Improving Communication Skills

We all have people with whom we have to work to get things done. Our ability to communicate with clients, customers, subordinates, peers, and superiors can enhance our effectiveness or sabotage us. Many times, our verbal skills make the difference. Here are 10 ways to increase your verbal efficacy at work: 1. Develop your voice – A high whiney voice is not perceived to be one of authority. In fact, a high soft voice can make you sound like prey to an aggressive co-worker who is out to make his/her career at the expense of anyone else. Begin doing exercises to lower the pitch of your voice. Here is one to start: Sing — but do it an octave lower on all your favorite songs. Practice this and, after a period of time, your voice will begin to lower. 2. Slow down – People will perceive you as nervous and unsure of yourself if you talk fast. However, be careful not to slow down to the point where people begin to finish your sentences just to help you finish. 3. Animate your voice – Avoid a monotone. Use dynamics. Your pitch should raise and lower. Your volume should be soft and loud. Listen to your local TV news anchor; take notes. 4. Enunciate your words – Speak clearly. Don’t mumble. If people are always saying, â€Å"huh,† to you, you are mumbling. 5. Use appropriate volume – Use a volume that is appropriate for the setting. Speak more softly when you are alone and close. Speak louder when you are speaking to larger groups or across larger spaces. 6. Pronounce your words correctly – People will judge your competency through your vocabulary. If you aren’t sure how to say a word, don’t use it. 7. Use the right words – If you’re not sure of the meaning of a word, don’t use it. Start a program of learning a new word a day. Use it sometime in your conversations during the day. 8. Make eye contact – I know a person who is very competent in her job. However, when she speaks to individuals or groups, she does so with her eyes shut. When she opens them periodically, she stares off in a direction away from the listener. She is perceived as incompetent by those with whom she consults. One technique to help with this is to consciously look into one of the listener’s eyes and then move to the other. Going back and forth between the two (and I hope they only have two) makes your eyes appear to sparkle. Another trick is to imagine a letter â€Å"T† on the listener’s face with the cross bar being an imaginary line across the eye brows and the vertical line coming down the center of the nose. Keep your eyes scanning that â€Å"T† zone. 9. Use gestures – Make your whole body talk. Use smaller gestures for individuals and small groups. The gestures should get larger as the group that one is addressing increases in size. 10. Don’t send mixed messages – Make your words, gestures, facial expressions, tone, and message match. The ability to communicate successfully and easily in English is a required skill for corporate, public sector employees, and students. While modern schooling might provide you with a good base and understanding of the English language, who is there to help you improve your ability to communicate more effectively and accurately in a professional world dominated by English? Over recent years, English has become recognized as the language of international business. Increasingly, international businessmen from a wide variety of business sectors are expected to have a comprehensive working knowledge of English. The companies who train their staff in Business English do so because they recognize the paramount importance of having fully-trained staff whose skills include English language proficiency. Verbal Expressions is able to offer you an unequalled level of individual, convenient, cost efficient English language training. You will benefit from experienced and effective English trainers, all of whom have considerable training expertise as well as practical experience. The high demand for conversational business English training has clearly been demonstrated as businesses move into international markets. English language skills are becoming more and more important. Throughout the world there is a very necessary need for conversational English programs which respond immediately and effectively to the emerging business communities getting involved in international trade. Verbal Expressions can help you improve your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. Verbal Expressions’ On-Line, ONE-On-ONE Conversational training gives you a 100% one-person focus in the convenience of your own office or home at times suitable to you.