Thank you for conducting a great class yesterday. I was very skeptical about attending the class (I didn't want to get the traditional class). I also like your sensible, practical demeanor. Thanks for helping to make me a better employee and speaker.

EMC Corporation

Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication:
Everything Matters

When you interact with people they are absorbing and noticing data from a number of sources, at both conscious and unconscious levels of awareness. They do not merely listen to the denotative meaning of the words you speak, as if they were reading a printed page. They hear the tone of voice. They hear accents and the use of slang.

One secret of successfully communicating is to be aware of and use these elements to your own best advantage.

Some of the raw material with which you are working is fixed. If you are young, you are not old. If tall, you are not short. Men are not women and baritones are not sopranos. You cannot change these elements and you should not want or try to do so. You cannot be someone else, so you should concentrate on being the best you can be within your natural style.

If you are young, you can be enthusiastic and eager to learn, not inexperienced and callow. If older, you can project experience and mature wisdom, rather than rigidity. Rather than deny who you are or pretend to be someone else, you use your assets.

Using Language to Connect

Words are precious. They can either help us communicate and build a connection or they can turn off customers. When speaking try to take into account your customers likely familiarity with your language. Consider their experience, and educational background. Using words that may be un-familiar risks failure.

For example, have you ever heard a doctor speak doctorese in describing an ailment as "lateral epicondylitis," which in English means "tennis elbow?"

1. Be Concrete.

Using concrete words means you give a term meaning. People will be less likely to attach their meaning — a meaning you may not intend. You also better hold attention as people will be less likely to stop listening to you in order to determine the meaning of an abstract term.

2. Be sensitive to people who may be unfamiliar with your profession, industry, or organization.

Speaking in technical terms and jargon may give you the sense of being an expert, but such words can divert attention as people try to define the un-familiar.

3. Speak conversationally, in short, personal words:

and finally, remember to remain relaxed and confident in your knowledge!

Contact Decker Associates about how we can develop and deliver a personalized Communication Skills workshop onsite for your company

Call 781-433-0300 or contact us today!

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