According to Diane DiResta there are ten ways women sabotage communication in the workplace. Here is an ezine article that she wrote…

Have a read and let me know what you think by posting in the comments box on the left hand side of this page

By Diane DiResta

Glass ceiling or partners in sabotage? While the glass ceiling exists, very often women undermine their success by how they communicate in the workplace. We’ve learned to dress for success but have we learned the language of success? When Catalyst, a non-profit organization dealing with women’s issues asked.

What holds women back from top management?
Fifty-two per cent said Male stereotyping and preconceptions of women.

When they asked, How can women succeed?
Sixty-one per cent said Developing a style with which male managers are comfortable.  It seems communication style is vitally important.

Here are ten ways women weaken their image and what they can be do about it.

1. Too much head nodding-When women nod, they mean I hear you,
I understand.  Men interpret head nodding as agreement with their ideas.
Too much head nodding will be perceived as weakness and may result in miscommunication. Continual head bobbing creates a subliminal message of submissiveness.

2. Uptalk-A rising inflection at the end of a sentence sounds tentative, as if posing a question. This is a real credibility killer. Women will not be taken seriously with this vocal pattern. To speak with authority practice bringing the voice down at the end of a sentence. American intonation patterns use a downward inflection to declare or demand and a rising inflection to question or indicate uncertainty.

This is not true for all cultures. In Canada, India, Pakistan, France and China it is more commonplace to hear the voice rise at the end of a sentence. This pattern is sometimes used by American men in the South or by Generation X. It is not effective for either sex.

3. Weak Language
Tag lines-Some communicators make a statement and then ask for validation. This is a good idea, don’t you think? We have the best team, right? Tag lines weaken conviction and authority. Eliminate them.

Modifiers-Words such as some, just, only, hopefully, and guess, minimize the message and the messenger. This is just a thought. I’m only a beginner; Hopefully, I’ve done a good job; I guess I have a question, are weak statements. They signal a lack of confidence and tell the listener that its not very important. Constant apologizing is not appropriate and will have the same effect. Weed out wimpy words and replace them with powerful language. This is most commonly a female pattern.
time to sound confident and full of conviction.

4. Allowing interruptions-Men jump in and say what they think. They tend to interrupt more than women. Women are more likely to allow themselves to be cut off and lose credit for their ideas. Instead, they can say, I’m not finished, Please hold your questions,These interruptions break everyone’s train of thought or continue talking and finish your point.

5. Not speaking up (Waiting to be called on)-Still waters may run deep but in our business culture, people who don’t speak up are perceived as not knowing anything. Commit to making one contribution at every meeting. It may be as simple as underscoring a point or adding to what’s been said. Some women wait to be called on or have difficulty taking the floor. It may be necessary to interrupt to have your say. Do it. You must be heard to be a counted.

6. Dressing too sexy-A visual impression takes seven seconds or less. Clothing and appearance are a visual shorthand. Women who wear spiked heels, low cut blouses, heavy make-up, and micro-mini skirts are communicating sexual availability rather than career mobility. To succeed in the workplace, women must dress the part. You don’t have to sacrifice femininity, but don’t appear too flashy. The goal is to look professionally attractive. To achieve advancement, dress one level above your present position. If you are a supervisor, dress, like a manager. On the opposite end of the continuum, executive women may dress too frumpy. At senior levels it’s no longer what you know but who you are as a leader. If a woman executive doesn’t look the part, she’ll lose respect and credibility.

7. Too soft spoken-A soft or breathy voice may sound sexy but it indicates insecurity or lack of confidence. Breathe from the diaphragm and project the voice so that every person at the meeting can hear. If they have to strain to listen, they will tune you out. A speaker loses conviction when ideas are presented in a soft voice. Confident women project their voices.

8. Allowing others to take credit for ideas-A common complaint of women is that men take credit for their ideas. When this happens women must learn to speak up and claim their contributions. Excuse me, I just said that a minute ago. How is that different from what I just proposed? Do not sit quietly while someone intercepts your idea.

9. Weak Body posture-Cute gestures such as shrugging shoulders, not making direct eye contact, standing with one leg crossed at the ankle and a weak handshake will weaken ones visual impact. Men naturally take up more space. Hold your ground. Stand tall and sit up straight, make direct eye contact and ground your energy. Channel nervousness by using hand gestures about the waist. Act like you belong. You have a right to be there.

10. Avoiding public speaking. This is one of the biggest mistakes women can make in their careers. Men don’t have a glass ceiling. Public speaking is an opportunity for visibility and equal exposure. Confront your fear, get some coaching, and get out there and shine.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_DiResta
http://EzineArticles.com/?Ten-Ways-Women-Sabotage-Communication-in-the-Workplace&id=992

So, What are your views on this ? I’m intrigued to discover your thoughts….

Ten Ways Women Sabotage Communication in the Workplace….. is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Technorati Tags: communication in the workplace, communication skills, improve communication skills

Here are six tips for improving your communication style:

1.

Knowing how to improve communication skills will come easier once you become aware of your own communication style.

Each person has a unique way of communicating. Listen to your own speech. What sorts of words do you use? Which sort of body language and what tone of voice are you using? Now, think of someone who, in your opinion, is a good communicator. Compare your style to theirs. You’ve just taken an important first step in how to improve communication skills.

2. Now that you are aware of your own style, study the style of those around you. How do the most important people in your life converse? How do they say things? Look for approaches you can model and make your own.

3. Adjust to the other styles of communication. Don’t think it is too late to change your way of conversing because it’s been years. You had to learn to communicate in the first place and you can unlearn certain behaviors or change them. Sometimes we get stuck in a communication rut.A father once was having a hard time with his teenaged daughter. She was growing and he thought she didn’t tell him what was going on in her life. They were in a heated discussion when he asked, Why didn’t you tell me?Her answer was that she had, but he was too busy lecturing her to hear her. He learned that adjusting his style to his daughter would involve listening first before jumping right into solving the problem.

4. To build rapport, during a conversation try and match the other persons movements, posture and verbal style. Don’t do everything they do, but mirror one or two things. For example, if the person gives mostly short answers to questions, you follow suit.Or, maybe they talk at a slower pace than you usually do-slow your speaking speed to match theirs. This may sound simplistic but it is a very potent way to make someone feel very relaxed and comfortable in your presence.

5. The way you communicate at home may not be the same as in a different environment. Make sure you change your style to suit the different setting. Some comments you might want to tell your best friend, in private.Other things can be shared in a group setting. Learn how to improve communication skills by altering your style for the appropriate setting. Many of us know someone who offers far too much information in a group setting.

6. Dont criticize others for communicating differently. If we all communicated in the same way, we’d soon be bored with each other.Getting a good grasp of your communication style and finding ways to accommodate other peoples styles, is a good way to improve your communication skills.

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. Apply now because it is available only at: how to communicate

expert=Peter_Murphy
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Improve-Communication-Skills-and-Your-Personal-Style&id=149358

How to Improve Communication Skills and Your Personal Style is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Technorati Tags: communication skills, communication skills training, improve communication skills, transforming communication

Everyone knows that effective business communication skills are a necessity for any successful manager. But what are the pitfalls of poor business communication skills by managers?

1. Lowered Efficiency

Poor business communication skills can hamper the efficiency of your company or department through vague emails that need to be clarified, rewriting of vital documents, and the inefficient preparation of speeches and presentations.

2. Low Employee Morale

Poor business communication skills demoralize employees by forcing them to sit through boring presentations and by providing them with unclear direction on projects. The monotony and confusion associated with poor business communication skills is a chronic complaint of employees everywhere.

3. Inability To Complete Large Or Complicated Projects

Business communication skills are essential to efficiently completing large and complicated projects. When multiple people or departments are involved in a project, the value of effective business communication skills increases exponentially.

Without the ability to clearly communicate project responsibilities and objectives, your organization’s projects will never get off the ground.

4. Lack Of Motivation

An often overlooked impact of effective business communication skills is how they serve to motivate employees. A collaborative and communicative environment fosters employee creativity and inspires them to action. In contrast, if your business communication skills are lackluster, your employees will drag their feet on their assignments and question the wisdom of projects.

5. Decreased Innovation

The inability to adequately handle current projects due to poor business communication skills will decrease any organization’s innovation. The ability to innovate is predicated on the ability to communicate tasks and outcomes and the ability to get things done.

Being a successful manager means having the ability to communicate with your employees and outside vendors and customers. Improving your management skills is really just a question of improving your business communication skills. All effective managers are, first and foremost, effective communicators.

By Matt Nadell

The 5 Pitfalls Of Poor Business Communication Skills For Managers is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Technorati Tags: business communication skills, communication skill, communication skills, communication skills training

Speak From Your Own Viewpoint

The best leaders share their opinions frankly. They do not try to conceal their concerns. An effective way is to personalize what you say, assuming responsibility for your opinions, values, and positions, instead of generalizing or placing blame outside of yourself. Say, “I feel disappointed about our progress,” rather than, “This group is the pits.”

The advantage of this approach is that it reduces defenses by not placing general or even specific blame on others. Nobody can assert that you are not concerned or that you are more hopeful that you are willing to show. “I prefer to start at nine exactly” is unambiguous; “You are late again! You delay us at every meeting” will certainly elicit a defensive response.

Another way people conceal what they actually think is by wraping their opinions in questions. “Are you planning to make that statement in public?” is an attack, not a question. “I would prefer you not say that in your presentation” is a negative statement, but it clearly recognizes that this is your opinion and not absolute.

Does it seem like nitpicking? It’s not really. The major difference is in the kind of response you seek to evoke from your listeners.

Adjust Your Communication Style

Everyone has natural communication style. The styles of communication can be empirically broken down into four classes: Directors, Expressers, Thinkers, and Harmonizers. The Straight Talk® communication survey will help you to discover your communication style, as well as the styles of others. You will also find pointers to help make your communication more effective and well-balanced.

When you know your communication style, you will be able to tell what strategies will let you communicate into someone’s “listening space.” Directors, for example, want information in quick, bottom line bullet points. Expressers want a more complete exploration of the various thoughts and proposals. Thinkers want to know the reasoning the underlies a proposal. And Harmonizers want to know how any plan will affect people.

The most effective communicators tailor their style to fit their audience. By tailoring their style, they help people relax and feel more receptive to what they’re saying. This helps them be more effective leaders and managers. As needed, they also make overt reference to differences in style to defuse tension and resolve conflicts between styles. This does a great deal to build trust.

Use Powerful Listening

Powerful listening is an active skill. A good listener concentrates not just on words, but on understanding the underlying point of view of the other person. Powerful listeners pick up on the subtle intonation, facial expressions and context, then they reply in a way that shows they have understood the speaker’s intent as well as his or her actual words. They listen to understand, not just to figure out how they’re going to make their argument.

One way to be sure you understand exactly what the speaker means, and to communicate your understanding, is by reflecting back to the speaker what you believe he or she is saying. Paraphrasing does not mean just parroting their words. It means restating the speaker’s position in your own words, taking into account the non-verbal signs you see and the tone of voice you hear.

Typical lead-in phrases for paraphrasing are “It sounds like . . .or “I can see that . . .” Paraphrasing is also invaluable when you disagree with someone and must, nonetheless, offer an encouraging reply. If you can echo the speaker’s position, the speaker will know that, even though the two of you disagree, you respect him enough to listen attentively.

When you paraphrase, you also give the speaker a chance to clarify his or her position. He could say: “That’s right..Or he may respond: “Actually, let me make that clearer.” That prepares the ground for a more in-depth conversation in which you will act as facilitator.

Remember that 60 percent of communication is non-verbal. In other words, if you listen only to what someone says, you’re missing more than half of the conversation.

It’s not enough to listen; you also must show that you are listening. Maintain eye contact, lean forward, nod, vocalize agreement when appropriate by saying, “I see,” “Um hmm”; take notes if that is appropriate. Do not wave at passers-by, lean back with your arms crossed, watch the TV, wear sun glasses, pay attention to external events, or look at your watch. Rather, learn to focus completely on the conversation in which you are participating.

Make Your Communication Data-Driven

Data-driven communication requires that you do two things:

First, you bring your assumptions into the open. “I suppose that we will be affected by these economic hard times just as others in our industry have.”

Next, you seek out missing facts. You inquire: “Does anybody have facts that would help me make my assumptions more accurate?”

When your communication is data-driven, you seek to bring other people’s assumptions and concerns into the conversation. You ask: “Help me understand what you’re thinking. What are you assuming will happen?”

When you’re data-driven, you make sure you bring issues to the table. If there’s an exchange in the hallway that is relevant, you share it with everyone. If you are feeling uncomfortable or confused, you tell those you are with (if you feel that way, others probably do, as well). If you have an issue that you fear to raise because of the possible repercussions, you confer with the chair or someone else who can help you create a strategy.

When you’re data-driven, you use concrete examples and specifics to help people get on the same page. You don’t become trapped by generalizations; you bring in concrete examples to help your hearers see whether you are referring to a 2% rise in expenditures or a 20% rise.

Finally, while practicing data-driven communication, you maintain your humility. You start from the assumption that you don’t have a perfect view of every situation. You solicit other people’s opinions. You recognize that people can be misled by the “assumption of competence.” You appreciate that people who assume they are competent are usually the least competent among us.

A significant body of research shows that “the assumption of competence” is highest among those who are least competent in a variety of activities.

Did you find this information useful? Looking for more case studies and real world examples? Obtain your copy of Eric Douglas’s new leadership book for Leading at Light Speed. This is an indispensable guide for leaders and leading organizations who want to build trust, spark innovation, and create a high-performing organization.

Four Effective Communication Techniques is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Technorati Tags: advanced communication, advanced communication skills, communication skills, workplace communication

by Juegos-Trabajo-Empleo

If you wish to achieve good results at work, effective communication is a good place to start. You may be inadvertently undermining yourself in your use of language. There are three dirty little words in the English language which should be used with great care! They are ‘don’t', ‘try’ and ‘but’.

I might say to you ‘Don’t think of a blue tree!’ What are you thinking about? Probably a blue tree! Your mind cannot process a negative. It has to produce a blue tree first before it can delete it. It’s not logical, it’s psychological. So when you say “Don’t forget to log off when you leave”, chances are that people will subconsciously take on the message to forget to log off, rather than do what you think you have communicated.

‘Try’ is a treacherous little word. If someone says that they will ‘try’ to do something, they probably won’t actually achieve it as they are giving themselves a get-out right from the start. So watch out for your language when you say ‘I would like you to try to reach this deadline’. As Yoda said in Star Wars “Do, or do not. There is no try.”.

Don’t Carry Around Comments Like Luggage:  It’s easy to hold on to feedback long after it can be useful.  Listen to the information, consider how you can improve or continue a good practice, and then, move on.

They will probably delete the praise and concentrate on the message that they messed up. Although your intention is to help, you have inadvertently had an impact which will prevent them from performing confidently.

Start to listen out for these words and where they crop up in your conversation. You will also quickly become aware of how much other people use them! Once you have spotted them you can decide when it is appropriate to make another choice – to clean up your language! – and observe whether this has a better response.

Workplace Communication and Clean Language is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Technorati Tags: business communicaiton, communication in the workplace, communication skills

There are numerous tools that are available to us to create a better live for ourselves and others. The two most powerful and effective tools, however, are our mind and our communication skills.

Because you can create the life you really want by applying your mind the right way and by using your communication skills so that you have all the relationships you wish for.

People sometimes ask me: “Why is communication important?”. And you might be asking the same thing. The reply is that communication is the glue that holds together our society, your friends, your family, your colleagues at work, your neighbours…

How would it be if you were not able to communicate your thoughts and ideas to others?

Imagine not being able to share with another person your experiences.

And just imagine not being able to find solutions to a problem, or not having the skills to guide others and yourself through a crisis.

If you overlook the importance of communication, and the importance of your own ability to take charge of your life, your quality of life will be diminished. Because the quality of your communication is the quality of your life.

Do you not agree that communication skills hold the fabric of your world together? And do you not agree that improving your communication skill level makes sense so that your life becomes more fulfilled for you and everyone you love, such as your family and your friends?

Because our progress as a species, and our success, has always been dependant on our ability to work together, to cooperate, and to communicate.

With your ability to communicate you can face problems and challenges, and you can find solutions to those challenges so that everyone not just feels good about these solutions, they will also cooperate with you in the future. Because they have confidence in you and trust you.

The question about why communication is important is more a question about how much you want to create a life you want to live in, with all those you love and care about. It’s more about how much you want to increase the quality of YOUR life.

And you can start today with improving your communication skills.

Author: Michael Noone, Communication Skills Trainer

Why Are Communication Skills Important? is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Technorati Tags: business communication skills, communication skills, communication skills training, good communication skills, improve communication skills

Good communication in the workplace is one such skill.

You want to be good at verbal communication and written communication. Employers are also looking for technological know-how.

Verbal communication is one of the more important ways to communicate in the workplace nowadays because a lot of written memoranda are outdated and replaced by voice mail and email.

How you express yourself verbally is the one skill that employers look for the most in todays workplace.

This is especially important for people who work with the public, such as in custormer service or at a front desk at a doctor’s surgery for example. They are also important when you work with teams. All these positions require that you’re able to empathize and give feedback.

Because poor communication in the workplace is responsible for confusion, problems and also errors. This is why you need to be able to say clearly what you mean. You also want to be able to state clearly and honestly what you want.
 
Telephone skills and being able to hold a simple conversation are other important  skills that are necessary in the workplace.

Although I said above that written communication may not be so important anymore, when you want to enter the job market you need to be able to write reports and memos, as well as use email effectively. This means that your written communication is clear, business like and concise.

Communication in the workplace is not restricted to just verbal and written communication. You now also need to be familiar with modern technology to communicate. This means you want to know how to use the workplace email program, the voicemail system, how to fax a document, and importantly you want to know how to use a wordprocessor.

If you want to get a job or get promoted you’d do well to improve your communication skills. Because employers now place a high prize on excellent communication in the workplace.

Communication in the Workplace – what employers are now looking for is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Technorati Tags: business communication, communication in the workplace, communication skills, verbal communiation, written communication

“An extensive survey of airport staff throughout the United Kingdom appears to show that customers at Glasgow airport in Scotland are the rudest and most ill-mannered in the country.

A questionnaire was sent to over 2000 airport employees asking them a number of probing multiple choice questions about the behaviour and politeness of their customers. The questions they were asked included:

‘Do customers ever raise their voices angrily?’ and ‘Has a customer ever been confrontational or argumentative?’.

The UKs busiest airports at Heathrow and Gatwick were among the worst but the list was topped by Glasgow airport. Survey results appear to indicate that customers at Scotland’s premiere airport have the worst manners of any airport customers in the UK.

It was clear that certain areas of the airport were bad-behaviour hotspots. The worst area for rude outbursts from passengers was found to be the check in desks. People appear to become very stressed by the restrictions on hand baggage size and luggage weight restrictions and this provokes many toward angry outbursts.

Another area in which people lose their cool very easily is in the Glasgow airport parking lots. People become impatient when waiting for shuttle buses and blamed airport parking staff when they couldn’t remember where they left their vehicles.

Airport staff are trained in dealing with passengers who can be stressed by tight schedules. But noboby should be required to tolerate rude, belligerent and even hostile behavior when at work.

Glasgow airport managers have said that they are now considering a campaign intended to improve customer behaviour at their busy airport. They are acutely aware of the stress and even illness that can be caused to staff as a result of having to deal with problematic passengers.

A spokesmn for Glasgow airport said: ‘If our customers could be encouraged to be less rude then our stafff would have less stress in their daily working lives. We’re likely to see a reduction in staff turnover and the workforce are likely to be a lot happier.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You may choose to fly from an alternative Scottish airport like Aberdeen or Edinburgh. Remember to book your Edinburgh airport parking in advance for some great savings.”

Business Communication Skills Needed in Glasgow Airport? is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Technorati Tags: business communication, communication skills, customer care

I am involved with customer service on a daily basis as I offer a DVD duplication service and a stuttering therapy course. I also work with a company that offers people the opportunity of obtaining cheap calls.

So what would be classed as excellent customer service? What would be classed as very good customer service communication skills? Well these are the questions that the top management of each and every company need to know the answers to. I will be giving my opinions in the rest of this article; I hope you enjoy the read.

A typical example and a very common mistake:

Just think for a moment and ask yourself the following question, if you don’t mind! How many times have you been promised a call back from a customer services representative; when in the end they fail to call you back? I am fairly sure that the majority of people will have experienced this annoyance. You then have the task of having to contact the organisation to chase up the query, this is of course more than frustrating. There is always an excuse of course – I was going to phone you back however I was just waiting for a colleague to get back to me. Sorry but that just is not good enough, the customer services worker could and should have phoned me on that day, the day they had said that they would, to inform me that they were still awaiting for information from their colleague. If they have achieved this then fair play and I would have to say that they have top notch communication skills.

I, being the type of person that I am, will then relay how badly I have been treated at the hands of this company to my family and friends. They then in turn are likely to continue to spread the word as to how poor this business is in the ever essential role of communication. As you can see sales could quite easily be lost due to this most simplest of mistakes.

The Importance of Communication in Customer Services is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Technorati Tags: communication skills, customer service, customer services, customer services adviser, Poor customer service

How do you cultivate customer relationships where your clients want to tell others all about you? What will make you and your wisdom irresistible? Discover the most important principles for building the kind of long-term customer relationships that lead to higher retention, and far more referrals. In this high-energy, high-content program, you’ll learn the power of intent, the importance of your appearance, how to make people feel more valued, limiting words you should avoid and many other ideas for building stronger customer relationships. If your organization depends on repeat business, you must be committed to making your customer relationships a major focal point to continuously improve, and that’s exactly what this seminar helps you do.

Shawna Schuh is an expert in the area of customer relationships. Since 1983, she has been training and motivating professionals to connect with their customers and prospects through powerful people skills. Shawna Schuh has authored two books, several articles, and is a frequent guest in the media. As an actor, she has appeared in over 150 television and radio commercials, and seven feature films. Having earned the CSP designation from the National Speakers ociation, Shawna Schuh is considered one of the top speakers in the world. You’ll be thoroughly captivated as she shares real life examples gleaned from years of working with Fortune 100 clients. Learn to build customer relationships at a deeper level, and watch your business soar.

BUILDING STRONG CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS WITH TRUST
USING THE POWER OF INTENT TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN
AVOIDING WORDS THAT SEND THE WRONG MESSAGE
THE ROLES OF APPEARANCE, ATTITUDE & APPRECIATION
HOW TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL EVEN MORE VALUABLE

Duration : 0:2:39

Connecting For Results – Business Skills Training Video Preview from Seminars on DVD is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Technorati Tags: building trust, communication skills, Motivation, motivational seminar, motivational speaker, motivational video, personal development, professional development, relationship skills, sales training, Shawna Schuh, training video