StartupTalky

Tag: Communication Skills

  • How to Communicate with Potential Clients As a Freelancer

    Let’s start with a question, how do you rate your communication skills? And do you know in between good communication and bad communication lies several jobs that you could have bagged? Had you paid a little attention to something as basic as the way you talk? The point is if your communication skill is not good, you cannot survive in this gig economy. As a freelancer and as a job seeker, the first thing you need to develop is good communication skills as it will help you to get more work.

    Effective communication skills help your clients to understand you better. Thus, increases your chance of getting more work. It has been a proven notion that people tend to prefer clarity and simplicity over complex terms and references. And a good interaction is often the point of difference.

    So how to become effective in communicating with your clients. Here are some of the effective ways to talk to your client as a freelancer. Let’s take a look.

    Effective Ways to Talk to Your Client As a Freelancer
    1. Be a Good Listener
    2. Be Professional
    3. Talk Positively
    4. Bridge The Communication Gap
    5. Speak With Confidence
    6. Do Your Research
    7. Use Their Talk
    8. Right Body Language
    9. Respect Your Client
    10. Wait For Response
    11. Note How You End The Conversation
    Conclusion
    FAQs

    Effective Ways to Talk to Your Client As a Freelancer

    Tips on how to talk to clients

    1. Be a Good Listener

    Good listening skills are always valued in any kind of business interaction, under all scenarios and settings. What makes the difference though? It shows your client that you care about their business venture and are willing to offer your services. Also, you get plenty of inferences about your client’s needs and the demands of the job.

    • Always maintain eye contact and occasionally nod and say ‘yes’ or go on to mark your affirmation.
    • Take notes if required.
    • Know when is the time to ask questions and don’t interrupt while the client is speaking.

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    2. Be Professional

    Coming across as too friendly, overtly casual or careless is not only frowned upon in a business setting but comes off as rude, reflecting your image poorly. Use the business lingo and professional terms whenever possible and keep your grammar in check. Also, try to be brief and stay on the point.

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    3. Talk Positively

    One of the insider’s tricks to leave a good impression on the client is to use positive language during the interaction. Freelancing can be quite a tricky business to manage but maintaining a positive tone at all times is the key. After all, your client expects you to get the job done. Here is an example:

    Wrong❌: It is impossible for the packages to arrive today.

    Right✅: We are trying our best, but it seems rather hard for the packages to arrive today.

    4. Bridge The Communication Gap

    As a freelancer, you often don’t get to meet your customer. And under dire circumstances, this might lead to a communication gap in terms of understanding the context of the expected result.

    • Always reply and try to have a quick response time. Not replying would not only affect your professional relationship but is also impolite.
    • Initiate the conversation yourself to ask questions or share the work progress. Don’t depend on your client to contact you every time.
    • Be bold enough to lay your opinion in front of your client
    • Ask for their thoughts and opinion.

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    5. Speak With Confidence

    You need to assure your customer that you are indeed the right candidate for the job. Retaining a sense of confidence as you explain your ideas to your client, leaves a good impression and increases your possibility of bagging the assignment.

    • You might want to come across as capable, trustworthy and responsible. By being confident of your previous works, you can check this off your list.
    • Maintain a comfortable tone that is reassuring and firm, but not impolite.

    6. Do Your Research

    Being a freelancer you must know the importance of leaving a good first impression. Doing your homework ensures just that. Before meeting your client, research their business, competitors and also the work you are expected to do.

    For this, keep some additional time off and diligently go through all the material for which the meeting is scheduled. Jot down the key points you might want to ask your client about. This way you will not only understand your client better but will also be prepared to address all your client’s queries.

    7. Use Their Talk

    This method is probably the best-kept business secret. Pay attention as your client speaks to you and take notes where necessary. Repeat your client’s statements lightly, just to assure them that you are following what they are saying. You don’t have to be a parrot repeating every word they say but rather, think of yourself as a good listener who understands their client’s point and is reaffirming it from time to time.

    8. Right Body Language

    Your body language tells a lot about you. So, you have to make sure that you don’t make the client feel uneasy. There are so many resources available from where you can learn about body language and how to improve it. Make eye contact as much as possible, you don’t have to be a different personality. Just make sure that you are active during the conversation. If you are on a Skype call or video call appropriate body language will make your conversation more effective.

    9. Respect Your Client

    It is important to respect your clients in order to get things done smoothly. You should respect your client in their views and opinions. There is a saying “Give respect, take respect”. So if you want to be respected, you need to learn how to respect others as well.

    Many times it may happen that the client may lose temper or be frustrated because of the workload. In that case, you have to recharge and encourage them. This is the most effective thing that you can do to calm them down. You always have to be polite while communicating with your clients. After completing any project don’t stop responding to your clients instead try to build a relationship. This will help you in the long run in your freelancing career.

    10. Wait For Response

    Don’t try to message or email them too often. Because sometimes your client might be busy, so you have to keep patience. If the client stops responding to your messages then you have to find a better solution for the problem they are facing. You should also use easy words for better understanding because too many technical words may confuse the client. Last but not the least, wait for their message before responding especially if they are typing don’t interrupt them. To become a successful freelancer you have to be a good listener.

    11. Note How You End The Conversation

    Take your time to draw the conclusion and maintain a positive attitude until the end. Remember, it’s the last few minutes to make your impression and you don’t want to ruin this. Ask your clients what are their thoughts regarding the discussion. Keep an open attitude and ask them if there is anything else you could do to help them.

    Conclusion

    Whether it is freelancing or any other business you need to have effective communication skills to share your ideas with your potential clients. If you are new to the freelancing field then good communication is the only thing that could help you to get more work and clients. These were some of the best tips that you can apply while communicating with your potential client.

    FAQs

    What does a freelance job mean?

    A freelance job means to work independently rather than for a company. Freelancing is a type of job where you’re self-employed. You are your own boss. You can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to any project.

    How to communicate effectively with freelance clients?

    Here are the effective ways to communicate with clients as a freelancer.

    • Be a Good Listener.
    • Be Professional.
    • Talk Positively.
    • Bridge The Communication Gap.
    • Speak With Confidence.
    • Do Your Research.
    • Use Their Talk.
    • Right Body Language.
    • Respect Your Client.
    • Wait For a Response.
    • Note How You End The Conversation.

    How can I impress a freelance client?

    Tips to impress freelance clients are as follows:

    • Communicate effectively.
    • Be Reachable.
    • Practice Patience.
    • Detail Your Invoices.
    • Stay Organized.
    • Be Honest.
    • Remember Your Client’s Interests.

  • What is Product Management? | Role and Responsibility | Skills Required

    Product management is an umbrella term that includes activities ranging from conceiving an idea for a product to one day introducing that product in the market. It includes market analysis, developing, positioning, marketing and communication.

    The goal of product management is not just developing products that fulfill people’s needs but also analyzing and communicating with the customer to exceed their expectations.

    The product manager defines the vision for a product, prioritizes facilities and product features, researches and gathers input about the market, organizes execution of the product strategy and carefully examines the product cycle.

    “The job of a product manager is to discover a product that is valuable, usable, and feasible.” – Marty Cagan

    Table of content

    Product Management – Myths
    Product Management – Roles and Responsibilities
    Product Management – Skills Required
    Product Management – FAQs

    Product Management Skills

    Product Management – Myths

    Some of the myths related to Product Management are:

    1. “You need a technical degree like Computer Science to get into Product Management”.

    While having a technical degree can certainly give you a push forward, it doesn’t necessarily entail that you won’t be able to get into product management without a deep understanding of technology.

    2. “Product management is concerned only till the launch of a product”.

    One of the most common and untrue myths of all! After the launch of a product, it is the job of the product management to gather and analyse the feedback and customer response to the product in order to gain insight about what the customer actually want and need.

    3. “Product Management is the equivalent of project management”.

    Project management involves the timeline of a project, the planning, scheming and execution of it all. Unlike product management, where even after the development and launch of a product you have to keep track of it in order to continually reinvent it to fit the customer’s demands.

    4. “Product manager is the boss”.

    Product managers are the people who are first hand involved in the development and related strategy of the product, they have information about everything surrounding the life cycle of the product. But this does not, to any extent, ensure the product manager’s authority over the product.

    Product Management – Roles and Responsibilities

    Product Management Overview
    Product Management Overview

    Customer Analysis: Detailed and extensive customer research is essential for the strategic planning of the product. It is also necessary for analysing the competitor’s strategy for their product and bettering your product and services to fit the consumer’s needs.

    Product Strategy: Relevant information and knowledge is essential for the conceptualisation of a highly efficient strategic plan. It includes the conception, development process, launching, product goals and objectives and a rough overview of the product. It is important even after the launch of the product.

    Communication: It means cross-functional leadership. The key stakeholders like executives, developers, investors, project managers and departments of marketing, sales and development have to be made aware about the product strategy. This increases the internal confidence of the company in the product.

    Feedback and Data Analysis: After the development, testing and launching of the product in the market has been done, the product management studies and analyses customer feedback by conducting interviews, surveys and other data. It tells the team what should or shouldn’t have been done and what the changes to keep in mind for future.

    Product improvement: The product management, after the launch of the product, is consistently involved in improving the product, fine tuning the defects, analysing customer response and testing the results. This role of the product management is the key to ensure maximum satisfaction for the customer and thus, better reception for the company.

    Product Management – Skills Required

    Product Management skills
    Product Management skills

    Interpersonal skills: A product manager should have a good interpersonal skillset which includes having problem solving skills, being decisive, having an insight into the minds of their clientele and being a good communicator.

    Strategic Thinking: Product Managers should be able to think strategically and devise plans with a proper understanding of the product life cycle, sales, customer segmentation, goal orientation and, marketing and development process knowledge.

    Active listening: Listening more than speaking and having patience are core qualities required for a product manager. Listening to what your customers want, what your stakeholders want, more often than not, results in the success of your product management.

    Presentation skills: Product managers have to give a lot of presentations. They have to present their strategy to the executive team, to the stakeholders, sales team, marketing team etc. they may also have to hold webinars and conferences to promote their product.

    Leadership skills: For a product to become successful, it has to be backed by a team of professionals, coordinating and working together. And as a product manager, leading that team, having skills like cooperation, compassion and diplomacy are essential.

    Oratory skills: A product manager should have a way with words. They have to converse and deal with both internal and external stakeholders. They also have to understand the needs of the clientele which may or may not be culturally and linguistically diverse and adapt with the language accordingly.

    Negotiation skills: Since the Product Manager has to manage and work with different departments and teams of professionals along the life cycle of the product, they should know how to and when to negotiate and get things done the best and the fastest way with minimum wastage of resources.

    Product Management – FAQs

    Do product managers need to code?

    No, product managers do not necessarily need to code but having some basic knowledge can help with the work.

    Do product managers need to have an MBA?

    Having an MBA in the field of product management can help tremendously but it is not a prerequisite to the job.

    Do product managers work long hours?

    Yes, it is usually common for product managers to work long hours as there are a lot of responsibilities attached with the job.

    Do product managers get paid well?

    Yes, as it is a managerial position, the salary of a product manager is a highly sufficient one.

  • Communication Tools Every Startup Company Should Use

    Efficient and seamless communication is the key to a successful startup business. The most effective communication tools are those that are easy to use—in other words, they don’t require a lot of technical expertise, they’re easily customizable, and, best of all, they are easy on your business budget.

    When you’re starting out in business, there are a few things you can do that will help you get your message across quickly. Here are just some of the communication tools every startup company should use both internally and externally.

    Communication Tools

    Communication Tools

    VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Phones

    Having VoIP phones is a must for every startup. But first, what are VoIP phones?

    VoIP, which stands for “voice over internet protocol,” is a phone that is connected over the internet. It can either come in the form of a software (on a computer or portable device) or specialized hardware (running on an individual’s personal computer). So, instead of the traditional telephone, VoIP phones use an internet connection to communicate.

    One of the advantages of a VoIP phones is that it also provides a wide range of features, including caller ID, ringless voicemail, and multiple phone numbers. If the phone has more than one number, you can use a single number and keep receiving calls from a number of people. You may also opt to receive multiple messages at one time.

    MassText Messaging App

    The ability to communicate through a mass text app allows startups to reach out to more people. This will be very helpful if you want to announce something to your employees. You can simply just send one text to all your employees. At the same time, this is also a very useful marketing tool to communicate with your customers.

    The use of mass text messaging for communication allows for you to reach out to many different individuals who may be in a variety of situations. If you are unable to get them on the phone or Skype, you can get them through text, making it easy to let them know your intentions and what you want them to know. If you have a product launch or upcoming sale, you can send text blasts to all your customers who subscribed to your newsletter. One click, and everybody gets the message. You won’t need to send individual texts.

    Email Messaging Platform

    Email is a must for every corporation. This is the basic communication tool in a corporate setting. It’s a more formal way to communicate within and outside the company, which will also increase your startup’s credibility. So, make sure to set up your startup with an email platform.

    At the same time, email is also a very important communication tool when talking to your clients or customers. Email campaigns have become increasingly popular over the past several years as they give you the opportunity to build relationships with customers, which can lead to repeat customers. In addition to that, the cost of an email campaign can be minimal compared to other marketing tools.

    With an email campaign, your company can send email blasts to clients and customers. These messages often contain sales messages, and they include information about new products and services that are available for your company. An email campaign can provide you with valuable feedback about what your customers think of your products and services, which can help you build customer loyalty.

    Project Management App

    Communication tools for project management are often used to increase the level of communication between teams, to manage time and costs, to reduce project risks, to improve productivity, to manage conflicts, and to make decision-making easier. With that said, another communication tool you need for startups is a project management app.

    Project management apps can also be used to track progress and performance of project managers. An organization can build a network of project managers to coordinate and monitor the progress of its employees. Communication tools can also allow project managers to provide feedback to people who are working on the project and allow managers to identify problems or issues.

    Private Channel, Chat, and Group Messaging Tools

    Communication tools
    Communication tools

    Aside from having your email set up, you’ll also need a private channel where your team can exchange messages, links, and files in the form of chat and group messaging. This way, you can instantly contact members of your team.

    There are also messaging apps, like Slack and Microsoft Teams, that integrate some popular and useful tools such as Dropbox, Zoom, Groove, Trello, and others into their systems. Having this will make it easier for you and your team to collaborate and share files. In addition, these apps are also available in iOS and Android. So, even if your team members or employees don’t have their laptops with them, they can easily respond to messages on their phones.

    Survey and Data Analysis

    Communication includes getting feedback from your employees as well as your customers. To get to know your employees and customers better, a good communication tool you’ll need as a startup is surveys. There are apps to create surveys and help you analyze data, such as Survey Monkey.

    These apps can create a seamless survey that your employees and customers can answer. Afterwards, you’ll get a comprehensive report about the opinions of both parties. This will help you evaluate your performance and how to approach situations moving forward. For most of the survey apps, it’s usually free for a certain number of questions per survey. Then, paid plans will provide you with unlimited number of questions, customized themes, additional analysis, phone support, and more distribution options.

    Customer Service Chatbot

    Customer service chatbot has proven to be highly effective for addressing customer concerns immediately. When using a customer service chatbot for your business you will soon start to see the benefits that you can reap from it and the benefits go beyond just the obvious of an increased level of efficiency.

    Your customers will also notice the improvement in your services and this can make them feel more comfortable with your brand and this can lead to increased sales. You will also be able to improve the way your customers interact with you through a more personalized approach. If you’re customer service personnel is away, you can also set up some auto-replies to be able to assist your customers even if you’re away.

    In addition, customer service chatbot providers also offer packages with a support ticket tracker. This way, you’ll be able to monitor all communication between your customer service personnel and customers. In addition, you’ll be able to see which tickets have been addressed, are pending, or solved.

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    Social Intranet Software

    As your startup gets bigger and bigger, it can be difficult to keep up with the changes, new people, new rules, and policies. The solution to that communication problem is to set up a social intranet software, which is a central portal accessible only by people in your company.

    This social intranet software should contain announcements, company news, company-wide documents, templates, policies, and contracts. By having one, your employees will be aligned with the latest news and goals of your company. Your employees will also have an easier time keeping up to date with changing policies.

    Task Management Apps

    One of the more common communication tools is the task management system. Task management systems offer a very simple method of managing your tasks and keeping track of them. Many of these systems also provide reports and graphs that make it easy to see where you are currently at in terms of productivity. Most task management systems will also provide a calendar for keeping track of events such as meetings, deadlines, and other projects.

    For managers, they can assign tasks to their team members as well as track all their progress in one page. Deadlines, priority levels, and meetings can also be inputted in the system. It’s a communication tool that will keep your employees on their feet and organized.

    Internal Blogs

    Internal blogs are also an effective way to communicate with your employees and make sure that you’re all aligned towards the same goal. If you are creating content for an internal blog, you need to be certain that all of your information is relevant. If your information is not relevant, your reader will be frustrated and may not be willing to read the information. You also need to determine how the content relates to your goals and objectives, the business objective, and your readership.

    For internal blogs, you can post topics regarding the achievements of your company to keep everyone up to speed. In addition, to boost employee morale, you can also use this medium to announce employees who did exemplary work. This will encourage more employees to do the same. You can also use internal blogs to post work-related tips on how be more effective.

    Internal blogs are very flexible. This can also be used as a medium for your employees to post creative works they create. If you have employees who love to write poems, then you can feature poems of the month to celebrate the talents of your employees. Having this will create a tight knit community within your startup and have more people involved.

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    Discussion Forums

    Discussion forums can be your startup’s digital workspace where all employees can ask questions, bond, and discuss different projects freely. Most of the time, there is a big disconnect between veteran employees and new hires. To keep new hires up to speed and minimize mistakes, the discussion forum can be an avenue for veterans to share their knowledge. At the same time, the forum can also serve as a connection to bridge together veterans and new hires.

    In discussion forums, internal knowledge can be disseminated. All these information and discussions will be stored within the organization so that anyone can access it if they need to go back to a question. It can also be a space where your employees can talk about anything under the sun and bring each other closer together.

    Conference Calls

    Collaborative communication tools include teleconferencing, video conference, and conference call apps. Especially with more people working from home, conference call apps are very important. You can do video calls with your team to collaborate. In addition, you can also use this tool to host discussions, team huddles, webinars, and live events. This is a very important tool for your team to be able to collaborate even if they’re not physically together.

    Since remote working has become more prevalent, your counterparts might also be working from home. Because of this, you can use conference call apps to conduct meetings with clients or suppliers. If you need to present something to your client, conference call apps also have a share screen option for you to share your presentations while explaining it over voice.

    Employee Profiles

    As your organization gets bigger, it can be difficult to know each and every person in the startup. Problems on not knowing who to contact for specific processes, questions, or information. This may also cause employees spending unnecessary time searching for information by asking their colleagues to track down individuals.

    As a solution, you can set up employee profiles, which provides basic information about each person within your startup. This way, everyone can see the contact details of the person they need to contact and understand their role. The system should also show their expertise and who they report to for seamless communication. This will save a lot of time and alleviate a cloud of confusion among employees.

    Conclusion

    Effective and efficient communication is important and integral for every kind of company including startups. There needs to be seamless communication both internally and externally for a startup to thrive. Thankfully, there are lots of communication tools that you can use to help you out with that.

    The tools listed here are simple to use and can be used by anyone who is comfortable using them. They make it much easier for you to communicate effectively. They are also very cost-effective tools that will help you manage multiple projects.

    FAQs

    What are Communication Tools?

    Communication tools refer to three forms of electronic communication in distance education courses e-mail, discussion groups, and chat rooms.

    Why do we use communication tools?

    communication tools are used for external and internal communication.

    What are communication skills examples?

    Examples of communication skills:-

    • Active listening
    • Adapting your communication style to your audience
    • Friendliness
    • Confidence

    How to improve communication skills?

    • Body language matters
    • Check your message before you hit send
    • Be brief, yet specific
    • Write things down
    • Sometimes it’s better to pick up the phone
    • Think before you speak

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  • How To Become Good Public Speaker

    Public speaking is the process or act of performing a speech to a live audience. Public speaking is commonly understood as formal, face to face, speaking of a single person to a group of listeners. The opportunity to travel is greater for public speakers than in many jobs. Good speaking skills are important in other areas of life. Being a good public speaker can enhance your reputation, boost your self-confidence. The truth is that you might have the best products or services, years of experience, or an outstanding business idea, but if you do not communicate this to your target audiences, you are limiting your effectiveness.

    The art of public speaking holds many practical benefits that go far beyond delivering a project presentation or holding a successful meeting. Through preparation and practice, you can overcome your nervousness and perform exceptionally well. This article will explain how.

    ‘Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively’ – Gerald R. Ford

    7Cs of Communication
    7Cs of Communication

    Importance of Public Speaking

    Developing your communication skills and learning to speak in public have the following advantages:

    • Opens up new opportunities for career advancement
    • Positions you as an authority
    • Makes you a desirable guest at local, regional, and national conferences, seminars, and public speaking events
    • Establishes greater credibility and helps your clients loyalty
    • Sets you apart from your competition
    • Attracts the right customers to your business
    • Prepares you for spontaneous speaking challenges
    • Presents technical or business information effectively
    • Allows you to effectively market your business or promote your products to larger audiences
    • Improves internal communication
    • Helps you to easily assume leadership and train others
    • Increases employees productivity

    Other personal benefits of public speaking include:

    • Increased self-confidence
    • Improved communication skills
    • Increased organizational skills
    • Greater social influence
    • Enhanced ability to listen
    • Greater possibility of meeting new people
    • Lesser anxiety and fear when speaking in front of others
    • Greater control over emotions and body language

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    Three parts of Persuasion by Aristotle

    The first rules of a public speech were elaborated over 2000 years ago by the Greek philosopher and teacher of Alexander the Great  – Aristotle

    Three Basic Parts of Persuasion:

    • Ethos( credibility or the speaker)
    • Logos (the logic behind any conclusions drawn by a speaker)
    • Pathos ( emotional appeal or ability to create a connection between the speaker and his audience)

    Vital Step before the Speech Preparation

    To make your speech both interesting and memorable for the listeners, it is important to consider three key elements:

    • The audience – WHO is the speech written for?
    • The purpose – WHAT is the main objective of the speech?
    • The direction of the speech – HOW will the speech be presented?

    Plan Appropriately

    First, make sure that you plan your communication appropriately. Use tools like the Rhetorical Triangle, Monroe’s Motivated Sequence, and the 7Cs of Communication to think about how you’ll structure what you’re going to say. Rehearsing is a part of the planning process. You decide how you will present the information and then practice running through the entire speech as many times as necessary to get the feeling that you want. Planning gives you time to ask questions of the person or organization inviting you to speak. Find out what they expect as well as the likes and dislikes of the group. When you rehearse your presentation, ask a trusted friend or colleague to watch you.

    Monroe's Motivated Sequence
    Monroe’s Motivated Sequence

    Engage With Your Audience

    When we speak publicly is develop a relationship with our audience. A relationship is based on trust, respect, information, and interaction. Utilize activities that promote audience engagement. Make your points into an audience debate. Small group activities will not only keep your audience awake but they’ll get excited about their ‘part’. Recent studies show that the first lapse of attention happens about halfway through that first minute.

    Creating desire in the audience and then showing how your ideas fill that desire moves people to adopt your perspective. This is the heart of the story.

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    Attention to Body Language

    ‘If you want to find the truth, do not listen to the words coming to you. Rather see the body language of the speaker. It speaks the facts not audible.’ – Bhavesh Chhatbar

    Body language is an essential part of public speaking success. Your non-verbal hint will impact the way your message is received, how engaged your audience is, and what they think of you as an individual.

    Power pose

    In 2011, US social psychologists Amy Cuddy, Dana Carney, and Andy Yap proposed that holding a ‘powerful pose’ resulted in people feeling more powerful.

    • Stand straight with your shoulders back and feet shoulder-width apart.
    • Imagine your shoulders opening up from one another so that they rest centrally.
    • Place your hands on either side of your body so that you can easily make hand gestures when you need to.
    • Face the audience as much as possible. If you’re in a large room, tilt your whole body towards different parts of the audience so everyone feels included.

    Accomplished speakers are aware of this and often use the power of pause to:

    • Raise the impact of a remark
    • Bridge ideas
    • Underline the last thing that was said
    • Create anticipation for the next remark
    • Instill more humor and passion into the presentation
    • Give time for the listeners to absorb the information
    • Leave the room for reflection after questions

    ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!’ — John C. Maxwell

    Eye contact

    Making eye contact with your audience builds a connection between you and them and they feel more valued by you. This makes the audience more likely to respect and listen to you because they feel important.

    Hand gestures

    When used correctly, hand and arm gestures can help enhance your message and make you seem more confident and relaxed. Hand gestures are one of the clearest non-verbal ways by which we communicate confident body language or nervous body language – and your audience will react more positively to the former.

    Movement

    Moving around the stage is a great way of showing your audience you are confident in what you’re saying and including everyone in the conversation. Move during the transitions between points, knowing exactly where you want to go. During the transitions between movements, take your time to pause and look into your audience’s eyes.

    ‘ The success of your presentation will be judged not by the knowledge you send but by what the listener receives.’ – Lilly Walters

    Expressions

    People depend on facial expressions to interpret motives and emotions so an audience will respond better to you if you are expressive. Mimic is still important because public speakers who want to convince have to be authentic. And that includes lively facial expressions. With a smile or even a laugh, it is easier to build a bridge with other people. Keep looking at all faces be attentive. Return a smile.

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    Voice

    Vocal expression is physical and so your body language has an effect on your voice and can enhance or detract from the message of your speech. When you speak more slowly, your voice has more power and authority. Your listeners have an opportunity to absorb and reflect on what you’re saying. Energy is essential for good speaking and voice projection.

    ‘7 – 38 – 55 Rule’. That is: our words convey 7% of the meaning, our tone 38%, and our body language makes up 55% of what the audience will remember.

    Improve at these Points

    • Research & Grammar
    • Questions and answers & Humor
    • Instruction sets & Improvisational skills
    • Openings and closings & Negotiation
    • Etiquette & Listening skills

    Ways to Transform the Public Speaking Fear into Excitement

    • Deep breathing
    • Shifting focus outwards
    • Visualizing
    • Focussing on facts, not fears
    • Building your speech on clarity, not complexity

  • Guide to Improve Listening Skills

    Listening is an indispensable part of the communication process. Listening skill aids in establishing an effective link between the management and the employees. Listening skills also influence consumers and other businesses. So, it becomes necessary for every person to have good listening skills in business as well as in daily life. To develop good listening skills and become a good listener, one should know the qualities of the same.

    A good listener is someone who hears carefully, attentively, and sympathetically for giving support and understanding to the speaker.

    Why is listening important in  Business Organisation?

    Listening is an important part of business communication as it lets you acquire facts that may help in making decisions that benefit your business. Listening helps in:

    Gaining Information

    Listening gives additional insights; for example, listening to a job applicant helps to discover his attitude towards the profession and information not detailed in his resume. This information can help us decide the suitability of the applicant in the organization.

    Conflict Resolution

    Workplace conflicts and unhappy customers create an inefficient work atmosphere. Good listening can turn this situation into an opportunity for growth.

    Productivity

    Effective listening affects the productivity of the organization. By listening to the employees, the manager can solve the problems that increase the efficiency of employees.

    Creating Powerful Working Relationships

    In establishing effective working relationships between different parts of the organization, listening plays a key role. The working relationships include employee groups, between management and staff, and suppliers or vendors.

    Types of Listeners 

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    Ways/tips to be a good listener

    Be Interested

    Pay attention and be interested. People think that listening means being quiet until it is their turn to speak, but it is not. Listen with all your senses, and give thoughtful attention(non-judgemental, open-minded, and respectful) to another person.

    Listening is receiving

    Through listening, we gain trust and receive the vulnerability of another person. Be a blank canvas for another person by letting the speaker share ideas, thoughts, feelings, and whatever else is going in his mind. Let the person know that you are interested by nodding head or smile.

    Maintain eye contact

    A good listener makes eye contact while having a conversation with the speaker. Adjust yourself to the person talking by noticing the degree of eye contact they are making with you throughout the conversation. In this way, people feel understood.

    Avoid Interrupting the speaker

    Provide enough space for the speaker to let it all out without any interruptions. Interrupting the speaker to agree or disagree causes the speaker to lose track of what they are saying. After the speaker stops speaking, you can give your opinions.

    Acknowledge And Empathize

    Good listening does not mean complete silence. When the time comes to speak, restate to the person what you heard them say. Use a responsive tone rather than being reactive. Empathetic connection towards the speaker helps in forming a good relationship.

    Ask Questions

    Asking questions frequently is one of the best ways to show that you are engrossed in listening. Use open-ended questions that demand more than a yes or no response.

    Do not give unasked advice

    You may have a lot of good ideas and pieces of advice for the person speaking to us about their problems. Offering solutions may hurt people’s feelings.

    Think Before Responding

    When you speak, let your words be a reflection of your careful listening.

    Use Positive Body Language

    A good listener always leans forward and expresses interest in what is being spoken. By smiling or showing concern, they let the speaker know that they are being heard. Correct body language makes you a good listener.

    Make an offering

    After acknowledging and empathizing, you have the option of offering more help to the person. You can ask them if they need any help or feedback from you. This shows that you care for them, and they will be comfortable talking to you.

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    What Makes People Poor Listeners?

    Many barriers can hinder productive listening. These barriers include disturbances, incapability to prioritize information, jumping to conclusions, and tendency to assume. The most common barriers to communication are under-

    Barriers to Active Listening

    Low Concentration

    Low concentration can result from various psychological or physical factors such as visual distractions, lack of interest, stress, or discomfort. Both the listener and speaker should be aware of these hindrances so that there is no barrier to communication.

    Lack of Prioritization

    Focusing too much attention on least important information can lead to a lack of prioritization. Listeners should be able to pick the important points while listening.

    Poor Judgement

    Overlooking aspects of the communication and making judgments before all of the information is presented is the cause for poor judgment.

    Focusing on Style, Not Substance

    Distracting elements in a speech can divert information away from the most crucial information in the communication. To avoid such obstructions, listeners should be informed of biases and focus on the substance rather than the style of the speaker’s voice.

    After knowing what hinders the communication, both listener and speaker should try not to do the aforesaid things.

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    Benefits of Being a Good Listener

    You will Be More Focused

    Good listening requires the listener to pay attention to what others are saying. This quality to focus is a great tool in every situation, as focusing helps in knowing things/information in a better way.

    In Building Strong Relationships

    When you are a good listener, you connect with others effortlessly by showing you are trustworthy, honest, and supportive.

    You will Process Information Better

    When you are not focused on a specific outcome out of the conversation, you will be present-  which allows you to focus on the current situation instead of wandering anywhere else. This helps in getting the important information you need.