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Tag: communication (Page 2 of 3)

How to improve your presentation skills

17/03/2016 /

The way how you give an information is as important as the information you are giving. This is why improving your presentation skills is crucial in order to capture your audience and pass your message.

In this article, Sarah Kessler provides a guide to teach us how to preprare and deliver a good presentation and to answer questions on it.

The first step is to prepare your presentation. While preparing you must:

  1. Research your audience (Who is it?)
  2. Structure the presentation (opening, body, closing)
  3. Practice, practice and practice but not memoryse (videotape yourself!)

The second step is to deliver your presentation. The delivery of your presentation depends on:

  1. Verbal delivery: be brief, ask questions to keep the audience engaged, work on your tone, avoid fill words, avoid speaking softly
  2. Body delivery: stand at comfortable distance, eye contact
  3. Power point

The last step are the questions that could arise after the end of your presentation. You must be prepared to them and anticipate them while preparing your presentation. It is a good idea to take questions before the end of your presentation. Anyway, remeber that you don’t have to answer to all the questions you receive from the audience.

Read here the full article

Presentation skills

Image source: Flickr – Lorenzo Gaudenzi (CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0)

‘Sorry’ seems to be the hardest word

25/02/2016 /

The need for an apology might suddenly emerge in organizations. At some point, every company makes a mistake that requires an apology—to an individual; a group of customers, employees, or business partners; or the public at large.

Maurice E. Schweitzer, Alison Wood Brooks, Adam D. Galinsky inquired into the “The Organizational Apology” on the Harvard Business Review September 2015 issue.

Should we apologize? We need to consider the “psychological contract” – the expectations customers, employees, business partners, or other stakeholders have about an organization’s responsibilities and what is right or fair.

When an apology is needed, setting up a strategy might help convey remorse and minimize the damage or defuse a tense situation.

As a general rule, the more central to the mission of the company the violation is and the more people it affects, the more important it is that the apology be pitch-perfect.

Suggestions for a tailor-made “sorry”.

  1. Who. The more serious and the more core the violation, the more necessary it becomes that a senior leader make the apology.
  2. What. Choose words to express candor, remorse, and a commitment to change. Leave no room for equivocation or misinterpretation.
  3. Where. Strive to control the coverage of an apology to determine how loud—and widely heard—the message will be.
  4. When. The quicker, the better.
  5. How. The way an apology is delivered can matter just as much as the content of the apology.

Read more here.

sorry

Image source: themuse.com

10 Everyday Phrases That Don’t Mean What You Think (to the Rest of the World)

14/01/2016 /

Think back to the last time you spoke to someone from another country. Even if the other person was fluent in English, it’s usually not long before some sort of misunderstanding. The reason has to do with the subtleties involved with speaking a language–the ability to read between the lines. This article compares how the same sentences, in English, could be differently interpreted by an English or a German speaker.

Read the full article here.

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Image source: Flickr – nofrills (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Reading in electronic times

28/05/2015 /

Andrew Piper, Associate Professor in the Department of Languages, Literature, and Cultures at McGill University, is an expert on the changes brought about by the e-books and has published a… paper book on the subject (you can see where this is going already).

In this article, published by the Slate magazine, he resumes his book, Book Was There: Reading in Electronic Times, in which he examines the history and future of (e-)reading, the differences between reading on a tablet or an electronic device and reading a paper book, and how reading a paper books connects our bodies as well our minds to the topic.

 

Read the Printed Word!

What is Tact?

14/05/2015 /

Tact is the art of telling the truth without hurting one’s sensitivity. It can be very important in negotiations and in conflict resolution. Tact encompasses many things, such as emotional intelligence, discretion, compassion, honesty and courtesy.

Mind Tool has published an article with several examples concerning the capacity of being tactful and lists 5 strategies to develop tact.

1. Create the right environment and think before you speak
2. Determine the appropriate time
3. Choose words carefully
4. Watch your body language
5. Never react emotionally

Read the full article

Broken_Egg_by_Noypi_reaverImage source: Deviant art – Noyipi-reaver  (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

How to communicate change?

21/04/2015 /

Being able to change is a crucial skill for any leader.

However, to communicate change to our colleagues or coworkers is not always easy. Scott E. Rupp provides us with 5 useful tactics that can be summarized as “inform, share, involve and be crystal clear”:

1. Provide regular, weekly e-mail blasts from leadership describing the changing events;

2. Let employees know when major decisions are expected to be made;

3. Encourage dialogue between managers and their teams;

4. Create a channel for two-way, open communication.

5. If there is no information available or something hasn’t been decided yet, let employees know that, but don’t keep them guessing. 

Read the full article here

Change

Image source: Flickr – jordi.martorell (CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Leadership Skills: 10 Ways to Stay Fully Focused when Speaking

23/12/2014 /

Public speaking excellence is a necessary skill if you are a leader. It has always been so. Yet today what you say may be heard by millions worldwide. Your ability to be fully, extraordinarily present in your speeches and presentations is therefore essential.

Below are 10 suggestions

1. Ground yourself.
2. Stand or sit with good posture.
3. Breathe diaphragmatically.
4. Dive into your audience.
5. Take your time.
6. Pay attention with all of your senses.
7. Aim your energy outward.
8. Make eye contact as you tell the story.
9. Trust silence.
10. Move! 

Read more : The Genard Method

success

Image source : Flickr – Simply CVR (CC BY-ND 2.0)

10 Rules to Communicate Effectively

11/12/2014 /

“It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear”

In “Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear“, Frank Luntz breaks down the ten main lessons he’s learned from years of crafting political messages, lessons we can all learn from:

1) Simplicity: Use Small Words
2) Brevity: Use Short Sentences
3) Credibility Is As Important As Philosophy
4) Consistency Matters
5) Novelty: Offer Something New
6) Sound and Texture Matter
7) Speak Aspirationally
8) Visualize
9) Ask a Question
10) Provide Context and Explain Relevance

For the article: The 10 Rules You Need to Communicate Effectively

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Image source: Flickr – Communication, Joan M. Mas

How to Make Your Presentations Better Without Opening Your Mouth

04/12/2014 /

In this article, published on inc.com by Aj Agrawal, you can see how non-verbal communication is important. The autor also gives some hints to enhance your body language during a speech or a presentation.

  1. Tell your story with your eyes
  2. Get your hands involved
  3. Open up
  4. Smile as much as possible

Cisco says that body language and voice tone account for 63 percent of communication. What’s surprising is how few of us rehearse the way we will move on stage during presentations. So much time goes into developing our story and memorizing our lines. Many times, this allows us to deliver good presentations but not exceptional ones. Then, we’ll see someone on stage who absolutely dazzles us, whose amazing presence captivates the audience and sells his or her vision. While we believe many people are born with this talent, in truth a lot of it comes down to body language.

Read the full article

 

Barack Obama accepts the nomination

 

Image source: Flickr – Scottish Resilience Development Service – (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

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