earthsoft brief-communication tips

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Communication• Types• 4 S• Listen• Interactions• Eye contacts• Culture• Team dynamics• Build the trust• Support• Establish rapport• Feedback• Be persuasive• Be a coach

Index

• Sales

• Selling thoughts

• Be client centered

• Creditability

• When client says

No!

• Ask…

• Be confident

• Complaint handling

• Communication

• Difficult person

• Know the person

• Emotions

Meetings

• Audience

• Posture

• Story teller

• Content

• Your seat


• Communication is the process of conveying

• Feelings, emotions, attitudes, facts, beliefs,

suggestions, feedback, ideas, updates,

information, thoughts

• between living beings

• by clear ways in written or verbal or speech or

signals or behaviors form

• so that it is satisfactorily received or understood

Communication


Places


• Communication is everything we do in business

• It is essential to know and follow good practices

of communication to be successful

• Good communication builds stronger

relationships & become more effective

• Poor communication

• Results huge losses to business & individual

• Cause the stress to individual or to the team

• Create misunderstanding

• Expresses inconsistent message or feeling

• Suggest to plan & practice communication skills

• Always remain alert while speaking & listening

Communication


• When there is no gap of understanding in the

message between sender & receiver

• It enhances the probability of meeting the goals

Good two-way communication is foundation of:

• Understanding

• Trust

• Community

• Efficiency

• Progress

• Agreement

Effective communication


• Connect

• Initiate

• Listen

• Filter (the “right” amount)

• Interpret & Relate

• Add Context & Global Perspective

• Deliver

• …in a timely manner

• …to the right people

Effective communication


You are communication while you are

• Speaking or Listening

• Understanding, asking, arguing, smiling,

laughing, believing, remembering, kidding,

joking, nodding, etc

• Making other person to pick up the real

message

• In control of the message

• Making it 2 ways

• Taking responsibility of your communication

Communication


• Think & strategise before you speak

• Know the audience

• Know the expectations

• Choose the approach

• Use your ear & other senses

• Take as much time as comfortable or manage it

• Get synchronised

• Be focused

• Be careful about channel

• Choose the timing

• Share knowledge or new points

• Be honest, sincere & connect

Communication


• Asking Questions

• Answers

• Information/ Facts

• Sharing views

• Actor can be

• Gentle

• Probing

• Challenging

Communication


• Transactional

• Simple or Complex

• Avoidable or Unavoidable

• Formal or informal

• Continuous

• Learned

Attributes


• Communicators

• Managers

• Context

• Content / Message

• Physical environment (Places)

• Mind set of communicators

• Channels

• Smooth/ Noise / Motivation

• Barrier

• Conclusion & Feedback

Components


• Show you are friendly, one would be open &

eager to meet or closed & do not want to meet

• What one feels always seen in gesture, posture,

body language, facial expressions

Open & closed communication

open communication closed communication

Uncrossed legs, arm, direct

eye contact

Boredom, defensiveness,

switching off, dislike

Friendly expression like

smile, relaxing, joking

Crossed legs,

unresponsive, switching off,

Leaning forward, eager,

curious, response

avoiding eye contact,

uncomfortable

Positive interaction Leaning back & relaxed


• To use optimum power & appropriate authority is

displayed in body language

• Relax, look confident, take charge of emotions

• To give attention to 4 S-

• Stance is very authorative, Powerful people sit &

stand up-right, that offers youth & energy.

• Size - An erect posture with head held high

• Space - Taking more physical space indication

of exhibiting the power

• Straddles - While sitting or standing keep the

legs apart

• Following 4 S radiates positive air of authority.

4 S


• Do not work out your say / view while listening

• Do not look for a chance to speak, your turn will

be there! Focus on listening…

• Do not silently criticise or edit to inputs in mind

• Do not assume that you have more interesting

knowledgeable, intelligent, latest, relevant points

• Do not be prejudice

• Do not jump to conclusion

• Do not interfere or intervene while delivering

• Do not over use assertion

• List the questions & ask those at the end

• Try to understand other’s point of view

Listen


• Acknowledge, use body language (eye contacts,

facial expression, gesture)

• Be curious, expect to listen further, be

interested, understand their aim & motivation

• Reconfirm what you listen

• Seek clarification if gap is too big

• Be silent when necessary, allow to express their

thoughts completely

• Active listening & effective sharp questions

results a good form of communication

Listen


• Ask effective, precise, pin-pointed questions

• It fuels curiosity, cultivates wisdom, enhances

knowledge of the audience, makes speaker alert

and prepared

• Do not stripe or try to corner the speaker

• Do not guide speaker in the forum

Types of questions / interactions

• Seeking information, detailing

• Contradictory

• Clarification

• Action

• Research oriented

Interactions


• Direct eye contact builds openness and

confidence. Contrary it raises doubts &

suspicion.

• Deep staring gives a feeling of control.

• It is regarded as positively. (Window to soul),

and equated to being honest & trustworthy.

• For lowering eye, you are signaling modesty,

submissive & lower rank & to be avoided

• Also while presenting look at audience. It

signals strength & confidence.

• Thus it is suggested to use eye contact however

be aware not to be dominant.

Eye contacts


• Learn & try to adopt culture of others, be flexible

• Generally following occasions you need to know

the culture and adopt

• Introduction

• Exchanging business cards

• Meeting

• Sitting, Standing, leg crossing

• Lunch, Dinner & Party

• Outing, visiting home, etc

• Yawning, Touching, etc

Culture


• Who get along & does not

• Liking of individual

• Character / attribute of individual

• Power & power struggle

• Know who is real boss in the team.

• Know who are together, staying together,

relaxed, casual & eazy approach

• Tip – If someone indicating power, showing

dominance of body language, expecting people

to meet at his desk, be careful about challenging

the territory. Always build rapport first & win

over till you are allowed in the circle.

Know the team dynamics


• To share secret or critical important tips

occasionally

• If you confide in people, they are more likely to

confide in you

• Sharing secrets & guiding let you get to know

people better & get them closer

• You should know more what others want &

need, so that you can help them more

• Share confidence to create trust in the team,

and strengthen the bond of communication

• Support the team in public

Build the trust


• Appreciate and thank you, even for small help &

even if it is part of their duty

• Congrats on achievements & consistent good

performance, offer praise publically

• Focus on others than yourself

• Say what is right about others & achievement

• Others to feel having firm foundation of support

• Attentiveness - listen carefully & be attentive

• A good team is a great place to be, exciting,

stimulating, supportive, successful.

• A bad team is horrible, a sort of human prison!

Support


• It builds strong relationships based on mutual

feeling of trust & respect

• Do not burn the bridges after crossing it

• It offers feeling of connectivity & comfort

• Never be haughty to humble & humble to

haughty

• Think about people you get along with eazily

Establish rapport


• A tool which allows people to learn & improve

from the mistakes & succeed

• Feedback to get heard constructively

• What was good about performance, how it could

have been further better and you can do it!

• B - Balanced -> Strength as well areas of

improvements

• O - Observed -> based on actual observations

• O - Objectively -> To avoid being subjectively,

prejudiced & judgmental

• S - Specific -> offer one or two examples

• T - Timely -> share as soon as possible

Feedback


For receiver

• To take it positively

• Listen carefully & never react

• Believe that only close friend who wishes well

offers the hard & critical feedback

• Always demand for weakness to be shared or

likely improvement areas

• You are the best to understand & introspect

• Stand in-front of mirror

• Acknowledgement is the first step towards

improvements

Feedback


• Good persuaders are valued

• Understand what motivates individual & use the

same language

• What are their goals?

• What can you offer them?

• Tip – To get your proposal accepted, explain key

features, paint the picture of future & benefit so

as to get accepted

Be persuasive


• To use communication as teaching tool

• Challenge continuously to utilise potential, set &

achieve the goals

• If as a learner you do not know something, ask

a question

• Speak up and give voice to your idea

• Seek knowledge, be honest in sharing it,

become a coach

• Accept the mistakes, convert those in learning

• Share the experience what has worked & not,

and what you have learned

Be a coach


Dos

• Be observant

• Be encouraging & supportive

• Make your point, speak out

Don’ts

• Don't rubbish other people idea

• Don't blame other people

• Don't tell people what they want to hear

• Do not keep quiet

Be a coach


• Opportunity for

• Get recognition

• Get your message across organisation

• Updates on status & share plan for next action

• Set out the aim for the meeting

• Get stake holders to agree to that

• Convey what you want to achieve

• To discuss relevant points to achieve the aim

• Good practice is to keep Q & A session at the

end unless audience feels a big gap

• If there is a diversion, make sure to bring

meeting back to the relevant topics

Meetings


• Ask do you really need this meeting?

• What should be media - face to face, or email or

phone call, video conference

• What are short term & long term objectives

• Criteria for judging successful meeting

• Be ready for presentations with highlights and

detailing

• Who will be the audience

• What might be likely obstacle, prepare for it

• Seek consensus with seniors about your plan

• Be flexible to make the changes

• Run it like a pre-decided movie

Plan a meeting


• Pay attention to audience

• Choose the right words, articulate it & practice if

needed

• Avoid jargon

• Find the right level

• Use additional method sparingly

• Don't get distracted

• Maintain concentration on audience

• Be prepared to return the googly question

Audience


• Stand or sit tall & erect as comfortable

• Good posture has amazing impact on audience.

• Do not lean, do not breath in shallow manner

• Do not sound stressed

• Straighten your back , spine, relax the

shoulders, head to rest comfortably & evenly on

the shoulders

• Check that you are balanced , neither to right or

left side

• Take deep breaths , feel comfortable & confident

• Use breathing to relax and center your body to

make yourself a more powerful presenter.

Posture


• Information is interesting but they simply are not

memorable and don't grab attention, however

stories or metaphors do. That's the reason one

should be story teller, use analogy to illustrate!

• Brain thinks with image so feed it with story

• To fire the imagination

• To bring the freshness to idea

• To be really persuasive

• Thus stories will spark the imagination and keep

audience engaged.

Be a story teller


• Keep it short & sweet, to the point

• Longer someone speak, less effective it is

• Know the outcome

• Listen

• Learn

• Emphasis however do not repeat the point

• If you notice resistance to your idea, reconsider

the approach or content

• Ask questions to audience if you are on track

• Summarise the outcome of meeting and actions

and their actors

Content


• Choose the correct seat

• Open body language makes you more friends

• Check the size of table - round, square or long

• Meeting - Allow guest to sit opposite to the

entrance of the room

• Lunch/ Dinner table – Allow guest to sit towards

wall side

Your seat


Sales


• People win people

• You will be successful if you have strong sales

skills

• It could be idea, product or services

• Be friendly, open in body language

• Persuasive people develop genuinely positive

relationships with people. they make sure

always in good rapport.

Selling thoughts


• Communicate & behave in such a way that

client thinks you are on their wavelength.

• Feel to be in tune with someone, create rapport

• It is essential what is important for other person,

what are their value & needs

• What is there for me?

• Build rapport

• Be open

• Try to convey you want the best results for them

• Ask few questions related to client

be client centered


• What is specific need of client, what is importantto them in business. It could be thing or feeling/

• Why they want to do? Why they need?• Understand how their orgnaisation works and

how they expect you to work?• Examine the benefits to client• What value are you bringing? Think about

current & future situation after your contribution• Create sense of expectations, create need for

you, become special for customer• Check timing - why customers did not had this

earlier, what had stopped them to have it earlier• Focus on result expected by client,

be client centered


• Explain why you, what are the differentiators?

• Grab attention of others, introduce the subject to

keep them excited & curious

• Make other people passionate about your ideas

• Encourage them to ask questions

• Win support from others

• Share the context, is there a problem to solve or

challenge to overcome? Is it something unique?

• Focus on result & describe the idea in as many

details what results & benefits it would deliver

• Get everyone on board, Counteract negative

response moderately if any

Selling


• Selling is trust & credibility, How do we build?

• Be congruent in everything you say

• Get words & body language to sync

• Keep consistency, Never contradict the story

• Be fair in describing the idea or product, be

moderate! Selling does not mean product to be

perfect for your client

• Be diplomatic, be ready to describe negative

points also when it comes

• While conveying great features, be specific &

accurate about benefits

• Referrals for cross checking credibility

Creditability


• Know why client say "No"

• Be ready to counter if you have a skill

• Check if client can share evaluation

• Was a budget problem?

• Was it you? Client might not be trusting you

• Check when next?

• Check any other opportunity?

When client says No!


• How friendly you were?Were you open enough?

• Were your words appropriate?

• Have you established rapport?

• Do you not like the client?

Ask

• Do they need it now?

• Lack of urgency?

• Have you really excited them enough sharing

the features in details and conveyed what's

there in for them

• What is preferred - product or money in the bank

Ask…


• Say & Encourage powerful imagination tactfully

• Paint the picture

• Understand the values

• Client to get convinced for values & benefits

• You saw advertisement or sales guy

demonstrated the value & you bought!

• Use the exciting words to convey value such as

new, proven, results, safe, free, best, improved,

quality, unique, different, value, save, etc

• We need to justify to ourselves & to others.

Using / listening these words help decision

making process safe & simple.

Sales


• Avoid but & try, Using these means destroying

positive words & allows client to doubt!

• Try to use "and“

• It goes like "Feel, Felt, Found"

• Choose your questions carefully to become

more persuasive and a successful sales person

• To create a right picture, do not say tree you are

offering is blue!

• Do not use negative language

• By using positive language to make right

impression of what you are selling,

Be confident


• When someone has complaint & is not satisfied,

one needs to handle it till closure

• Majority of customers will do business again if

complaints are handled till satisfactorily closure

• As a consumer, do not assume that merchant is

going to be defensive.

• Try to conclude happy and win-win.

• Build rapport, respect his inputs, listen to him,

make him calm down

• Be empathetic & look for agreement

• Check the details, ask relevant questions, take

the notes, show the seriousness

Complaint handling


• Give feedback, share the next likely steps, you

should be a problem solver for him,

• Create a positive outcome, lead client to

conclude for positive outcome, Share the

suggestions

• Always remain alert that you are dealing with

client's objections effectively.

• Flexibility helps building trust.

• Go extra mile to service! Such experience will

never be forgotten..

Complaint handling


• Technology has bought faster & more

convenient forms of communication

• Internet & mobile has helped to give rise to

virtual contact & flexible working

• However such communication likely to raise few

misunderstanding as well.

• Focus on listener

• Summarise the key details

• Check for further help

Observe phone etiquette


• Be a flexible speaker

• Keep breathing flexible to control voice

• On call one has to think, compose a content &

react as a voice

• Listen - deliberately relax, slow down and listen

to what other person is talking

• Pace - to check the pace of voice of other

person, good to match the pace,

• Smile - try smiling while talking,

All above would create a positive image

Calls or VC


e-mail related

Must know clearly

Recipients of

email

• Addressed to &

• For information

Timing

Content • Context

• High Level

• Details, supported by attachment

• Conclusion

Meant for • Action

• Information

Complexity of

the subject


• E-mail is productive & helpful and for

transmitting specific information data

• Problems arises if issue is slightly complex

• e-mail is one-dimensional and lacks the

elements present in face-to-face communication

• Potential for

• Conflict and confusion

• Quickly escalate into a war of words

• To avoid intervention by emails

• Try to have telephonic call or meeting

Email related


• Check if your email is important to business

• Would call or email better?

• Would it help business or improve relationship

• Who are the recipients of email as addressee &

in copy? Reduce as many recipients as possible

• Is detailing too much or less?

• Would this email brings clarity or confusion?

• Does it have hierarchy of the content like

header, context, detail - proposed say - steps or

actions or decision or guidance and benefits or

impact and conclusion

• Is follow up or courtesy call essential? to whom?

Using emails


• Consider emails also as professional as letter

• Check spelling, grammar, flow, complete form of

thoughts, with optimum emotions,

• Click on "send" could change the life of

individual, so be careful.

• Review email before sending

• Check if likely misunderstanding

• Are you moderate in conveying your thoughts or

could it hurt

• If it is serious issue then keep email dead for 24

hours

Stay professional


• Never use exclamation mark & dot..dot..dots..

• Proof read and spell check

• Write brief subject header indicating purpose

• Stick to business point, don't try to be funny

• Avoid sarcastic comments,

• Respect cross culture & adopt

• Do not share personal gossip, avoid critising

others. Email could be forwarded to anyone

• If you are angry, do not write a email. It neither

will omit frustration nor sort out anything. In fact

you are more likely to fuel the conflict.

• If it is not business, do not write it!

Email tips


• Do not use email as avoiding to speak

• Do not use email as passing your task to others

without seeking consent

• Disciplining employee - no..never, talk in person

• dealing with personal matter -

• ignoring problem, you need to address...

• avoiding conflict or Apologising..majority people

send emails instead of discussing or talking

Email tips


• How do we move from conflict & build strongrelationships?

• To communication focusing on creating outcomeyou really want or at least win-win situation

• Begin with the end in the mind• While dealing with difficult person, just do not

talk without any purpose• Aim for the best result• Ask yourself what results you want?• What problems could arise of interactions?• Can you turn problem into opportunity?• Get positive frame of mind before speaking• How would you achieve result at the end?

Difficult personality


• Say No nicely• It is not enough to be nice or say "tes" always• Saying No abruptly is also not good• Use rapport skill• understand the body language of other person

and tune to them• The art of leadership is saying No• Listening - listen to what they are saying• Demonstrating - convey what you listened and

acknowledge• Being clear - now say what stops you to do what

they expect you to do, keep it brief & quiet• Being positive - close in positive mood

Knowing other person


• Controlling your emotions is most critical &important, it is secret of effective communication

• Everyone would reciprocate the emotions.• Control emotions when you want to be

assertive, share bad news, deal with complaint• More professional, calm & mature you are,

better would be the results• Long & deep breathing would help you to control• Positive thinking - try to recollect time when you

felt happy, relaxed, confident & calm, imagingsimilar situation is ahead

• Relaxing your body & make yourselfcomfortable

Control the emotions


Thank You

earthsoft brief-communication tips

Business