A Checklist for Clear Communication The 7 Cs of Communication

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Think of how often you communicate with people during your day. You write emails, facilitate meetings, participate in conference calls, create reports, devise presentations, debate with your colleagues… the list goes on.
We can spend almost our entire day communicating. So, how can we provide a huge boost to our productivity? We can make sure that we communicate in the clearest, most effective way possible.
This is why the 7 Cs of Communication are helpful. The 7 Cs provide a checklist for making sure that your meetings, emails, conference calls, reports, and presentations are well constructed and clear – so your audience gets your message.
According to the 7 Cs, communication needs to be:

• Clear.
• Concise.
• Concrete.
• Correct.
• Coherent.
• Complete.
• Courteous.

In this article, we look at each of the 7 Cs of Communication, and we'll illustrate each element with both good and bad examples.

1. Clear

When writing or speaking to someone, be clear about your goal or message. What is your purpose in communicating with this person? If you're not sure, then your audience won't be sure either.
To be clear, try to minimize the number of ideas in each sentence. Make sure that it's easy for your reader to understand your meaning. People shouldn't have to "read between the lines" and make assumptions on their own to understand what you're trying to say.
Bad Example

Hi John,
I wanted to write you a quick note about Daniel, who's working in your department. He's a great asset, and I'd like to talk to you more about him when you have time.
Best,
Skip

What is this email about? Well, we're not sure. First, if there are multiple Daniels in John's department, John won't know who Skip is talking about.
Next, what is Daniel doing, specifically, that's so great? We don't know that either. It's so vague that John will definitely have to write back for more information.
Last, what is the purpose of this email? Does Skip simply want to have an idle chat about Daniel, or is there some more specific goal here? There's no sense of purpose to this message, so it's a bit confusing.
Good Example
Let's see how we could change this email to make it clear.

Hi John,
I wanted to write you a quick note about Daniel Kedar, who's working in your department. In recent weeks, he's helped the IT department through several pressing deadlines on his own time.
We've got a tough upgrade project due to run over the next three months, and his knowledge and skills would prove invaluable. Could we please have his help with this work?
I'd appreciate speaking with you about this. When is it best to call you to discuss this further?
Best wishes,
Skip

This second message is much clearer, because the reader has the information he needs to take action.

2. Concise

When you're concise in your communication, you stick to the point and keep it brief. Your audience doesn't want to read six sentences when you could communicate your message in three.

• Are there any adjectives or "filler words" that you can delete? You can often eliminate words like "for instance," "you see," "definitely," "kind of," "literally," "basically," or "I mean."
• Are there any unnecessary sentences?
• Have you repeated the point several times, in different ways?

Bad Example

Hi Matt,
I wanted to touch base with you about the email marketing campaign we kind of sketched out last Thursday. I really think that our target market is definitely going to want to see the company's philanthropic efforts. I think that could make a big impact, and it would stay in their minds longer than a sales pitch.
For instance, if we talk about the company's efforts to become sustainable, as well as the charity work we're doing in local schools, then the people that we want to attract are going to remember our message longer. The impact will just be greater.
What do you think?
Jessica

This email is too long! There's repetition, and there's plenty of "filler" taking up space.
Good Example
Watch what happens when we're concise and take out the filler words:

Hi Matt,
I wanted to quickly discuss the email marketing campaign that we analyzed last Thursday. Our target market will want to know about the company's philanthropic efforts, especially our goals to become sustainable and help local schools.
This would make a far greater impact, and it would stay in their minds longer than a traditional sales pitch.
What do you think?
Jessica

3. Concrete

When your message is concrete, then your audience has a clear picture of what you're telling them. There are details (but not too many!) and vivid facts, and there's laserlike focus. Your message is solid.
Bad Example
Consider this advertising copy:

The Lunchbox Wizard will save you time every day.

A statement like this probably won't sell many of these products. There's no passion, no vivid detail, nothing that creates emotion, and nothing that tells people in the audience why they should care. This message isn't concrete enough to make a difference.
Good Example

How much time do you spend every day packing your kids' lunches? No more! Just take a complete Lunchbox Wizard from your refrigerator each day to give your kids a healthy lunch AND have more time to play or read with them!

This copy is better because there are vivid images. The audience can picture spending quality time with their kids – and what parent could argue with that? And mentioning that the product is stored in the refrigerator explains how the idea is practical. The message has come alive through these details.

4. Correct

When your communication is correct, it fits your audience. And correct communication is also error-free communication.

• Do the technical terms you use fit your audience's level of education or knowledge?
• Have you checked your writing for grammatical errors? Remember, spell checkers won't catch everything.
• Are all names and titles spelled correctly?

Bad Example

Hi Daniel,
Thanks so much for meeting me at lunch today! I enjoyed our conservation, and I'm looking forward to moving ahead on our project. I'm sure that the two-weak deadline won't be an issue.
Thanks again, and I'll speak to you soon!
Best,
Jack Miller

If you read that example fast, then you might not have caught any errors. But on closer inspection, you'll find two. Can you see them?
The first error is that the writer accidentally typed conservation instead of conversation. This common error can happen when you're typing too fast. The other error is using weak instead of week.
Again, spell checkers won't catch word errors like this, which is why it's so important to proofread everything!

5. Coherent

When your communication is coherent, it's logical. All points are connected and relevant to the main topic, and the tone and flow of the text is consistent.
Bad Example

Traci,
I wanted to write you a quick note about the report you finished last week. I gave it to Michelle to proof, and she wanted to make sure you knew about the department meeting we're having this Friday. We'll be creating an outline for the new employee handbook.
Thanks,
Michelle

As you can see, this email doesn't communicate its point very well. Where is Michelle's feedback on Traci's report? She started to mention it, but then she changed the topic to Friday's meeting.
Good Example

Hi Traci,
I wanted to write you a quick note about the report you finished last week. I gave it to Michelle to proof, and she let me know that there are a few changes that you'll need to make. She'll email you her detailed comments later this afternoon.
Thanks,
Michelle

Notice that in the good example, Michelle does not mention Friday's meeting. This is because the meeting reminder should be an entirely separate email. This way, Traci can delete the report feedback email after she makes her changes, but save the email about the meeting as her reminder to attend. Each email has only one main topic.

6. Complete

In a complete message, the audience has everything they need to be informed and, if applicable, take action.

• Does your message include a "call to action", so that your audience clearly knows what you want them to do?
• Have you included all relevant information – contact names, dates, times, locations, and so on?

Bad Example

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to send you all a reminder about the meeting we're having tomorrow!
See you then,
Chris

This message is not complete, for obvious reasons. What meeting? When is it? Where? Chris has left his team without the necessary information.
Good Example

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to remind you about tomorrow's meeting on the new telecommuting policies. The meeting will be at 10:00 a.m. in the second-level conference room. Please let me know if you can't attend.
See you then,
Chris

7. Courteous

Courteous communication is friendly, open, and honest. There are no hidden insults or passive-aggressive tones. You keep your reader's viewpoint in mind, and you're empathetic to their needs.
Bad Example

Jeff,
I wanted to let you know that I don't appreciate how your team always monopolizes the discussion at our weekly meetings. I have a lot of projects, and I really need time to get my team's progress discussed as well. So far, thanks to your department, I haven't been able to do that. Can you make sure they make time for me and my team next week?
Thanks,
Phil

Well, that's hardly courteous! Messages like this can potentially start officewide fights. And this email does nothing but create bad feelings, and lower productivity and morale. A little bit of courtesy, even in difficult situations, can go a long way.
Good Example

Hi Jeff,
I wanted to write you a quick note to ask a favor. During our weekly meetings, your team does an excellent job of highlighting their progress. But this uses some of the time available for my team to highlight theirs. I'd really appreciate it if you could give my team a little extra time each week to fully cover their progress reports.
Thanks so much, and please let me know if there's anything I can do for you!
Best,
Phil

What a difference! This email is courteous and friendly, and it has little chance of spreading bad feelings around the office.

Variations

There are a few variations of the 7 Cs of Communication:

• Credible – Does your message improve or highlight your credibility? This is especially important when communicating with an audience that doesn't know much about you.
• Creative – Does your message communicate creatively? Creative communication helps keep your audience engaged.

Key Points

All of us communicate every day. The better we communicate, the more credibility we'll have with our clients, our boss, and our colleagues.

Use the 7 Cs of Communication as a checklist for all of your communication. By doing this, you'll stay clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, and courteous.

How to speak fluent english

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In India speaking English with fluency is an added feather to your cap while you learn the language for your professional as well as personal goals. Well to begin with some guidelines to help you through a proper devised method of speaking fluent English we first assume that you are at least are abreast of the basics of English language such as grammar, sentence construction and to some extent the pronunciation of the language.

1. Learn to speak English
Now to 'learn to speak English' in an efficient manner the very first step is to memorize as many words as you can and refurbish your vocabulary to a level where you can increase the pace of English speaking. Of course this will happen gradually and naturally with your improvisation skills as you keep up with your regular practice in refining your vocabulary to better levels. To attain, this you will have to maintain a 'step-wise' learning procedure for instance learning ten new words per day and applying them in your language. Sentence construction in this way will help you improve your utility of the vocabulary that you learn on a routine basis.

2. Speak English fluently
Make sure you incorporate all that you learn about English in your day to day conversation with the people whom you meet. The more you apply what you have learnt the more fluent will your English turn. For example if you have learnt about 'Exclamatory marks' something like 'hey!' then try applying this word with someone like this, "Hey! How are you today?" This brings us close to accuracy in our spoken English and will further be helpful in speeding your language fluency as you speak with lesser 'pauses' or hurdles. Again elements like 'Homophones' or words with similar pronunciation and sounds but with different spellings should be known well to avoid any 'hotchpotch' later. For example the words 'see' and 'sea' would surely have the same sound and pronunciation but you got to understand its usage at 'its right place'!

3. How to speak English fluently
It is needless to say that the domain of 'consonants', 'vowels', 'sounds' together learnt under one single study of 'phonetics' powerfully exists in the fluency of spoken English, yet it is imperative to for us to adapt to the 'kind' of English which people from different countries are used to speaking. For example in American English the words such as 'yet' or 'yesterday' often break the rules of simple and past tenses while they are used. In south west England the most common errors that we get to hear repeatedly are 'I be', 'we be',' they be' etc. Native English speakers efficiently become adaptive in their language with their changing situations. A better option for this would be to avoid confusion with 'tenses' especially the ones with present perfect if it goes fine with you. E.g. 1. I have been to Mumbai (Time unknown) or E.g.2. I went to Mumbai some time ago (Exact time unknown). This will makes things easier in terms of speaking the 'right' tense. 

Basic Communication Skills

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Communication is essentially the transfer of ideas, messages or information from one person to another. It is effective when it gets the desired action or response. Basic communication skills are essential for continued success, whether personal or professional. At the very base one needs to understand the communication process.

Thus, one may ask what are communication skills? To answer that simply - Basically, communicating is like a two-way street, which entails the relation between the sender and the receiver. In this process, a cycle of communicating messages is formed between the sender and the receiver. The sender is required to conceive the message he/she wishes to send, encode this message and then transmit. The receiver then is required to receive the message, decode is and clarify his/her understanding of the message.

In order to maintain healthy communication, the two must go through this process, without bringing in other elements of intellectual thoughts and judgments, as they tend to harm the harmonious process of message passing and receiving.

From the sender's perspective one needs to have the following essential skills:

Skills to compose the message
Skills to send the message

From the receiver's perspective one needs to have the following essential skills:

The skill of receiving a message
            Without assumptions
            Placing biases aside
            Actively listening

Thus, the elements of effective communication are:
Listening
Verbal skills
Non-verbal skills

Understanding Non-Verbal Communication Body Language

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Have you ever been in the situation when you really didn't believe what someone was saying? Did you have a sense that something didn't ring true or a gut feeling that all was not right? Perhaps they were saying "Yes" yet their heads were shaking "No"?
The difference between the words people speak and our understanding of what they are saying comes from non-verbal communication, otherwise known as "body language." By developing your awareness of the signs and signals of body language, you can more easily understand other people, and more effectively communicate with them.
There are sometimes subtle – and sometimes not so subtle – movements, gestures, facial expressions and even shifts in our whole bodies that indicate something is going on. The way we talk, walk, sit and stand all say something about us, and whatever is happening on the inside can be reflected on the outside.
By becoming more aware of this body language and understanding what it might mean, you can learn to read people more easily. This puts you in a better position to communicate effectively with them. What's more, by increasing your understanding of others, you can also become more aware of the messages that you convey to them.
There are times when we send mixed messages – we say one thing yet our body language reveals something different. This non-verbal language will affect how we act and react to others, and how they react to us.
This article will explain many of the ways in which we communicate non-verbally, so that you can use these signs and signals to communicate more effectively.

First Impressions and Confidence

Recall a time when you met someone new at work. Or think about the last time you watched a speaker deliver a presentation.
What were your first impressions? Did you sense confidence or a lack of confidence in them? Did you want to associate with them or not? Were you convinced by them?
Did they stride into the room, engage you and maintain eye contact or were they tentative, shuffling towards you with eyes averted, before sliding into a chair? What about their handshake – firm and strong or weak and limp?
Moving along in the conversation, did they maintain solid eye contact or were they frequently looking away? Did their face appear relaxed or was it tight and tense? What about their hand and arm movements? Were their gestures wide, flowing and open or were they tight, jerky and closed?
As you observe others, you can identify some common signs and signals that give away whether they are feeling confident or not. Typical things to look for in confident people include:

• Posture – standing tall with shoulders back.
• Eye contact – solid with a "smiling" face.
• Gestures with hands and arms – purposeful and deliberate.
• Speech – slow and clear.
• Tone of voice – moderate to low.

As well as deciphering other people's the body language, you can use this knowledge to convey feelings that you're not actually experiencing.
For example, if you are about to enter into a situation where you are not as confident as you'd like to be, such as giving a big presentation or attending an important meeting, you can adopt these "confidence" signs and signals to project confidence.
Let's now look at another scenario.

Difficult Meetings and Defensiveness

Think of a time when you were in a difficult meeting – perhaps a performance appraisal or one where you are negotiating deadlines, responsibilities or a contract. In an ideal world, both you and the other person would be open and receptive to hearing what each other has to say, in order to conclude the meeting successfully.
However, often, the other person is defensive and doesn't really listen. If this happens during an appraisal meeting, and it's important for you to convey to your colleague that he or she needs to change certain behaviors, you really want them open and receptive to you so they take on board what you are saying.
So how can you tell whether your message is falling on "deaf ears"?
Some of the common signs that the person you are speaking with may be feeling defensive include:

• Hand/arm gestures are small and close to his or her body.
• Facial expressions are minimal.
• Body is physically turned away from you.
• Arms are crossed in front of body.
• Eyes maintain little contact, or are downcast.

By picking up these signs, you can change what you say or how you say it to help the other person become more at ease, and more receptive to what you are saying.
Equally, if you are feeling somewhat defensive going into a negotiating situation, you can monitor your own body language to ensure that the messages you are conveying are ones that say that you are open and receptive to what is being discussed.

Working with Groups and Disengagement

Have you ever delivered a presentation, and had a sense that people weren't really buying into what you had to say? What about working with a group to facilitate a consensus on responsibilities and deadlines? Was everyone on board with the ideas, or did some appear disengaged?
Ideally, when you stand up to deliver a presentation or work with group, you want 100 percent engagement with all concerned. This often doesn't happen on its own, though. But you can actively engage the audience when you need to if you're alert to some of the typical signs and signals of people not being engaged. Some of these signs and signals include:

• Heads are down.
• Eyes are glazed, or gazing at something else.
• Hands may be picking at cloths, or fiddling with pens.
• People may be writing or doodling. (Note, however, that some researchers suggest that this can help people concentrate more effectively.)
• They may be sitting slumped in their chairs.

When you pick up that someone appears not to be engaged in what is going on, you can do something to re-engage him or her and bring their focus back to what you are saying, such as asking them a direct question.
And while this is going on, make sure that your own body language is saying what you want it to.

Lying

Of all the non-verbal body language that we may observe, being able to tell whether a person is lying or not will stand you in good stead.
Some of the typical signs and signals that a person is lying include:

• Eyes maintain little or no eye contact, or there may be rapid eye movements, with pupils constricted.
• Hand or fingers are in front of his or her mouth when speaking.
• His or her body is physically turned away from you, or there are unusual/un-natural body gestures.
• His or her breathing rate increases.
• Complexion changes such as in color; red in face or neck area.
• Perspiration increases.
• Voice changes such as change in pitch, stammering, throat clearing.

As with all non-verbal language, it's important to remember here that everyone's personal body language is slightly different. If you notice some of the typical non-verbal signs of lying, you shouldn't necessarily jump to conclusions, as many of these signals can be confused with the appearance of nervousness. What you should do, however, is use these signals as a prompt to probe further, ask more questions and explore the area in more detail to determine whether they are being truthful or not.
Further clarification is always worthwhile when checking out your understanding of someone's body language, and this is particularly true during job interviews and in negotiating situations.

Interviews and Negotiations, and Reflection

What do you do when you are asked a really good question? Do you ponder for a few moments before answering?
You might simply blurt something out without taking time to think about the answer, or you could take a moment to reflect before answering. By taking some time to reflect on your response, you are indicating to the questioner that they've asked you a good question and it is important enough for you to take some time to consider your answer.
Be that in an interview situation or when negotiating something with someone, showing that you are indeed thinking over your answer is a positive thing. Some typical signs and signals that a person is reflecting on their answer include:

• Eyes look away and return to engage contact only when answering.
• Finger stroking on chin.
• Hand to cheek.
• Head tilted with eyes looking up.

So, whether you are on the receiving end of someone pondering, or you are doing the pondering, there are certain gestures that give it away.

One Size Does NOT Fit All

We mentioned earlier that each person is unique, and that their signs and signals might have a different underlying cause from the ones you suspect. This is often the case when people have different past experiences, and particularly where cultural differences are large. This is why it's important to check that your interpretation of someone else's body language is correct. You might do this through the use of further questions, or simply by getting to know the person better.
To help practice and further develop your skill in picking up body language, engage in people-watching. Observe people – be that on a bus/train or on television without the sound – and just notice how they act and react to each other. When you watch others, try to guess what they are saying or get a sense of what is going on between them.
Even if you do not get the chance to check whether you are correct in your assessment, you will be developing your observational skills. This in turn can help you to pick up signals when you are interacting with others.

Tip:
As well as learning to read body language, people often consciously use it to project messages and reinforce what they're saying – we can all call to mind the body language used by a "slippery" used-car salesman.

Whether or not this is acceptable depends on the situation. It's fine to put on a "brave face" when you're about to meet someone or do a presentation. However, it's not acceptable if you're trying to persuade someone to do something that's against their interests – what's more, the gestures you can't control may give you away, leading to a serious loss of trust and credibility.

Key Points

Body language impacts a great deal of how we communicate, and can reflect quite accurately what's going on inside us.
Body language includes body movements and gestures (legs, arms, hands, head and torso), posture, muscle tension, eye contact, skin coloring (flushed red), even people's breathing rate and perspiration. Additionally, the tone of voice, the rate of speech and the pitch of the voice all add to the words that are being used.

It is important to recognize that body language may vary between individuals, and between different cultures and nationalities. It is therefore essential to verify and confirm the signals that you are reading, by questioning the individual and getting to know the person.

English grammar

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Grammar plays a huge part in getting mastery over any language. The interesting part about English grammar is that it is easy. Several books are available to supplement your learning time in English. A good trainer understands your ability and puts you with elementary exercises in English grammar. The skills need to have all the basic grammar and as you progress higher the grammar gets in built in your conversational ability. Learning grammar helps you to understand the language in depth. This is included at higher level in an advanced English course.

The elementary level concentrates on basics of grammar. The various types of nouns like Common, Proper, Abstract nouns are included. The concept of group or collective noun makes the grammar sessions interesting. While learning grammar, mistakes are bound to happen. Make note of the same and avoid repeating the mistake. English grammar is comprehensive in nature. While learning singular and plural, there are rules which indicate that the plural of wife is wives and apple is apples.

There is more intricacies while using a, an and the. These are articles in nature. Again they have exceptions to the rule. The application of indefinite articles like ‘a’ and ‘an’ go on the simple rule of vowels. Wherever a word begins with a vowel like apple the indication is an apple. The consonants have to be placed with ‘a’. For e.g. a cat, a muffin, a zebra. As we progress slowly speaking confidently grammar becomes easier to understand.

Pronouns are many like he, she, it, they, them, those, these, them and us. They signify person as well as change when there are singular and plural numbers attached. The essence of the English language is seen in action or doing words like eating, dancing, trekking that denotes action. These are actually verbs and simple to understand. There is great fun in solving the mini exercises that concentrate on a particular chapter of grammar.

The evaluator understands your level and will take test sessions from time to time. The end of the session can be a discussion round where you can get to know more about your problems while doing the exercise. Having clear idea of grammar and moreover understanding the rules or exceptions to these rules is vital. They help you clear competitive exams and score marks too. 

List Of Communication Skills

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The ability to communicate effectively is a trick learnt by many, but practiced perfectly by not too many. This is because for most communicating is simple process. However, it is not so, it a rather simple-complex-networking system that has varied undercurrents flowing between the speaker and listener/s.

Given here is an interesting list of communication skills that one should be aware of in order to better their ability to convey their valuable messages...

Taking responsibility for one's messages
Claiming ownership for one's messages
Preparing to listen
Encouraging the speaker to speak more
Reflecting on what the speaker has to say
Adapting to difference of opinions
Being open minded
Acknowledging differences
Assessing without being judgmental
Accepting feedback
Being assertive
Ability to share one's thoughts
Sharing one's feelings
Conveying to others a message without commanding or dictating terms
Being aware of the information coming in
Maintaining a communication wheel of conclusions, sense data, emotions, impact and desire
Calm repetition to drive in a message
Addressing people by their name
Ability to explain a concept differently so that all those present understand it at their level
Ability to resolve conflicts so that it is a win-win for all
Ability to be concise and clear
Ability to convey thoughts in a focused and concrete manner
Ability to confront a situation when faced with reputation crises using techniques of reputation management.
Ability to convey with and empathetic statement
Ability to explain objectively without evaluating
Ability to provide specific details supported by concrete examples
Ability to monitor emotional reactions and filter out irrational thoughts
Ability to project oneself into the audience's point of view

Choosing an english speaking class

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Choosing any course is easy if you have a clear destination. All of us have varied goals and it is in our best interest to hone our talents to achieve success. Many times there are peripherals that matter. For.e.g like spoken English which is essential even if you have a flourishing business. To seek knowledge is to hone our intellect. All of us have ability and it is upto us to supplement the talent with more skills. Computer knowledge is another ability which you must pursue in case you have not yet acquired the skill.

While choosing a class, there are several parameters. Firstly check for the eligibility. Ask if there are entrance fees or initial exams to be given. This is to ascertain as to what level you will need to go for. Then it is important to understand the fee structure. Seek more knowledge on installment schemes and other linked courses. This will enable you to get a financial picture about the same. Check for the testimonials well before you join the class.

The faculty at any organization is skilled and experienced. They are achievers and an English trainer would have deep knowledge on other subjects too. Oratory is a skill which is present in a teacher and they will transfer the same to you if you are a good student. The most important thing is duration of the course. For a fresher, it is easy to invest vacation time so that there is justice done. At the end of the vacation, an additional diploma or degree is certainly good to be seen in your resume.

The timings of the classes are of prime importance. Choose a time that will be easy for you. Once you choose timing, stay with it. Most times the trainers have fixed timings and hence it is good if you could bond with a single teacher. For contingencies, of course you could change timings. At the same time, avoid being absent unnecessarily and cover up the portion with self initiative. Check for accreditation and tie ups with foreign universities. View a specimen of the certificate to get an idea.

The distance of the class or proximity of the branch is important. You could save travel time and conveyance cost. Seek more knowledge about the number of branches and you could go to a class after your work or college hours. For the convenience of office goers, early morning batches are available too.
 

Good Communication Skills

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The way one communicates does not only have an impact on their own profession and personal relations, but also an effect on others. Those who do not have appropriate communication skills are usually ignored or simply kept at bay. Where are those with good communication skills are looked upon and well respected. After all a good listener and a good orator are popular in their groups - professional and personal.

Teaching communication skills can be a rather daunting task, considering that almost every individual feels that they are very good communicators. In fact, most trainers prefer to be regarded as facilitators, who are able to bring to light the nuances that occur while communicating ineffectively, rather than pointing a direct finger and saying - You all cannot communicate well'. and when this occurs the participants are ready to delve deeper within and bring out the negative aspects of their communications and replace it with the corrective measures.

Based on the communication skills training programs conducted by known experts in the field, here are some tips to good communication skills :

Maintain eye contact with the audience : This is vital as it keeps all those present involved in the conversation. It keeps them interested and on the alert, during the course of the conversation.

Body awareness : One needs to be aware of all that their body is conveying to them, as well as others. For instance, if there is anxiety rising during the course of a conversation then one feels thirsty and there maybe a slight body tremor. At that point one needs to pause and let someone else speak. A few deep breaths and some water works as the magic portion at this point.

Gestures and expressions : One needs to be aware of how to effectively use hand gestures and the way they need to posture their body to convey their messages effectively. Sometimes it may happen that they verbally convey something, but their gestures and facial expressions have another story to tell.

Convey one's thoughts : It is important for one to courageously convey what they think. This is because when things are left unsaid, then what is being spoken is not as convincing as it should be. Then a lack of confidence develops.

Practice effective communication skills : One should practice speaking and listening skills as often as possible.

In order to practice effective speaking skills one cane read passages from a book aloud, in front of a mirror, or simply perform a free speech in front of the mirror. And where listening is concerned, one can try transcribing from the radio or television, etc. this helps in honing sharper listening skills.

 

personality development

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Before you board on a career or learn something new, it is essential to have a good look at yourself. We often hear about personality and other issues. What exactly is an outward appearance comes from the inner confidence. Personality is about intellect, speaking, writing, communication and essentially a gist of your inner self. It is good to learn something new but copying your role model will just not work. Developing your personality means that you need to make that extra effort to be there.
While expressing yourself your gait and posture is important. Work in front of the mirror and understand much about the way you keep your hands or move your head. Expressing with eyes can be practiced. All this comes in real picture when we present our skills in front of a wide audience. Interview for jobs are 50% of your body language. A person can convey a negative image with the sprawl or fidgeting with his hands. Habits have to be changed and this transformation has to be a conscious effort.

It is true that with experience, good communication skills and a wide vocabulary the personality of a person can be enhanced. People at the top continuously nurture new skills and learn things that are not in their field. This is basically to erase any kind of fear that will prevent them from being successful. The right way to learn English speaking is to first develop a good personality. Again the effort initially can be a practiced one. Invest in good clothes and footwear. Learn to sit upright and be attentive during a class session.

Though the course may be on the elementary level, it is good to learn from other sources too. Especially the grammar part in terms of plural, nouns and verbs forms the basic part of the course. If you have a good grammar book with exercises, learn from the same. Though speaking English comes with practice, do not rely to always have an audience. Conduct yourself with lot of earnest attitude and devise a program that helps you stay focused. 
Emotional balance has to be displayed in all means of communication. Be perfect in your grooming as it immediately reflects your taste and zest for life. Develop positive body language skills, learn about dinner etiquettes and understand other areas which are new to you. Have a balance in work and play which is essential for living life. Make time for friends and family.

Improving Communication Skills

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When one is required to communicate complicated ideas, one needs to first and foremost work on improving their skills in communicating. Firstly, one needs to overcome all language related barriers by first seeking how to learn English speaking. This is essential, because most people find it difficult to convey their thoughts, because of a strong influence of their national language, regional language and mother tongue.

Well, to overcome the language barrier, one can attend English speaking classes. But then thereafter one also needs to be aware of other nuances involved in improving communication skills. In fact, one needs to ensure that as when they communicate they should not be misunderstood, so as to ensure a free flow of thoughts and ideas, doing away with stumbling roadblocks.

One way of ensuring that one will not be misunderstood is to look into the use of ‘scope'. ‘Scope', essentially refers to the words that combine with each other in order to create a ‘sense unit', in a sentence. For instance, which nouns are covered by a particular verb or preposition. Often poor punctuation or poor sentence construction brings about ineffective communications.

There are varied grammatical devices that help to indicate ‘scope'. These devises can be perfected by constantly practicing grammar. In fact, no matter how eloquent a speaker or communicator one maybe, one should spend sometime, ever so often in practicing grammar exercises.

One can refer to the various English speaking books that will help them improve. In fact, parents can improve their own grammar skills by working on exercises with their children, making it a family activity, rather than a boring homework lesson

Staying cool under pressure

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"So, Susan, your report indicates you support forging ahead with the expansion but have you considered the impact this will have on our customers? Surely you remember the fiasco in Dallas last year when they tried the same type of project?"

Yikes! If you're Susan, you're likely feeling under pressure! You have to answer the question and allay the CEO's concerns about the disruption to customers. What do you do? What do you say? How do you say it? What if you can't think of anything to say?

This is not an uncommon situation. Whether you are put on the spot while attending a meeting, presenting a proposal, selling an idea, or answering questions after a presentation, articulating your thoughts in unanticipated situations is a skill. Thinking on your feet is highly coveted skill and when you master it, your clever and astute responses will instill immediate confidence in what you are saying.

When you can translate your thoughts and ideas into coherent speech quickly, you ensure your ideas are heard. You also come across as being confident, persuasive, and trustworthy.

Confidence is key when learning to think on your feet. When you present information, give an opinion or provide suggestions, make sure you know what you are talking about and that you are well informed. This doesn't mean you have to know everything about everything, but if you are reasonably confident in your knowledge of the subject, that confidence will help you to remain calm and collected even if you are put unexpectedly in the hot seat.
Learning How To Think on Your Feet

The secret of thinking on your feet is to be prepared: learn some skills and tactics, and do some preparation for situations that might put you under pressure. Then when you do find yourself faced with unexpected questions and debate, you'll be ready to draw on these tactics and preparation, and so stay poised while you compose your thoughts and prepare your response. Here are some tips and tactics:
1. Relax

This is often the opposite of how you are feeling when you're under pressure, but in order for your voice to remain calm and for your brain to "think", you have to be as relaxed as possible.

Take deep breaths.
Take a second and give yourself a positive and affirming message.
Clench invisible muscles (thighs, biceps, feet) for a few seconds and release.

2. Listen

It comes as no surprise that listening is critical to thinking on your feet. Why do you need to listen? To make sure you fully understand the question or request before you reply. If you answer too soon, you risk going into a line of thinking that is unnecessary or inappropriate. To help you with your listening remember to:

Look directly at the questioner.
Observe body language as well as what is being spoken.
Try to interpret what is being suggested by the question or request. Is this an attack, a legitimate request for more information, or a test? Why is this person asking this and what is the intention?

Tip:
Remember that the person is asking a question because he or she is interested. Some interest is positive – they simply want to know more – and some is negative – they want to see you squirm. Either way they are interested in what you have to say. It's your privilege and pleasure not to disappoint them!
3. Have the Question Repeated

If you're feeling particularly under pressure, ask for the question to be repeated. This gives you a bit more time to think about your response.

At first glance people think this will only make them look unsure. It doesn't. It makes you look concerned that you give an appropriate response. It also gives the questioner an opportunity to rephrase and ask a question that is more on point. Remember, the questioner may well have just "thought on his or her feet" to ask the question, so when you give them a second chance, the question may well be better articulated and clearer to all.

By asking to have the question repeated you also get another opportunity to assess the intentions of the questioner. If it is more specific or better worded, chances are the person really wants to learn more. If the repeated question is more aggressive than the first one, then you know the person is more interested in making you uncomfortable than anything else. When that's the case, the next tip comes in very handy.
4. Use Stall Tactics

Sometimes you need more time to get your thoughts straight and calm yourself down enough to make a clear reply. The last thing you want to do is blurt out the first thing that comes to your mind. Often this is a defensive comment that only makes you look insecure and anxious rather than confident and composed.

Repeat the question yourself. This gives you time to think and you clarify exactly what is being asked. It also allows you to rephrase if necessary and put a positive spin on the request. "How have I considered the impact on customers in order to make sure they have a continued positive experience during the expansion?"
Narrow the focus. Here, you ask a question of your own to not only clarify, but to bring the question down to a manageable scope. "You're interested in hearing how I've considered customer impacts. What impacts are you most interested in: product availability or in-store service?"
Ask for clarification. Again, this will force the questioner to be more specific and hopefully get more to a specific point. "When you say you want to know how I've analyzed customer impacts, do you mean you want a detailed analysis or a list of the tools and methods I used?"
Ask for a definition. Jargon and specific terminology may present a problem for you. Ask to have words and ideas clarified to ensure you are talking about the same thing.

5. Use Silence to your Advantage

We are conditioned to believe that silence is uncomfortable. However, if you use it sparingly, it communicates that you are in control of your thoughts and confident in your ability to answer expertly. When you rush to answer you also typically rush your words. Pausing to collect your thoughts tells your brain to slow everything down.
6. Stick to One Point and One Supporting Piece of Information

There's a high risk that, under pressure, you'll answer a question with either too much or too little information. If you give too short an answer, you risk letting the conversation slip into interrogation mode. (You'll get another question, and the questioner will be firmly in control of how the dialogue unfolds). When your reply is too long, you risk losing people's interest, coming across as boring, or giving away things that are better left unsaid. Remember, you aren't being asked to give a speech on the subject. The questioner wants to know something. Respect that and give them an answer, with just enough supporting information.

This technique gives you focus. Rather than trying to tie together all the ideas that are running through your head, when you pick one main point and one supporting fact, you allow yourself to answer accurately and assuredly.

Tip:
If you don't know the answer, say so. There is no point trying to make something up. You will end up looking foolish and this will lower your confidence when you need to think on your feet in the future. There is (usually) nothing wrong with not knowing something. Simply make sure you follow up as soon as possible afterwards with a researched answer.

7. Prepare Some "What Ifs"

With a bit of forethought, it's often possible to predict the types of questions you might be asked, so you can prepare and rehearse some answers to questions that might come your way. Let's say you are presenting the monthly sales figures to your management team. The chances are your report will cover most of the obvious questions that the management team might have, but what other questions might you predict? What's different about this month? What new questions might be asked? How would you respond? What additional information might you need to have to hand to support more detailed questions?

In particular, spend some time brainstorming the most difficult questions that people might ask, and preparing and rehearsing good answers to them.
8. Practice Clear Delivery

How you say something is almost as important as what you say. If you mumble or use "umm" or "ah" between every second word, confidence in what you are saying plummets. Whenever you are speaking with people, make a point to practice these key oration skills:

Speak in a strong voice. (Don't confuse strong with loud!)
Use pauses strategically to emphasize a point or slow yourself down.
Vary your tone and pay attention to how your message will be perceived given the intonation you use.
Use eye contact appropriately.
Pay attention to your grammar.
Use the level of formality that is appropriate to the situation.

9. Summarize and Stop

Wrap up your response with a quick summary statement. After that, resist adding more information. There may well be silence after your summary. Don't make the common mistake of filling the silence with more information! This is the time when other people are adsorbing the information you have given. If you persist with more information, you may end up causing confusion and undoing the great work you've already done in delivering your response.

Use words to indicate you are summarizing (i.e. "in conclusion," "finally") or briefly restate the question and your answer. So – what did I do to analyze customer impacts? I reviewed the Dallas case files in detail, and prepared a "What if" analysis for our own situation."
Key Points:

No one enjoys being putting on the spot or answering questions that you aren't fully expecting. The uncertainty can be stressful. That stress doesn't need to be unmanageable and you can think on your feet if you remember the strategies we just discussed. Essentially, thinking on your feet means staying in control of the situation. Ask questions, buy time for yourself, and remember to stick to one point and make that one point count. When you are able to zoom in on the key areas of concern, you'll answer like an expert and you impress your audience, and yourself, with your confidence and poise.

Leadership Skills – Start Here!

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"At the age of seven, a young boy and his family were forced out of their home. The boy had to work to support his family. At the age of nine, his mother passed away. When he grew up, the young man was keen to go to law school, but had no education.
At 22, he lost his job as a store clerk. At 23, he ran for state legislature and lost. The same year, he went into business. It failed, leaving him with a debt that took him 17 years to repay. At 27, he had a nervous breakdown.
Two years later, he tried for the post of speaker in his state legislature. He lost. At 31, he was defeated in his attempt to become an elector. By 35, he had been defeated twice while running for Congress. Finally, he did manage to secure a brief term in Congress, but at 39 he lost his re-election bid.
At 41, his four-year-old son died. At 42, he was rejected as a prospective land officer. At 45, he ran for the Senate and lost. Two years later, he lost the vice presidential nomination. At 49, he ran for Senate and lost again.
At 51, he was elected the President of the United States of America.
The man in question: Abraham Lincoln."

– Author Unknown

Many of us are acquainted with this eloquent example of persistence and determination in achieving victory. We read it, stop for a moment and then sigh and say: "Wow! That's the stuff real leaders are made off."
And in saying this, it's all too easy for us to think about leaders like Lincoln almost as "mythological creatures", separate from the rest of humanity and empowered by some mysterious quality that smoothes their path towards inevitable success. This is the view of leadership that many people have traditionally taken: That leaders are marked out for leadership from early on in their lives, and that if you're not a leader, there's little that you can do to become one.
However, that's not the way we see it now. The modern view is that through patience, persistence and hard work, you can be a highly effective leader.
This section of Mind Tools helps you start finding and developing these leadership qualities within yourself.
Our first tools help you assess your current leadership skills, and explore your motivation to lead – without a strong motivation to lead, you'll struggle to improve your skills or become an effective leader. However, if you HAVE to lead even if you lack an intrinsic motivation to do so, our Leadership Motivation Tools article gives you some useful techniques you can use to build your motivation.
We move on to look at how you can harness ethical sources of leadership power, and think about the many different ways in which you can choose to lead. With these articles, you'll learn how to identify useful leadership styles... and spot approaches that will probably fail.
We round the articles out by looking at, among others, the popular subject of emotional intelligence; and we'll see how developing it can help you become an exceptionally successful leader.

Verbal Communication Skills

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Everybody has interesting thoughts floating in their mind, however only a few are able to communicate them effectively, and bring about a resounding impact on their audience. This is because they have probably sharpened their verbal communication skills. Many feel that this skill does not need any training, as every individual is able to communicate. Yes, every individual can communicate, but the problem is that every individual cannot effectively communicate.
Then the common question that arises is : 'how to improve my communication skill'. Though the years, experts in the field of training have found innovative ways and have provided interesting tips and methods to improve your communication skills.

Given here are some interesting tips ways in which one can improve the way in which they communicate :

Be aware of the communication process : One should be aware of every aspect of the present communication - the purpose, objective and needs. One needs to be aware of what is occurring within the self; aware of what the others present feel; aware of all that is occurring between the communicators and aware of all that is happening around the communicators.

Digging deeper : One should be able to dig below the surface and derive and understands each communicator's primary needs from the conversation taking place.

Clarity of thought : One needs to be clear and focused on the subject at hand and not beat around the bush and be ambiguous.

Listening empathetically : One should hone the skills of listening with understanding.

Assert respectfully : It is important that one develops speaking up assertive communication skills. This is because when one is assertive, they are proving that they are confident about what they need to convey.

Conflict resolution : One should be able to come to win-win solutions in orde to solve all problems that may occur from time-to-time.
 

English language learning

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Learning a new language is quite exciting. It is the dual effort of a good trainer and your own perseverance. Several times there could be mistakes or you could get the phrase wrong. During such times, it is nice to build more interest and become an avid reader. The first phase is more of a confidence building round. You get to listen a lot to the communication skills of the trainer. Cross learning is also beneficial. Learn through the other students present in the class.

English language cannot be verbatim translated via another language. There are blends, grammar and several ways to express especially in the active or passive voice. Here it becomes essential, to disconnect ourselves from the mother tongue which is our skill and learn the language anew. The other skills like voice modulation are very much important for effective communication. The way you use the sentences, throw your voice and learn to use the microphone conveys your maturity in mastering the language.

If you have the time, then invest in other skills too like computers or a computer language. This helps you to apply your skill sets on the job. The trainer for English is experienced personnel and will take you through all the conversation skills that is required for elementary and advanced level. Grammar requires a sincere effort and lot of practice. Use a pencil to solve the grammar papers. Mark your mistakes and keep the habit of learning alive. Being a student at heart helps you to be a quick learner and adjust easily.

The biggest dilemma is choosing a good class. Choose various needs like proximity of the place near your house or the fee structure. The effort for revision and homework is present and hence it is good if you divide your time well. Home makers have to go on a balancing act between chores and classes till the time you achieve confidence. The class also conducts personality development in built in the same. Exchanging pleasantries, a pre view of the etiquettes in various fields and body language make you a confident person.

The self effort is of primary concern. A learner must be motivated within. While in class be sure to learn everything and also get to know to use the dictionary. Read newspapers, comics or fables. This helps you to use idioms, proverbs and understand the language in the real sense. Try using conversation with authorities and urge others to speak with you in English. Use English whilst attending a telephone.

elementary help for english speaking

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The earlier you begin the effort to learn English it is better. English is a language that is used for communication. In case you are looking out for a job or just got into a new college English is needed. It is important to create an impression. With due respect to all the vernacular languages in the state, speaking of English is important as it is an international language. The course that your follow will include all details, conversational skills, evaluation sets and also time frame.
Being regular to class is the best initiative you can take. Self help is the best help. As you learn from the trainer the basic conversations, it is important for you to go home and do your lessons again. Revision makes you perfect in all aspects. The books in the course format do have pictorial representations that help you understand the dialogues. Whenever in doubt, it is important to ask the trainer for more explanation. Presuming or taking for granted a sentence or meaning will not work especially at the elementary level.

For an elementary student, who is doing college alongside, timing and discipline has to be worked out. Any changes in the schedule or absenteeism must be coordinated so that that the flow is maintained. It is important to make up for the non-attendance and work a bit harder to cover those sessions. The trainer is confident about your skills and puts you an initial round of test. Along with English speaking, practicing a good handwriting or learning new words is essential.

Make it a point to invest in a few good books that are like comics or paper backs which have a lot of pictures. This helps to improve your confidence. Use few phrases or lines in your real life. Initially what seems as a chore will slowly become habitual and you will enjoy. Home works are the key. They also help you give your very best and bring out your weakness if any. Hence the best way to judge you is to write small essays on varied topics. Read aloud books catering for children with moral stories help you understand the simple dialogues and conversation which you can later use in your life. 

Beginner level books include games, personality development and simple passages on which questions will be based. As you graduate further, you will be enlightened on easy methods of elocution. This boosts your confidence. Make time to read, write and practice. Speaking English heightens your spirit and you are able to express yourself in another language.

Communication - What is it?

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Communication is an integral part of our life. We use our communication skills while reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Almost the whole day is spent in communicating with others. Communications with others is critical. None of our day to day activities whether personal or professional can be completed without communicating. We keep communicating may be verbally or through writing to our friends, family members or professional colleagues. However, has it ever happened with you that someone to whom you were communicating asked you a question, “What do you mean” or “What you want me to do”? Sometimes you must have found yourself saying, “But I mean to say”, or someone who is talking to you says, “No, No, what I wanted to say”. Have you ever found yourself saying to your superior about your subordinate, “Sir, I told him several times, but I don’t know why he does not listen? Or “I don’t know why he does not do it”? All these questions and statement point out only one thing and that is, “Communication is not as easy as we think it is”.

I remembered to have read about a plane that had crashed due to the pilot error. While investigating the cause for the crash, investigators found that it was the misinterpretation of the communication that has lead to the crash. It so happened that just before touching down the runway, the pilot realized that it was too short to land, hence; he decided to give it another try with a proper approach. "Takeoff, Power!" he yelled to his co-pilot. Of course, his objective was to ask his co-pilot to increase the throttle to full so as the aircraft may get enough lifting thrust. However, the co-pilot interpreted the message as "Take off power," and turned off the engines.

You must have heard stories or experienced similar incidents that complicate our daily lives, and occasionally result in tragedy. In our personal life, miscommunication like this leads us to the situations responsible for most of our sour relationships, whereas in the business world, such misunderstandings cost heavily by losing important clients. Often we listen to statement such as: "I'll do it for you in a little while." Now what does one mean by "A little while"? To the speaker it might mean a week but to the person receiving the message, it might mean within a day. When the job is not done in a day it irritates the listener and forces him to react in the ways that hurt the speaker. What! If the speaker would have asked for the listener’s opinion, however, irony is that most of the times while communicating we only concentrate on delivering the message and very little attention is paid to find out listener’s understanding. Majority of the times if people do not implement what you want them to do, the reason could be that they have not understood your instructions and not necessarily they wanted to disobey you or were not interested in complying with your instructions. Hence, it is very rightly said, “Communication is done by the listener”, as whatever the other person makes out of the message only that can be considered as the message communicated by the speaker.



(Excerpts from the book, ‘Why My Horse Doesn’t Listen – Learn to communicate effectively)

Vivek Mehrotra

Preparing for Difficult Conversations and Situations

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Think back to the last time you prepared for an important meeting.
Perhaps you needed to convince a prospective client to do business with your organization. Or maybe you had to present to executive board members, and you knew that they would be peppering you with questions about your proposal.
Whatever the situation, chances are that you were nervous about the meeting; and practicing in front of a mirror may not have helped you overcome your anxiety, especially with respect to answering difficult questions.
This is where role playing can be useful. In this article, we'll look at what role play is, and we'll see how you and your team can use this technique to prepare for a variety of challenging and difficult situations.

Uses and Benefits

Role playing takes place between two or more people, who act out roles to explore a particular scenario.
It's most useful for preparing for unfamiliar or difficult situations. For example, you can use it to practice sales meetings, interviews, presentations, or emotionally difficult conversations, such as when you're resolving conflict.
By acting scenarios like these out, you can explore how other people are likely to respond to different approaches; and you can get a feel for the approaches that are likely to work, and for those that might be counter-productive. You can also get a sense of what other people are likely to be thinking and feeling in the situation.
Also, by preparing for a situation using role play, you build up experience and self-confidence with handling it in real life; and you develop quick and instinctively-correct reactions to situations. This means that you'll react effectively as situations evolve, rather than making mistakes or becoming overwhelmed by events.
You can also use role play to spark brainstorming sessions, to improve communication between team members, and to see problems or situations from different perspectives.

How to Use Role Playing

It is easy to set up and run a role playing session. It will help to follow the five steps below.
Step 1: Identify the Situation
To start the process, gather people together, introduce the problem, and encourage an open discussion to uncover all of the relevant issues. This will help people to start thinking about the problem before the role play begins.
If you're in a group and people are unfamiliar with each other, consider doing some icebreaker exercises beforehand.
Step 2: Add Details
Next, set up a role playing scenario in enough detail for it to feel "real." Make sure that everyone is clear about the problem that you're trying to work through, and that they know what you want to achieve by the end of the session.
Step 3: Assign Roles
Once you've set the scene, identify the various fictional characters involved in the scenario. Some of these may be people who have to deal with the situation when it actually happens (for example, salespeople). Others will represent people who are supportive or hostile, depending on the scenario (for example, an angry client).
Once you've identified these roles, allocate them to the people involved in your role play exercise; they should use their imagination to put themselves inside the minds of the people that they're representing. This involves trying to understand the characters' perspectives, goals, motivations, and feelings when they enter the situation. (You may find the Perceptual Positions technique useful here.)
Step 4: Act Out the Scenario
Each person can then assume their role, and act out the situation, trying different approaches where necessary.
It can be useful if the scenarios build up in intensity. For instance, if the aim of your role play is to practice a sales meeting, the person playing the role of the potential client could start as an ideal client, and, through a series of scenarios, could become increasingly hostile and difficult. You could then test and practice different approaches for handling situations, so that you can give participants experience with them.
Step 5: Discuss What You Have Learned
When you finish the role play, discuss what you've learned, so that you or the people involved can learn from the experience.
For example, if you're using role play as part of a training exercise, you could lead a discussion on the scenarios you have explored, and ask for written summaries of observations and conclusions from everyone who was involved.

Further Tips

Some people feel threatened or nervous when asked to role play, because it involves acting. This can make them feel silly, or that they've been put on the spot.
To make role playing less threatening, start with a demonstration. Hand two "actors" a prepared script, give them a few minutes to prepare, and have them act out the role play in front of the rest of the group. This approach is more likely to succeed if you choose two outgoing people, or if you're one of the actors in the demonstration.
Another technique for helping people feel more comfortable is to allow them to coach you during the demonstration. For instance, if you're playing the role of a customer service representative who's dealing with an angry customer, people could suggest what you should do to make things right.

Role Play Example

In an effort to improve customer support, John, Customer Service Manager for Mythco Technologies, sets up a team role-playing session. Acting as the leader/trainer, John brings together a group of software developers and customer support representatives.
He divides the 12 people into two role playing groups: Group A represents the customer support representatives; Group B represents the customer.
John tells Group A that the customer in this situation is one of Mythco's longest-standing customers. This customer accounts for nearly 15 percent of the company's overall annual revenue. In short, the company cannot afford to lose her business!
John tells Group B that the customer has recently received a software product that did not live up to expectations. While the customer has a long-standing relationship with Mythco, this time she's growing weary because Mythco has previously sold her faulty software on two separate occasions. Clearly, her relationship with Mythco is in jeopardy.
John now allows the groups to brainstorm for a few minutes.
Next – with this particular approach to role play – each group sends forth an "actor" to take part in the role play. The actor receives support and coaching from members of the team throughout the role playing process. Each team is able to take time-outs and regroup quickly as needed.
John runs through the scenario several times, starting with the "customer" behaving gently and ending with the customer behaving aggressively. Each time, a best solution is found. Of course, John can always ask for additional role playing and suggestions if he feels that the process needs to continue, or that the team has yet to uncover the very best solutions.
Once it's clear that they cannot identify any more solutions, John brings the two groups together and discusses the session. During this, they discuss the strategies and the solutions that the actors implemented, and how they could apply them to a real-life situation.
John also asks all of the participants to write a short summary of what they learned from the role playing exercise. He then combines the summaries and provides a copy of everything learned to everyone involved.

Key Points

Role playing happens when two or more people act out roles in a particular scenario. It's most useful for helping you prepare for unfamiliar or difficult situations.
You can also use it to spark brainstorming sessions, improve communication between team members, and see problems or situations from different perspectives.
To role play:

1. Identify the situation.
2. Add details.
3. Assign roles.
4. Act out the scenario.
5. Discuss what you have learned.

learning spoken english

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A good way to learn a language is listening to audios. You may have a favorite orator or speaker. Do listen carefully to the special words used. Copying someone’s style will not work but learning from someoness language skills is beneficial. English speaking classes are available with flexible timings to suit your routine. The effort has to be a cent percent one, where you need to work on the grammar, reading as well as conversation skills. It is important to understand that learning English has to be a disciplined effort.

The course initially starts with one line conversations or word. Depending on your level, the course is designed so that you can choose a basic or advanced course. Exams are held at the end of each session. Regularly the trainer will keep checking for your improvements and suggest new ways to improve your weakness. Personality and spoken English go hand in hand. The conversation can start with interaction with friends and family and then go on to speaking on stage.

Individual sessions do bring about a great degree of confidence. It is very much important to learn the matter well. Understand the topic and watch the conversation increase its level. Cooperate well with the trainer and understand the way to improve your pronunciation. Worksheets are very important. There are ready conversational sets but you could do some homework yourself by relating to real life scenario. Begin by understand the method to read well.

Postures and body language has to be worked out well. Reading and comprehending has to go hand in hand. In case you are unable to gauge the topic, then be frank and understand the matter. In the early days of learning, it will seem that you are repeating your vocabulary. Keep the sentences short and yet have a deeper meaning. Practice intonation and improve your voice quality. Read well and rehearse in front of the mirror. Most times it is through hard work that you achieve success.
The trainer will update your level of progress and you may also make time with the tutor periodically to understand your weakness. It is important to have a spirit. Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn the right way to frame sentences. Check out proverbs, phrases and new words by reading magazines and engage yourself in light reading. Once you are confident, begin with essays, novels and literature based books. A continuous learning process assures you success in speaking English effectively.

Examples Of Communication Skills

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More often than never, most people consider themselves to be good and effective communicators simply because they feel they can speak fluently.

While speaking fluently is an important aspect of communicating, yet it is not the only requirement. One should be able to listen effectively, speak fluently and clearly, write well and read in the language/s they are familiar with.

Apart from these basic aspects of communications, one needs to keep in mind the non-verbal aspects too, in order to be considered adept in communication skills.

The fact is that one needs to constantly work towards developing effective communication skills. And primarily they need to overcome the barriers to effective communication. And this can be done when they are aware of the barriers and shortcomings.

This is in fact the first and foremost primary step to being good communicator. Given here are some of the barriers that occur in communicating effectively. Understanding these barriers will help one comprehend examples of communicating skills. After all breaking down barriers implies setting good examples...

The verbal barriers are:

Attacking :
Interrogating
Criticizing
Blaming
Shaming

You messages :
Moralizing
Preaching
Advising
Diagnosing
Endorsing Power
Ordering
Threatening
Commanding
Directing

Shouting
Name-calling
Refusing to talk


The non-verbal barriers are:
Flashing eyes
Rolling eyes
Quick movements
Slow movements
Arms crossed
Legs crossed

Gestures out of exasperation
Slouching
Hunching
Lack of personal hygiene
Doodling
Avoiding eye contact
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building confidence while speaking english

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The most important thing about challenges is that it helps us stay motivated. There are millions of proverbs, gurus and teachers who inspire us. But as an initiative to learn something and stay on the top, it requires a lot of self motivation. Many times English speaking poses several problems. If you are already employed, then there are pressures at work. Home makers find it difficult to align chores inorder to attend classes. Hence it calls for discipline and managing time well.

Getting confident is a part of the main curriculum. Dress well and suitably. The climate plays a major role in deciding what to wear. Moreover during interactions, the decorum as casual or formal has to be maintained. It is good to invest in grooming and maintain a style that is seen as a part of our personality. Personality development courses along with English speaking helps a lot in molding our inner confidence. Seek new hair styles and go for one that is an extension of your image.

In the early days of learning, making hand notes and pronunciation notes is very important. Slowly the habit can be replaced by attentive listening. Go through the phonics lessons and understand the basic sound forms. Get to know about blending words and use them. For starters, try speaking in monosyllables. It is important to speak in English at the slightest opportunity. Ask people in your family or speak to your children in English. Concentrate on short sentences and avoid using slang’s.

Understanding grammar can be done with self study. Practice the same practically in your daily life. Make sure to use English even if the course is over. This can boost your confidence. Engage in a conversation while meeting strangers. Speak small words and read a lot. This improves your vocabulary. Slowly build a better accent that erases your vernacular accent or changes your mother tongue accent. It is an effort and results are assured. 
Improve your dress sense. Use your free time to get comfortable and practice walking. Try out an interview session. It is true that the mirror never lies. Even the best actors practice their dialogues in front of the mirror. Use some gestures, hand movements and express your etiquettes while learning English. The effort must be genuine and sincere learning is always helpful. Read poems, magazines, current affairs and a recipe book. This way a range of writing styles help you use better words and sentences.

Questioning Techniques: Asking questions effectively

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Garbage in, garbage out, is a popular truth, often said in relation to computer systems: If you put the wrong information in, you'll get the wrong information out. The same principle applies to communications in general: If you ask the wrong questions, you'll probably get the wrong answer, or at least not quite what you're hoping for.
Asking the right question is at the heart of effective communications and information exchange. By using the right questions in a particular situation, you can improve a whole range of communications skills: for example, you can gather better information and learn more; you can build stronger relationships, manage people more effectively and help others to learn too.
So here are some common questioning techniques, and when (and when not) to use them:

Open and Closed Questions

A closed question usually receives a single word or very short, factual answer. For example, "Are you thirsty?" The answer is "Yes" or "No"; "Where do you live?" The answer is generally the name of your town or your address.
Open questions elicit longer answers. They usually begin with what, why, how. An open question asks the respondent for his or her knowledge, opinion or feelings. "Tell me" and "describe" can also be used in the same way as open questions. Here are some examples:

• What happened at the meeting?
• Why did he react that way?
• How was the party?
• Tell me what happened next.
• Describe the circumstances in more detail.

Open questions are good for:

• Developing an open conversation: "What did you get up to on vacation?"
• Finding our more detail: "What else do we need to do to make this a success?"
• Finding out the other person's opinion or issues: "What do you think about those changes?"

Closed questions are good for:

• Testing your understanding, or the other person's: "So, if I get this qualification, I will get a raise?"
• Concluding a discussion or making a decision: "Now we know the facts, are we all agreed this is the right course of action?"
• Frame setting: "Are you happy with the service from your bank?"

A misplaced closed question, on the other hand, can kill the conversation and lead to awkward silences, so are best avoided when a conversation is in full flow.

Funnel Questions

This technique involves starting with general questions, and then homing in on a point in each answer, and asking more and more detail at each level. It's often used by detectives taking a statement from a witness:

"How many people were involved in the fight?"
"About ten."
"Were they kids or adults?"
"Mostly kids."
"What sort of ages were they?"
"About fourteen or fifteen."
"Were any of them wearing anything distinctive?"
"Yes, several of them had red baseball caps on."
"Can you remember if there was a logo on any of the caps?"
"Now you come to mention it, yes, I remember seeing a big letter N."

Using this technique, the detective has helped the witness re-live the scene and gradually focus on a useful detail. Perhaps he'll be able to identify young men wearing a hat like this from CCTV footage. It is unlikely he would have got this information if he's simply asked an open question such as "Are there any details you can give me about what you saw?"

Tip:
When using funnel questioning, start with closed questions. As you progress through the tunnel, start using more open questions.

Funnel questions are good for:

• Finding out more detail about a specific point: "Tell me more about Option 2."
• Gaining the interest or increasing the confidence of the person you're speaking with: "Have you used the IT Helpdesk?", "Did they solve your problem?", "What was the attitude of the person who took your call?"

Probing Questions

Asking probing questions is another strategy for finding out more detail. Sometimes it's as simple as asking your respondent for an example, to help you understand a statement they have made. At other times, you need additional information for clarification, "When do you need this report by, and do you want to see a draft before I give you my final version?", or to investigate whether there is proof for what has been said, "How do you know that the new database can't be used by the sales force?"
An effective way of probing is to use the 5 Whys method, which can help you quickly get to the root of a problem.

Tip:
Use questions that include the word "exactly" to probe further: "What exactly do you mean by fast-track?", "Who, exactly, wanted this report?"

Probing questions are good for:

• Gaining clarification to ensure you have the whole story and that you understand it thoroughly; and
• Drawing information out of people who are trying to avoid telling you something.

Leading Questions

Leading questions try to lead the respondent to your way of thinking. They can do this in several ways:

• With an assumption: "How late do you think that the project will deliver?". This assumes that the project will certainly not be completed on time.
• By adding a personal appeal to agree at the end: "Lori's very efficient, don't you think?" or "Option 2 is better, isn't it?"
• Phrasing the question so that the "easiest" response is "yes" (our natural tendency to prefer to say "yes" than "no" plays an important part in the phrasing of referendum questions): "Shall we all approve Option 2?" is more likely to get a positive response than "Do you want to approve option 2 or not?". A good way of doing this is to make it personal. For example, "Would you like me to go ahead with Option 2?" rather than "Shall I choose Option 2?".
• Giving people a choice between two options, both of which you would be happy with, rather than the choice of one option or not doing anything at all. Strictly speaking, the choice of "neither" is still available when you ask "Which would you prefer of A or B", but most people will be caught up in deciding between your two preferences.

Note that leading questions tend to be closed.
Leading questions are good for:

• Getting the answer you want but leaving the other person feeling that they have had a choice.
• Closing a sale: "If that answers all of your questions, shall we agree a price?"

Tip:
Use leading questions with care. If you use them in a self-serving way or one that harms the interests of the other person, then they can, quite rightly, be seen as manipulative and dishonest.

Rhetorical Questions

Rhetorical questions aren't really questions at all, in that they don't expect an answer. They're really just statements phrased in question form: "Isn't John's design work so creative?"
People use rhetorical questions because they are engaging for the listener – as they are drawn into agreeing ("Yes it is and I like working with such a creative colleague") – rather than feeling that they are being "told" something like "John is a very creative designer". (To which they may answer "So What?")

Tip:
Rhetorical questions are even more powerful if you use a string of them. "Isn't that a great display? Don't you love the way the text picks up the colors in the photographs? Doesn't it use space really well? Wouldn't you love to have a display like that for our products?"

Rhetorical questions are good for:

• Engaging the listener

Using Questioning Techniques

You have probably used all of these questioning techniques before in your everyday life, at work and at home. But by consciously applying the appropriate kind of questioning, you can gain the information, response or outcome that you want even more effectively.
Questions are a powerful way of:

• Learning: Ask open and closed questions, and use probing questioning.
• Relationship building: People generally respond positively if you ask about what they do or enquire about their opinions. If you do this in an affirmative way "Tell me what you like best about working here", you will help to build and maintain an open dialogue.
• Managing and coaching: Here, rhetorical and leading questions are useful too. They can help get people to reflect and to commit to courses of action that you've suggested: "Wouldn't it be great to gain some further qualifications?"
• Avoiding misunderstandings: Use probing questions to seek clarification, particularly when the consequences are significant. And to make sure you avoid jumping to conclusions, the The Ladder of Inference tool can help too.
• De-fusing a heated situation: You can calm an angry customer or colleague by using funnel questions to get them to go into more detail about their grievance. This will not only distract them from their emotions, but will often help you to identify a small practical thing that you can do, which is often enough to make them feel that they have "won" something, and no longer need to be angry.
• Persuading people: No one likes to be lectured, but asking a series of open questions will help others to embrace the reasons behind your point of view. "What do you think about bringing the sales force in for half a day to have their laptops upgraded?"
   

More Tips:
Make sure that you give the person you're questioning enough time to respond. This may need to include thinking time before they answer, so don't just interpret a pause as a "No comment" and plow on.
Skilful questioning needs to be matched by careful listening so that you understand what people really mean with their answers.

Your body language and tone of voice can also play a part in the answers you get when you ask questions.

Self Learning Tips

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Once you decide to learn a language, the next step is to look out for a good tutor. There are special English speaking classes with many branches. Choose a reputed one. There are various levels of English speaking courses. Firstly, the effort is to be made from your end to do the revision notes. Get into a disciplined habit of making time to study. In the initial days, the tutor will take you through simple question and answer sessions. A good tutor analyses the students skills and programs the curriculum accordingly.
The simple conversation skills can be enhanced by getting the topic right. It is important to stay focused and utilize your creativity while learning English. English is essential in all walks of life. It is important to understand that for a job or even for basic conversation, English is a universal language. Communication has to be effective and precise. Learning new words is a conscious effort which can be done with books. These days communication opens new windows with internet and telecommunication.

The need to learn English has to be a self motivated one. The inspiration can come from outside but for students it is important to learn continuously. Translation is also a means of self study. Go though the vernacular language and understand the essence of the conversation. Find words and phrases in English and a tutor will correct you on the grammar part. Learning grammar is easy with small exercises and noting the fine lines.

While learning English, make it a point to listen and understand. Be frank and express if you have not understood a word or sentence. Do not aimlessly hope to understand the subject. This results in waste of time. Select new topics each time and initially master the art of conversation. The first step is to improve your confidence by getting your body language right. Dress well when you go for a session. Learn mannerisms that are apt and learn from your peers. 

The problem of accent and vocabulary can be solved when it is done in a phased manner. It is easy to learn once you forego your inhibitions and self consciousness. Listen to videos and audio help. Watch movies and listen to news on television. Read novels, fables and conversation. Learning English is easy if you work hard on the same. Maintain a diary of vocabulary and spell well to write good letters and improve your email communication.

Effective Communication Skills

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While it is an undisputable fact the communications forms one of the essential basis of human existence, yet most individuals overlook the need to refine their communication skills, from time-to-time. Effective communication skills is a must whether it is individual or then effective team communication skills.

According to the experts one can communicate effectively when they understand the stages of interpersonal communication, which are explained below :

The phatic stage : This is the initial exploratory stage, which determines the course of the conversation. This begins with the greetings and accompanying gestures such as eye contact, the smile, etc. In a formal encounter there is more distance between the individuals, as compared to in the case of an informal encounter. This stage is also known as the warming up stage. There is a no meaning and intention, but just the setting for the next level of the conversation.

The personal stage : This is the second stage in which the individuals bring a more personal element into the conversation. During this stage one generally brings down their social guard and begin to interact more openly. They are ready to let the others involved in the conversation more about themselves and the hesitation decreases. Interpersonal interactions generally move into a third stage. Otherwise professional interactions are generally confined to this stage.

The intimate stage : This stage is mainly meant for conversations between friends, family and relatives, where those involved in the conversation share a higher level of intimacy with each other. This stage of communicating usually entails opening one's heart and sharing rather intimate details, which is not a part of professional conversations.

Keeping in mind these stages, one becomes more aware of how their conversations should progress and where they need to conclude a conversation, or extend it for that matter. Effective skills in communication calls for awareness and attentive listening.