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Effective Communication Top Tips
I was at a business networking meeting recently and one of the speakers was sharing her secrets for effective telephone skills; how to deliver results by how you think and speak. But what if either party on the phone conversation is hearing impaired? I raised this as a question, was thanked for ‘sharing my disability’ and after a brief discussion the speaker moved on. But one of the great benefits of me not being able to hear properly has been that I now listen more! I have had some fabulous training about becoming an effective communicator; skills that are common sense (echoes of mother here…you’ll see what I mean later!) and of use to EVERYONE whether they can hear or not. So here are my top tips for being an effective communicator;
- Position. Stand or sit with a solid wall behind you. Noisy rooms just distort sound but if you have a wall behind you that automatically cuts out the background noise by half.
- Distance. This is my biggest sin! How often do you talk to someone in another room? Shout from where you are? Get up and go to them. The human ear works best for conversations at about 3-4ft (1m for the younger folks) so let’s make the most of this.
- Background noise. Turn off anything that generates unwanted sound. I am always so conscious of printers running, washing machines spinning, people laughing and chatting in the background when I phone someone. Cut out the rubbish noise, it not only sounds more professional but makes it far easier to speak and listen to someone. If needs be move to a quieter spot.
- Look at the person you are talking to. See I’d said you’d sound like your mother! It is so much easier to hear and understand what someone is saying if they are looking at you when they speak. I am so acutely aware of this when I am sitting in a meeting; people are so often focussed on writing things down or reading meeting notes etc that you never see their face when they are speaking.
- Empty your mouth. Gum chewing, talking with food in your mouth, leaving your pen in your mouth when you speak are all bad habits! We sound and look so much better when our mouths are empty.
- Don’t put anything in front of your mouth when you speak. We all have a tendency to put our hands in front of our mouths when we speak; often because of the previous point. DON’T, it distorts sound and looks like you are hiding something.
- Repeat and reiterate. So you’re not quite sure what was said. Just repeat the part you heard and pause, the other person will usually finish the sentence again for you. I have found this a good trick to see if the person you are talking to is really listening or interested in what you are saying. Another tactic is to ask for clarification on the key point; I often find this helps close sales deals too!
So why not try these simple tips and improve your communication skills? You’ll find that you not only sound and look more professional but people will want to talk to you too.
Julieann 23.01.12
©Julieann Beads
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