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Archive for the ‘Communication’ Category

Finding Instructions on How to Set Up a Teleconference

13 Jun.
Posted by comlev in Communication | No Comments

Technology today is so advanced that people are able to hold meetings and conferences without even being in the same country, much less in the same room. This is often done through the technology of teleconferencing.

Although many techno-savvy people today know how to set up a teleconference, there are still many who are left with a bewildered look when presented with the problem. In cases like these, it is best to do your research and try to ask other people how to set up a teleconference. Where can you find this information?

1) Customer services - Often, technicians employed in the customer services department of telecommunications companies such as AT&T will be more than willing to help you with your problem. They are just a phone call away.

Following the instructions of the technician, you will realize how to set up a teleconference quickly. This telephone call is also toll free which means you can get the assistance for free.

Many people complain, however, because they often end up having to hold for hours before they actually get to talk to someone who can help them. There is also the added inconvenience of having to follow instructions on the phone. People often find such instructions as unclear and hard to follow. Because of this, they often end up quite frustrated.

2) Help sites - If you cannot get help through the phone, it might be time to take it to the next level and getting help through the internet. Telecommunication companies often have help sites that can give you clear and user-friendly information regarding how to set up a teleconference.

The instructions that can be gotten from these sites are often very precise and would help you set up your teleconference like a pro. Through a help site, you may also be able to contact an associate who can come and set up the teleconference for you. This way, you will be able to learn how to set up a teleconference easily.

3) Tech sites - If you can’t find the information on how to set up a teleconference from a company’s help site, you might want to visit a few sites dedicated to anything tech. In such sites, you would be able to find a lot of tips regarding how to set up a teleconference. A lot of expert opinions would also be at your fingertips. This would include how to make your teleconference methods better and tips on improving your teleconferencing technology.

Of these sources of information regarding how to set up a teleconference, the first two are recommended. This is because of the fact that people from the company actually know their systems better than other “experts”.

You should realize that the best information on how to set up teleconference can come from them. You do require a lot of patience, however, as you are not their only client. Through the telecommunications company, you will be able to learn much about the features that they offer in teleconferencing. You would be able to avail of the offers that will make your teleconferencing experience a joy of technology.

Why is knowing how to set up a teleconference important? Well, at the rate that the world moves today, it is important to know how to stay in touch with our business associates. We all need to do various things and we are always so busy that knowing how to set up a teleconference becomes a necessary tool in staying afloat in the modern world.

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Professional Translation Service Is The Best Way To Go

13 Jun.
Posted by globalone in Communication | No Comments

Many don’t fully understand what’s involved in the translation process; therefore, you should be well informed before choosing a translation company.

Translation Process:

Well designed translation process is one of the keys for a successful translation project.

Our system divides translation process into milestones enabling us to deliver translated documents faster and with a higher quality.

The secure, on-line environment enables you to submit documents, obtain instant quote and track the status of the translation process online.

Your dedicated Project Manager is working in the same system overlooking the project progress and on-time delivery.

Any change requests made during the quality check can be submitted Online and will be forwarded instantly to a translator who was working on the translation of the document.

Our translation process enhanced by the latest technological advances allows us to deliver the highest quality service for affordable price.

Tips on Hiring a Translator:

When it comes to selecting a translator, we often ask ourselves, what are the criteria to follow to find the right professional? This article sets guidelines aimed to help you find the service provider that will satisfy your needs for translation services. The article discusses basic selection criteria.

When cultural accuracy is a concern, it is crucial to ensure that translator is native to the language the document should be translated to. A native speaker has usually not only the knowledge of the proper grammar but also knows cultural nuances of the language. A translator must take into account these nuances to ensure documents are translated accurately.

Another important criteria is how well the translator knows the source language of the document. Even if the translator knows the target language very well, without the in-depth knowledge of the source language of the document, he may not be able to capture the correct context and may translate the document incorrectly to the target language.

If you are familiar with either source or target language of the requested translation, you may want to ask the translator to send you some sample work to determine if the translator meets source and target languages criteria.

Many of the translators do not obtain any formal education. In your selection you may want to give priority to translators, who have completed some type of linguistic school. This type of background comes often useful when translating text with a complex terminology. If the text for translation is related to a unique field, ensure that the translator has some experience working with this field. Very often field specific documents require knowledge of the advanced vocabulary of which only a specialized translator may be aware of.

When working with a translator, communication is one of the key elements of completing your project successfully. If the potential translator works full time, you have better chances for communicating with him more effectively. Part time translators may not be as responsive as full time translators.

Javier Pena- Owner/President. Please visit us at: http://www.globalonetranslations for more exciting information about our #1 company. You may also call us at our toll-free # at: 1-800-727-9861 or e-mail us at: quotes@globalonetranslations.com

One Step to Making Small Talk

11 Jun.
Posted by lauriewilhelm in Communication | No Comments

Just the thought of small talk congers up painful memories of stilted conversations that revolved around the weather and umpteen other dreadfully boring topics. While small talk is engaging in non-personal conversation that is casual, light and “safe” - meaning that the topics are of general interest and are not offensive - it doesn’t have to set off rounds of yawn-tag and constant clock watching.

Fortunately, the key to making good small talk is simple: be interested in other people.

Having a sincere interest in another is the best starting point when first engaging in conversation - it’s also the basis on which to build and maintain good relationships. We create better first impressions, increase our chances of being remembered, and make friends quicker when we’re focusing our attention on others rather than trying to get them to focus on us. Being interested in someone else involves asking them questions about themselves and actively listening to their answers.

Be a “big-listener” not a “small-talker.”
Generally, we all have visions of impressing others with our insights, philosophies, and sharp wit. We want to be the centre of attention by being the one answering questions, not the one asking them. The good “small-talker” knows, however, that her role is to be the listener not the talker.

So - how do you implement this one-easy-step-to-making-small-talk? Well…

Ask Questions
Begin small talk by asking the other person questions about himself - his opinions, work or activities. Keep your questions open-ended, as opposed to “yes/no” questions, listen to his responses and build the conversation on those. Asking open-ended questions creates a dialogue and helps you get to know the other person. Also, if you begin the conversation in a way that’s relevant to the situation in which you’re meeting, you’ll have a common starting point.

For example, if you first meet someone at business luncheon, you could ask: “Have you been to one of these events before?” If he says “yes,” then ask questions like: “When?” “Was there a guest speaker?” “What was the topic?” If he says “no,” ask questions such as: “How did you hear about this one?” “What do you think about the guest speaker?” Listen to his responses and build the conversation by balancing your questions with brief comments.

Topics for Discussion
Keep up on popular current events, local news, or sports and use them for conversation starters: “What do you think about…?” or “What are your thoughts on…?”

Additional topics for discussion can include the profession or recreational interests of the person your speaking with. Ask questions, listen to his answers and build a conversation around them. If you have tidbits of information or a story that’s related to the topic, contribute it to the discussion, but keep your focus on the other person.

A Compliment as an Ice Breaker
Another approach to small talk is to compliment the other person. Notice the person you’d like to speak with and find something you like. It can be as simple as saying, “What a beautiful watch. You have such good taste.” Then you could follow it up with questions regarding how they got it, such as, “Where is it from?” Perhaps it was from the local art gallery gift shop, you could then ask, “Oh - what exhibit did you see?” “What did you think of it?”

By giving a compliment, you’re showing that you’re friendly and approachable and it creates an instant rapport. The reaction you’ll receive is usually one that’s very positive and appreciative.

Joking Around
Have a few good jokes up your sleeve. “Good” jokes are those that are humourous and without offensive content. Stay away from the “three professionals, religious leaders or politicians walked into a bar” jokes - they’re derogatory and insulting. There are lots of good, clean jokes that can easily be found on the internet and you only need to know two or three.

Don’ts
As a general rule of thumb, stay away from gossip, criticism, sarcasm and negative comments. You don’t want to offend someone accidentally - or on purpose, for that matter - by off-the-cuff thoughtless remarks.

But Always…
Be interested in others: ask questions and be a good listener.

Laurie Wilhelm is the author of Express Yourself to Success. This website and eGuides help you achieve success faster by using strong verbal communications skills: social and interpersonal skills, public speaking, networking, negotiation, conflict resolution. http://www.expressyourselftosuccess.com.

Characteristics of Good Constructive Feedback

11 Jun.
Posted by lauriewilhelm in Communication | No Comments

We often confuse feedback with criticism - probably because much of our experience with it has had more to do with what we’ve done wrong than what we’ve done right or how we could do better.

This is unfortunate. Feedback should not be viewed as a personal assault or a list of errors, mistakes, or mishaps. It should be seen as an essential part of our (and others’) ongoing professional and personal development and growth.

While the content of the feedback can be negative its delivery can always be constructive. If it’s not, the feedback will not be accepted or could be received as an insult, which can ignite other issues and problems.

Constructive feedback is more useful and beneficial to the receiver because it provides encouragement, support, corrective measures and direction.

Definition of Feedback
The definition of feedback in organizations and business is ongoing, open two-way communication between two or more parties. Typically, feedback is given in annual performance reviews, but the best feedback is timely, honest, and provides useful comments and suggestions that contribute to a positive outcome, a better process or improved behaviours.

When delivered in a positive, constructive way, you can say something negative without offending or putting the other person on the defensive. At the same time, you help solve the problem or change behaviour and work towards established goals.

What are the Characteristics of Good Constructive Feedback?
Good constructive feedback is:
- given with the goal of improvement
- timely
- honest
- respectful
- clear
- issue-specific
- objective
- supportive
- motivating
- action-oriented
- solution-oriented.

On the Other Hand, What is Destructive Feedback?
Destructive feedback is
- unhelpful
- accusatory
- personal
- judgmental
- subjective.

It also
- undermines the self-esteem of the receiver
- leaves the issue unresolved
- the receiver is unsure how to proceed.

Why is it Important to Give Feedback?
To improve. The importance of feedback in an organization is crucial to its ongoing development and growth. In the competitive environment that businesses operate, constructive feedback is essential for continuous improvement.

Employers need to give effective, constructive feedback regularly, which is what most employees want. What employees look for in feedback from employers includes positive reinforcement and acknowledgment of a job well done as well as ideas or instructions on how to do their jobs better.

When feedback is offered in the spirit of improvement and is supportive and respectful, it is easier to give it as well as to receive it. While constructive feedback requires some thought and planning, it’s a social skill that can be mastered by many.

Laurie Wilhelm is the author of Express Yourself to Success. This website and eBooks help you achieve success faster by using strong verbal communications skills: social and interpersonal skills, public speaking, networking, negotiation, conflict resolution. http://www.expressyourselftosuccess.com.

What to Give Your Employees to Boost Sales And Profit Margins

09 Jun.
Posted by peter27 in Training | No Comments

Sales training is perhaps the single greatest resource you can give to your employees. It is a means of teaching them the best techniques for today’s business world. It is also a means of giving your employees the right tools to boost sales and profit margins.

Sales training is being used more and more by businesses because of the proven methods of training that can inspire your sales staff. By implementing these methods you are giving your employees the opportunity to exceed at their jobs.

Whether you set up in house sessions or online, sessions for just a few employees or many, Sales training is taught by seasoned sales professionals who have been in sales field for many years and know what methods are effective in today’s market place.

Although these methods are developed for salespeople, any staff members who have contact with your customers can benefit from them, making it a very cost effective way to conduct your business.

Many business owners are skeptical of the cost that is associated with these types of courses. However, it is nothing compared to money that is lost in revenues from customers that got away.

Business owners who have tracked their sales after sales training have found that their profit was raised substantially, allowing them to give bonuses to their employees for a job well done.

Sales training can be conducted in many different ways. It can be set up at orientation for new hires, or you can hold an all day training session in your office. The trainers develop a method that is tailored to your business and will assist all personnel who attend the sessions in honing their skills on many levels to turn them into selling machines.

Sales training for outside sales staff and virtual offices has always been very difficult to schedule. No one seems to have the same time available and traveling to one location was nearly impossible, especially if the company had worldwide salespeople.

Today, it is possible to hold sessions online, where your staff can log in with their own username and password to attend the training sessions at a time when it is most convenient for them.

Sales training can teach your sales force many different aspects of sales and how to perform them with accuracy and ease. A trainer can instruct your employees on how to prospect and close a sale. He or she is specially trained in the fine art of sales and each has a lot of knowledge to offer.

Sales today are very different from sales in past years. Many of the techniques are outdated and obsolete. The business word today is fast paced and aggressive and if a business does not keep up to date, they will end up failing.

Each business is unique and sales trainers understand this. They bring to the sessions proven methods of sales protocol and teach your staff how to implement each aspect of it.

When your sessions have finished, you will find that by initiating the training that has been provided, your sales will increase substantially.

Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group marketing firm. http://www.geisheker.com

Peter develops and implements strategic marketing programs as well as sales training for businesses of all sizes. http://www.npsalestraining.com

Using Social Networking Media To Grow Your Business

08 Jun.
Posted by JackieKhor in Networking | No Comments

It doesn’t matter what you sell. You can still leverage social media to attract more buyers to your site, build a customer list and sell more often.

One of the biggest issues most marketers face is knowing how to attract the right type of traffic for their products, services and affiliate programs. Social marketing and Web 2.0 are here to stay for they have impacted more lives, and reached many times more people than tools such as search engines and web pages. Social networking sites are based on getting likeminded people to do good and it is possible to use the platforms to just talk to people and in the process “sell goods without selling”.

I am giving you some basic “Social Networking” tips that you can tap into them which I find work pretty well. With any marketing, it’s important to stay on top of it as much as possible. However with social networking, it’s almost a job in of itself as you have to maintain so many sites. Don’t get me wrong, the work you put in to some social networking sites can be worth your time to gain friends, followers and etc if you apply what you’re doing appropriately.

You know that what you offer is spectacular, but if other people don’t know that, you’re going to have a really difficult time growing your business. Social networking platforms such as MySpace, Facebook and HubPages allow you to form relationships with people instantaneously. In social networking your connection with people is permission based and you establish your global presence. This is just another form of advertising you and your business and for free. The advantage you have with social media marketing over the traditional marketing is that your potential customer gets to know who you are and you begin to build trust. People buy from those they trust. Thus if they do buy, it is because of you, not the company you represent nor the products they don’t desire.

Here are some basic tips to help you get started to position yourself as an expert within your business niche.

1. You would want to consider choosing a few social networks you enjoy and/or who rank the highest and stick to those. Don’t try to do them all. Otherwise you have another full time job! MySpace is number one at the moment and falling in second place is Facebook. Hubpages, Linkedin and StumbleUpon are other ones high up there to consider. A few of my friends recommend Twitter. Apparently it is rated high in the U.S. Twitter is a micro-blogging platform where you can send out short messages to your readers. You can get flashy with Squidoo where you can create fantastic looking photos or videos on your lens.

2. Don’t just sign up without planning to participate to some degree. It is your participation that gets people to know you and build trust.

3. Make sure to fill out your profile information, the real personal you so that your potential customer gets to know who you are and you begin to build trust. Photo and web links are very important.

4. Once you have set yourself up, now it is time to socialize. You may post an article that is factual, relevant and helpful to your readers on some sites.

5. Surf around for others in the same field as you and make some friendships.

6. Give positive comments or shout about their blogs or sites.

7. Post a few ’shouts’ a week and keep them public.

8. When someone follows you and asks for friendship, use your best judgment to do it back to them.

9. Keep your social networks fresh and don’t leave them outdated. I confess I fail to do this sometimes.

10. When you ’shout’ or post updates don’t make them about “come buy or view my products or business”. Instead give some relevant free tips or advice that are helpful for others to participate.

11. Set up a blog and post articles (best to write your own articles) so that others are aware of your websites. You can use Wordpress or Blogger (both are free) to shine your expertise. A blog allows you to write short articles on topics pertinent to your customer base. Just make sure you write articles that have useful content to the readers so that they will keep coming back for more.

12. Participate in community forums that you enjoy. This will drive you some traffic.

Hope this helps.

Jackie Khor is a leader in Network Marketing.Get your FREE 10-Day email Boot Camp on Home Business at http://www.resultmakemoney.com/home-business-4.html

http://www.resultmakemoney.com/blog

http://leadtraffic.resultmakemoney.com on how to set up business on the Internet

You Can Make Money By Negotiating Your Bills

07 Jun.
Posted by Imawriter in Negotiation | No Comments

Have you ever tried to negotiate one of your bills? Heating bills, garbage bills, cell phone bills, and cable TV bills: you might think that a bill is a bill and you owe the full amount but sometimes you can talk your way into a discount.

I have the $70.00 a month for 1000 minutes plan with one of the major cell phone companies. I have never gone over in minutes in several years so it was a total shock when my bill one month was $235.00! Apparently I had gone over my allotted minutes by almost 500 and that resulted in the $165.00 being added to the bill.

Well, I was upset that I went over that much and also that the phone company would stick me for so much. I mean, I know we signed a contract and all but thats a pretty hefty phone bill when you know the minutes don’t mean a thing to them.

In the past I had briefly talked about switching companies and I thought this was a perfect time to call my cell phone company up to see just how loyal they were.

I got on the line with the customer service guy and explained the situation: this was a one time deal, we had never gone over before, and so on. I asked if there was anything he could do for me. He put me on hold and came back saying that they could knock $30.00 off the bill. I told him that $30.00 was OK but I was hoping for more and I reminded him that we had been with them for a long time. He put me on hold again to go talk to his manager and this time he came back and said they could take 50% off the extra $165.00 which amounted to $82.50.

For some reason I didn’t want to take that offer either. I don’t know why but maybe because I smelled weakness. I knew the next level up plan was $100.00 for 2000 minutes and if I had had that plan I would have not gone over. I then said that I was hoping to have them “pretend” I had that higher plan just for that month and that they would take off $135.00.

The guy on the phone would have none of that and said his hands were tied and the 50% off the charges was the best they could do: final offer. I then told/asked him politely that there were many cell phone companies and I thought they would want my business. He countered with “we do want your business but you signed a contract so I don’t even understand why you are trying to get a discount”. I told him I did sign a contract and I would pay the charges but I was also seriously considering changing companies afterwards.

“Let me transfer you to my manager” he immediately said. The manager then came on and was all nice and asked me exactly what I wanted. I told him that I wanted to pay $100.00 out of the $235.00 thus essentially “moving up” to the higher plan for just that one month. I told him that I wanted to stay with his company and that if he did that for me I would not change.

He didn’t agree to it right away but in the end he could see that I was determined and meant it. He did give in and I ended up paying only $100.00 out of the $235.00! The normal person probably would have gladly taken the $82.50 that the customer service guy offered but I was, as the manager said, determined. Not a bad payoff I must say for about 15 minutes of work!

Please go to my website http://dayjobnuker.com/ to read about more ways I make and save money.

Proper English Grammar Help Businesses to Succeed

07 Jun.
Posted by anutt in Presentation | No Comments

Ignoring proper English grammar in your business could be devastating to your bottom line. While you may not think of yourself as a writer, your role as a business owner requires you to write on a regular basis. You likely send out correspondence to potential clients, email back and forth with your employees, and write memos to the organization as a whole. If you do not use proper grammar when writing these documents, you could look foolish and uneducated in the eyes of your employees, your superiors, and your potential clients.

What are the consequences of this? One or two serious grammar mistakes could cost you that contract you have been working so hard to land! Besides making you look foolish, improper grammar can lead to confusion between you and the person you are writing to, because many common grammar mistakes actually change the meaning of what was written. For example, if you write a double negative, such as “You don’t never need to come to work on Saturdays,” you will not only sound silly, but you are actually saying that the individual does need to come to work on Saturdays. This lack of clarity in your writing can cause tremendous confusion.

To further understand the need for proper grammar in business, put yourself in the place of your client for a moment. If you are considering whether or not to spend a large amount of money on someone’s product or service, do you want to feel confident in that individual’s ability to do the job? Of course you do! Often the written word is the first contact someone will have with you and your business. If you do not come across as professional, you will lose some credibility in that individual’s eyes.

Sometimes a simple grammar mistake that is easily overlooked by you can stand out to your customer. Your customer may not notice anything else about your letter, because that grammar mistake is so glaring. Also, you never know when the person you are negotiating with is a grammar expert. Sure, your potential client is probably not a school teacher, but many people have grammar pet peeves, and ignoring proper grammar could rub your client the wrong way from the very beginning of your professional relationship.

Additionally, if you create ad copy that has grammar or punctuation errors, you will lose many more potential customers. A misplaced apostrophe or comma can show quite a bit to your target audience about your attention to detail.

If you are worried about your weak grammar skills, you will be happy to know that there are ways to get around this problem. Not everyone can have excellent grammar skills, but almost everyone can use tools to create well-written documents. First, make sure that you take advantage of electronic grammar and spelling checkers.

While these do not catch all mistakes, and they may point out mistakes that aren’t actually wrong, they can help you to see areas that you need to improve. After running your grammar check, have someone else read the document and make suggestions. This doesn’t take long, but having an outside source read what you have written will help you to catch any clarity or grammar issues that the computer didn’t catch. Then, set the document aside for at least a day. After this short break, come back to it and read it again. Read it out loud to further check for clarity. At this point, you should have a well-written document that is ready to be sent to your most important client.

These steps do take time, but overlooking grammar could be deadly for your business, so take the time to create well written copy every time!

Learn English with the specialists at Online English School. http://www.englishlink.com

Scavenger Hunts for Team Building and Site Seeing

05 Jun.
Posted by artgib in Team Building | No Comments

New York is the largest city in the United States, and as such it naturally has assumed the status of corporate capital of America, if not the world. Additionally, New York is one of the most often visited cities in the country due to its huge variety of sites and attractions. Even though there are countless landmarks and famous sites in New York, most tourists are still intent on using guidebooks to help themselves along. The problem is that most of these guide books only explain how to get from attraction to attraction and don’t go into much detail about what to do once you get there.

A corporate scavenger hunt can be a great way to immerse oneself in a more interactive experience of the city - both for tourists, and for residents and corporations. New York Team Building activities, such as scavenger hunts, allow groups of people to form small teams and explore places across the city, such as Times Square, local Museums, Grand Central Station, area Zoos, and Central Park, by following clues and trivia that help you get from one place to the next. All the while, someone is prearranged to guide you through each attraction so you can learn more about each attraction than any guide book could possibly provide.

As a corporate solution for team building in New York, these scavenger hunts can help a company to get to know each other, build relationships, forge a competitive spirit, and simply have some fun together. Just as any other New York team building exercises, corporate scavenger hunts offer unparalleled opportunities for departmental camaraderie and teamwork and can provide a unique way for companies to take a break from the everyday monotony of the corporate world. But, perhaps best of all, scavenger hunts are just plain fun!

These team building scavenger hunts utilize every member of the team, so they help build teams on from the individual level as well as the team level. They truly are a great way to build relationships, learn trust, create confidence, increase communication skills, and strengthen a company one team at a time. If you want people to work hard together, sometimes they have to play hard together, too.

So, whether you are trying to build a better team, strengthen a company, or just enjoy a vacation in New York, a scavenger hunt is a fun and exciting way to invest your time and money.

Art Gib is a freelance writer, and Watson Adventures (http://www.watsonadventures.com/new_york.htm) is a scavenger hunt organizer for team building in New York and other cities. They specialize in corporate scavenger hunts.

Communication Mistakes 5 Sure Fire Ways to Create Problems in Your Communications

03 Jun.
Posted by coachgail in Communication | No Comments

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
~ Stephen Covey

Communication is the core of business and interpersonal relationships. Most people want positive interactions with others whether in business or their personal life. Some times the things you say or do contribute to the conversation going awry and lead to negative outcomes. The following are 5 pitfalls to avoid in your conversations.

Being unwilling to listen. If you are the type of person who constantly needs to be talking then you are not available to listen. Is what you have to say more important than the input of another person? Conversations are supposed to be a shared experience with each person having the opportunity to speak and then to listen. Speaking with someone who constantly needs to talk, works against the idea of having a collaborative dialogue and can turn out to be a frustrating experience. The fact is that listening is often a more important skill than talking. You can find out a great deal of information by keeping your ears open and saying nothing.

Assuming you know exactly what the other person is going to say. When you believe that you know exactly what another person is going to say, then you are generally not paying attention to what they are saying. You will pretend that you are listening, but you will be responding as if they have said something which in fact they didn’t. The danger with assumptions is that your reaction becomes automatic which leads to miscommunication and misunderstandings. Prospective business deals will not go well if you operate from a level of assumptions.

Being condescending and judgmental in your conversations. If you believe you are smarter or better than those to whom you are speaking, then your conversations are doomed. We have all read stories about how people spoke to their servants or slaves. Their conversations conveyed a lack of respect, a disinterest in them. Take the time to observe children or teens at school or a mall and you may hear them making judgmental comments of others. If you come across as being superior then you will generally find that people are not responsive. It is important to listen to others ideas and thoughts without judgment. This does not mean you have to agree with them, but rather that you accept what they are saying without putting them down.

Insensitivity to facial expressions, tone of voice and body posture. If you are oblivious to the non verbal messages that others convey during conversations then you might be misunderstanding what is going on. Ignoring this is another way of not listening, not taking the time to understand others. Many people say one thing but their tone or posture is saying something quite different. It is important to be tuned in to these nuances because it can change the outcome of a conversation.

Interrupting and talking over others. If you are constantly interrupting people when they are speaking, you are indicating that what they have to say is not very valuable. I once observed a group of managers who were engaged in a team building exercise. Their task was to create a way to move a series of logs from point A to point B without dropping them and using each only once. There were two individuals who kept interrupting and cutting off the conversation so they could be heard. The outcome was that several other people stopped trying to talk and it no longer was a team effort.

Ideally you want to be involved in conversations which create positive interactions and communication. Being willing to listen, suspending your assumptions, not being judgmental, having an understanding of non-verbal communication and allowing others to speak without continuous interruptions shows your ability to engage in compelling conversations. Remember “seek first to understand and then to be understood.”

Copyright 2008, Gail Solish.

Gail Solish provides executive and personal coaching to managers, directors and executives focused on workplace development and relationship management. http://www.ActualizeYourGoals.com or contact Gail at 416-322-0029.