The Essentials Of Business Communication
If you’re one of those individuals who occasionally ponders the mysteries of the universe, you may have wondered why we have two ears instead of just one. The answer depends on who you ask, as it does with many things.
According to scientists who specialize in such matters, sound usually reaches one ear a fraction of a second faster than it reaches the other ear. By calculating the difference in receiving times between ears, the brain can pinpoint a sound source within two or three degrees.
The ability to listen is just one of the tools of communication. The ability to speak so that others really hear and understand you is another, and in business, the degree to which you can get people to listen can be the degree to which you get the greatest payoff. Sometimes the cards are stacked against you, but you can improve the odds by speaking more effectively.
Here are three things you can do to get people to listen:
1. State the facts. For example, when you’re in a meeting, make observations that place you in control. Demonstrate your knowledge of the situation, and describe strategies. Go step-by-step and be logical. Don’t talk over people’s heads or expect people to grasp your style of speaking.
2. Give a compliment. For example, when you remark to someone who you know has been dieting that he or she’s lost weight chances are that person will be friendly toward you. People love compliments and attention, but make sure that the complement is appropriate. If you’re a male, it’s pretty stupid to tell a female boss that she’s wearing a nice sweater.
3. Confound your audience. By confounding someone, I mean use your knowledge of the language to impress someone by using interesting words, grammar, and sentence flow. This takes skill and practice, and many people cannot do it, but if you can, you’ll show great intelligence. Don’t use huge, polysyllabic words or mundane examples. My point is, use language as an asset to gain control.
Another trick for getting someone to listen is to determine which sense of perception the other party responds to. There’s an old paradigm that the world is divided into three types of people: those who relate most to the sense of hearing, or to feeling or to seeing. You can communicate effectively with people by appealing to whichever of the three senses they relate to most.
A feeling person responds to images of touch: “I feel that my product will touch the hearts of everyone who comes in contact with it.” A seeing person responds to images of vision: “I see that you are a big-picture person who can envision the power of this marketing plan.” A hearing person responds to images of sound: “I can hear the victory bells and the applause from the audience after they hear this proposal.”
The success of any communication depends on believability. You have to say what you mean and mean what you say. If you’re credible, it will show. However, be careful because the opposite is true, too. Believability is the name of the game.
Remember, communication is a two-way process involving both talking and listening. Beware of falling into the trap of spending too much time on one-half of the process. To be a good communicator, you must listen well. Listening skills, and the ability to read how well others are listening to you, is crucial to success in business.
A good listener must form a partnership with an individual or group and engage in a give-and-take situation with concentration and patience. Here are few things you can do to listen more effectively:
• Listen to the entire message. Take in all of it be before you speak. This can be a big task for you because some people will take the floor and go on and on, but always be courteous.
• Put your thoughts and ideas aside while you are listening. Concentrate on the speaker’s words. You won’t hear if you don’t put out some effort. We all have an inner voice and we talk to that voice more than we talk to anyone else. That voice needs to be shut down temporarily.
• Deal with your inner conflicts and emotions some other time. Don’t let your problem of the day interfere with your ability to hold a conversation.
• Listen for the speaker’s ideas and feelings. Don’t get hung up exclusively on words.
• Listen positively. Don’t make internal judgments while the person is talking. Be open-minded and interested.
Another important point to effectively listening is to watch the body language of the other person. When you speak, your body sends messages, and there are six possible messages, to be exact. Those messages are happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and surprise. When you learn to read those signals in other people it will greatly help your success in communicating with them.
Anyone can learn to become a good communicator. It’s a skill that incorporates the use of common sense, patience and teamwork. Just give and take, and don’t talk just to hear yourself. You’ll be amazed at how much better your business and personal relationships will be when you learn to listen and speak more effectively.
Copyright©2007 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and success coaching programs. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in career coach training. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many businesses around the world, on the subjects of leadership, achievement, goals, strategic business planning, and marketing. Joe is the author of three books, Starting Your Own Business, Finding Your Purpose In Life, and The Guerrilla Marketing Workbook.
If you’re one of those individuals who occasionally ponders the mysteries of the universe, you may have wondered why we have two ears instead of just one. The answer depends on who you ask, as it does with many things.
According to scientists who specialize in such matters, sound usually reaches one ear a fraction of a second faster than it reaches the other ear. By calculating the difference in receiving times between ears, the brain can pinpoint a sound source within two or three degrees.
The ability to listen is just one of the tools of communication. The ability to speak so that others really hear and understand you is another, and in business, the degree to which you can get people to listen can be the degree to which you get the greatest payoff. Sometimes the cards are stacked against you, but you can improve the odds by speaking more effectively.
Here are three things you can do to get people to listen:
1. State the facts. For example, when you’re in a meeting, make observations that place you in control. Demonstrate your knowledge of the situation, and describe strategies. Go step-by-step and be logical. Don’t talk over people’s heads or expect people to grasp your style of speaking.
2. Give a compliment. For example, when you remark to someone who you know has been dieting that he or she’s lost weight chances are that person will be friendly toward you. People love compliments and attention, but make sure that the complement is appropriate. If you’re a male, it’s pretty stupid to tell a female boss that she’s wearing a nice sweater.
3. Confound your audience. By confounding someone, I mean use your knowledge of the language to impress someone by using interesting words, grammar, and sentence flow. This takes skill and practice, and many people cannot do it, but if you can, you’ll show great intelligence. Don’t use huge, polysyllabic words or mundane examples. My point is, use language as an asset to gain control.
Another trick for getting someone to listen is to determine which sense of perception the other party responds to. There’s an old paradigm that the world is divided into three types of people: those who relate most to the sense of hearing, or to feeling or to seeing. You can communicate effectively with people by appealing to whichever of the three senses they relate to most.
A feeling person responds to images of touch: “I feel that my product will touch the hearts of everyone who comes in contact with it.” A seeing person responds to images of vision: “I see that you are a big-picture person who can envision the power of this marketing plan.” A hearing person responds to images of sound: “I can hear the victory bells and the applause from the audience after they hear this proposal.”
The success of any communication depends on believability. You have to say what you mean and mean what you say. If you’re credible, it will show. However, be careful because the opposite is true, too. Believability is the name of the game.
Remember, communication is a two-way process involving both talking and listening. Beware of falling into the trap of spending too much time on one-half of the process. To be a good communicator, you must listen well. Listening skills, and the ability to read how well others are listening to you, is crucial to success in business.
A good listener must form a partnership with an individual or group and engage in a give-and-take situation with concentration and patience. Here are few things you can do to listen more effectively:
• Listen to the entire message. Take in all of it be before you speak. This can be a big task for you because some people will take the floor and go on and on, but always be courteous.
• Put your thoughts and ideas aside while you are listening. Concentrate on the speaker’s words. You won’t hear if you don’t put out some effort. We all have an inner voice and we talk to that voice more than we talk to anyone else. That voice needs to be shut down temporarily.
• Deal with your inner conflicts and emotions some other time. Don’t let your problem of the day interfere with your ability to hold a conversation.
• Listen for the speaker’s ideas and feelings. Don’t get hung up exclusively on words.
• Listen positively. Don’t make internal judgments while the person is talking. Be open-minded and interested.
Another important point to effectively listening is to watch the body language of the other person. When you speak, your body sends messages, and there are six possible messages, to be exact. Those messages are happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and surprise. When you learn to read those signals in other people it will greatly help your success in communicating with them.
Anyone can learn to become a good communicator. It’s a skill that incorporates the use of common sense, patience and teamwork. Just give and take, and don’t talk just to hear yourself. You’ll be amazed at how much better your business and personal relationships will be when you learn to listen and speak more effectively.
Copyright©2007 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and success coaching programs. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in career coach training. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many businesses around the world, on the subjects of leadership, achievement, goals, strategic business planning, and marketing. Joe is the author of three books, Starting Your Own Business, Finding Your Purpose In Life, and The Guerrilla Marketing Workbook.
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