Communication In The Modern Business World

Communication takes many forms from face to face to more advanced methods like modern mobile and cell phone technology. The key to successful communication within many businesses is having a good mix of communication methods including team briefings and meetings, emails, teleconferencing and more.

So with the need for businesses to find the best methods of communication for their company Two Way Radios are now being used to further enhance their communication mix. 2 Way Radio gives business a reliable, robust and portable way for their staff to stay in touch in many different circumstances. These radios can be used over a wide area and benefit from no call charges which often makes them far more appealing than other portable communication equipment like mobile or cell phones.

And because Two Way Radios like the Kenwood TK3201 which is available at http://www.apexradio.co.uk/product_info.php?id=61and Motorola XTN446 at http://www.apexradio.co.uk/product_info.php?id=104 are affordable, businesses of all types can benefit from using them. Some examples include security staff at licensed premises or sporting venues being able to keep in touch and alert colleagues to disturbances, queues and potential problems. They therefore aid not just communication but health and safety as well. Schools, colleges, nurseries and universities are also using 2 Way Radios for various members of staff to stay in touch. Teachers on field trips, caretakers, ground workers and teaching assistants whilst organizing sporting events can all now take advantage of the benefits that portable radios can bring. With features including long battery lives, panic alarms and license free communication.

Other businesses where the use of Two Way Radio has greatly enhanced their performance and ability to stay in touch include factories and retailers. The retail sector in particular find the radio technology extremely useful as it allows workers on the shop floor to easily communicate with the distribution team to check stock levels, deliveries and again as in other industries to report accidents and therefore enhance their health and safety practices. The retail sector like many others is now extremely competitive so shops and retail outlets who want to enhance the service they provide customers can use two way radios to further differentiate them from their competitors.

Picture the scenario, you go into a shop and ask a member of staff if they have a particular item in stock. The member of staff disappears what seems like forever only to return with the news that the item is or is not in stock. Compare this to another retailer whose staff carry 2 way radios. You approach them and ask if an item is in stock. They immediately connect the stock room using their 2 way radio and within seconds you find out if the item you are after is available. This is just one of the ways that the retail industry is using two way radio but there are many others.

The Mathematics of Persuasive Communication

At first glance mathematics and persuasive communication – writing, and particularly public speaking - would seem to have little in common. After all, mathematics is an objective science, whilst speaking involves voice quality, inflection, eye contact, personality, body language, and other subjective components.

However, under the surface they are very similar.

Above anything else, the success of an oral presentation depends on the precision of its structure. Mathematics is all about precision. It is therefore not so odd to think that applying some of the concepts of mathematics to oral presentations could make them substantially more effective.

As they say in the film industry, three key factors go into making a successful movie: the script, the script, and the script. Likewise, three key factors go into making a successful speech: the structure, the structure, and the structure.

Not convinced? Then let's start with something less radical.

I think we can all agree that good speaking is related to good writing. If you can write a good text, then you are well on your way to preparing a good oral presentation. Therefore, if you improve your writing, you will also improve your speaking.

To simplify matters, from now on we will talk mainly about good writing, because in most cases the same ideas apply directly to good speaking.

Know What You Are Doing

Many commercial companies do not live up to their potential - and sometimes even go bankrupt - because they fail to correctly define the business they are in.

Perfume companies, for example, do not sell fragrant liquids, but rather love, romance, seductiveness, self-esteem, etc. Bio-food companies do not sell organic produce, but rather honesty, purity, nature, etc. Automobile manufacturers do not sell transportation, but rather freedom, adventure, spontaneity, prestige, etc. The fact is, each industry, even each individual product, may have to determine what it is truly all about - and there are thousands of them!

Writers are lucky. There are numerous variations to what we do, but there are really only two fundamental types of writing. It is important to recognise this, because not only are they quite different, in some respects they are exactly opposite. So unless we clearly recognise which type of writing we are doing - and how it differs from the other one - we will almost certainly commit serious errors.

What are the two types? And how do they differ?

Creative Writing

Texts such as short stories, novels, poems, radio plays, stage plays, television scripts, film scripts, etc.

The fundamental purpose of creative writing is to amuse and entertain.

Expository Writing

Texts such as memos, reports, proposals, training manuals, newsletters, research papers, etc.

The fundamental purpose of expository writing is to instruct and inform.

Essential Attitude towards Expository Writing

Because the objectives of creative and expository writing are so different, before striking a key you must adopt the appropriate attitude towards the type of writing you are doing.

Creative Writing Attitude

Everyone wants to read want what you are going to write.

After all, who doesn't want to be amused and entertained?

Expository Writing Attitude

No one wants to read what you are going to write.

Most people don't like to be instructed and informed. They probably would much prefer to be doing something else.

The importance of recognising and adopting the "expository writing attitude" cannot be over-stated, because it can dramatically change the very nature of what you are writing. Here are a couple of examples.

A. Corporate image brochure

I was once commissioned to write a corporate image brochure. Two things are certain about these expensive, glossy booklets:

• Almost all companies of any size feel compelled to produce them.

• Virtually no one ever reads them.

Starting from the attitude that no one would want to read what I was about to write, I created a brochure that people not only read. They actually called the company to request additional copies to give to friends, clients and professional colleagues!

B. Stagnating product

On another occasion, I was commissioned to develop an advertising campaign to revitalise a product with stagnating sales. Applying the expository writing attitude, I discovered that three of the product's key benefits were not being properly exploited. Why? The manufacturer felt that everything about their product was important, so for years they had been systematically burying these three key benefits under an avalanche of other information of less interest to potential buyers. The new campaign sharply focussed on the key benefits; virtually all other information was moved to the background or eliminated. As a result, sales shot up some 40% in the first year.

With some nuances, this self-same expository writing attitude can be - and should be - applied to speaking, as well.

Essential Approach to Expository Writing

Because creative writing and expository writing have essentially different objectives and attitudes, they require essentially different approaches.

Creative Writing Approach

Play with language to generate pleasure.

In other words, use your mastery of the language to amuse and entertain.

Expository Writing Approach

Organise information to generate interest.

Clever use of language will never make dull information interesting; however, you can organise the information to make it interesting. Forget about literary pyrotechnics. Concentrate on content.

We are now going to leave creative writing, because most of what we write, and say, is expository.

What Do We Mean by "Good Writing"?

We are now ready to return to the notion of how mathematics applies to good writing, and by extension to good speaking.

When someone reads an expository text or listens to an expository speech, they are likely to judge it as good or not good. You probably do this yourself. But what do you actually mean when you say a text or a speech is "good".

After some struggling, most people will usually settle on two criteria: clear and concise.

Mathematics depends on unambiguous definitions; if you are not clear about the problem, you are unlikely to find the solution. So we are going to examine these criteria in some detail in order to establish objective definitions - and even quasi-mathematical formulae - for testing whether a text or a presentation truly is "good".

A. Clarity

How do you know that a text is clear?

If this sounds like a silly question, try to answer it. You will probably do something like this:

Question: What makes this text clear?

Answer: It is easy to understand.

Question: What makes it easy to understand?

Answer: It is simple.

Question: What do you mean by simple?

Answer: It is clear.

You in fact end up going around in a circle. The text is clear because it is easy to understand . . . because it is simple . . . because it is clear.

"Clear", "easy to understand", and "simple" are synonyms. Whilst synonyms may have nuances, they do not have content, so you are still left to your own subjective appreciation. But what you think is clear may not be clear to someone else.

This is why we give "clear" an objective definition, almost like a mathematical formula. To achieve clarity -i.e. virtually everyone will agree that it is clear - you must do three things.

1. Emphasise what is of key importance.

2. De-emphasise what is of secondary importance.

3. Eliminate what is of no importance.

In short: CL = EDE

Like all mathematical formulae, this one works only if you know how to apply it, which requires judgement.

In this case, you must first decide what is of key importance, i.e. what are the key ideas you want your readers to take away from your text? This is not always easy to do. It is far simpler to say that everything is of key importance, so you put in everything you have. But there is a dictum that warns: If everything is important, then nothing is. In other words, unless you first do the work of defining what you really want your readers to know, they won't do it for you. They will get lost in your text and either give up or come out the other end not knowing what it is they have read.

What about the second element of the formula, de-emphasise what is of secondary importance?

That sounds easy enough. You don't want key information and ideas to get lost in details. If you clearly emphasise what is of key importance - via headlines, Italics, underlining, or simply how you organise the information - then whatever is left over is automatically de-emphasised.

Now the only thing left to do is eliminate what is of no importance.

But how do you distinguish between what is of secondary importance and what is of no importance? Once again, this requires judgement, which is helped by the following very important test.

Secondary importance is anything that supports and/or elaborates one or more of the key ideas. If you judge that a piece of information in fact does support or elaborate one or more key ideas, then you keep it. If not, you eliminate it.

B. Conciseness

How do you know that a text is concise?

If this once again sounds like a silly question, let's try to answer it.

Question: What makes this text concise?

Answer: It is short.

Question: What do you mean by short?

Answer: It doesn't have too many words.

Question: How do you know it doesn't have too many words?

Answer: Because it is concise.

So once again we end up going around in a circle. The text is concise because it is short . . . because it doesn't have too many words . . . because it is concise.

Once again, we have almost a mathematical formula to solve the problem. To achieve conciseness, your text should meet two criteria. It must be as:

1. Long as necessary

2. Short as possible

In symbols: CO = LS

If you have fulfilled the criteria of "clarity" correctly, you already understand "as long as necessary". It means covering all the ideas of key importance you have identified, and all the ideas of secondary importance needed to support and/or elaborate these key ideas.

Note that nothing is said here about the number of words, because it is irrelevant. If it takes 500 words to be "as long as necessary", then 500 words must be used. If it takes 1500 words, then this is all right too. The important point is that everything that should be in the text is fully there.

Then what is meant by "as short as possible"?

Once again, this has nothing do to with the number of words. It is useless to say at the beginning, "I must not write more than 300 words on this subject", because 500 words may be the minimum necessary.

"As short as possible" means staying as close as you can to the minimum. But not because people prefer short texts; in the abstract the terms "long" and "short" have no meaning. The important point is that all words beyond the minimum tend to reduce clarity.

We should not be rigid about this. If being "as long as necessary" can be done in 500 words and you use 520, this is probably a question of individual style. It does no harm. However, if you use 650 words, it is almost certain that the text will not be completely clear- and that the reader will become confused, bored or lost.

In sum, conciseness means saying what needs to be said in the minimum amount of words. Conciseness:

• Aids clarity by ensuring best structuring of information.

• Holds reader interest by providing maximum information in minimum time.

C. Density

Density is a less familiar concept than clarity and conciseness, but is equally important. In mathematical form, density consists of:

1. Precise information

2. Logically linked

In other words: D = PL

Importance of Precise Information

Suppose you enter a room where there are two other people and say, "It's very hot today." One of those people comes from Helsinki; in his mind he interprets "hot" to mean about 23°C. The other one comes from Khartoum; to him "hot" means 45°C.

You are off to a rather bad start, because each one has a totally different idea of what you want to say. But suppose you say, "It's very hot today; the temperature is 28° C." Now there is no room for confusion. They both know quite clearly that it is 28° C outside and that you consider this to be very hot.

Using as much precise information as possible in a text gives the writer two significant advantages:

• Mind Control

Let's not be embarrassed by the term "mind control", because this is precisely what the good expository writer wants to achieve. He needs for the reader's mind to go only where he directs it and nowhere else.

Because they can be interpreted in unknown ways, ambiguous terms (so-called "weasel words") such as "hot", "cold", "big", "small", "good", "bad", etc., allow the reader's mind to escape from the writer's control. An occasional lapse is not critical; however, too many weasel words in a text will inevitably lead to reader confusion, boredom and disinterest.

• Reader Confidence

Using precise information generates confidence, because it tells the reader that the writer really knows what he is talking about.

Reader confidence is important in any kind of text, but it is crucial in argumentation. If you are trying to win a point, the last thing you want is the reader to challenge your data, but this is the first reaction imprecise writing will provoke. Precise writing ensures that the discussion will be about the implications of the information, i.e. what conclusions should be drawn, not whether the whole thing needs to go back for further investigation.

Importance of Logical Linking

Precise data (facts) by themselves are insufficient. To be meaningful, data must be organised to create information, i.e. help the reader understand.

There are two important tests to apply when converting data into information:

1. Relevance

Is a particular piece of data really needed? As we have seen, unnecessary data damages understanding and ultimately undermines confidence. Therefore, any data that do not either aid understanding or promote confidence should be eliminated.

2. Misconceptions

The logical link between data must be made explicit to prevent the reader from coming to false conclusions. For example: a specific situation may be confused for a general one; credit for an achievement may seem to belong to only one person when it really belongs to a group; a company policy may appear to apply only in very specific circumstances rather than in all circumstances, etc.

To ensure that a logical link is clear, place the two pieces of data as close to each other as possible, preferably right next to each other.

When data are widely separated, their logical relationship is masked and the reader is unlikely to make the connection.

What do you want? What do your readers want?

I frequently ask non-professional writers what they are thinking when they sit down at the keyboard to compose their text. The answer is usually something like, "How do I want to present my material?" "What tone and style should I use?" "In what order should I put my key ideas?" And so on.

However, if you start with the correct attitude, i.e. no one wants to read what you write, your first task is none of these. Ahead of anything else, you must find reasons why people should spend their time to read what you write.

In general, you cannot force people to read what they don't want to, even if they are being paid to do so.

For example, you produce a report defining opportunities for increased sales and profits. However, if it is not well written, even people who must read it as part of their job are unlikely to give it their full attention. On the other hand, if they immediately see their own self-interest in reading what you have written, they will do so gladly and with full attention. In fact, you probably couldn't stop them from reading it!

There are various methods to generate such a strong desire to read, depending on the type of readers and the type of information. Whatever the most appropriate device, the crucial thing is to recognise the imperative need to use it. Until this need is met, nothing else is of any importance.

Editor’s note: Reading is an isolated activity and listening to a speech is a social one. Therefore, whilst the underlying principles of good writing and good speaking are constant, the way they are applied can be markedly different. In the "I" of the Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a Professional, Mr. Yaffe’s recently published book, clearly explains these differences. It also offers several appendices with cogent examples and pertinent, effective exercises.

Philip Yaffe is a former reporter/feature writer with The Wall Street Journal and a marketing communication consultant; He currently teaches a course in good writing and good speaking in Brussels, Belgium. In the "I" of the Storm is available either in a print version or electronic version from Story Publishers in Ghent, Belgium (storypublishers.be) and Amazon (amazon.com).

Laugh Your Way to Persuasive Communication

If you can tell a joke well, you already possess many of the skills you need to write a persuasive marketing plan, sales letter, financial report, new product proposal, etc. Equally, you already possess many of the skills you need to prepare persuasive speeches and other types of oral presentations. Really? Just think about it. A well-constructed joke perfectly fulfills two critical criteria of persuasive communication: clarity and conciseness. To better understand this, we first need to determine the true meanings of "clarity" and "conciseness". This can best be done by giving them objective definitions, almost like a mathematical formula.

Clarity

To achieve clarity - i.e. to ensure that virtually everyone will understand what you are saying - you must do three things.

1. Emphasize what is of key importance.

2. De-emphasize what is of secondary importance.

3. Eliminate what is of no importance.

In symbols: CL = EDE

To apply the formula, whenever you write you must first decide what really is of key importance, i.e. what are the fundamental ideas you want your audience to take away from your text or discourse? This is not always easy to do. It is far simpler to say that everything is of key importance, so you put in everything you have. But there is a dictum that warns: If everything is important, then nothing is. In other words, unless you first do the work of defining what you really want your audience to know, they won't do it for you. They will simply get lost in your words and either give up or come out the other end not knowing what it is you were trying to say. What about the second element of the formula, de-emphasize what is of secondary importance? You don't want key information and ideas to get lost in details. If you clearly emphasize what is of key importance, then whatever is left over is automatically de-emphasized.

Finally, you need to eliminate what is of no importance. Why? Because just as you don’t want your key ideas to get lost in details, you certainly don’t want them to get lost in elements that have no business being there in the first place.

Conciseness

To achieve conciseness, your text or discourse must be as:

1. Long as necessary

2. Short as possible

In symbols: CO = LS

If you have fulfilled the criteria of "clarity" correctly, you already understand "as long as necessary". It means covering all the ideas of key importance you have identified, and all the ideas of secondary importance needed to support and/or elaborate these key ideas. Note that nothing is said here about the number of words, because it is irrelevant. If it takes 500 words to be "as long as necessary", then 500 words must be used. If it takes 1500 words, then this is all right too. The important point is that you actually say everything that really needs to be said. Then what is meant by "as short as possible"? Once again, this has nothing do to with the number of words. It is useless to say at the beginning, "I must not use more than 300 words on this subject", because 500 words may be the minimum necessary. "As short as possible" means staying as close as you can to the minimum. But not because people prefer short texts and presentations; in the abstract the terms "long" and "short" have no meaning. The important point is, all words beyond the minimum tend to reduce clarity.

We should not be rigid about this. If being "as long as necessary" can be done in 500 words and you use 520, this is probably a question of individual style. It does no harm. However, if you use 650 words, it is almost certain that the message will not be completely clear - and your audience will become bored, confused, or lost. In sum, conciseness means saying what needs to be said in the minimum number of words. So how does all of this relate to jokes? If a text or oral presentation fails in its purpose, you often don’t know it until a long time later. Feedback is not instantaneous. If you fail with a joke, you know it immediately. To see how this works in practice, here are two versions of the same joke. Version 1 shows what it would look like by ignoring the formulas for clarity and conciseness; Version 2 shows what it would look like with the formulas properly applied. But a word of warning. Version 1 may become rather tedious, so if you are inclined to fall asleep while reading it, jump directly to Version 2.

Version 1

Arthur is taking a trip from Dublin to New York. He gets on the plane at Dublin Airport and straps himself into his seat. The plane takes off. About an hour later, the intercom clicks on. A voice is heard saying:

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. The weather across the Atlantic is clear and calm. But I have to report to you that there has been a malfunction in our number 1 engine and for safety reasons I will have to shut it down. However, let me assure you that there is nothing to worry about. This is a superbly designed, superbly engineered aircraft and we can easily fly on three engines. But I will need to reduce our air speed and I estimate that we will be about a 30 minutes late arriving in New York."

After about another hour’s flying time, the sound of the intercom is heard again. Once again, it is the captain.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. The weather across the Atlantic is still clear and calm. However, I must report to you a malfunction in our number 2 engine and for safety reasons I will have to shut it down. But once again let me assure you that there is nothing to worry about. This is a superbly designed, superbly engineered aircraft and we can easily fly on two engines. But once again I will have to reduce our air speed and I estimate that we will be about one-and-a-hours late arriving in New York."

About an hour later, it happens again. The intercom clicks on and a voice is heard.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. The weather across the Atlantic remains clear and calm. However, I must report to that we now also have a malfunction in our number 3 engine and for safety reasons I will have to shut it down. But again let me assure you that there is nothing to worry about. This is a superbly designed, superbly engineered aircraft and we can easily fly on one engine. But once again I will have to reduce our air speed and I now estimate that we will now be about three hours late arriving in New York."

At this point, Arthur lets out a groan. "Good grief, I hope the captain doesn’t have to shut down that fourth engine. Otherwise, we could be up here all night!"

Version 2

A plane takes off from Dublin heading to New York. After about an hour, the intercom clicks on and a voice is heard.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I have to report that due to a malfunction we have lost the use of our number 1 engine. But let me assure you that there is nothing to worry about. This is a superbly designed, superbly engineered aircraft. We can easily fly on three engines. However, I will have to reduce speed and I estimate we will be about 30 minutes late arriving in New York."

A bit later the intercom again clicks on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I have to report that we have also lost use of our number 2 engine. But once again, let me assure you that there is nothing to worry about. This is a superbly designed, superbly engineered aircraft and we can easily fly on two engines. However, I will once again have to reduce speed and I now estimate that we will be about one-and-a-half hours late arriving in New York."

Another bit more times goes by. Once again the intercom clicks on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I have to report that we have now lost use of our number 3 engine. But once again, let me assure you that there is nothing to worry about. This is a superbly designed, superbly engineered aircraft and we can easily fly on one engine. However, I will again have to reduce speed and I estimate that we will now be about three hours late arriving in New York."

At this point, Arthur lets out a groan. "Good grief, I hope we don’t lose that fourth engine. Otherwise, we could be up here all night!" Version 1 contains 406 words, while Version 2 contains only 298. And I think you will agree that the second version is much funnier. Why? Because it fully respects the formulas for clarity and conciseness, as all good jokes do.

Here are two more well-constructed stories. They are not jokes of the "ha-ha" variety, but I am certain they will put a smile on your face.

All about Penguins

A little girl goes into a library and asks the librarian, "Do you have any books about penguins?" The librarian goes to the shelves and gives her four or five books, which she sits down to read. A few minutes later, she comes up to the librarian’s desk and returns them. "What’s the matter, honey?" the librarian asks. "Don’t you like these books about penguins?" "Oh no," the little girl replies. "They’re great books! They’re wonderful books. But well, they just tell me much more about penguins than I really want to know."

Why Does It Rain?

A little girl (not the same one) asks, "Daddy, why does it rain?" Her father takes her on his knee and explains: "Well, it rains to give water so the grass can grow. And it rains to give water so the flowers can grow. And it rains to give water so the shrubs can grow. And it rains to give water so the trees can grow. Now do you understand why it rains?" "Oh yes, Daddy," she replies. "But why does it rain on the sidewalk?"

Philip Yaffe is a former reporter/feature writer with The Wall Street Journal and a marketing communication consultant. He currently teaches a course in good writing and good speaking in Brussels, Belgium. His recently published book In the "I" of the Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a Professional is available from Story Publishers in Ghent, Belgium (storypublishers.be) and Amazon (amazon.com).

What are Your Words Worth?

What Are Your Words Worth?

Word choice can change the perception and value of your business communications. Each piece of correspondence, promotional, marketing and advertising material your company produces is an investment in your success. Are you investing wisely?

Think about the words "old" and "experienced". They have similar meanings. However if you advertised that you are the most "experienced" business as opposed to the "oldest" you’d probably receive a better response.

Let’s look at the definitions

Old by definition means one of specified age or from an earlier time.

Experienced by definition means made skillful or wise through experience (also practiced).

By definition the words are similar and can be interchanged, yet what do you visualize when you think of each word?

Would you rather do business with an "old" or "experienced" business? It depends on personal perception and you need to know the perceptions of your customers.

This is only one example of why what you say is just as important as how you say it. When considering word choice, think about what motivates and what will move your customers closer to the desired action.

Surprisingly, many businesses fail to recognize the importance of strong content for marketing, advertising, promotional materials and even basic business correspondence. Often design or format of such materials is given first consideration. It’s true that a visually pleasing layout helps form image and is an important part of the branding process. However, content is king and your materials will be more effective with a balanced marriage of content and design.

Here’s why ?

Copy (that’s the written part of documents) should move your customers through a process. A well designed brochure may catch the eye but if the content doesn’t pique interest, clearly describe the "what’s in it for me" factor, answer commonly asked questions or ask for action, customers won’t respond as favorably as they could. Plus, your return on investment will be not be as strong as it should be.

Your customers should do more than merely glance at your materials because they look good. You want your customers to be engaged and interested in what you have to say about your product or service. Most importantly, you want them to take action. What are your marketing and advertising materials saying? Are you getting the response you desire?

Lisa Manyon specializes in powerfully communicating business messages to increase results. She is a professional copywriter and marketing strategist. Her work has been featured by the National Association of Women Writers, Absolute Write, Copywriting TNT, Lewiston Tribune and more. Manyon works directly with Lorrie Morgan–Ferrero as theRed Hot Communications gold Copywriting Mentorship Managing Director and is also the first professional copywriter in Idaho to earn Glazer –Kennedy’s Creating Copy That Sells certification. She developed a series of training seminars for the Idaho Small Business Development Center to assist businesses with image, planning, publicity and copywriting. Sign up for Manyon’s complimentary ezine and get savvy marketing insights delivered right to you inbox at zero cost to you. Here http://writeoncreative.com/blog/

Techniques of Persuasive Communication: Old Wisdom in a New Package

What you are about to read will probably sound familiar. Indeed, it has been said many times before. However, I believe this formulation is original and may help you better apply it in your marketing communication. I immodestly call it Yaffe’s Law.

Yaffe’s Law

If you give people what they want first, they are likely to accept anything else you want them to have. If you give them what you want first, chances are they won’t accept anything at all.

This is simply the classic principle that you should write from the reader’s point of view. And of course we all do this. Or do we?

How often do we interpret writing from the reader’s point of view as telling people: "What I have to say will be of benefit to you, so you should pay close attention"? When we do this, we are in fact writing from our point of view, not theirs. We may sincerely believe that our message is important and will be beneficial to our potential readers. But unless they agree—and agree almost immediately—the argument is lost.

We have all been guilty of such self-serving logic, and some of us do it more often than we would like to imagine. This is why this new formulation of the classic principle is potentially so useful. It forcefully reminds us that the readers are king. And like royalty they must be served first. Only after readers have sampled what we have on offer and find it palatable will they be truly ready to listen to what we want to say. Assimilate it. And hopefully act on it.

The power of Yaffe’s Law lies in the fact that it is more than just a reminder. It is in fact a formula for ensuring that you will always write from the reader’s point of view. The trick is first to apply the formula, then check how well you have applied it—and, if necessary, reapply it.

The formula consists of three steps:

1. Determine what your readers really want to know, rather than what you want to say.
2. Give this to them--first.
3. Link what you want to say to what they really want to know.

Here are a few examples of how Yaffe’s Law works in practice.

Corporate Image Brochure

I was once commissioned to write a corporate image brochure. Two things are certain about these expensive, glossy booklets:

• Almost all companies of any size feel compelled to produce them.

• Virtually no one ever reads them.

By applying the formula, I created a brochure that people not only read. They called the company to request additional copies to give to friends, clients and professional colleagues!

How? I started from the assumption that no one would want to read anything about the company itself. So I asked myself: What things does the company do that people might really want to read about?

The company’s basic activity was producing vaccines. We are all naturally interested in health and virtually everyone knows the importance of vaccination. Here were already two things people might want to read about.

I was able to define seven areas of the company’s activities that could be naturally attractive to potential readers. However, it didn’t stop there. If all this interesting information were mixed up with company publicity, people would still probably not read it despite their natural inclination to do so.

The brochure was therefore laid out in seven double-page spreads, i.e. each of the seven areas of activity would be allotted two facing pages. However, the text would be rigorously segregated.

• Theory

The left side would be pure science; the company’s name would never be mentioned.

• Practice

The right side would explain how the company used the science to produce vaccines.

In short, I gave the readers what they wanted first (scientific information), then what the company wanted them to have second (company information).

When I proposed this to the company, the reaction was one of shock. "You mean people could read the brochure left side only and never ever see our name?" Exactly. But having learned about the basic science, wouldn’t they naturally want to learn how the company was using the science?

It took a while for management to accept the idea, but finally they did. When the brochure was ready, they couldn’t print enough of them.

Of course, not all companies would be suitable for this particular type of corporate image brochure. The important thing here is not the specific structure of this specific brochure, but the thinking process that led to it.

Stand Specific Video

I have done considerable work for pharmaceutical companies. This often included attending medical congresses. The first couple of times I did this, I noted something strange.

Pharmaceutical companies regularly erect exhibition stands to inform specialist doctors about new drugs and new applications of older drugs. I noted that many of the stands had several video monitors at their edges running videotapes. I observed the behavior of the doctors. The vast majority of them watched the tape for only a minute or two, then went away.

I asked an international marketing director why he was using these monitors and tapes. "To attract attention to our stand," he said. "But the doctors stay in front of the monitor only a couple of minutes, then leave." "Yes, but they were attracted to our stand. They know we are here and may come back."

Frankly, this didn’t make much sense to me, but being young and inexperienced I accepted it. A couple of years later, when I felt I knew better what I was doing, I made a suggestion.

The videotapes ran anywhere from 10 - 15 minutes, then automatically recycled. The problem was, doctors who began watching after the tape had started never knew how long they would have to wait for it to finish and restart. Moreover, hardly any were likely to stand in front the video monitor for 15 minutes or more, even if they had known how long the presentation was.

The tapes were so long because they had not been conceived for medical congresses, but for a totally different purpose. They were used simply because they already existed.

I suggested making a "stand-specific videotape", which would concentrate all key information about the company’s product into no more than 90 seconds. The fact that the tape ran only 90 seconds and then automatically recycled would be prominently posted, so that the doctors would know exactly how much time they were being asked to invest in it.

Consider the benefits:

1. Virtually all doctors who started to watch the tape stayed for it to recycle.

2. Because they got all the key points, many who wanted more detailed information immediately came onto the stand.

3. Those who were interested but were short of time probably came back later.

4. Even those who were not certain they were interested nonetheless went away with a complete picture of what the company’s product was all about.

In short, virtually 100% effectiveness!

There was no way to gauge the effectiveness of the previous system. But if it had been as much as 10%, I would have been shocked.

Interactive Stand Animation System

Another thing I noticed at medical congresses. Doctors would come onto the stand, pick up the brochures and scientific papers, put them in the congress bags, then move on to the next stand and do the same thing. The problem was, pharmaceutical companies could never really tell if doctors actually read the materials they take away. Estimates are that up 95% of it ends up in the hotel’s wastepaper basket without ever being opened.

Using the method of Yaffe’s Law, a few years ago a colleague and I created what we call the Interactive Stand Animation System. It is applicable not only to medical congresses, but virtually every other kind of professional trade show.

There is not room here to describe how it works, but I can tell you its results.

With this system, you are certain that your brochures, data sheets, etc., are being read, because people read them right in front of you on the stand. Even better, they actually study the documents, then discuss, debate and compare notes with their colleagues. At the same time, they provide you with valuable market research information that would be difficult to obtain in any other way. This can be very important for determining the best ways of presenting your products, which features to emphasis, which aspects may require change for later versions, etc.

I once described this system to the international marketing director of a major pharmaceutical company. He was very sceptical. Basically he said: "I have been in this business for nearly 30 years and I have attended dozens and dozens of medical congresses. What you are telling me just isn’t possible." He maintained this position until he went to a congress where we were running the system for another company. His reaction: "I’ve seen it, but I still don’t believe it. I never would have imagined anything like this could possibly be true."

Unbeatable Business Communication: How to Set the Stage for...

Do you struggle to create and maintain cohesiveness in your business or your place of work? Don't you wish there was a way to bring everyone together and work toward a common goal? Well, there is a way to do all of this and keep a smile on each person's face. One of the most important and little-known business communication practices is alignment. Read on to find out what this is and how it can turbo-charge your workplace productivity.

What is Alignment?

When you think alignment, you may automatically think of how awkward the steering on your vehicle gets when the alignment isn't done regularly. There is another type of alignment which can be applied to verbal interactions with yourself or with other people. The kind of alignment we are referring to here is similar to your vehicle's alignment. In fact, if you don't create alignment regularly in your business interactions, you will find that your communication gets off track, just as the steering does in your car. Communication alignment is when you and the people you're communicating with share a common goal. You do this by digging deep into what each person is saying and finding out what everyone wants out of the experience. By communicating goals and desired outcomes, identifying strategies for achieving those goals becomes much easier.

Alignment creates happy people and extremely effective business communication. In business, we are often encouraged to learn new listening techniques or memorizing scripts to overcome possible objections. Yet, we overlook one of the most important keys to effective communication - creating alignment. Every successful interaction begins with alignment and it is guaranteed to make a significant impact on everyone involved.

To better grasp the concept of alignment, think about how we are all interconnected in life. We each have our own goals and aspirations, and we all go in our own direction in order to achieve these goals. Yet, the interactions we have with others affect (and sometimes limit) how we live our lives. We can be faced with obstacles when we interact with others who are going in a different direction than we are. It is how we choose to communicate with these people that will ultimately guide us back in the direction we want to be going. Applying this concept to business, we can see how creating alignment with others helps promote more beneficial outcomes for everyone involved.

Creating Alignment with Yourself

It is critical to create alignment with yourself before you can begin to create it with others. Once you have identified your desired outcome, and the underlying values associated with it, you will be ready to express it to others. Be sure to dig deep and find those underlying values that support your wants. For instance, perhaps your desired outcome is to have everybody in the group read a memo before a meeting. The underlying value might be effectiveness because you want people to be informed so you don't lose any time getting people up to speed once the meeting is underway. It is important to understand that behind every desired outcome, there are values that make you want that outcome in the first place.

Alignment in Practice: Conversing with Others

Once you discover the values which motivate your desired outcome, you are ready to create alignment with others. Start by sharing your values with the others and ask if they too value those things. Would they be willing to work with you to create that kind of experience? By going through this process, we create a shared vision and align our values. A shared vision might be to increase productivity or produce results more quickly. Once everyone is clear on a shared vision, you are ready to brainstorm strategies that will lead you to the results you all desire.

Important Things to Remember for the Alignment Conversation:

As you start the alignment conversation, it's important to remember to keep it as strategy-free as possible. During this beginning stage, we suggest that you make an agreement with the other person not to try and figure out how to get the specifics of what you want. Once you've agreed upon your shared vision, there will be plenty of time to move on to the specifics of how to reach your goals. It's also wise if you and the other person, or group, agree to avoid spending time talking about the failures of the past. (Bringing up the past can be useful, but only if it is done to understand values that may have been missing back then, not to assign fault or to justify your skepticism.)

Other Keys to Cover in the Conversation:

A willingness to negotiate strategies that are mutually agreeable. A commitment to let go of judgments and/or criticisms. An agreement to celebrate all wins that come from this conversation

Once you are sharing the same vision, you're now working toward the same end result - the big picture of what you all want. This will make it easier to create situations that produce results that everyone will enjoy. When everyone is making agreements from a shared vision, you'll start rolling along down the road to cooperation and teamwork with far fewer bumps than you encountered before - cooperation and teamwork that will increase productivity and will create rewarding results for everyone involved.

Choosing Corporate Long Distance Communication

Are you one of those dynamic business captains whose footprint covers the better part of the globe? Are you constantly communicating with your clients, associates, or suppliers?

Then you must be one who is heavily depending on trouble free, smooth and uninterrupted communication across time zones and continents. For that you must opt for the low business long distance rates available for long distance communication.

Now that itself is a very lengthy and complicated process.

This becomes even more complicated with rival service providers shouting themselves hoarse to prove they are the best.

With so much technical jargon thrown in and an extremely complicated system of billing (which at times verges on the weird!) by the service providers, it becomes near impossible for you to chose the right candidate who will provide you with uninterrupted communication flow with all those who matter.

So, the first step you should take is to become familiar with some of these jargons so that the smooth talking sales people can not lead you up the garden path!

This particular service is also popularly known as Wide- area Telephone Service (WATS). It is a modified form of long distance communication and is used by those who are in constant need of communicating with a number of fixed users.

There are three categories of WATS lines. They are In-Wats, Out-Wats and lines which are capable of both sending and receiving voice based information. You will have to carefully decide what sort of lines you choose between two communication hubs in your business network.

The system works on a basically simple framework. A few numbers are kept separate for exclusive use of the users of long distance telecommunication services. These numbers could be 866, 877 or 888 or some such combination.

The caller on these numbers need not pay long distance charges when communicating with these hubs. The receiver of such calls has to pay a certain fixed monthly charge for use of this facility up to a ceiling of hours of usage. If the usage crosses this ceiling, then charges are levied according to a specific rate chart.

Before you choose a corporate long distance provider, discuss with him thoroughly about the fine prints of the rate structure. These providers have a tendency to highlight the freebies while cleverly concealing the other charges to be paid in order to avail of these freebies. If you have successfully dealt with your mobile service provider over these freebies, you must be fully realizing what I am talking about!

Please do not forget that there is a cutthroat competition among these providers and the market rate is declining steeply. So, no matter what the sales person might be bombarding you with do not hesitate to negotiate with him and try to pull down the rates even when he is saying that they are his rock bottom offers!

Management Communication Techniques

Client Claire recently described her week as being ‘fast and furious.’ We soon discovered that this was the story of her life, not just one week. Claire has a full plate and then some. She thinks, moves and talks fast. She prides herself in being a quick learner, an expert in her field. Silently, she berates those who cannot keep pace or who slow her down with questions or concerns.

What Claire is missing in her ‘fast and furious’ pace is her influence on those around her, those on whom she depends and who depend on her. One-by-one, she is alienating co-workers, associates and friends alike.

What’s Claire’s main challenge? She sees others not as individuals, but through the role they play in her life - what they can do for her. In seeing them as individuals, she would notice how her communication affects them and the ensuing results they produce for her. She would see how uncomfortable people have become around her.

We can deliver the very same message with varying affects on others. We can inspire them, soliciting enthusiasm and eagerness to cooperate. We can educate, softly sharing our wisdom or unique perspective. We can leave them confused, uncertain, resentful, possibly in tears. How do you think Claire left her recipients?

There are many subtleties in the way people actually hear what we are saying. Each of us is more transparent than we think. The first step is to look in the eyes of your recipient. Who is this person? What are their concerns? What motivates them?

Does this individual move at a fast pace, meaning that we need to be succinct? Are they detail-oriented, needing backup material? Are they familiar with your data or do they need to be educated? Is their mind elsewhere presently, meaning that this is not an appropriate time? What is their incentive to cooperate or even listen to you?

Taking time to answer these questions will help you focus on the recipient, not merely yourself; time to notice subtleties that work best to get your message across effectively such as pace, vocal tone, amount of information and whether to put your message in the form of a question, a statement or even in writing.

Finally, looking at your recipient as an individual allows you to engage two of your most basic emotional needs in relationships respect and appreciation. A touch of humor (not sarcasm) appropriately tossed in lightens every setting.

Once Claire treats her team as humans trying to do their best, foibles and all, her messages will be received in such a manner to elicit amazing cooperation, which will in turn take many things off her plate and result in a better, more productive environment all the way around.

This is a great week to learn more about how you look at those with whom you communicate? Do you deliver messages fast and furious? How do you leave your recipients eager to cooperate and become more creative in their work for you or resentful, even angry? Do you berate them in your mind if they aren’t a fast learner? Must they all be an expert in their field? Or is there another way? Enjoy your discoveries!

Qualify Your Prosects or Lose Them To The Competition

Innovations are a mixed blessing. Because new developments offer the potential to improve personal or work lives, many people welcome the latest advances. Conversely, the newest way of doing things also carries the potential to annoy many people.

Take for example, current technology that simplifies how we can communicate with others. Using hard copy format (aka paper), we can send messages by hand, regular mail, courier and various print media such as newspapers, magazines and books.

Electronically, there is a wide range of telecommunications including wireless and Internet-based formats. As a person interested in marketing, I understand and value the contribution that today’s technologies make to marketing communications. However, as a consumer, the misuse of these technologies drives me crazy.

Newsletters are one of the most popular and potentially effective of all marketing communications. Suitable for distribution in hard copy or electronically, they are ideal vehicles for keeping in touch with prospects, clients and network contacts. Properly used, they can enhance agents’ credibility as knowledgeable real estate authorities.

Inappropriately used, they have the opposite effect: instead of reinforcing credibility, they can raise questions about an agents’ basic competence.

Through membership in the same organization, my wife and I have become acquainted with a real estate agent who is building his business. One component of his business development plan is the use of printed newsletters and Christmas cards. In building his list of contacts, he has taken our names from the membership list of the organization to which we all belong. And with list assembled, he has started regular mailings to his contacts, including us.

I am less concerned that he is mailing to us without our consent than I am puzzled by why he considers us prospects. We have never discussed either real estate in general or our housing preferences in particular. I am no more sure that if I were looking for an agent he would be the right one for me than I would be a suitable client for him.

Unfortunately the mailings confirm this uncertainty. With content apparently mass produced by a third party, the newsletters are very generic and contain little information that is relevant or of interest to me. In creating the image of a dream home for last year’s Christmas card, the agent described a scenario that is about as far from my ideal home as it’s possible to be. It may well have been his vision of a dream home; it certainly wasn’t mine.

In the overall scheme of things, receiving several mailings a year from this agent is not a big deal. These mailings do however illustrate the down side of the ease of communicating, especially sending newsletters. Certainly it’s easy to assemble a list of people to whom newsletters can be sent. But just because you have some one’s name and address, does that automatically mean that person is interested in hearing from you, let alone choosing you as their real estate agent? It’s also very simple to purchase pre-packaged newsletter content for distribution to your contacts, but how effectively does this satisfy their need for useful information?

Undoubtedly, like many marketing programs, the agent’s newsletter initiative was undertaken with the best of intentions and with no desire to annoy anyone. Ironically, in attempting to build or perhaps enhance a relationship with us, he has inadvertently caused me to question his skills as a real estate agent. Why did he not pre-qualify us as people who would be interested in receiving his newsletters? Why did he send us information without knowing whether or not it was relevant to us and our situation? And why did he think my idea of a dream home is the same as his?

Again, in the overall scheme of things, these issues are insignificant. However, in a competitive industry like real estate, they become relevant factors in the decision-making process. When and if it comes to pass that I am looking for an agent for my own needs or to refer to some one else, who will appeal most to me? The agent who doesn’t know much about me and continues to demonstrate this though his mailings? Or am I likely to be more attracted to another agent who is prepared to take the time to get to know my preferences, needs and wants?

Certainly today’s user-friendly communication tools can improve the effectiveness of marketing communications. And just as surely, these same tools can bite the unwary agent who misuses them. User beware.

The art of effective business communication

With the increase in the use of emails via internet along with graphical text messaging forms, there are better means of communication to make way with words.
Verbal or written, either expressed well can increase the chances of success in any business by many folds. In the multilingual world, communication is a potent tool to persuade the end consumer. It is this communication which makes you land up in a good business relationship and it is the same tool which pulls out of business rift.

You went to attend a conference where speakers worked wonders by just delivering few notable corporate jargons and the final message was communicated to you. And, often you might have come across salesmen who tried pursuing you by using all forms of communication, direct, indirect, verbal and spoken, but you didn’t shudder or respond because of some loopholes in the process of communication.

And at yet another point of time, there might be occasions when you communicated by the expression of your eyes. In the corporate world, communication means a lot where the body language too speaks about you.The essence is to remove the barriers to communication. There should be enough relevance to the subject with evidence to support your argument, and make it work by using proper words. Many times, the quality of the product is of a low grade with less buzz created around the product by not doing enough advertisements and other marketing gimmicks. Rightly, it has been said that "word of mouth" is the best form of advertisement which again proves that nothing can be more rewarding than using the fine mode of communication. If you truly want to learn the art of connecting to people and strike the right chord, make way with words. Whatever styles and mode of communication you adopt, some add-on features will always help you build up style of communication.

Flower your personality: Do whatever you can do to develop your personality. Learn good etiquettes and maintain your posture while you speak since this forms an important part of your body language. Also maintain a proper dress code for the meetings and client presentations.

Show concern: When you speak, your eyes should be revealing the truth. Express concern for the person when you communicate.

Provide necessary details: Some customers want vivid details and inputs of the products or services you handle. Make necessary adjustments and provide all inputs.
Be wary of your language: This means that words you speak or write should not be harsh or seem offensive. Control always your temper and let the other person (an employee or client) feel that he is special for you.

Mintzberg had proposed three different categories of managerial role and operations, interpersonal, information-sharing and decision-making where all of these are based on active communication.

Kotter on the other hand talked of a general manager’s role which speaks of networking through good relationships which helps them to devise agendas and spending few minutes in meeting asking about things are moving in a business. Again involves communication. A manager needs to a good communicator if he wants to get work done by his subordinate. The success of the whole team depends on an employee’s ability to communicate with his peers and his superior. How effective is your communication is worth noting. So, what you should do to facilitate good communication?

Set your goals before speaking as to what you want to derive out of your communication process. Speak relevant and speak clarity.

Create space for open communication and address issues on a soft note. Always try to build up on your communication by taking care of other issues as discussed earlier· Try understanding what others communicate.

In a nutshell, always push yourself for becoming a powerful speaker by using tools of communication in a better way and remove the barriers to communications if any. Communication influences all divisions of an organizations in the form of an internal communication and not just the end consumer.

Why Effective Corporate Communications Strategies Are Important

The term, corporate communication, is defined as the method in which a corporation uses to communicate with staff. This system of relaying information is also the bridge between the corporation and the public. The traditional ways that companies have communicated with the consumer public include public relations and advertising. Therefore, if you’re leading a corporation, it’s important to work with your marketing team in order to come up with the best, most creative ways to present messages about your business.

It is also important to remember that corporate communications materials should go to each member of your staff, no matter what position each individual holds. Internal Communication will help to boost company morale and create a solid corporate culture. Every member of your staff needs to know about changes that may be taking place in the company when it comes to branding or product introduction. This is not only a sign of professionalism, but it promotes the most effective form of advertising - word of mouth. When all staff members know about the positive changes the company is making, they are much more likely to spread the word, bringing about more attention to your business. This process also promotes company loyalty and instills in staff members a sense of the corporate philosophies that you want to promote within your company.

Since technology is a big part of any business, you’ll need to use the more cutting edge methods available within the realm of corporate communications in order to facilitate employee communications. Company email features and advanced communication tools should also be explored to give you the edge on customer service capabilities, and when customers feel as though your staff is knowledgeable and reliable, your business will definitely grow.

When you incorporate effective corporate communications strategies into your business structure, regardless of the size of your company, you will also be strengthening your ability to achieve global communication. Every corporation seeks to have a global presence at some point, and when you are informing each of your staff members of new ideas and initiatives with which you are experimenting (this is especially important for a growing or small corporation), you’ll be surprised at the number of resources that your staff may be able to present to you. A good example of this can be found in those employees that are fluent in another language, or members of your team that are from another country will be able to offer ideas and suggestions that will help to promote your business in other countries by creating proposals and marketing plans that have global appeal. This will help you to achieve ultimate success for your business, and your company can achieve success around the world.

Stop the Yakety Yak: Three Tips for Better Listening

Ever had this happen to you? You are at a networking event and you are wishing someone would just stop talking and hear what you were really saying. It can be very frustrating when the person acts as though he knows what you do and then he talks about something that, at best, is tangential to your business. Maybe you had a conversation this week and you left feeling like you missed something really important. The "yakety-yak" hijacked the conversation in both situations.

Effective communication is really made up of two parts. One part is expressing the message and the other part is receiving the message. There is so much information about expressing ourselves that listening is often overlooked. We practice our elevator pitches. We hire marketing consultants to improve our message so it has the greatest amount of impact. However, one of the most underrated sales tools is listening.

The "yakety yak" of communication causes a disconnect between ourselves and the speaker. You know that saying that someone is just talking to hear themselves? Sometimes there is so much noise in our heads that it comes out of our mouths. This is a major handicap to developing solid business relationships with prospects, colleagues, and people of influence.

When we do not listen to the other person, we risk expressing unintended disrespect, arrogance, or preoccupation. In the business world, first impressions do create business opportunities. When we communicate thoughtfully and with consideration, we can pre-qualify prospects more accurately, discover commonalities, and receive invitations for future meetings. When you listen to others, you learn more and respond more appropriately.

To avoid the most common mistakes, here are three tips to help you stop your "yakety yak" and improve your listening skills.

• Stop thinking! Anticipating what the other person is saying is a recipe for not hearing what is actually said. Fran Lebowitz said, "The opposite of talking isn’t listening. The opposite of talking is waiting." This may be the most challenging part of communication. A lot of us can be perfectionists or want to be seen as experts so we set an expectation that we must have the "right" answer. This leads to hearing part of what someone is saying and we spend too much time having the conversation in our heads. We miss crucial messages and invitations to truly show our expertise.

To avoid this, focus only on what is being said. What words are being used? Wait to hear the whole thought. This enables you to give the person a response that fits and may even deepen the conversation.

• Reflect back what you heard (and didn’t hear). Not only do we have to pay attention to the words a speaker uses but we also have to notice the nonverbal part of communication. This is shown through the speaker’s tone of voice, facial expressions, hand movements, and posture. Sometimes a person says one thing verbally while saying another thing with her body language. This can be subtle or overt and noticing these details can limit misunderstandings and conflicts.

For example, is the person telling you that she is not upset with you but her arms and legs are crossed? You might be getting the message that the speaker is physically cold, anxious, or angry. In the workplace, this could mean the difference between closing a deal or continuing to struggle.

• Ask questions and encourage explanations. Avoid assuming you know what someone means. Frequently, people use the same words but not the same definitions. Ask open-ended questions using words such as "who, what, where, when, how, and why." Use the phrase, "tell me more" to encourage details. Yes and no questions are not useful as these will close the conversation prematurely. Many good salespeople will tell you that it is easier to close the sale when you clearly understand your prospects’ needs and desires.

Encourage the speaker to say more by facing him directly, nodding your head, and using an open posture (uncrossed arms and legs). Lean slightly into him, relax, and wait for the whole message. Asking pertinent questions about the speaker’s expertise both flatters the person and shows that you are fully engaged. Being heard is often equated with being seen. So many of us want to be recognized and validated.

Prevent the "yakety yak" from interfering with your business development. Remember to stop thinking about you. Keep an open and curious mind throughout the conversation. When you listen well, you will discover that people will consider you a fascinating person and they will want to do business with you. All you have to do is listen!

Live Answering - Virtual Receptionist Services

Business executives on the move utilize virtual receptionist services to manage their business communication needs effectively. Together with its live answering service, this advanced phone system comes with a number of time saving features. You can streamline your business with this cost-effective business communication solution.

A Flawless Telephone Answering Service

Virtual receptionist services are highly beneficial for all kinds of office environments. These feature-rich systems keep the callers happy. The callers are welcomed with a professionally recorded greeting; besides, they are presented with all the conveniences of a standard phone system. Through the customizable answering service options, the callers will be directed to the required extension phone lines within no time. Dial-by-name, dial-by-number, call transfer, call forwarding and many more options are there for the callers to make live communication with the staffs.

Increase Business Productivity through Better Customer Relationship

An unanswered phone call may cause you to lose an important business deal. Hence, for any business, an all-time functioning telecommunication system is vital. Thereby, the callers will get round-the-clock live answering service. Since a virtual receptionist runs with the aid of a hosted server, huge volumes of incoming calls can be efficiently handled. Within no time, the incoming calls are connected to the extension phone lines without making the callers wait on queue for a long time. As this auto attendant does all the functions of a live telephone operator, business owners need not worry about losing even a single phone call.

A Feature-rich Telecommunication System

Business firms that struggle to handle a huge volume of inbound calls can equip their offices with this live answering machine. Through this web administered service, the callers can enjoy a wide range of customer care services which include caller ID, music on hold, voicemail, voice to email, fax to email, custom menus, cell phone message notify and more. Even small and medium sized businesses can gain much from these virtual receptionist services, as these are provided at highly economical rates.

Essentials of Business Communication

Business communication involves constant exchange of information. It is a continuous process. The more the business expands, the greater is the pressure on the business to find more effective means of communication- both with the employees and with the world outside. Thus, business and communication goes hand in hand. Without effective business communication, a manager cannot perform the basic functions of management efficiently. Business communication is the life- blood of an organization.

The essentials of business communication are:-

   1. Every business communication , whether written or oral, should be logically structured , i.e.,it should have a good beginning, a good body(content), and an effective ending. Be it a business letter or business speech, the communication should begin in such a manner that the audience have keen interest and pays attention to the message. The content of the communication should gives the core message of communication. The communication should end in such a manner that the audience knows what is expected of them and they get the jist of the message.
   2. Correct means of communication should be used- a means which take into reference time and cost constraints. Choice of appropriate communication channel also depends upon the amount of formality required and the speed of feedback required.
   3. Business communication should be articulate and concise. Use of ambiguous words should be avoided. Choice of words should be such that it overcomes cultural differences.
   4. Business communication should be influencing and persuasive.
   5. Business communication should be courteous. Polite and considerate behavior is essence of business communication.
   6. A positive body language should be used . For example, during meetings and interviews, maintain a frequent eye contact, give a pleasing smile , make all feel comfortable, etc.
   7. Feedback is an integral component of business communication. Without feedback, it will be impossible to know whether the receiver has understood the message in same terms as intended.
   8. Try using more of ‘’You" rather than "I" in business communication. The audience or the receivers of the message should be given importance.
   9. Be an active listener . The quality of communication improves if one is a good listener. One should listen positively, should be open-minded and attentive.
  10. The facts of business communication should not be partial, i.e., they should be complete. The receiver of the message might get confused or might take a wrong action if facts are incomplete.
  11. The facts in business communication should be recent and not outdated.

Are You a Good Listener?

Most of us can accept compliments.
Some of us can accept suggestions.
Few of us accept criticism, even when it is constructive.

Listening goes beyond not speaking, it is an action of receiving what a person has to say. Listening is an essential part of communication, and it is different from hearing. Listening to your customer gives you the opportunity to hear what your customers have to say without judgment, and with interest. Besides which, you learn a lot from listening.

Granny's Corner located in Chicago Illinois listened to her customers. Her customers were sharing their frustration of having to fight traffic and cook dinner after picking up their children from her daycare business. Since she loves to cook, and provides freshly made meals for the children daily, she decided to create a "supper club" for her clients. Weekly, she prepares a meal-to-go that her clients can order in advance and pick up when they pick up their children on an appointed day of the week. This enabled her to create an additional life cycle from her current client base and profit for her business by over 10%. She didn't need more customers to increase her profitability, she just needed to LISTEN.

Other daycare facilities have decided to sell individual diapers, milk, and other small items to their client that assist them in those small items that alleviates an additional stop on the way home.

Next time you communicate with your customers, will you hear them, or will you listen to them?

I have some recommended readings and resources on my site to help you with setting goals, writing your life's vision, and some articles that I have written in the past to you help you along the way.