Unsatisfied: What to do when the customer service is unsatisfactory

What do you do when you have a problem with a device or service and want the company to correct it?

Take these four steps: Read your warranty carefully to know what it covers. Then contact the customer service department with a clear description of the problem and supporting documentation, such as the warranty and sales receipt. Explain how you would like the problem to be resolved. Get the representative's name or number. Write down this information, the date and time you spoke to her and the suggested resolution of the problem. If she promised someone would call you back by a certain time, write that down too.

If there is no customer service rep, contact the department supervisor or headquarters with the same information. Write down what they say.

If you have difficulty speaking or hearing clearly, often customer service is available online.

If you are still unhappy, go up the chain of command. Each time, write down the person's name to whom you spoke, the time and date, what the other person offered to do, and the results.

It takes less effort to appease an unhappy customer than to get a new one, and an unhappy customer lets many others know about poor service.

Provide the facts and let the company help you get the problem resolved!

Great speech makes business sense. Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching in verbal skills, through e-books and in-person training.

Top 5 Tips to Improve Your Speech

Top 5 Tips to Improve Your Speech
"Speech" means different things to people. So, the tips below try to cover a variety of needs.
5. When meeting strangers at a party or conference, think about what you have in common with them, and come up with a statement plus a question ahead of time. For example, "This is a great party! How do you know (the host)?" or "What do you do for the organization?"
4. If you give presentations, remember that you have just 30 seconds to capture your audience's attention. Use startling statistics, a surprising fact or a 2-3 sentence story to start your talk. Then say your name.
3. If you have a strong accent that impedes clear communication, speak slower and keep paper nearby to write any words that your listener does not understand.
2. When your speech is not understood, use a synonym, such as "excellent" for "very good".
1. To help you persuade others, remember the acronym WIIFM, "what's in it for me". Why should someone do what you want done? Will it save frustration or money, increase productivity or make it easier to meet goals?

For more great tips, check out Business Speech Improvement's economical e-books! Business Speech Improvement also provides intensive coaching.

What are some easy ways to overcome a fear of public speaking?

Among American adults, at least one study reported that a fear of public speaking was greater than a fear of death. Public speaking is a skill that can be learned or improved with practice and coaching.

Think of yourself as a teacher, not an orator. You are sharing knowledge you have that your audience does not have, but needs.
What matters is not so much what you say, but what knowledge sticks between your listeners' ears; in other words, your information must be presented memorably, in a way that will make sense and be retrievable.

To overcome a fear of public speaking, realize that the information counts a lot more than the speaker. This can take the pressure off the speaker and put it on the information and presentation.

Techniques that can be helpful are the 3 P's: passion for your subject, excellent preparation and knowledge of both the material and your audience's level of understanding of the topic, and extensive practice of the speech. Passion, preparation and practice really count! Yes, visual aids and handouts are important as many people learn and remember better visually. However, an enthusiastic, prepared and practiced speaker can make a vital difference in how the material is received.

Other techniques include slow, deep breathing, exercise earlier in the day, having a friend in the audience who smiles and nods occasionally, and more.


Public Speaking: You Can Do It! is an economical, tip-filled e-book that can be accessed 24/7 and is filled with strategies for speaking more effectively. It is published by Business Speech Improvement, which also provides seminars and individual coaching on communication skills.

Speech and language disorders in adults

Adults can have a variety of speech and language disorders. Many develop after a sudden or chronic illness, such as a stroke or multiple sclerosis. Others may be the first sign of a serious illness, such as Parkinson's Disease.

There are three major types of speech disorders. Speech refers to pronunciation. One type is dysarthria, which involves a weakness of the muscles. There are several types of dysarthrias. For example, speech might sound "slushy", or the rate could be involuntarily increased at times.

A second disorder is verbal apraxia, which involves poor coordination of the muscles due to poor sequencing of the impulses from the brain. A person with this disorder might have trouble saying longer words, but not shorter ones. Others with severe verbal apraxia might not be able to say anything at all.

There are other types of speech disorders as well, involving unknown causes, poor habits, or more.

In addition, language disorders might involve difficulty with understanding, expressing oneself or both.

Stuttering, voice disorders, feeding disorders and related diagnostic and therapeutic services can all be provided by a certified speech-language pathologist.

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in verbal communication to employees of business and industry.

Public Speaking and the Scary "Um"

As a speech coach, one of the most common questions I hear is
"How can I stop saying "um" when I speak?"

People say "um" for three main reasons. They are a lack of sufficient preparation, a lack of self-confidence, and a poor level of skill in public speaking in general.

To decrease the "um" factor, be very well-prepared. Know your topic thoroughly, learn your speech through key words (not memorization of the entire speech), and use a moment of silence in place of an "um". For more valuable tips on giving a presentation, get Public Speaking:You Can Do It!, an e-book. Individual coaching on public speaking in general or to prepare for a specific presentation is also available through Business Speech Improvement.

Challenging questions to answer

Someone recently asked, "What about exercise makes you feel so good afterwards, so you want to do it again?" New to exercising, she did not get that feeling of euphoria so many people seem to get. How would you have answered her?

What other common questions, at work, home or elsewhere are hard for you to answer?

What makes some topics easy to answer, while others are challenges?

Please do share your answers and insights, so we all can learn from each other!

SLP, Ready for a different career choice?

Are you a speech-language pathologist who is burned out, ready to retire or wanting a second job (full-time or part-time)? How does your experience and degree translate into something else? You want to do something different, but you don't want to go back to school. What other choices do you have?

Author Katie Schwartz, CCC-SLP, reports there are a surprising number of career possibilities, from publishing to government. Her book, Alternative Career Options for SLPs (www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com/ebooks), offers detailed descriptions of 18 choices, how people started in them, and their advantages and disadvantages. It includes a self-assessment questionnaire to help readers consider possible paths they may take.

Physical and occupational therapists and special education teachers, may also be interested in some of the choices presented, which would apply to those fields as well.