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| If you are like most people you probably have concerns about some aspect of your communication. Let me guess... | |
Public speaking terrifies you |
Yes/No |
You are afraid that you do not sound confident |
Yes/No |
You want an image of maturity, polish and intelligence |
Yes/No |
I am going to give you two “tips’ for skillful communication in a job interview. Just two, but they are a very big two. Careful attention to them will make you the candidate of their dreams.
There is a lot about successful and comfortable social conversation that is silent. How you look and move has profound communicative impact that influences the likelihood of people approaching you and feeling comfortable while talking to you.
There is a lot about successful and comfortable social conversation that is silent. How you look and move has profound communicative impact that influences the likelihood of people approaching you and feeling comfortable while talking to you.
Speech is the most powerful barrier to social mobility. Period. Consider what you can know about someone the minute they speak: sex, age, size social history, economic status, intelligence, education, healthy, attitude or emotion, and foreign or regional background. Did I miss any thing?
Louise was earnest. Mark worked hard. But neither one of them could get their voice to carry to the last row of the conference room. Indeed, even people in the front row had to lean forward to hear them. Their speaking style was geared for face-to-face conversation, not projection to a larger group...
Your Communication Resolutions
I have learned that it pays to keep good communication lines open with everybody. Yes, everybody. Let me tell you how I learned this.
Help! I'm Short - Non-verbal Communication - Part 2
You may be short but that doesn’t mean that your voice has to sound small. You should have a mature voice with adult intonationst...
Help! I'm Short - Non-verbal Communication - Part 1
If you are a tall person, you may be wondering what this topic is doing in a communication article. If you are short, you know darn well why it’s here. You’ve noticed that...
Breathing 101 - “I Know I Don’t Breathe Right!”
The young woman searches my face for confirmation of her declaration. She doesn't’t find it. It is very hard not to breathe right. (Perhaps you think that you don’t beat your heart right either?)
Going to a mixer? Many people show up and hope for a ‘good time’ at community or business events and are not aware that the success of the event depends entirely on what they do themselves. This passivity frequently translates into discomfort and lost opportunities. Well, I am here to get you going in the right direction. It will make all the difference in the world.
Joe was new to reporting in front of co-workers. You could see how earnest he was, that he had prepared detailed notes. He wrote a lot of figures on the white board, talking all the while. At least, people guessed he was talking. All they could hear was a mumble.
Your Communication Resolutions
I have learned that it pays to keep good communication lines open with Everybody. Yes, Everybody. Let me tell you how I learned this.
How to Make the Point
I know a really good way a speaker can lose an audience. Just keep them guessing about what your point or message is. You may be satisfying your need to tell the tale in the order that you experienced it, or painting a context that sets the stage for the information It all makes perfect sense to you.
Sometimes a Voice Speaks to You in the Language of Romance
Let’s say you are a woman who would like to develop an evocative, warm and resonant tone. You know it when you hear it. Yo
Credibility
- Technical, Tactical Talking
When it
comes to communicating under pressure, the Forensic expert witness
is truly ‘on the hot seat’. By definition, the expert
witness must hold their own against critical/hostile questioning
by the opposing counsel. While some speakers dread the possibility
of a hostile question, the expert witness must assume it as a matter
of course.
Vocabulary
Building with your Eyes
I picked
up a small book about public speaking that was on sale at my library
for 54¢! As I skimmed the pages, I noticed small inked dots
on some of the words. Now, why would anyone make dots over certain
words?
About
A Great Lady
I was
privileged to hear the contralto Marian Anderson when I was 14 years
old. It proved to be a life-changing experience; she established
my lifetime benchmark of performance and communication. She did
this solely by example at a single event.
You
vs. Power Point
There
is nothing intrinsically wrong with Power Point per se, but it is
frequently a deadly weapon in the wrong hands. It can stupefy just
when you want to edify.
Please
Do Not Express Yourself
This month’s
article addresses the pet peeve of many a listener. If people glare
at you, saying, “Get to the point!”, you may be that peeve.
Better check it out!
Finding
Your Giant Voice
Jerry
was recently hired by a large company to be a sales representative.
His performance review included comments about ‘youthfulness’
that he interpreted as meaning ‘immature’. When I called
his boss to get clarification, his boss specifically mentioned a
‘boyish, high voice’.
The
Way You Wear Your Hat….
You probably
didn't’t know that you could read heads. But you’ve probably
noticed -
that some people have a ‘hang-dog’ posture,
- the erect ‘head held high’ posture,
- the ‘bobble-head doll’ head nodding
- and the cocked-to-one- shoulder coquette.
Fading
Away
People
had trouble hearing Owen when he tried to give reports to a committee
at work. The beginnings of his sentences were fine. It was the ends
of his sentences that seemed to just dribble down into silence.
This was a huge problem when the whole point of the statement was
in the last few words.
Take
a Nice Deep Breath
Go ahead,
do it! Now, did you do something that I would be able to see, such
as a great heaving upper chest? Did you do something that I could
hear, such as the sound of air as it is pulled into your chest?
Dealing
with Stage Fright - Part I
I know
three and a half ways to greatly reduce or eliminate altogether
your stage fright and I guarantee them. Do I have your attention?
When
a Good Employee is a Pain in the Neck
The sales
clerk with the raucous laugh; the investment counselor that talks
about her sex life; the art director who argues with everybody;
the programmer who plays practical jokes. What these people have
in common is...
The
Stories We Tell Ourselves
I bought
a beautiful and costly gift in Europe for my friend and sent it
to him. I took such pleasure and pride in the selection and purchase
of this gift. I could hardly wait for him to get it. He will pick
up the phone immediately, I thought, and...
How
to Look Like You're Listening
No one has ever consulted with me to improve their own listening.
Everybody thinks they listen just fine.
Communicating
Credentials in a Job Interview
Somewhere between the getting of a degree and the getting of a job,
the graduate must transition from student to professional.
In
the Spirit of Christmas and Giving - Pink Cheeks and Red Blanket
It had really been a lovely party: perfect for the celebration of
Christmas. A gathering of genuinely nice people, bathed in great
cooking smells, and involved in the activities of filling sacks
with foodstuffs meant to be given to the homeless.
Invest
in Your Voice
Are your financial statements forlorn? Are you showing little profit
and lots of loss? Did you lose your job?
The
Time to Talk with Each Other. The Time to Listen
Of course we are angry! The enormity, the savagery of the attack
on America was intended to blind us with fury. Blind people don't
know what's ahead of them. Blind people can make very bad decisions.
It is better not to be blind.
How
Valuable is Your Voice?
I smoked. I quit. It was no piece of cake, I assure you. So I'm
going to share my experience of quitting to illustrate the methods
of a desperate, humiliated woman. I do this in hopes...
People
Whose Speech is 'Different'
We all notice the "elsewhereians" - people who are clearly
different from us, and who clearly come from elsewhere. Perhaps
we notice that they are shorter, their skin is brown, or that their
facial features are somehow different, not like ours. We also notice
that their English marks them as outsiders...
The
Case for Emergency Speech Coaching
"Dr. Fleming, I'm at a Hambrecht and Quist meeting where my
company is going to make a major presentation. My boss always does
the speaking, but I just got a call from Boston that he's not coming
and he wants me to handle it. I would rather eat razor blades than
give a speech. I need some help...
Words
Fail Me!
Let me guess. You think your vocabulary has slipped, and that you've
become sloppy. That you used to use many fine words but have now
fallen into banal commonalties, or you may even (oh horrors!) find
yourself using...
It's
a Public Service to be Brave
We are often reminded that we should be living finer lives. We hear
much good advice. We read inspirational passages that help us approximate
a better self. We try to communicate (to share, to make common)
values that make life easier for us all.
Leadership,
Vision....and Communication Skills for the Foreign-born Businessperson
We all know that a Leader must have 'vision', intelligent foresight,
to lead a company into the future, but vision must be communicated
to gain cooperation with employees, teams, stock analysts, bankers,
the media, and the community at large. These verbal skills are frequently
undervalued and poorly understood, but you ignore them at your peril...
Is
Communication Coaching for you? Part I
- Why Would I Need a Coach?
Let's say that you have made an appointment with me and I have begun
the interview by asking why you are in my office. "What do
you want?"...
Is
Communication Coaching for you?Part II
- What Does the Coach Do?
In Part I of this series (Is Communication Coaching for You?), I
spoke of the many and varied reasons a person might show up for
help with their communication skills. I noted that it is the rare
individual that can make an accurate self-evaluation and that most
of us need that outside, objective, disinterested figure for feedback
and evaluation...
Is Communication Coaching
for You? Part III - What Can the Client Expect?
Since working with a speech coach is likely to be a new experience
for most people, I thought it might be helpful if I discussed four
of the most important principles and five of the 'housekeeping'
details that define our relationship...
Guidelines
for Professionalism
When you're ready to step out in front of the pack, some practical
'know-how' or savvy is exactly what you want. This is practical
information about managing your career and being shrewd about your
choices and conduct. These are those famous "little things
that mean so much" and may well determine if the management
sees you as a responsible...
What's
It Takes to Get a Promotion - The Secrets of Professional Impact
Once you get a foot in the door in the world of work, how do you
go up. This is a good question to get answered if you don't want
to stay at the entry level position. Which way is up and how to
I get there? You will, of course, be looking around for your own
answers as soon as you get the opportunity, because...
Stand
Up and Introduce Yourself!
What a good idea! Opportunities to get our name out there and let
other's know something about us. This is especially true for those
of us who have to do our own promotion or even if you are someone
who just wants to.
When
the Issue is Clear Speech
As a Speech Coach, I help people with face-to-face communication
skills. One of those skills is fluency in English as a second language.
A request for services might sound like this...
Can
Your Voice Survive the Holidays?
The Scene: A holiday gathering with lots of effusive people talking,
loud music, traffic/restaurant noise, shrieks and laughter... The
Plot: You are simply trying to make yourself heard over all the
above noise. The Result: You scream your conversation, your throat
starts to really hurt, and...
Leave Me Voice Mail,
...and Let me Tell You How
I'll bet you like your voice mail messages to be complete, clearly
spoken, to the point and lasting not one second longer than they
have to be. So do I, and so do most people I know. Together, we
can elevate the level of voice mail messaging with the following
points...
What
Do You Say After You've Said "Great View!"?
If you are like most people, you feel a certain amount of discomfort
in an initial meeting with a new person, and the awkward silences
that frequently occur are especially nerve racking. For example:
You're on the way down the hall with the person that will interview
you for a possible job. When you first shook hands...
Do I Really Sound Like
That?
You hear the sound of your voice on the answering machine or voice-mail
and you are appalled by what you hear. Do you really sound like
that? Well, yes and no. However, I can tell you that you probably
sound a lot better than what you hear on these recording devices.
I'll tell you why...
The
Sound Of Your Voice
Have you ever heard your own voice shoot up in pitch just when you
most wanted to sound assured and in control? When you were asking
for a raise or when you had to make a presentation in front of the
senior staff? On the other hand, do you find that you tend to deepen
your voice when you answer you office phone? Have you figured out
just why...
Copyright © Dr. Carol Fleming. All Rights Reserved.
Permission to reprint with author and website acknowledgement.
Contact us today to discuss how our workshops, coaching and training products can improve your Personal Professionalism and Communication Impact.
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