The Bottom Line: Re-stating Your Value

Here’s food for thought: when you meet with senior management in your organization, do you know what to say? More importantly, do you know how to say it and when to say it? If not, then you may be selling yourself short when it comes to stating your value to the organization. Sure it’s great to get a company to help take care of the HR, workplace injury and other sections of the company but this won’t help increase the value of yourself if you keep selling yourself short.

For junior executives in particular, learning how to speak to and with upper management is an invaluable skill. In fact, communication skills coaching in this precise area is one of the most frequent requests from Accent On Business clients.

Getting the results you want in the boardroom and similar settings can mean the difference between being […]

It’s Not Just What You Say, It’s How You Say It

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We all use “credibility detectors” when listening to someone talk to us.  These sensors in the brain are activated by tone of voice and body language, not words.  They give us important information about the speaker’s sincerity, integrity, and emotional intelligence.  Some people equate this to the “gut-level hunch” we often sense.  When kids listen to adults speak, they listen to the “strength” of the message for cues about whether or not the adult means what he or she is saying.

Do you “say it like you mean it”?  Women often are not taken seriously for one of three reasons.  First, her voice may be too quiet, making her sound unsure and non-authoritative.  Second, she is too high-pitched, making her sound like a little girl or a cheerleader.  Or third, she puts more inflection at the end of a sentence, making her sound […]

2022-04-22T08:33:24-04:00By |Categories: Professional Communication|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |Comments Off on It’s Not Just What You Say, It’s How You Say It

Tips to prepare yourself for selling by phone

smartphone-431230_1280Prepare for your call by making sure your style of communication (the HOW) matches your message.  To start off with a warm, friendly message:

  1. Think of a key word which represents the tone of voice you wish to create (warm, friendly), such as “tender”, “calm”, “sunshine”, “cozy”.  Repeat that one key word to yourself several times with emphasis until you feel it.
  2. Picture the mental image.  Visualize hugging a child or your spouse, wrapping up in a blanket by the fireplace, walking along the beach in the bright sun.  Make the picture clear and vivid.
  3. Change the sound of your voice by changing your body tone and placement.
  • For a warm, friendly voice you must first relax. Inhale, then exhale slowly.
  • Look into the mirror and smile.
  • Talk expressively with energy.
  • Move.  Make your movements BIG and FLUID.

Can A Smile Change Your Day?

fun-20008_1280CJ McClanahan, President of Reachmore Strategies is our guest blogger today.  To learn more about Reachmore Strategies please check out their website: http://www.goreachmore.com/

Can a smile really change your entire day?

 I would argue that for many (if not most) of us the answer is yes!  Consider what is going on in the workplace today.  Much of our communication is being reduced to email, instant messages, texts and now even “tweets”.

As a direct result, we have less and less meaningful face to face communication with actual human beings. So, when we do (even if you aren’t a social person) we crave the personal interaction.  In addition, we tend to pay attention to less of what we hear out of their mouths as what we see in their appearance and expressions.

Consider the following scenario…

You have a 5 minute meeting with your […]

Listening is a Sign of Respect

listening-157386_1280Think of your last conversation.  If you remember what you said more clearly than what you heard, you probably need to work on your listening skills.

Listening is a sign of respect.  It shows that you value what the speaker has to say.  If you take the time to listen to someone, take the time to listen properly.  Set aside what you are doing so you can focus on the speaker, showing them that they are important to you.  This will encourage the speaker to crystallize his message instead of giving you a shortened and vague version.  If you continue to focus on your work, you may miss key gestures or facial expressions that may indicate the speaker’s true feelings differ from his words.

It’s not always easy to focus on what a speaker is trying to say, especially if he has distracting idiosyncrasies.  […]

Sound Like You Mean It On the Phone

Modern_Smart_PhoneRemember: when selling by phone, 84% of the message is conveyed by the quality of the voice and the intelligibility of the speech.  Pitch, tone, inflection, and pronunciation matter!

The customer uses “Credibility Detectors”.  These sensors in the brain are activated by tone of voice and body language; not words.  They give us important information about the speaker’s sincerity, integrity, and emotional intelligence (EQ).  Some people equate this to the “gut-level hunch” we often sense.

HOW you say your message makes all the difference.  And there is an art to this.  Before you head off to that next big call, think about the feeling you want to leave with your customer; the emotion you want to share.  For example, consider that you might want to start with a warm, friendly message and follow up with a confident, powerful, or influential message.

Each feeling you want to […]

Sharpen Your Skills Before Your Next Interview!

interview-861513-mIf you’ve been considering a career change, or know someone interviewing, take time to consider a few additional items critical to the success of your interview, namely your style of presentation and your communication skills.  Being mentally prepared for the interview is very important. Presenting yourself as an effective communicator qualification in great demand by employers.

Here are a few tips for before and during the interview process:

  1. Exercise.  A short workout the morning of your interview will get your blood and breathing going and will help you present yourself with energy and vitality.
  2. Breathe.  Take slow, deep diaphramatic breaths before the interview.  This will help you center yourself, reduce stress, and keep your voice steady and confident.  Your abdomen should extend outward upon inhalation and deflate upon exhalation.  Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
  3. Be positive and enthusiastic.  Speak with a positive […]
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