Better Business Communication Day: January 26, 2015

Better Business Communication Day: January 26, 2015

Think about the last time you did business with a company and thought "That was pretty negative!" (For me, it was as recent as today.) What kind of experience do your internal or external customers have?

Better Business Communication Day is a day to focus on better communication. Here are three actions you can implement, either for yourself, to improve your skills, or for your organization.

Start with non-verbal communication. Smile at two people today as you walk down the hall. Give someone your undivided attention, away from laptops, etc, making him or her feel valued and really heard.

Answer the telephone enthusiastically, each and every time. When you smile as you say "hello", the smile alters your mouth shape and the different resonance pattern can be heard. 

You can make a contest out of this. In Japan, this is a national event, the All-Japan Telephone Answering Contest

Thank someone, preferably in writing, for something specific he or she has recently done for you. When was the last time you received such a specific thank you?  Make the note more powerful by e-mailing it to the person's supervisor, with a bcc: to the person.

If you have difficulty being clearly understood due to a strong accent, try speaking slower. Also write down the words that are hard for others to understand. See if you can use synonyms for them, if needed. An online dictionary with a pronunciation button could help you say the words.
Consider getting a "mystery shopper" to act as a prospective customer, and rate his or her experience with your company's communication. He would start by rating how positive the first telephone greeting of "hello" sounded, through dealing with any phone trees,  enthusiasm and listening skills of the sales staff to answer questions and take an order, to the final good-bye. Another option is to send a pretend order through the system, to see where the bottlenecks are in the process. Often these are due in part to poor communication. The results of this mystery shopping could be ear-opening!

Business Speech Improvement offers intensive, customized speech coaching for individuals and small groups. Use Better Business Communication Day to jump-start your communication improvement!

  Why your rate of speech can matter at work

Speech rate can make a difference at work. First, of course, speaking too quickly can reduce listener comprehension. The actual rate of speech at which  someone has difficulty understanding depends on the usual rate of speech of the two people, the amount each knows about the topic being discussed, each person's hearing acuity and other factors.

Research has shown that people trust each other more when they match rates of speech. This is a process called speech convergence. This has implications for law enforcement, sales, counseling and management. One study showed that once trust started, speech rates began approximating each other.

However,  it is possible to mirror speech rates intentionally.

When trying to calm an angry person, speaking in a slightly slower rate of speech can be helpful. Another time when speaking slower (but not louder) is helpful is when speaking to someone whose English may not be fluent.  A third time to speak slowly is on the telephone, when leaving your phone number or an outgoing message.

Some people experience an unusual amount of difficulty with speaking slower. There could be several reasons for this, including cultural and physiological.

Business Speech Improvement, a corporate speech pathology practice,  provides intensive 1-2 day individual and small group coaching  on how to speak slower. For those who prefer to work on this themselves with some guidance, an e-book on How to Speak Slower in Six Simple Steps is also available.

What is the job of a leader?

                         What is the job of a leader?  

New Year's is a traditional time to reflect. As I begin another year of leadership, I am trying to define what the job of a leader is, and how I can do it even more effectively.
According to Max DePree, "The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant. " Theodore Roosevelt put it another way, "The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it."

Leadership to me is developing a plan for the future, selecting motivated people, coordinating and cheering on the team of workers, providing resources if needed, and staying out of the way while the workers figure out how to do their jobs.

What do you think are the 5 most important jobs of a leader?

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive, customized training in verbal communication skills. This includes executive communication skills.

Sales communication: impressive up-selling by thinking ahead

A hotel in Chicago is using some sophisticated techniques to simultaneously show concern for their guests' welfare and "up-sell". The Majestic Hotel sends confirmation e-mails to guests after they make their reservations. At the bottom of the e-mail is a list of options guests can choose to have ready for them when they arrive. The options range from a bottle of specific wines, milk and cookies at bed-time, or a fruit basket,  to a day-long transit pass, a picnic lunch of local delicacies, a bike rental, two hours in a kayak, or other options.

The hotel has clearly thought ahead about guests' frequent requests, and now is letting guests choose them before they arrive. This allows the hotel to more easily fill the requests, and gives them some extra profit as well.

When the guests arrive, in their rooms they find a refrigerator filled with common soft drinks and water, as well as a variety of snacks and even small toys related to the local tourist attraction. These are available on the "honor bar" system; the hotel maid notices what is gone, notes it as a charge on the bill, and refills the items daily when the room is cleaned.  Guests do not need to get dressed and leave their rooms to find a vending machine.

Another need of some guests is for a place to relax, read the newspaper and drink some tea or coffee.
These are available in a home-like "living room", where guests can chat with each other.

This same idea of thinking ahead about your customers' needs and meeting them before being asked could be used by astute business owners and managers in many fields.

 A human resources manager, for example, could think ahead of time of the many questions asked by new hires,  career development options in the organization and to a page on career pathways for employees.

A medical practice could remind patients of upcoming appointments, invite them to write down their health concerns,  and need for prescription referrals before the appointment,  answer the top 5 questions patients ask the staff about the latest health issue, or give ideas about how to stay healthy this season.

What options can you offer new customers or employees to up-sell them on your organization?

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in many aspects of communication in business. They include communication techniques for leadership, accent modification, presentation skills and more. Seminars, individual coaching, and e-books are available.

Coming to the USA for business or a job?

Are you planning a business trip to the USA, or planning to take a job here? Two practical e-books by Business Speech Improvement offer a lot of valuable advice.

Coming to the USA : American Cultural Differences provides practical information on everything from time, telephone manners and insurance in the USA. The e-book was written in response to questions from many newcomers here.

Small Talk: Connecting with Others gives tips on ways to start conversations, continue them and then graciously leave the other person at the end. Small talk customs may vary in different cultures, and these techniques are used in the USA.

Both of the e-books and several more can be easily found at http://businessspeechimprovement.com/enabler/scripts/category.pl?EBooks.

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching and e-books in verbal communication. Great speech makes business sense!