Contents of the free course 
- Why Communication is Important
- Sending out Signals
- Behaviour
- Body Language?
- How to Look the Part
- Check Your Behaviour
Have you also considered these aspects of the course?
- How to Communicate with Your Staff
- Persuading Others
- Professional Telephone Behaviour
- The Art of Letter Writing
- Communicating via Fax, Email and the World Wide Web
- Time for Action
- A Smile
- Recommended Reading
Increase your earnings! Take the full course and receive nationally recognised qualification or call us free at 08000-75-8000 for further information
Why Communication is Important
In this course, we look at the ways in which you communicate with others. We will show how to radiate a positive image to customers, colleagues and suppliers. This is important because the way that we treat them influences the way that they treat us.
For example, what messages do you get from the following situations?
. An untidy, disorganised office
. A dirty delivery van
. A grumpy receptionist
. A smiling, obliging supplier
. Spelling mistakes in the letters you receive
. The way a salesman gets up and greets a customer
. The sales assistant who ignores you.
Each of these situations influences your opinion even when no words are spoken. We need to radiate the right image because we rely on others to make our business successful.
Sending out Signals
In this section, we look at three areas where we can transmit positive signals to the people we meet. These are:
. Behaviour
. Dress
. Body Language.
Let’s start by looking at behaviour.
Behaviour
Most people do their job well enough. However, some people have that extra something which makes them popular with their colleagues and valued by their managers. That extra something is social skill. Social skill can be learnt. Here are some tips which will make you welcome company in both your work and private life.
Smile when you meet people - nothing is more welcome than a warm and friendly smile. A smile indicates that you are pleased to see the other person. It starts the encounter on a warm and friendly note. We draw our clues about the other person’s feelings by their behaviour - a smile transmits like a beacon. A smile says ‘I like you and I am pleased to see you’ . Sales people and repair people need to be able to smile.
Remember other people’s names - someone once said the sound of your own name is the sweetest sound on earth. Take care to remember other people’s names and use them frequently in conversation. This shows that you regard that person as important enough to warrant this extra courtesy.
If appropriate, you may also choose to remember the names of wives and children and ask after them by name. You may also make a note of their interests and hobbies and bring them up in conversation. It only takes a small amount of effort to make a note of these items but your effort will be rewarded many times over.
Be interested in others - express an interest in the people you work with. We are interested in others when they are interested in us. If you take a sincere and genuine interest in the people you meet, they will warm to you, co-operate with you, and regard you as their friend.
Be a good listener - if you want to be a great conversationalist, be a good listener! Most people just want to talk about themselves. If you give other people the opportunity to talk, they will be your friend for life. Listening to someone properly is a hard skill to learn, we want to jump in and talk about ourselves. However, if you listen to someone politely and attentively, you will be paying them the greatest compliment. Encourage people to talk with active listening phrases like ‘go on’ , ‘what happened next?’ ‘how did you feel about that?’ etc.
Talk about the other person‘s interests - most people have interests which are important to them. These interests could be sport, hobbies, politics, religion, even their work! If you give people the opportunity to talk about the things which really interest them, you will never be stuck for conversation. Moreover, you will be regarded as an interesting person in your own right. Of course the benefit isn’t all one way, you can learn a great deal about interesting topics from other people’s interests.
Make the other person feel important - this has to be done sincerely to be effective. Everyone wants to feel important and everyone has some aspect of their lives which they can feel important about. In a work sense, it can be how well a person does their job. In a domestic sense, it can be how good a mother or father they are. In a recreational sense, it could be some achievement in sport. Why not look for an area of achievement in the person you are talking to and give them some praise and recognition for that achievement? This will boost the other person and make them warm to you because of the attention you have paid them.
Sincerity - Your sincerity is far more important than superficial aspects - like your accent or vocabulary. Nowadays you can find successful individuals with all sorts of backgrounds. Indeed a ‘cut glass’ accent could be a disadvantage in some work situations. Sincere people stick out a mile. They are good company in any situation.
COMMUNICATE FOR PROFIT
Some things to avoid - there are some things you should not do because it makes the people around you feel uncomfortable. These include:
- excessive swearing
- expressions of strong racial or religious hatred
- unnecessary repetition of meaningless phrases, e.g. like :
cool man
know what I mean?
you know?
at this moment in time
er ...
Increase your earnings! Take the full course and receive nationally recognised qualification or call us free at 08000-75-8000 for further information
 Body Language?
The social skills which we have talked about so far only work when they are handled sincerely. People who are insincere often show their insincerity by their unconscious actions. These actions are called body language.
Body language isn’t a precise science, however an appreciation of how body movements give clues to people’s true feelings is invaluable. Of course many people have a natural ability to detect the way people really feel by the way they behave. The study of body language simply develops this ability, it can reveal feelings which are not obvious to the casual observer.
Body language can tell you more about what people really mean than all the words in the world. Body language works with everyone including:
- male or female
- customer or colleague
- family or friend
- child or adult
- administrator or sales person.
Nobody can help speaking a ‘non-verbal’ language with their bodies.
Body language includes movements, postures, sitting position, use of the arms, facial expression, eye movements, handshake, way of walking, distance from others, dress etc.
Consider the importance of body language to actors, teachers, instructors, sales people. Their success or failure depends on their mastery of body language and the degree to which their words and body language convey the same message.
Here is an example. How often have you verbally offered assistance to a friend but, if you really don’t want to help, you have found your visual signals give the game away. The friend realises that the offer of help is not genuine and declines it.
There are many ways in which you can communicate your feelings without articulating them. Here are some examples.
- Vocal pitch and emphasis
- Speed of speech
- Breathing
- Posture/stance
- Facial expression
- Eye contact
- Eye movements
- Pupil size
- Distances/territories
- Gestures/movements
- Clothing/dress
- Status symbols/other objects
- Choice of words/jargon.
Here are some more subtle examples of body language.
- Dilation of the eyes indicates interest aroused
Raised shoulders may show tenseness
- Touching the nose could show uncertainty
- Tilting the head to one side may indicate interest
- Arms and legs crossed may be defensive
- Touching of watch strap could signal impatience
- Hands behind the head may show confidence or superiority.
Unconscious body language can be significant when interpreting other people moods, attitudes and intentions.
Beware: When reading body language, you cannot look at a single behaviour and draw a lot of conclusions from it. In order to get a complete picture of another person’s thoughts and feelings, you should assess the body signals as a whole and see them in the context of the situation. In order to be accurate, at least three signals should be pointing in the same direction.
Example
If a person has folded arms, it could mean that person
is ‘closed’ or unreceptive, or it could quite simply
mean they are cold or resting.
If, on the other hand, a person is sitting with:
- folded arms
- crossed legs
- raised shoulders
- lowered head
- scowling face
- eyebrows drawn together
you can be fairly sure that they are
displeased with you or the whole
situation!
Never forget that while you are reading the body language of others, they are also reading yours!
As a service-giver, you are consistently being judged by your body language.
Increase your earnings! Take the full course and receive nationally recognised qualification or call us free at 08000-75-8000 for further information
How to Look the Part
The type of job you do determines the way you are expected to dress. For example, the following appearance would be most unwelcome in a solicitors’ office.
- Visible body tattoos
- Visible body piercing
- Unnatural hair colour, eg red, pink
- A completely shaven head
- Shaving stubble
- ‘Bovver’ boots
- Earrings for men.
On the other hand, if you have a job where you never meet the general public then your employer may not care how you look or dress. However, managers may look at unusually dressed employees and wonder whether their lack of conformity in dress means that they won’t be able to conform to work disciplines.
In general, employers are looking for a conventional appearance in jobs when the employee meets the public. This is because customers and suppliers judge the company by the image of the employees. For example, in office situations, the employer may prefer:
- A business suit as the norm.
- Male office employees would be expected to wear a shirt and tie. (However, men’s ties can often exhibit incredibly exuberant colours and styles without anybody taking the slightest offence!)
- Female employees usually wear a skirt and blouse (although there can be no logical bar to trousers at work for women)!
- Personal appearance should be neat and tidy including:
- clean hands and nails
- no body odour
- clean shaven face for men or a properly trimmed beard
- hair tidy and smart
- shoes black and polished
- conventional make up for women.
You need to ‘tone’ your personal appearance to match the environment in which you work. For example, male teachers and lecturers rarely wear a suit. They prefer a sports jacket and flannels. However, sports jackets and flannels would definitely not be acceptable in a financial job in the City of London.
You may wonder why more businesses don’t opt for smart casual dress for men as personified by Richard Branson. The reasons are not hard to find. It is surprisingly difficult (and expensive) to purchase a range of clothes which are both smart enough and casual enough for work. This is possibly why women spend more on clothes than men! For men, a dark office suit with a brightly coloured tie represents an easy and cheap option for business dress.
Be aware that an extravagant appearance could limit your career prospects if you deal with customers and suppliers. There is no dress code which is automatically ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ . Take your cue from your managers and workmates so that you fit in with the organisation’s norms.
Increase your earnings! Take the full course and receive nationally recognised qualification or call us free at 08000-75-8000 for further information
Check Your Behaviour 
Do you recognise any of the following actions in yourself?
How often do you do them?
Friendly and Co-operative Behaviour
Remember people’s names
Take an interest in others
Try to be a good listener
Talk about other people’s interests
Make people feel important
Avoid pointless jargon
Look at the other person’s face
Smile
Nod your head as the other person is talking
Have open hands
Uncrossed arms
Uncrossed legs
Lean forward slightly
Move closer to the other person
Aggressive Behaviour
Stare at the other person
‘I’ve heard it all before’ expression
Raised eyebrows in exaggerated amazement
Look over the top of spectacles
Point your finger at the other person
Thump your fist on the table
Stand whilst the other person remains seated
Stride around
If seated, lean right back with both hands
behind your head
Check Your Behaviour
Always Sometimes Never
Defensive Behaviour
Don’t look at the other person
Avoid eye contact
Clench your hands
Cross your arms
Constantly rub an eye, nose or ear
Lean away from the other person
Cross your legs
Swivel your feet towards the door
Confident Behaviour
Look into the other person’s eyes
Don’t blink your eyes
Thrust your chin forward
Keep hands away from your face
If standing, have hands together behind
you in an ‘at ease’ position
If seated, lean back with legs out in front of you
If standing, keep straight
Stay still, no sudden movement or wriggling
Increase your earnings! Take the full course and receive nationally recognised qualification or call us free at 08000-75-8000 for further information |
