Whatever your profession, you also need to be a professional communicator. ETC is pleased to share these essential Bits & Pieces to help you polish those skills.
We often discuss Email Best Practices in my Business Writing Workshops. Here are some recurring themes: Always have something useful in the subject line so busy readers can evaluate if and when to read it just by seeing it in their inbox. Assume every email you send will be printed, kept forever and framed over … Read more
A reader recently asked if ‘old school’ flip charts still have any value in today’s high tech presentation and training environments. When I teach ‘Train-the-Trainer’ ‘Effective Presentation’ workshops, I always stress their value and practicality. You can post them around the room and keep referring to them easily throughout the meeting, workshop or presentation. Can’t … Read more
When helping executive coaching clients deal with Presentation Anxiety (the technical term for stage fright) here’s the process I use: Identify the specific causes of PA – they vary by person and situation. Most of the causes involve fear – fear of forgetting, fear of not being prepared, fear of looking stupid, etc. For each … Read more
Whenever I’m in the car, I listed to a CD version of a good book on communications, business or management. Here’s one I just finished: ‘It’s Not Just Who You Know’, Tommy Spaulding, Random House, 201o Long, but interesting stories and lots of useful tips and suggestions for building business relationships. Was worth the read … Read more
My recent ‘Communicate Confidently!’ eLetter article on ‘Business Card Finesse’ generated some reader reaction. Here’s a summary of several responses, based on a lot of on-going research and sharing of Best Practices with other networking pros. Contrary to what most people do, I encourage networkers NOT to give their cards to anyone! Wait for someone … Read more
A reader asked what I thought about using the phrase ‘you guys’ when talking to a group of people. While there may be nothing wrong with it and lots of people use it, there’s nothing really right with it, either. And you never know when someone in your audience might take offense at it. So, … Read more
Sounds like some of you have recently read – or listened to – some good books on communications, business or management. Here’s one a reader recommended: ‘Now, Build a Great Business – 7 Ways to Maximize Your Profits in any Market’, Brian Tracy and Mark Thompson, 2011 I tried it, too, and it’s a good … Read more
As part of my Social Media strategy, I belong to a dozen business-related LinkedIn groups and regularly engage in their discussion threads. It’s a great way to learn new things, share ideas and regularly stay connected with your LinkedIn network through the weekly activity updates. Here’s part of one of my recent rants in response … Read more
Some hard-line ‘professional speakers’ I know advocate not saying ‘thank you’ at the end of a presentation. They imply that the audience should be thanking us instead. I don’t like that approach, since I strive to practice ‘uncommon courtesy’ in all my business interactions and especially from the platform. If our last words are ‘thank … Read more
Here’s a simple technique that will differentiate you from most other people when you make a simple phone call. It works very well whether you’re following up on meeting someone at a networking event, returning a call or simply asking a question: After introducing yourself, briefly indicate why you’re calling and then ask if it’s … Read more