Nov 30, 2011
Tips For To Be a Good Speaker
Being a good speaker requires planning, clarity of thought and a well constructed beginning, middle and end to your speech. It is important to avoid creating confusion or leaving your listeners feeling that you have wasted their time. Follow these steps and people will appreciate what you have to say.
Steps
Have a point and stick to it.
In some settings you must speak on a certain subject. Even in casual conversation, though, it is important to focus on a limited set of related ideas. If you drift from one tangentially related idea to the next your speech becomes a sort of bad poetry or misplaced filibuster that may quickly bore the listener.
Speak clearly.
It may be tempting to say, "El whooziwhatsit fonctionne bien in thinger teh other day." It may also not be worth the listener's time to try to figure out what you mean.
Adjust your speech for your audience.
A technical audience will appreciate your use of jargon and acronyms. If your audience has trouble grasping the concepts you are relating, it may be necessary to speak slowly and offer generally familiar examples.
Don't patronize.
When people are treated like idiots or little children they may become hostile and ignore what you're saying. You sound patronizing when you use sing-song tones in your speech or sigh loudly.
Be interesting.
Speak up.
People have to hear what you are saying even if they are sitting in the back row or there is a lot of noise.
Be honest.
Remember the story of the boy who cried, "Wolf!"
Organize what you're saying.
If there are several ideas or details related to your main point, speak about each one in a deliberate fashion. If you are trying to convey large amounts of information, you may need to outline what you will say at the outset and then summarize what you've said at the conclusion.
Be an important person.
Have a lot of initials after your name. Be famous. Be beautiful. Work in a job where you wear a uniform and people are expected to listen to you.
Be polite, follow social conventions and be rational.
Obviously there are many speakers that do not follow this step and yet have large and dotting audiences. You probably aren't one of those speakers.
Tips
Avoid monotony. Monotony is really a form of disorganization where the important information is not distinguished in any way from the unimportant information.
Politicians follow many if not all of these steps and you may want to emulate them.
Warnings
It is easy to get carried away when you speak up. If you find yourself yelling a lot or using all-caps text frequently, it is likely you are skipping many of the other steps listed.
It is also easy to get carried away when you're being important. If you neglect many of the other steps and rely on your importance to command the audience's attention, the audience may become resentful. The audience may even work to undermine your authority.
The worst speaker is the bore. Don't be a bore! Typically the bore fails at being interesting and overestimates the attention span of his audience.
Using incendiary language and making analogies to WWII situations and figures (especially Hitler, facism, communism and Stalin) usually causes people to focus on the individual offensive statement or the character of your speech rather than the content of the speech.
Nov 26, 2011
Simple Communication Help You Set Up Respectful Global Relationships
If you haven’t communicated with a client or colleague in another country recently, chances are you will do so soon. Technology and our global economy have shrunk our geographical boundaries. Developing a global customer-centered approach to communication is essential for establishing respectful and productive working relationships.
This can be particularly challenging for those in the United States, where we are so used to seeing ourselves as the center of the world that we don’t even realize we have that attitude.
If you are from the United States (or any country), here are eight simple things you can do in your initial communications with clients and colleagues in other countries to demonstrate you have a customer-centered viewpoint.
Spell words the way your client does. You can look up spelling differences on the Internet (e.g. American English and British English differences). Or you can watch how your client spells words. In the UK, words ending in “ize” are spelled “ise,” words with the letter “z” are usually spelled with “s,” and words ending in “or” are spelled “our” (e.g. organisation, recognise, analyse, flavour, and colour).
Use at least some words in your client’s language. You can easily look up how to translate “Good Day” into any language and it is much appreciated by your client.
Use your client’s colloquialisms. When using English, pay attention to your client’s use of the language. For example, when communicating with colleagues in the UK, try using “brilliant” instead of “wonderful” or “great.”
End your communication with “Kind Regards” or “Best Regards.” In the United States, we tend to be more informal, ending with “Thanks” and sometimes no valediction at all. Wait to make sure your client is comfortable with the informal endings before using them.
Set meeting times using your client’s time zone. If your client is in Madrid, you can use a time zone converter to find out what 7:00 am your time is in Madrid. Set your meeting using Madrid time, not your own. Don’t expect your client to have to do the work to convert to your time zone.
Format times the way your client does. Many countries use a 24 hour clock. If so, set a 2:00 pm conference call with a client for 14:00.
Format dates the way your client does. Many countries format the calendar with the date before the month. For example: 21 August 2011
Offer to schedule conference calls at times most convenient for your client. You might need to get up at 5:00 am, but you will score big points with them.
In the long run, the true test will be the quality of your ongoing interactions. But these simple and easy to do things go a long way to demonstrate you are adapting to your client, rather than expecting them to adapt to you, and help you set the stage for developing strong, productive relationships within the global workplace.
Nov 23, 2011
Strengthen Public Speaking Sklills
Public speaking skills are valuable both in your personal life and career. Even if you don't regularly engage in public speaking, developing skills in this area will increase your confidence and reduce anxiety about situations in which you may be called upon to speak in public. Below are some key skills held by good public speakers.
Public speaking skill #1: Stage Presence
Good public speakers appear confident, friendly, enthusiastic and energetic. Confidence comes from choosing a topic you like and researching it well. Friendliness can be conveyed simply by smiling at your audience. Enthusiasm and energy will naturally follow when you enjoy your topic
and are well prepared.
If you feel that your stage presence is lacking, take some time and view clips of speakers that you admire. Aim to imitate their style. If you are adequately prepared, there isn't any reason why you can't "fake it 'til you make it". In other words, act confident until you feel confident.
Public speaking skill #2: Voice Control
Your voice is the most important tool you will use as a public speaker. One key skill to improve the quality of your voice is to practice diaphragmatic breathing; breathing from your diaphragm instead of your chest. Doing so will reduce the feeling of breathlessness caused by speech anxiety. In addition, this type of breathing will allow you to better control the tone (quality), pitch (high or low) and volume of your voice.
Public speaking skill #3: Body Language
It is not enough to practice how you will speak to your audience. It is also important to consider your body language and the message that it conveys. In general, you should practice standing with a relaxed upright posture. Your hands should be at your sides or clasped in front of you, unless you are making a gesture to emphasize a point. Become aware of your facial expressions as well; they should match the message you are delivering.
Public speaking skill #4: Delivery
When it comes to public speaking, delivery is everything. Even if you have a great voice and good body language, your message will get lost if the audience can't easily follow what you say. Below are some tips for developing good delivery skills.
Speak slowly and deliberately; it should seem too slow to you.
Pause between ideas.
Carefully articulate and pronounce your words
Avoid filler sounds like "Um" and "ah"
Vary the pitch and volume of your voice to add interest
Public speaking skill #5: Audience Relations
Good public speakers are in tune with their audience. Public speaking is more than standing in front of a group and talking. Acknowledge your audience right away and begin talking as soon as all eyes are on you; similarly, if you need to set up equipment, converse with your audience at the same time to keep their attention. Make eye contact and watch for communication from the audience. Smiles and nodding are good; fidgeting or confused looks may mean that you need to adjust what you are doing.
What is the bottom line? Remember that the goal of public speaking is to deliver a message. In addition to the above skills, you need to be connected to your material. When you are knowledgeable and speak with passion, both you and the audience will have a more enjoyable experience.
Public speaking skill #1: Stage Presence
Good public speakers appear confident, friendly, enthusiastic and energetic. Confidence comes from choosing a topic you like and researching it well. Friendliness can be conveyed simply by smiling at your audience. Enthusiasm and energy will naturally follow when you enjoy your topic
and are well prepared.
If you feel that your stage presence is lacking, take some time and view clips of speakers that you admire. Aim to imitate their style. If you are adequately prepared, there isn't any reason why you can't "fake it 'til you make it". In other words, act confident until you feel confident.
Public speaking skill #2: Voice Control
Your voice is the most important tool you will use as a public speaker. One key skill to improve the quality of your voice is to practice diaphragmatic breathing; breathing from your diaphragm instead of your chest. Doing so will reduce the feeling of breathlessness caused by speech anxiety. In addition, this type of breathing will allow you to better control the tone (quality), pitch (high or low) and volume of your voice.
Public speaking skill #3: Body Language
It is not enough to practice how you will speak to your audience. It is also important to consider your body language and the message that it conveys. In general, you should practice standing with a relaxed upright posture. Your hands should be at your sides or clasped in front of you, unless you are making a gesture to emphasize a point. Become aware of your facial expressions as well; they should match the message you are delivering.
Public speaking skill #4: Delivery
When it comes to public speaking, delivery is everything. Even if you have a great voice and good body language, your message will get lost if the audience can't easily follow what you say. Below are some tips for developing good delivery skills.
Speak slowly and deliberately; it should seem too slow to you.
Pause between ideas.
Carefully articulate and pronounce your words
Avoid filler sounds like "Um" and "ah"
Vary the pitch and volume of your voice to add interest
Public speaking skill #5: Audience Relations
Good public speakers are in tune with their audience. Public speaking is more than standing in front of a group and talking. Acknowledge your audience right away and begin talking as soon as all eyes are on you; similarly, if you need to set up equipment, converse with your audience at the same time to keep their attention. Make eye contact and watch for communication from the audience. Smiles and nodding are good; fidgeting or confused looks may mean that you need to adjust what you are doing.
What is the bottom line? Remember that the goal of public speaking is to deliver a message. In addition to the above skills, you need to be connected to your material. When you are knowledgeable and speak with passion, both you and the audience will have a more enjoyable experience.
Nov 21, 2011
Health And Wellness
There are many myths about the hearing aide that you may have heard before. These myths need to be cleared up because majority of them are not true and this is important to know if you are someone that needs to use a hearing device to help you hear well.
Below are the myths and the reasons that they are not true.
1: Using a hearing aid will help to cure your loss of hearing and will be able to restore your hearing back to normal.
This is not true at all. The hearing device will help you hear well but it definitely will not do either one of these things. These devices are used for people that want to hear well but have no other treatments available to them due to their hearing problems or because the other options are just not affordable for them.
2: Wearing and using a hearing device will resolve all of your communication problems.
Again not true because the device is used to help you hear well but you will never hear like you used to when your hearing was normal. There will always be some type of problem to deal with unfortunately but hearing aids can definitely help make communication a little easier than it was when you couldn’t hear at all.
3: If you use a hearing device this will destroy any residual hearing that you have.
The hearing device is designed to help you hear well but definitely will not damage any hearing you still retain. If you take good care of your hearing aid and be sure that it fits right so you can wear it correctly then you don’t have to worry about this myth coming true.
4: The smaller the hearing aid the better the technology will be.
This is not true because there are many small and larger hearing devices that use cutting edge technology. The truth is that the degree of hearing loss you have will determine which hearing aid will be right for you to use.
Don’t let the size of the hearing device determine which one is right for you because you have to first make sure that it will be effective for you degree of hearing loss. The size is the second consideration but remember that the larger devices are just as effective as the smaller ones.
There are many other myths out there about the hearing aide that you need to learn about so you can see why most of the myths are just not true. To help you have peace of mind about using a hearing device it is always a good idea to do your homework so you know all you can about using a device like this.
Below are the myths and the reasons that they are not true.
1: Using a hearing aid will help to cure your loss of hearing and will be able to restore your hearing back to normal.
This is not true at all. The hearing device will help you hear well but it definitely will not do either one of these things. These devices are used for people that want to hear well but have no other treatments available to them due to their hearing problems or because the other options are just not affordable for them.
2: Wearing and using a hearing device will resolve all of your communication problems.
Again not true because the device is used to help you hear well but you will never hear like you used to when your hearing was normal. There will always be some type of problem to deal with unfortunately but hearing aids can definitely help make communication a little easier than it was when you couldn’t hear at all.
3: If you use a hearing device this will destroy any residual hearing that you have.
The hearing device is designed to help you hear well but definitely will not damage any hearing you still retain. If you take good care of your hearing aid and be sure that it fits right so you can wear it correctly then you don’t have to worry about this myth coming true.
4: The smaller the hearing aid the better the technology will be.
This is not true because there are many small and larger hearing devices that use cutting edge technology. The truth is that the degree of hearing loss you have will determine which hearing aid will be right for you to use.
Don’t let the size of the hearing device determine which one is right for you because you have to first make sure that it will be effective for you degree of hearing loss. The size is the second consideration but remember that the larger devices are just as effective as the smaller ones.
There are many other myths out there about the hearing aide that you need to learn about so you can see why most of the myths are just not true. To help you have peace of mind about using a hearing device it is always a good idea to do your homework so you know all you can about using a device like this.
Nov 14, 2011
Less Speak And More Hear Compose Your Interpersonal Intelligence
What is interpersonal intelligence? How does is serve as a vital factor for communication? To know all about it, read on.Intelligence, by definition, is a property of the mind that includes many related abilities like the capacities to reason, to plan, to solve problems, think abstractly, understand ideas, use language and learn. Intelligence includes the abilities to comprehend, analyze and react to a situation. Intelligence is the collection of our abilities to act and react.
Howard Gardner, an American psychologist postulated the theory of multiple intelligences. He categorized intelligence on the basis of the different faculties of intellect. He observed that a person shows a flair for linguistic skills while another fails to grasp language; some exhibit excellence in mathematics and logic while others are proficient in sports. He came up with forms of core intelligences namely linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic and musical. The other forms of core intelligences deal with a person's ability to understand the feelings of others and one's ability to know oneself. They were called interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences respectively.
What is Interpersonal Intelligence?
We are a part of society; we are social animals. Hence along with our abilities to lead a life as an individual, it is also important to be able to live and grow as a part of a group. It is important to enhance our social abilities to thrive in the society. This includes the abilities to interact with others, understand them and interpret their behavior. Interpersonal intelligence is something we all need to have but it becomes a vital factor for people in occupations that require interaction with people. Those who have to deal with people as a part of their profession need to have interpersonal intelligence. These include medical practitioners, people in sales or marketing fields and teachers.
Interpersonal intelligence relates to the concept of interaction with the people around. It is about the understanding of their thoughts and feelings and the ability to respond to them. People with an interpersonal intelligence typically fall in the group of extroverts. They are sensitive to the moods and sentiments of others. They possess the ability to cooperate with people around them and are seen as team players. They can work in a group with ease and efficiency and can understand the temperaments of others in the group.
Interpersonal Intelligence and Effective Communication
An understanding of others that characterizes interpersonal intelligence, is a vital factor for effective communication. For an effective communication to be possible the parties involved in it should understand each other’s views. To communicate effectively with another person it is important to grasp his/her opinions about a subject, put oneself in the person’s shoes to understand the reason behind his/her views. As these abilities constitute what is known as interpersonal intelligence, this type of intelligence is a vital factor for effective communication. People who bear an interpersonal intelligence can easily communicate with others. As they have an understanding of moods and emotions of other people, they can empathize with them. They learn by working with others and take interest in discussions. Thus, people with an interpersonal intelligence make very effective communicators.Interpersonal communication is defined as one that occurs between two people who are interdependent on each other and share a common history. Interpersonal skills are the skills needed to interact in social situations. They include the abilities to effectively convey one's feeling to another person and understand his or her say on the subject. These skills refer to the communicative abilities applied during a social communication.Interpersonal skills facilitate a communication wherein conflicts and debates are reduced, interactions become easy, people seem approachable, hassles minimize and a healthy and productive environment is created. Be it in a work sector or at home, be it a formal communication, be it a chat with friends, the art of communication underlies them all. It is the knack to effectively communicate, which rules every relationship. A professional relationship is guided by effective business communication and so is the interaction with family and friends. This makes us realize the importance of interpersonal intelligence.Now that we are aware of the importance of interpersonal skills in our lives, let us look at the ways of improving interpersonal skills. Interpersonal intelligence can be developed if one wishes to acquire it. It being a vital factor for effective communication, acquiring interpersonal skills becomes necessary.
To improve one’s interpersonal skills, one must learn to be positive and appreciative. Learn to pay attention to the people around you. Laud them for their successes and try to be their support during their downfalls. Rather than being a complainer, learn to lighten situations with humor. Practice empathy, the key to reach out to others. Improve your interpersonal skills to be an effective communicator and join the camp of the ‘interpersonally intelligent’!
Howard Gardner, an American psychologist postulated the theory of multiple intelligences. He categorized intelligence on the basis of the different faculties of intellect. He observed that a person shows a flair for linguistic skills while another fails to grasp language; some exhibit excellence in mathematics and logic while others are proficient in sports. He came up with forms of core intelligences namely linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic and musical. The other forms of core intelligences deal with a person's ability to understand the feelings of others and one's ability to know oneself. They were called interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences respectively.
What is Interpersonal Intelligence?
We are a part of society; we are social animals. Hence along with our abilities to lead a life as an individual, it is also important to be able to live and grow as a part of a group. It is important to enhance our social abilities to thrive in the society. This includes the abilities to interact with others, understand them and interpret their behavior. Interpersonal intelligence is something we all need to have but it becomes a vital factor for people in occupations that require interaction with people. Those who have to deal with people as a part of their profession need to have interpersonal intelligence. These include medical practitioners, people in sales or marketing fields and teachers.
Interpersonal intelligence relates to the concept of interaction with the people around. It is about the understanding of their thoughts and feelings and the ability to respond to them. People with an interpersonal intelligence typically fall in the group of extroverts. They are sensitive to the moods and sentiments of others. They possess the ability to cooperate with people around them and are seen as team players. They can work in a group with ease and efficiency and can understand the temperaments of others in the group.
Interpersonal Intelligence and Effective Communication
An understanding of others that characterizes interpersonal intelligence, is a vital factor for effective communication. For an effective communication to be possible the parties involved in it should understand each other’s views. To communicate effectively with another person it is important to grasp his/her opinions about a subject, put oneself in the person’s shoes to understand the reason behind his/her views. As these abilities constitute what is known as interpersonal intelligence, this type of intelligence is a vital factor for effective communication. People who bear an interpersonal intelligence can easily communicate with others. As they have an understanding of moods and emotions of other people, they can empathize with them. They learn by working with others and take interest in discussions. Thus, people with an interpersonal intelligence make very effective communicators.Interpersonal communication is defined as one that occurs between two people who are interdependent on each other and share a common history. Interpersonal skills are the skills needed to interact in social situations. They include the abilities to effectively convey one's feeling to another person and understand his or her say on the subject. These skills refer to the communicative abilities applied during a social communication.Interpersonal skills facilitate a communication wherein conflicts and debates are reduced, interactions become easy, people seem approachable, hassles minimize and a healthy and productive environment is created. Be it in a work sector or at home, be it a formal communication, be it a chat with friends, the art of communication underlies them all. It is the knack to effectively communicate, which rules every relationship. A professional relationship is guided by effective business communication and so is the interaction with family and friends. This makes us realize the importance of interpersonal intelligence.Now that we are aware of the importance of interpersonal skills in our lives, let us look at the ways of improving interpersonal skills. Interpersonal intelligence can be developed if one wishes to acquire it. It being a vital factor for effective communication, acquiring interpersonal skills becomes necessary.
To improve one’s interpersonal skills, one must learn to be positive and appreciative. Learn to pay attention to the people around you. Laud them for their successes and try to be their support during their downfalls. Rather than being a complainer, learn to lighten situations with humor. Practice empathy, the key to reach out to others. Improve your interpersonal skills to be an effective communicator and join the camp of the ‘interpersonally intelligent’!
Nov 11, 2011
The Less You Speak The More You Will Hear
Being in the "people" business, it stands to reason that honing people skills regularly keeps us in the game. Just like a knife that becomes dull with use, people skills can always use a good sharpening. After all, even a dull knife can cut, but it's often a messy cut. (And frequently I end up cutting myself with that same dull knife...)Take, for instance, the people skill of "listening." I like to think I'm a good listener. Most of the time, I am. I hear well because I am HERE well. But, truth be told, that skill can stand some sharpening. I admit I'm guilty of answering emails while family members or office associates are talking to me. I'm guilty, too, of looking at my Blackberry every time it beeps and flashes and demands my attention, which it does every time I get an email or a notification. (Oooh! Someone else commented on one of my AR posts! Be right back.....) I've even been guilty of being inside my own head listening to THAT conversation instead of the one going on with me outside my noggin. Can you hear me?
Since being a good listener requires giving others undivided attention, it might be possible to spend all our time on listening to others and lose our ability to focus on our own needs. For instance, we might not want to listen because we might really need to answer those emails. We might not want to listen because maybe we had a bad day and need to decompress. (Or maybe we just want to get on AR and reply to those comments....)
I think that being a good listener is not just about HEARING but also involves being aware of our own needs and being able to express to someone that we might not be available for them at that particular moment. As good listeners we should make listening to our own needs a priority too. I know that when I am distracted but still trying to listen to someone I am really doing a disservice to both the person speaking to me AND myself. Both the other person's needs and my own needs deserve my undivided attention, and unfortunately we cannot multitask and effectively listen at the same time.
September is International People Skills Month so in honor of this, I'm going to practice better listening skills. When I'm listening, I'm going to be actively listening and in the moment with the speaker. And when I am unable to listen, I'm going to let the speaker know, so that when I am able to listen the speaker will have me, undivided.
So let me put down my Blackberry....(oh, wait...I just got another comment...Oooooh! I'm FEATURED!)....I'm sorry, what did you say?
I'm listening! Really.
Since being a good listener requires giving others undivided attention, it might be possible to spend all our time on listening to others and lose our ability to focus on our own needs. For instance, we might not want to listen because we might really need to answer those emails. We might not want to listen because maybe we had a bad day and need to decompress. (Or maybe we just want to get on AR and reply to those comments....)
I think that being a good listener is not just about HEARING but also involves being aware of our own needs and being able to express to someone that we might not be available for them at that particular moment. As good listeners we should make listening to our own needs a priority too. I know that when I am distracted but still trying to listen to someone I am really doing a disservice to both the person speaking to me AND myself. Both the other person's needs and my own needs deserve my undivided attention, and unfortunately we cannot multitask and effectively listen at the same time.
September is International People Skills Month so in honor of this, I'm going to practice better listening skills. When I'm listening, I'm going to be actively listening and in the moment with the speaker. And when I am unable to listen, I'm going to let the speaker know, so that when I am able to listen the speaker will have me, undivided.
So let me put down my Blackberry....(oh, wait...I just got another comment...Oooooh! I'm FEATURED!)....I'm sorry, what did you say?
I'm listening! Really.
Nov 9, 2011
Interpersonal skills continue with the relationship in an effective way
How Often do You tend to have difficulty following a project through from beginning to end. How often do you get frightened or stressed when I am in the company of an angry person. How often do you order to avoid a conflict, I find it easier to lie than tell the truth. How often do you have judged myself harshly.
I am my own worst critic, and I am harder on myself than I am on others. How often do you feel that I am being taken advantage of by individuals and society in general; I often feel victimized. How often do you take myself very seriously, and I view all of relationships just as seriously.Expressing yourself and your rights without violating the rights of others.
Conflict is natural and inevitable. Conflict Resolution helps you resolve differences so that you may continue with the relationship in an effective way.
Knowing how to recognize and express anger appropriately can help us to reach goals, handle emergencies, solve problems and even protect our health.
Nov 8, 2011
Interpersonal Skills is The Backbone of Success
Interpersonal skills are all about developing good relations with people around you through right communication and behaviour. Communication includes both verbal and physical communication. The way you speak, what you speak and the body language you display plays a big part in creating your image. Good interpersonal and communication skills accompanied by brilliant ideas and hard work can work wonders for you. Life and business coaches recommend some steps that can prove useful to you in developing these skills.
Empathy and help: Empathy means to go beyond merely sympathising with a person's situation to understanding and addressing their problems. Developing an ability to look from another person's point of view like that of your colleagues, the people outside your workplace or your family might help you develop good positive relations with them. In addition you can also give compliments and appreciate people for their qualities and accomplishments. Try smiling often, it keeps the atmosphere cheerful; a genuine smile can accomplish many things.
Listen to people: Cultivating the habit of effective listening can go a long way in creating good relations for you. Those who really listen to what is being said are always liked. Many problems are caused because of lack of willingness in the other person to listen carefully. Such problems can be avoided. Life coaches and business coaches advise many ways in which you can communicate that you are listening. While in a conversation it is important that the speaker understand that you are listening; you can do this by maintaining a proper eye contact throughout the conversation. You might also want to encourage the speaker through different verbal or physical responses like shaking your head or making appropriate sounds. A relaxed and friendly expression also encourages the speaker. Asking appropriate questions after the speaker has finished will help you understand the conversation.
Assertiveness: Assertion may be a necessary quality for you to grow. Being assertive does not mean being rude. One can be friendly and helpful yet assertive in dealing with people. A direct approach in communication with colleagues might help you. However, you might want to take care that your assertiveness does not become a hurdle in maintaining relationship with your colleagues and friends. In such cases you can try and be frank, clear and precise in discussing the problem. It is also important that you give time to the other person to put their thoughts clearly in front of you and respect their point of view.
Conflict resolution: Conflicts are a part of all organisations and relationships. However, instead of taking part in the existing conflicts consciously or unconsciously, it might help you to act as a mediator. Playing favourites might lead to problems which can be avoided. You might also attempt to bring the people involved in conflicts together on a table and make them resolve their issues. It is important that you maintain a positive attitude and work with the best intentions. It might also help to not take offence or become personal in such situations. Finally try to find an alternative solution to the problem. Efforts in this direction will make the top management take notice of you and might lead to a leap in your career.
Developing effective interpersonal skills leads to great success and happiness in relationships. These strategies can be used at both workplace and in families. This might reduce conflicts and disharmony and contribute towards creating a healthy environment.
Nov 6, 2011
Interpersonal Communication And Conflict Management Skills
Conflict is inevitable, but it can be reduced and turned into something positive. The interpersonal conflicts we experience on a daily basis at both from the large organizations to a tiny corporation. Conflict shifts people's focus away from work and the basic goals of the team, department and organization. It negatively impacts productivity, morale and ultimately the results. The most important skills needed for managing employee relations are interpersonal communications and conflict management skills.
Interpersonal communication skills is the foundation for making the hostile work environment and it allows the supervisor or manager an opportunity to build a good relationships with the overall workgroup. In an organization peoples are required to work with a group. Because of cultural differences among the team member a tremendous amount of interaction is required. Interpersonal skills can help to create the right workplace climate reducing disruptive behavior. Also supervisors and leaders should respect their employees to accomplish a goal. Interpersonal communication has many dimensions. Interaction with other people allows individuals the opportunity to develop and enhance their own ideas and share valuable information with the others. Through the proper perception of the interaction employee can find solutions to improve their organizational effectiveness. Interpersonal skills develop good employee relations with the workforce through visual and verbal imagery making employee more satisfied and fulfilled.
No one likes to deal with conflict, but the truth of the matter is that we must. Problems that aren't dealt with tend to become septic and spread into other areas and relationships. Conflict Management Skills can help in resolving employee relations issues quickly and more effectively, and can create greater satisfaction with the workgroup. Surveys show that managers now spend about 20 percent of their time on conflict resolution. And, as employees are asked to communicate with a greater variety of people, they need their own conflict management skills. Most of us are less skilled at handling conflict than we should be. Although studies show that a negotiating behavior is usually the best response to a conflict situation.
When in conflict people have five basic conflict handling positions:
Avoiding
Accommodating
Competing
Compromising
Collaborating
Disordered management style and issues exacerbate the conflict because the communication gets distorted and people become frustrated in a workgroup. Managers should always address up difficult situation and speak up. Effective listening skills convey information properly. Listening what the person says, and responding to the conversation on a positive way reduces workplace conflict. Conflict of any type creates some type of emotions such as anger, frustration, and sorrow. Managing these emotions through respect and careful manner can establish a good relationship with the workplace. With all these techniques improve your conflict-management skills that will go a long way in fostering positive employee relations with a workforce.
Interpersonal communication skills is the foundation for making the hostile work environment and it allows the supervisor or manager an opportunity to build a good relationships with the overall workgroup. In an organization peoples are required to work with a group. Because of cultural differences among the team member a tremendous amount of interaction is required. Interpersonal skills can help to create the right workplace climate reducing disruptive behavior. Also supervisors and leaders should respect their employees to accomplish a goal. Interpersonal communication has many dimensions. Interaction with other people allows individuals the opportunity to develop and enhance their own ideas and share valuable information with the others. Through the proper perception of the interaction employee can find solutions to improve their organizational effectiveness. Interpersonal skills develop good employee relations with the workforce through visual and verbal imagery making employee more satisfied and fulfilled.
No one likes to deal with conflict, but the truth of the matter is that we must. Problems that aren't dealt with tend to become septic and spread into other areas and relationships. Conflict Management Skills can help in resolving employee relations issues quickly and more effectively, and can create greater satisfaction with the workgroup. Surveys show that managers now spend about 20 percent of their time on conflict resolution. And, as employees are asked to communicate with a greater variety of people, they need their own conflict management skills. Most of us are less skilled at handling conflict than we should be. Although studies show that a negotiating behavior is usually the best response to a conflict situation.
When in conflict people have five basic conflict handling positions:
Avoiding
Accommodating
Competing
Compromising
Collaborating
Disordered management style and issues exacerbate the conflict because the communication gets distorted and people become frustrated in a workgroup. Managers should always address up difficult situation and speak up. Effective listening skills convey information properly. Listening what the person says, and responding to the conversation on a positive way reduces workplace conflict. Conflict of any type creates some type of emotions such as anger, frustration, and sorrow. Managing these emotions through respect and careful manner can establish a good relationship with the workplace. With all these techniques improve your conflict-management skills that will go a long way in fostering positive employee relations with a workforce.
Nov 3, 2011
Vital Factor for Effective Communication
What is interpersonal intelligence? How does is serve as a vital factor for communication? To know all about it, read on…
Intelligence, by definition, is a property of the mind that includes many related abilities like the capacities to reason, to plan, to solve problems, think abstractly, understand ideas, use language and learn. Intelligence includes the abilities to comprehend, analyze and react to a situation. Intelligence is the collection of our abilities to act and react.
Howard Gardner, an American psychologist postulated the theory of multiple intelligences. He categorized intelligence on the basis of the different faculties of intellect. He observed that a person shows a flair for linguistic skills while another fails to grasp language; some exhibit excellence in mathematics and logic while others are proficient in sports. He came up with forms of core intelligences namely linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic and musical. The other forms of core intelligences deal with a person's ability to understand the feelings of others and one's ability to know oneself. They were called interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences respectively.
What is Interpersonal Intelligence?
We are a part of society; we are social animals. Hence along with our abilities to lead a life as an individual, it is also important to be able to live and grow as a part of a group. It is important to enhance our social abilities to thrive in the society. This includes the abilities to interact with others, understand them and interpret their behavior. Interpersonal intelligence is something we all need to have but it becomes a vital factor for people in occupations that require interaction with people. Those who have to deal with people as a part of their profession need to have interpersonal intelligence. These include medical practitioners, people in sales or marketing fields and teachers.
Interpersonal intelligence relates to the concept of interaction with the people around. It is about the understanding of their thoughts and feelings and the ability to respond to them. People with an interpersonal intelligence typically fall in the group of extroverts. They are sensitive to the moods and sentiments of others. They possess the ability to cooperate with people around them and are seen as team players. They can work in a group with ease and efficiency and can understand the temperaments of others in the group.
Interpersonal Intelligence and Effective Communication
An understanding of others that characterizes interpersonal intelligence, is a vital factor for effective communication. For an effective communication to be possible the parties involved in it should understand each other’s views. To communicate effectively with another person it is important to grasp his/her opinions about a subject, put oneself in the person’s shoes to understand the reason behind his/her views. As these abilities constitute what is known as interpersonal intelligence, this type of intelligence is a vital factor for effective communication. People who bear an interpersonal intelligence can easily communicate with others. As they have an understanding of moods and emotions of other people, they can empathize with them. They learn by working with others and take interest in discussions. Thus, people with an interpersonal intelligence make very effective communicators.
Interpersonal communication is defined as one that occurs between two people who are interdependent on each other and share a common history. Interpersonal skills are the skills needed to interact in social situations. They include the abilities to effectively convey one's feeling to another person and understand his or her say on the subject. These skills refer to the communicative abilities applied during a social communication.
Interpersonal skills facilitate a communication wherein conflicts and debates are reduced, interactions become easy, people seem approachable, hassles minimize and a healthy and productive environment is created. Be it in a work sector or at home, be it a formal communication, be it a chat with friends, the art of communication underlies them all. It is the knack to effectively communicate, which rules every relationship. A professional relationship is guided by effective business communication and so is the interaction with family and friends. This makes us realize the importance of interpersonal intelligence.
Now that we are aware of the importance of interpersonal skills in our lives, let us look at the ways of improving interpersonal skills. Interpersonal intelligence can be developed if one wishes to acquire it. It being a vital factor for effective communication, acquiring interpersonal skills becomes necessary. To improve one’s interpersonal skills, one must learn to be positive and appreciative. Learn to pay attention to the people around you. Laud them for their successes and try to be their support during their downfalls. Rather than being a complainer, learn to lighten situations with humor. Practice empathy, the key to reach out to others. Improve your interpersonal skills to be an effective communicator and join the camp of the ‘interpersonally intelligent’!
Nov 1, 2011
Developing Your Interpersonal Skills
In fact your ability to develop a sound interpersonal communication and relationship will impact the future expansion of your enterprise.
Three basic constituents form the core of good interpersonal skills. They are: the collaborative efforts, leadership qualities and intercommunication endeavors. Together these three ingredients make an effective combination for laying the foundation for developing interpersonal skills.
Let us go over each one of these constituents so that you can understand their importance in an enterprise.
Collaborative efforts:
You will need to create a synergy amongst the various stakeholders of your business. You will have to work in unison to attain the common goal. Teamwork requires that each one responds to each other's ideas. Learn to develop group goals for which you will have to take the collaborative approach.
Collaborative efforts include:
Teamwork - work as a team with other members; share the workload, assist others in the team to accomplish the tasks.
Instructions - bring clarity in instructions to avoid ambiguity and misinterpretations, tutor and train other team members to gain knowledge, work towards a common business goal.
Decision making - involve your team to come to an appropriate decision in the best interest of your trade, own up the outcome of the decision.
Distribution of work - ensure fair distribution of workload within your group, delegate authority and responsibility to make independent decisions.
Leadership qualities:
As a captain of your business you should be able to navigate your team towards the attainment of common goals. To be an effective leader you will need to develop good communication skills, personal appeal, high professional expertise and the ability to respect others ideas.
To develop leadership qualities you should:
Be capable of motivating others; develop a positive attitude; focus on finding solutions.
Encourage others to come up with better results; instill a feeling of confidence; listen to what others have to say; give constructive feedback.
Be supportive and not start finding faults with others in case collaborative efforts do not bring the desired results.
Intercommunication endeavors:
If should be your endeavor to establish well-defined communication with your clients, team members and employees. Nurture these contacts persistently to strike mutual benefit.
To evolve intercommunication endeavors you should:
Develop and sustain the contacts; interact with people having common business interests.
Keep a database of people who might prove useful in furthering your business cause; look out for those who have already established themselves in similar business.
Respect and use your contacts ethically so as to not to harm each other's business interests.
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