Better Business Communication Day: the most important letter in "persuasion"

                             

        Better Business Communication Day: the most important letter in "persuasion"

Better Business Communication Day is January 20, 2014.  Much of business involves persuading others, or being persuaded (or not) by others. Here are some tips on how to persuade others, or to detect when others are trying to persuade you.

We persuade when we appeal to someone else's interests. For example, in his incredible speech, "I Have A Dream", Dr King spoke about the struggles that some of the listeners had gone through recently, such as coming out of jail. He also spoke about their common experiences in America.

In business, consider the concerns and needs of the person you are persuading. Does your supervisor want more prestige, lower operating costs, or higher productivity? Does your customer want less hassle, a more user-friendly device, or quicker service? These factors are usually grouped into more

(pleasure) or less (pain).

If you are being persuaded, try asking these four questions. First, what are the disadvantages to the proposed action? Second, do all the pieces of the proposed solution fit together, such as the vendors, time-frame, employee scheduling, and customer expectations? Third, ask if there is anything else you should know about this situation. Fourth, listen carefully for the persuader's emotional overlay, such as fear, excitement or frustration; ask how he feels about this and why. Then, say nothing for a few seconds. This will often bring forth additional information from the persuader.

So what's the most important letter in "persuasion"? Why, "u", of course!

This information is summarized from page 16 of the Executive Communication Techniques, an e-book by Business Speech Improvement. This tip-filled e-book offers techniques from 18 different vital communication needs of today's executive. Get the e-book now and be better prepared for work tomorrow!

Decision-making: A vs B - What if There's a C?

                         

A favorite technique of people who want you to make a decision is to offer you two choices, A or B.

Professionals in many fields use this method. Do you want to meet on Monday or Wednesday at 2 PM?

Do you want to try treatment X or Y? Do you want to study your spelling or your history first?

Think beyond the box, though. Consider if there is a third option that for some reason the person is not mentioning.  For example, in the case of a medical treatment, is there a third process such as physical therapy that might be an equally effective option for a given problem?  Is there some reason the person is only offering you two choices and has not mentioned a third one, such as a business person having a financial interest in the two options discussed?

This critical listening question is similar to the 10 that are discussed on page 16 of the tip-filled Executive Communication  Strategies, the e-book you'll wish your boss had read! Learn techniques ranging from appreciation to critical thinking and persuasion, 18 different subjects in all. Find out more here!

Leadership development and executive communication

This year, reportedly 40% of American workers are planning to leave their jobs, often because they dislike how their boss treats them. Are you one of them? Such a "brain drain" has dire effects on a company's profits, as it can be expensive to recruit, hire and train a new worker. In addition, the productivity of new workers is usually lower for a while. A smart solution would be to spend time, effort and funds on training supervisors to be more effective communicators. For many supervisors, a simple e-book just released, called "Executive Communication Strategies" would provide many strategies they could use. This concise new e-book offers many easy tips. Special ones include a list of questions smart leaders use when considering new ideas, professional listening strategies, conflict resolution suggestions, explanations of why many people do not speak at meetings (and what a wise leader could do about this), and even tips on how to let employees know you appreciate them. (After all, how did you feel the last time your manager told you what a great job you were doing? (If your manager has never told you this, do you want your employees to feel as unappreciated as you feel?) The basics of training strategies for adults, improving communication at meetings and much more are included. "Executive Communication Strategies" could be included in a leadership development seminar, an MBA course on leadership, or in private Mastermind groups to share new techniques. Great communication matters! Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching and e-books on many aspects of communication. Visit us today!

Critical Thinking and Advertisements

Today I received an ad about a "great" job. Last week I passed an ad about a skin care product "with no unnecessary ingredients".

You need to wonder about these creatively written ads. If you search for the "most persuasive words in ads", you can get lists of 108 - 200 words deemed most effective. A simpler way to analyze them, though, is to think "where's the evidence"? What are they not telling us? For example, no company would waste money putting in unnecessary ingredients in a product. A job that a copywriter considers "great" may be merely one that pays his agency a wonderful placement fee.

Be a critical thinker; it pays!

Business Speech Improvement (www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com) provides training in critical thinking skills in its' executive communication skills seminar and other courses.

Executive Communication: Asking Incisive Questions

Two essential skills for executives are the ability to listen well - to both what is and is not said - and to ask the right questions. These questions help analyze the problem, consider the resources, consider and choose the best solution.

Executives were asked about what questions they considered when asked to evaluate a new project. A list of the best ones, along with many other communication techniques,  appears in the e-book Executive Communication Strategies.

What are some of the best questions leaders have asked in your experience that proved crucial to problem-solving? Please share them with our readers!