A pleasant manner will encourage people to trust you and tell you more. Negative behavior conveys weakness, insecurity, and fear.)
* Do you react calmly to bad news? (Anger will frighten people into avoiding you.)
* Do you encourage others to speak freely? (Appearing interested, asking questions, and
treating others with respect will facilitate open communication.)
* Do you use a diplomatic, positive vocabulary? (Talking about what you want is more forceful than talking about what you don't want, won't do, or can't do. This means that in most cases you would delete the word "not" from what you say.)
* Do you seek solutions? (Seeking approval, culprits, or excuses, discourages communication.)
Clarity
* Do you stick to the subject? (Introducing new unrelated issues will confuse the other person and degrade the quality of your conversation.)
* Do you maintain a "you" focus? (Speak in terms of what the other person needs, wants, and understands because that will enhance the impact of what you say.)
* Do you avoid games? (Asking trick questions, setting traps, and making others look bad will cause people to avoid you.)
* Do you use a linear, logical approach to explaining things? (Make it easy for others to understand you because it's more efficient.)
* Do you use common terms? (Avoid jargon and flowery speech because these impress only the person using them.)
- - - - -
Steve Kaye helps leaders hold meetings that produce results - fast and with everyone's participation. He is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator, author, and speaker. His facilitation and workshops create success for everyone. Call 714-528-1300 for details. Visit http://www.stevekaye.com for a free report.
Copyright Steve Kaye - www.stevekaye.com
|
|
|
|
|
|