Are you worried about loss of sales, fewer career growth opportunities, decreased self-confidence or embarrassment - all because of your or your employees' communication skills? Are public speaking, a very strong foreign (non-American) or regional accent, coaching and delegating or other verbal skills a concern? According to a recent poll, these are all common areas of concern to employees and companies today.
It is vital to define your concern as much as possible. For example, you may have trouble with speech delivery, or speaking to a specific group of people. Maybe your accent is worse when you are upset, and people don't understand you then.
Are there certain words or terms that are hardest for you to say? If so, write them down and see if there is a pattern.
How do you want to get help? If you prefer to get intensive help so the problem can be fixed as soon as possible, Business Speech Improvement offers a wide variety of open enrollment small group seminars as well as individual coaching.
Maybe, due to cost or distance, you prefer a do-it-yourself approach and want e-books.
There is no reason to struggle with communication issues alone.
Expert help is available; reach out for it!
Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in verbal communication. Areas of expertise range from accent modification to presentation skills to communication techniques for leadership. Great speech makes business sense!
Welcome to the Verbal Image blog from Business Speech Improvement (www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com)! NEW! To read our latest blog post, go to http://www.businessspeechimprovement.com/more/blog Bookmark that site and check back regularly! Please join the conversation about communication! What are your thoughts on the blog article you are reading? Comments in English are appreciated.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Does your speech have the "gift of blarney"?
"Blarney" could be defined as a person who easily uses sophisticated speech that includes flattery. Such a person may be very persuasive, or at least is good at talking.
Do you feel shy or "tongue-tied" and wish you had this gift of speech? Here are three tips to help!
First, if you know the person, figure out what comments would be especially complimentary - her outfit, her work, even her diction. If you don't know the person, observe him or her and take an educated guess. Then say (or e-mail) a compliment related to that; it could even be a metaphor such as "Your eyes are the color of the bluest summer sky."
Second, in a party or conference where you would meet strangers, look for someone who is alone, make eye contact, and smile at him or her. If the other person smiles back, go over and talk, using a sentence and a question. "This is a great conference! Is it the first time you've come?"
If you are uneasy about talking to strangers because you don't know how to get out of a conversation, use a reason such as
"It's been nice to meet you, but I have to meet some other people now. Bye!" Then be sure to do exactly what you have said.
Small Talk:Connecting with Others is packed with valuable tips on making "the gift of blarney" easier to learn.
It and other e-books and coaching are offered by Business Speech Improvement.
Do you feel shy or "tongue-tied" and wish you had this gift of speech? Here are three tips to help!
First, if you know the person, figure out what comments would be especially complimentary - her outfit, her work, even her diction. If you don't know the person, observe him or her and take an educated guess. Then say (or e-mail) a compliment related to that; it could even be a metaphor such as "Your eyes are the color of the bluest summer sky."
Second, in a party or conference where you would meet strangers, look for someone who is alone, make eye contact, and smile at him or her. If the other person smiles back, go over and talk, using a sentence and a question. "This is a great conference! Is it the first time you've come?"
If you are uneasy about talking to strangers because you don't know how to get out of a conversation, use a reason such as
"It's been nice to meet you, but I have to meet some other people now. Bye!" Then be sure to do exactly what you have said.
Small Talk:Connecting with Others is packed with valuable tips on making "the gift of blarney" easier to learn.
It and other e-books and coaching are offered by Business Speech Improvement.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Laryngitis and worse: Why you must care for your voice
As I write this, I know a decision I made yesterday was the wrong one. After having a worsening cold for several days, I took a day off work. Yesterday, I went back to work for some important meetings. By the end of the day, my voice was sounding bad. By this morning, it was barely there at all. A visit to my doctor gave an official diagnosis of laryngitis - and a prescription for 6 days of vocal rest (not talking - at all), overall rest and lots of fluids.
Why is such a long period of vocal rest needed? The vocal cords are easily injured. A cold causes edema (swelling) of the cords, and time is needed for this to return to normal.
Talking forces the cords together at a fast pace, and can cause injury, called vocal nodules. (You can probably find some great pictures of vocal nodules online.) If they are ignored, they can become hardened, and can cause more severe problems.
Easy ways to care for your voice are to lubricate your vocal cords by drinking lots of water (not caffeinated beverages or soda), pay attention to changes in the sound of your voice and have them checked by an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist if they last for 2 weeks or more, and avoid abusing your voice with lots of yelling or making weird noises.
Business Speech Improvement produces intensive training in verbal communication skills.
Why is such a long period of vocal rest needed? The vocal cords are easily injured. A cold causes edema (swelling) of the cords, and time is needed for this to return to normal.
Talking forces the cords together at a fast pace, and can cause injury, called vocal nodules. (You can probably find some great pictures of vocal nodules online.) If they are ignored, they can become hardened, and can cause more severe problems.
Easy ways to care for your voice are to lubricate your vocal cords by drinking lots of water (not caffeinated beverages or soda), pay attention to changes in the sound of your voice and have them checked by an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist if they last for 2 weeks or more, and avoid abusing your voice with lots of yelling or making weird noises.
Business Speech Improvement produces intensive training in verbal communication skills.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
How to assess your American English pronunciation
You want to improve your American English pronunciation. Maybe you want a chance at a professional job. Possibly you are frustrated by people giving you puzzled looks and asking, "What did you say". Try this self-test. Count the "no" answers.
1. You can say the two American "th" sounds clearly - in conversation.
2. You know which 3 words are spelled with "th" - but the "th" is silent.
3. In British English, "pro" is always pronounced as "pro", with a long o sound. In American English, you know which words have a "pro" that is pronounced as "prah" instead.
4. You can say all of the following sound combinations clearly:
str (as in "street"), asks (as in "tasks"), sp (as in "special") and st (as in "first").
5. You can say the following single consonants the American way: l,r,v, w.
6. The vowel- r sounds ar (as in "hard"), er (as in "person") and or (as in "born") are clear.
7. When you speak, your rate is reasonably slow so others can understand you.
8. You can emphasize the correct syllable of at least most all of the words you use.
If you score is less than 8, here are three ways to improve it.
Business Speech Improvement offers intensive small group open enrollment courses in Pronunciation Improvement for Non-native Professionals. The program takes only 3 days, which may be consecutive. This makes it ideal for those who want to improve in a hurry!Individual coaching is offered as well, for those with strong foreign or regional accents that impede clear communication. Economical e-books are also available for those living far away.
The bottom line is that your speech matters. Poor communication may be costing you. How will you improve it?
1. You can say the two American "th" sounds clearly - in conversation.
2. You know which 3 words are spelled with "th" - but the "th" is silent.
3. In British English, "pro" is always pronounced as "pro", with a long o sound. In American English, you know which words have a "pro" that is pronounced as "prah" instead.
4. You can say all of the following sound combinations clearly:
str (as in "street"), asks (as in "tasks"), sp (as in "special") and st (as in "first").
5. You can say the following single consonants the American way: l,r,v, w.
6. The vowel- r sounds ar (as in "hard"), er (as in "person") and or (as in "born") are clear.
7. When you speak, your rate is reasonably slow so others can understand you.
8. You can emphasize the correct syllable of at least most all of the words you use.
If you score is less than 8, here are three ways to improve it.
Business Speech Improvement offers intensive small group open enrollment courses in Pronunciation Improvement for Non-native Professionals. The program takes only 3 days, which may be consecutive. This makes it ideal for those who want to improve in a hurry!Individual coaching is offered as well, for those with strong foreign or regional accents that impede clear communication. Economical e-books are also available for those living far away.
The bottom line is that your speech matters. Poor communication may be costing you. How will you improve it?
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Redundancy: why say it twice?
Have you ever sat through a meeting that went overtime because people repeated themselves so often? In the first part of the meeting, the leader did not repeat herself, and the other people did very little repetition. In the second part of a meeting today, a new leader repeated herself frequently, and others did as well.
One tip for reducing this is to make your own comments very short, in the hopes that others will copy your verbal behavior. What are some other techniques people can tactfully use in American meetings?
One tip for reducing this is to make your own comments very short, in the hopes that others will copy your verbal behavior. What are some other techniques people can tactfully use in American meetings?
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Persuasion and Your Voice
Do you want to become a more competent persuader? Your voice can help you do it.
Several techniques can help you. First, speak at a normal volume, but at the crucial point, speak slightly softer.
(This only helps if your listener has normal hearing or you are using a microphone!) It sounds to your listener like you are conveying a secret, and he will pay more attention.
Second, pause briefly right before the crucial point. This also helps focus the listener's attention.
Third, change your rate of speech at that point. Speak slower if the information is complicated for the listener to understand. Speak slightly faster if this is urgent, such as pleading with people to stay away from the area of an accident.
If your voice is normally mono-tonal, and lulls people to sleep, speak with more energy and enthusiasm. Be excited about what you are saying!
Business Speech Improvement provides coaching for better communication. Check out our e-books, open enrollment seminars and individual coaching options!
Several techniques can help you. First, speak at a normal volume, but at the crucial point, speak slightly softer.
(This only helps if your listener has normal hearing or you are using a microphone!) It sounds to your listener like you are conveying a secret, and he will pay more attention.
Second, pause briefly right before the crucial point. This also helps focus the listener's attention.
Third, change your rate of speech at that point. Speak slower if the information is complicated for the listener to understand. Speak slightly faster if this is urgent, such as pleading with people to stay away from the area of an accident.
If your voice is normally mono-tonal, and lulls people to sleep, speak with more energy and enthusiasm. Be excited about what you are saying!
Business Speech Improvement provides coaching for better communication. Check out our e-books, open enrollment seminars and individual coaching options!
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