Communication Skills and Training Articles

The term Paradigm Shift was first introduced by Thomas Kuhn in his book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Today, the word paradigm is commonly used to represent a thought pattern or perception, which in turn affects our attitudes and behaviours. Paradigm Shift in this sense means to change our limiting thoughts and perceptions. The Map Is Not The Territory - A map is simply an explanation of how an actual territory is like. It lists details such as buildings and roads, however, the map is not the actual territory, it is just a representation.

The man who gives little with a smile gives more than the man who gives much with a frown. –Jewish Proverb When it comes to building trust and rapport, this principle is one of the top seven that we have found to be important. Let me illustrate what it means with an example.

Not enough time, boss pushing for work to be completed, children are loud, bills to pay, shopping to be done, housework to do, partner asking for your help... and to top it all off you're suppose to be nice to people by communicating effectively with them? Yikes! If you're like me, you find it hard to communicate in stressful moments. Stress management techniques don't always do the trick. In response to stress, you either become aggressive towards other people to release st

Do you think charisma is a sexy trait and you would like to have it? I have good news for you: you can voluntarily develop your charisma by putting into practice specific action steps. Charisma is a personality trait which enables you to have a big influence on others around you, to persuade them, attract them and connect with them.

Communication Skills – Become a superb communicator with 5 easy techniques Communication skills are the key to success in many areas of life, whether at work or in socially. It is true that some people seem better at communicating than others. Why is this? Why are there people that you always look forward to communicating with, and others that you avoid at all costs?r

DO YOU HAVE A MENTOR? Mentors can be from the past, present or even fictional. Shahrazad is strictly fictional but I feel she could be real – a composite character of realness, and she is my mentor because for me she is real. PARALLELS WITH LIFE Fiction can be so real because it draws upon real life. This is how it was in olden times or with a composite character – it is so real. DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS In olden times Kings had the divine right to execute their wives and if the Queen was unfaithful that was high treason and a capital offence. OFF WITH HER HEAD!r

As a professional singer and speaker, I'm often asked if I still get nervous in front of an audience. I do. But I've learned to use my nervous energy – and minimize its impact. I practice aikido, a martial art based on aligning with the attacker and redirecting the attack. Instead of ...

Self-Respect is a product of being granted rights like anybody else. Self-respect is understood here as the ability to perceive oneself as a morally responsible individual whose actions are respected by others. Recognition through the granting of rights by legal systems is thus the second form ...

A great many people have trouble with nervousness, shyness, and a host of other "issues" that make it difficult for them to interact with others. Well, there are a number of ways you can relieve yourself of that problem, and we are going to go over them now. First off, you want to become comfortable with the idea of being around other people. An excellent way to start that is by getting involved in community theatre or by taking an acting class or a class in public speaking.

Whether you are standing behind a lectern, interviewing for a new position, participating in a team meeting, speaking with a colleague, participating in a Skype job interview, or asking for a raise – you are “on” and presenting. Make the most of all your speaking opportunities by following these presentation Dos and Don’ts. When Making a Presentation Do… 1. Plan . A successful presenter begins with a plan. Research your topic, check your facts, and be crystal clear

When your customers leave an interaction with you, they tell someone about the level of service you provided. And when they do, they generally reference your company’s name – not yours. They say: “I just called ABC Company and the customer service rep sounded like she didn’t care about my problem”…or “I called ABC Company today and the guy corrected my billing statement right away”…or “WOW! The lady I spoke with at ABC Company was so helpful!” In reality, each and every cus

Let’s face it. the majority of people in business are nice, yet professional. Sometimes as managers though, niceness overtakes the need to manage effectively. Read any business magazine and you’ll get advice such as “Never criticize an employee directly.” Other books or speakers encourage you to “sandwich” the criticism between two positives. For example, if an employee is continuously late, a supervisor is instructed to say, “James, you’re a valued employee here at Acme Widg

A: Aim to be in state of blessed bliss as much as possible. Appreciate all the blessings you have. B: Believe in blessings and enjoy blessed bliss. C: Cover yourself in blessings. Clothe yourself with blessings. D: Determine to be a blessed person more. E: Enjoy all your blessings, because you have so many. F: Frames of mind are within our control. Frame your mind with blessings. Feast on blessings. G: Garner blessings from everywhere. Go for blessings, way to go. Gravitate towards more and more blessings.

Summary: What's it like to live with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder? In this post, we explore some of the strengths and some of the challenges of life with this particular brain type. ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder--also known simply as ADD for Attention Deficit Disorder) can be difficult to live with. If you or someone you love has it, life can sometimes seem "unfair."

Do you need to write an employee review? Its one of the most dreaded and important valuable resources in a manager’s toolbox, yet many managers don’t know how to give a performance review of an employee. Here are 10 dos and don'ts to help you create a positive and productive experience. 1. Avoid surprises DON’T: Wait

Conferencing calls are a boon to businesses and families. More that two people can talk to one another at the same time. There are today many kinds of conference calls: nn• Audio conference calls.n• Video conference calls.n• Webconference calls.nnA conference call saves money as well as time and enables people to take decisions on the spot. There are what are known as conference call providers who offer conference calling services and charge their clients on a per hour

n“The true adventurer goes forth aimless and nuncalculating to meet and greet an unknown fate.” O. Henrynn Carrie, my daughter-in-law is six degrees left of center. She is not your atypical woman by any stretch of the imagination, yet her adventurous nature and flair for the bazaar, actually, ...

The right selling words, actions and techniques will help you influence actions. You might know how much your company needs your program or solution, but it's up to you to convince them. Salespeople who know how to paint an irresistible picture of their product or service, or how to reassure hesitant prospects with confidence, are well on their way to closing the deal. Learn to develop your powers of persuasion and you will influence more people. Verbal Techniques Everyone

Joseph worked hard. As a customer service telephone representative, he showed respect and courtesy to everyone who called the company. But he wanted to get ahead. He wanted an outside sales job. He applied for open positions over and over again; his manager turned him down each time. Finally, ...

Among the many language learning sources, media (print or electronic) plays an important role in improving one's language standards. Some of the important media instruments that help in learning a language are – newspapers, magazines, television, radio and the Internet. These have revolutionized the world of communication, whose main tool is language. Hence, these media instruments, though used for gaining information, also have evolved as language promoters/resources, thus

Email is an insecure communication method, which may surprise you. Since you are only as secure as your email, protecting your email with an iPhone VPNshould be a top priority. Your email contains all of your sensitive data. All of the accounts you signed up for, your usernames and even passwords reside in your email. A hacker probably has all he/she needs to access your accounts if they can access your email. Even messages that you delete may be sitting on a server halfway a

Do you ever find yourself getting more and more angry and frustrated while trying to explain what is bothering you? Perhaps you feel like others are not really listening to you or trying to understand things from your perspective. In such circumstances, you may end up raising your voice or becoming verbally or even physically abusive.

WAYS TO CONNECT Facebook is a place to connect but is it a place for love? Facebook can certainly be a starting point; obviously it can’t be the ending point for love such as marital love. Also is it true or real love – is it sustainable and lasting love? Could Facebook be a good starting point for marital love? If we look at Western love – starting on Facebook cannot be worse than meeting in a bar or club. Numerous Western marriages start in bars, clubs and discos. BAR LOVEr

Communication is central to our life—we communicate with others every day, throughout the day. Understanding, appreciating, and accommodating personality differences in communication style can bring major success to our effectiveness as a friend, spouse, employee, supervisor, trainer, leader, and team member. People have different preferences in the way they take in and evaluate information and their orientation to the world around them. As we develop our awareness, understanding, and appreciation of communication differences, we will reap the benefit in our relationship with others.

Do you find the way some people do things to be very illogical with no orderly process in place? Do you find you are totally frustrated when people lack focus and never finish their projects or they are always late? Are you at a loss to understand why people do not just quit procrastinating, ...

"We give ourselves the best opportunity to make clear-minded decisions only to the extent that our hearts are at peace." -- The Anatomy of Peace Choosing to resolve conflict begins when we approach it with a "Heart at Peace." So opens a new book I just finished, The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving ...

Networking & A Personal Touch n (“What I Do ‘Is Not’ Who I Am”) Ah, the personal touch that continues to make a big difference, for the better in our lives and the lives of those, who have an opportunity to experience a personal touch from us. If networking and effective communication are centered on other people, can we effectively network or communicate without the help of other people? For the sake of argument, let us define networking as: finding out what another indiv

Last time I wrote about Advocacy as an impediment to the logical give and take that distinguishes collaboration. I characterized it as a learned behavior, and one that can be partially or fully managed by a skilled communicator that recognizes it and knows how to steer a group around it. I also mentioned another impediment - Defensiveness. That is the subject this week.

Sending a thank you note should be an easy task. Yet, when it comes to putting pen to paper, we all seem to struggle with a major case of “writer’s block” from time to time – especially when we have a large stack to write! While “writer’s block” may be a good excuse for not penning the next great American novel, it won’t hold any weight as a reason for not writing those all important thank-you notes!nnThank you writing can be an easy task, if you divide it up

Many times, dinner is more than a moment during the day to eat; it is also a moment of social interaction. Thus, it is a good idea to also make the best out of it socially. Many of us have dinner in social settings. We don’t eat alone; we eat with other people at the table: our spouse, our family, our friends or acquaintances. In other words, dinner time is frequently social time as well.

Persuasive Language – Convince mer In our everyday conversation, you are always engaged with the persuasion process no matter what you are doing. You will learn to appreciate the importance of the basic techniques of using persuasive language to success. Let’s go through the empowering techniques. 1. The way you put your words bits and pieces together. If you’re trying to make someone feel more relaxing and comfortable with you, you will want to employ the use of more infor

I design soft-skills training programs that help leaders create happier workplaces and I've noticed a recurring pattern over the years: Many people think that you can change behaviors ove ight. They talk earnestly with me about team building or effective communication and expect that a one-day training will resolve everything. I’ve even had leaders and HR managers ask me to change how their employees communicate in one hour.

In an average day, you are going to meet a great many new people. Some of them might seem of no value to your life - a waitress, a delivery man, and so forth. Yet, never underestimate the value of every individual. nnRemember, the art of networking can lead to you achieving greatness. With that in mind, let's look at what you should say and talk about when you meet someone for the first time.nn1. Speak without speaking. Your physical appearance and demeanor will say more to p

Cupid Isn’t Stupid Quickest Valentine’s Day Tips for Matchmaking and Dating Success Did you know that when we meet each other for the first time we evaluate each other on a very deep and super alert subconscious level? The instant we meet someone new we evaluate them with ...

Six months ago, an out-of-town client called to ask my input. She was in a meeting with the president of an association where she is chairing the annual gala as a volunteer. Also present were several of her committee members as well as an outside consultant hired by the organization. She ...

Find the freedom that comes from giving you a break Are you a perfectionist? If your automatic response is “no!” I invite you to take a closer look; there is a well-meaning perfectionist in every one of us! Wanting to be the best, and see things executed to the highest level of quality is a good direction to set your business compass but, I see this quest for perfection keeping people from reaching their true potential nearly every day.

Five Methods of Handling Conflict: Avoidance. Ironically, avoiding pending conflicts can sometimes squash a potential outburst. A sudden difference of opinion can immediately result in conflict. If you as a manager can justify its avoidance (on the basis that it is a conflict of belief, ...

Is your organization suffering from severe communication problems? Someone once said that "communication is the lifeblood of an organization" - and it truly is. An organization that is experiencing a breakdown in communication will not live for very long because many problems will crop up and eventually cause the organization to die a natural death. If your organization is experiencing communication problems, you must do what you can to resolve these as soon as possible. The

From very early on in life, we seek someone we can attach to, who understands us, cares for us, loves us, and gives us a sense of safety and belonging. We look to attach to someone who will be there when times turn rough, and most importantly, who shares our dreams for a happy future, for a ...

Did you know there are Six Messages in any conversation? • What you Mean to say • What you Actually say • What the other person Hears • What the other person Thinks he/she hears • What the other person Says • What you Think the other person says No wonder we have communication problems. To make matters even worse, did you know that our mind thinks four times faster than the average person can speak?

“I’m sorry that people are so jealous of me, but I can’t help it that I’m so popular.” – Gretchen, Mean Girls Does your workplace have a clique problem? A clique is a close group of co-workers who socialize both during and after work. They may form a corporate subculture with inside jokes, and rules about dress codes or who is allowed to speak to whom. Of course, not all cliques are bad. Many of them welcome new members and use the social relationships to challenge themselv

"If you want to win friends, make it a point to remember them. If you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment; you indicate that I have made an impression on you. Remember my name and you add to my feeling of importance." - Dale Carnegien nIt's common to hear people say that they can't remember names. More often than not, what they're actually saying is that they can't be bothered to remember. It's easy to recall names when we want something from someone. If it's a p

Will you pay for a professional resume writing services? 7 points to bear in mind. 1. Call in the Professionals Not the Clownr

A- Assurance. Has this ever happened to you: you deliver a planned, powerful, positioned presentation, and your prospect says something like, “Sounds great! I like it, I want, I need it. I’m going to do it! (wait for it…) Call me Tuesday!” You call Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Monday… no sale. Sound familiar? What happened?

For many people giving a speech causes them to turn tail and run or break out in a cold sweat. They would rather die than walk up to a podium and talk. This phenomenon is actually documented. When people are asked what their number one fear is, an astounding majority say speaking before groups. Death comes in second.nnSo, why in the world would anyone want to give a speech without notes? After all aren't our notes there to help guide us through the speech? Aren't they there t

Don't let anyone tell you different: The labels we apply to people have a direct impact on the way we interact with them, and the way we interact with them determines how they react to us and what results we get with them. When people label others as ‘toxic,’ they may disempower themselves and ...

Telling a Story to Build Your Memory Power By Ron White Memory Expert and USA Memory Champion In the levels of memory training, association includes elements of memory training, such as acronyms. Have you heard of acronyms? An acronym is a series of letters created using the first letter of each word. IBM is an acronym for International Business Machines. AT&T is an acronym for American Telephone and Telegraph. These are used by companies because they are easier to remember.

Even with the right questions conversation may not flow quite as freely as you may hope. That’s because you need to really listen actively to the answers that you get. A conversation is like a tennis match, with words flowing back and forth like the tennis ball. Carefully listening to the answers you are given will give you another idea to pick up on which should lead you to another question and from there, you can progress the conversation, whatever your purposes is. If you

Do you have a dream? Everybody does; I have been dreaming to become a nurse. Today I can say: I did it; if I did it, if I reached my goal, you can do it too. Let this article encourage you to change and positively influence your life. You can become a person you want to be and you can achieve your goals. How? It is not easy, but is not hard either. Before we move forward I would recommend you to take a look at your attitude and your perception of the success. Every building needs strong foundation, right?r

Life coaching, as a money making business, is dead. That’s according to Nick Bolton, founder of the Smart School of Coaching. The day of the generic life coach has passed. The industry has matured; there’s a growing understanding of the role of a coach as a change maker not a be-all-things-to-all-people identikit. “Coaches who want to work in the personal coaching world, as opposed to the executive or corporate arenas where traditional coaching still functions effectively, are becoming change makers. Being just a life coach is not enough.” says Nick.