Job/school interviews and your communication skills

It's that time of year again, and many people are interviewing for jobs. New grads, experienced managers, and many others are hoping to find a great position - and they know their communication skills count. In fact, "excellent verbal communication skills needed" appears on many job descriptions. Most likely, you already know about having great eye contact and a firm handshake. The part that likely worries you is answering the questions. Start by searching online for lists of questions often asked of people in your industry, or going to your type of college or grad school program. Then try to answer the most common questions, and record yourself. For starters, answer these 5 questions: 1. Why do you want to work for our company/go to our school? (This is a trick question to make sure you know enough about the company or school to have an intelligent answer. Make sure that you have researched the company/program thoroughly.) 2. Why do you think you would be a great fit for this company/program? (Start by researching the program's or company's mission statement, and think of 1-2 examples of when you have done something similar.) 3. What are your strengths? (Think ahead of 3-4 specific strengths that would help this organization. Team-work and communication skills fit into any scenario.) 4. What are your weaknesses? (Choose minor weaknesses, and stress how you are working to improve them.) 5.Do you have any questions for us? (After studying the information about the company online, think of 2 intelligent questions. One quesiton might be to ask the company representative about they would describe their ideal candidate for the job or program. Do NOT ask about salary, pay grade, when you would be paid, or anything similar. Focus on how you can give to the company, not how much you will get!) At the end, if the company rep does not mention it, stress that you are very interested in the job and ask when you might expect to hear from the company. Set yourself apart from the rest and write a thank-you note! Interviewers receive these very rarely, and appreciate your effort. Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching in many aspects of verbal communication. Individual coaching on preparing for job interviews is available on request.

Top 5 Questions About Speech Training

As a speech coach, I get asked a lot of questions about the speech training I provide at Business Speech Improvement. Here are the answers. 1. How much does speech training cost? The answer depends on the speech issue (such as foreign or regional accent modification, presentation skills, learning to make small talk, learning to speak slower, communication skills for better leadership, etc). It also depends on whether you want individual or group speech coaching, and how long the training will be. For those who prefer to do the training themselves, to save money or because of distance or scheduling, e-books and other products are available on many speech-related topics. These include presentation skills, diction, American culture, coping with hearing loss, professional telephone answering skills and executive communication techniques. Click here to access them. In general, you save money by having intensive coaching, because less time needs to be spent on reviewing the information. That's why our shortest sessions are 2 hours long, and most of our work is done in full days, or half-days, when schedules permit. The feedback you get from the instructor is invaluable, so you don't practice incorrectly. 2. Can speech coaching help me? The first questions only you can answer, and they are "why is improving my speech important to me?" and "Am I willing to really practice what I am being taught?" If you are motivated and willing to practice, speech coaching can help most people. I say "most" because the rest of the answer will require an assessment or at least a telephone screening. People are not widgets, and no guarantees can be made. 3. How long does the coaching process take?" I need better speech by next week." Yes, I get this a lot! Intensive speech coaching can be done in a short period of time; the exact length depends on the problem. 4. I forget to practice; I'm so busy at work. Can you still help me? The follow-up process uses several approaches to help with this specific issue. 5. I live very far away. Can you still help me? Yes, in many cases. Speech coaching can be done online in NC (USA), in selected other states in some cases, and in other countries. E-books are also an option. Great speech makes business sense! Visit us at www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com to see how we can help you!

Entrepreneurs and public speaking: a crucial combination

If you have a business start-up, or are planning to start a business, how are your public speaking skills? If you get a chance to speak before an audience about your business, will you seize the audience's attention and do a masterful job? Is your preference to stand up in front and just "wing it", rambling away your precious 5 minutes?

 Tonight I watched a range of 7 business people talk about their businesses. Only two did a great job, leaving the audience with a powerful image of their products and their professionalism. Five could have given much stronger presentations. Here are five beginning level skills in public speaking that a new entrepreneur should master. 1.Write a "thesis statement" about the one single fact you want your audience to remember about your business. When you outline your presentation, make sure all of the points somehow relate to that fact. This eliminates rambling. 2. Practice your presentation, using key words, until you know it very well. Then practice it a little more. If you are given a time limit to talk, make sure you speak slightly less than the limit. Some groups ask you to stop at their time limit; if you are not quite finished, that might mean you wouldn't be able to give your conclusion. 3. Record your presentation, and try to keep the number of "ums" down to less than 5. More "ums" make you sound unprepared and lacking in confidence. 4. Make sure your presentation matches your audience's level of knowledge of the subject. Speaking above their level of knowledge puts your audience to sleep. 5. If you are offered a microphone, use it! A considerable number of audience members may have a hearing loss. Even if you ask if they can hear you without a microphone, the ones who cannot hear you well will not usually say anything. Speak directly into the microphone; don't turn your head to the side while holding most mikes in front. For many more tips on how to cope with stage fright, write and deliver a powerful presentation, get the e-book  Public Speaking: You Can Do It! from Business Speech Improvement.

Speech training and you!

Are you concerned about your speech or the speech of an employee? Speech training provides an assessment and a targeted program designed to make a person's speech as good as it can be, within a certain time frame of instruction. Listen as I explain what services are available from Business Speech Improvement. Business Speech Improvement also offers e-books and other products, for those who prefer them. Think about this: all of business requires some form of communication, whether it be pointing, talking or using electronics. Improve your verbal skills; visit www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com today!

Giving a speech: the most important aspects

The audience sits expectantly at the beginning of your presentation. They are interested in what you have to say. After a very short time, though, you notice they are checking their text messages, reading the program, or looking elsewhere. Soon a few of them may excuse themselves, walk outside, even doze. What happened? Giving a great presentation is an important skill to master. The first aspect of this is a powerful introduction. You have a mere 30 seconds to capture the audience's attention. Saying your name and "how are you doing?", as many beginning students do, is a major waste of time. You have to seize the audience's interest! One of many excellent techniques is to have a dramatic introduction. Tell the most compelling or exciting aspect of an adventure, for example. If you are making a more scientific-type presentation, start with a powerful statistic. For example, "Eighty-four percent of people have X." Another important part of the presentation is a very strong conclusion. "Well, I guess that's it" said in a weak voice is wimpy. The type of ending used depends on the purpose and style of your presentation. For example, an informative speech might end with your vision of a better future or a more appropriate solution for a given problem. It is said in a strong, confident voice. The e-book Public Speaking: You can Do It! offers easy-to-understand examples of many types of introductions, conclusions, organizational styles, powerful words and other techniques. You only get one chance to make a great first impression with your speech. This e-book will help you hit the target! Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching and e-books on many aspects of verbal communication. For more information on Business Speech Improvement, click here. Check us out now!

Do you struggle to understand others with strongly accented speech on the telephone?

Do you answer telephones a lot at work and have trouble understanding people who have strong regional or foreign accents? Maybe you ask them to repeat themselves several times, and still can't understand, such as this Scottish man in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My40XgYEvLM. Or maybe the person at the other end has a hearing loss, and can't understand YOU! There are more effective methods you can use to get better results in many cases. A new pre-recorded webinar, Pardon Moi:The Art of Effective Listening, explains the problem and offers concrete strategies to improve comprehension on the telephone. One strategy is to ask people to repeat themselves - ONE time. Try these other techniques and see the difference! Frustrated prospects often don't buy. You can't afford that. Get this pre-recorded webinar and see the difference that professional telephone strategies make! Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching and products to help people communicate more effectively. Great speech makes business sense!

Sales Communication: Three Errors You Don't Want to Make

As a salesperson, your first job is to match up the customer with the right product, or to determine the prospect is not right for any of your products. Then you need to close the sale with the customer. Here are some major errors novice salespeople make. 1. Don't focus on the features (such as the product's size, ability to do it X times faster, or array of buttons). Instead, focus on the customer's needs, such as a need for ease of use, rapid delivery time, or ability to fit into a tiny space. You will only find out the needs if you ask well-chosen questions, such as "What type of features are you searching for?" When getting to know the customer, immediately start asking him or her questions, which gets the customer involved and focused on the conversation. This is especially crucial with telephone conversations, because the customer may be doing computer work (or other things) without you being aware of it. Asking questions lets you know whether there is a potential fit between the product and customer. 2. Don't talk too long at one time. Always keep involving the customer. In a recent sales telephone call made to me by a nervous and inexperienced salesperson, the person spoke for over 30 minutes. As I was not in a rush, was doing something else while she spoke and was curious as to how she was going to handle this sales call, I patiently listened. However, 99.9% of the time, the customer would have hung up long before that point. 3. Don't speak spontaneously and also don't read from a script. Speaking totally spontaneously may mean a poorly chosen flow of words or a bad example. It may result in making you sound incompetent. However, reading from a script may make you sound mechanical. Few people can read with such wonderful expression that you sound spontaneous. Instead, if your company allows it, memorize the talking points or other crucial items and flow, while using your own words. This is a happy medium. Business Speech Improvement provides coaching in verbal communication skills. Visit us online to see our coaching and e-book options!

Is your regional accent hurting you at work?

Some British professors are modifying their speech patterns to sound more "posh", according to a study by PhD students Victoria Mountford and Michelle Addison. The professors feel that having a higher-class speech pattern will help them when staff cut-backs are being considered. The research, entitled "Talking the Talk and Fitting In: Troubling the Practices of Speaking "what you are worth" in Igher Ed in the UK" will be presented this week at the British Sociological Association's annual conference being held this week. The effect of strong regional accents in the workplace has been studied here in the USA as well. In a study done by Patricia Cukor-Avila and Dianne Markley of the University of Northern Texas published in 2000, 56 people in a position to hire were asked to rate the 45-second recordings made by 10 white males from different parts of the country, each with a regional accent. Each read the same passage. Those with the least identifiable accent were rated most highly, and were given hypothetical jobs involving the most public contact. An exception was made by people in Texas, who preferred their own regional accent. This correlates with a study done at Texas A & M University. In business today, the impact of a strong regional accent may be even stronger. People giving speeches, participating in teleconferences or even calling clients in different parts of the country report listeners judge them first on how different they sound, and in some cases may not even consider the message they are sharing. In at least one business in the USA, where employees are on the telephone constantly with many clients for brief periods of time, employees are required to use a standard American speech pattern at work. Those who need it receive training on how to change their speech patterns. Business Speech Improvement provides both intensive speech coaching in regional accent modification. Those who prefer to try to change by themselves may be interested in our e-book on "Diction Makes a Difference!" and the mp3 file on "Pronounce American English More Clearly"