communication Archives - SoaringEagles

5 Ways To Become An Effective Communicator

We all know communication is an active ingredient for any kind of success in life – personal or professional. There is absolutely no doubting the power of good communication skills!

So the question is – how do you polish and sharpen your existing communication skills? How do you become a good communicator?

With thousands of man hours of teaching communication skills and interacting with hundreds of learners through our training sessions, we have narrowed down some proven ways that can help you become an effective communicator –

1. Use all your senses

Communication is more than just talk, so it’s important to use more than just your mouth; engage on several levels – listen attentively to understand what the other person is trying to communicate, look and feel for nonverbal cues and go beyond speech.

2. Be clear, be concise and be precise

Less is more is one of the unspoken golden rules of communication! To be an effective communicator, you need to keep things simple, straight and short – avoid jargon and long-winded sentences, speak slowly, remember to pause and wait for a response.

3. Be present

It’s impossible to feign interest beyond a few minutes – people always come to know when someone is not paying attention! To make sure you stay attentive you have to actually listen carefully and engage with the other person. Ask questions, offer suggestions and participate in the conversation fully – also please put your phone down and stop multi-tasking.

4. Be nice and be polite

A smile goes a long way – it smoothens out tense situations, starts you off on a good note, relaxes the other person and ensures cooperation. Be sure to always be polite and positive in your interactions.

5. Be genuine

Just like inattention, people can sniff out a fake pretty quickly. Don’t try to behave like someone else or put on an act – not only is it exhausting to keep up, there is a real chance that you will be perceived (or branded) as someone untrustworthy. Always make sure your actions match your words, follow up on your promises and be straight forward with your words.

Communication is not rocket science, a lot of it are things that are already accepted as good manners and age-old social behaviours. So, you might ask – whats all this fuss about learning communication skills?

Well, we can tell you from the point of view of communication trainers!

Most people already have some communication skills – a training or a session would hone these, remind them about some dos and don’t and fix some obvious problems.

Some others are stuck in negative patterns of speech and body language – our programme can help them see their weaknesses and fix them too.

And then there are some skills like public speaking and presentations which you can learn really well with the help of experienced coaches and facilitators.

If you frequently feel that your communication skills are letting you down or if you feel you need to become a better communicator at work, then training will undoubtedly be beneficial!

Get in touch with us to find out more details by clicking on the Request Consultation button above.

6 Easy Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills – From the Pros!

Personal Growth

From Steve Jobs quotes to funny memes of miscommunication – every day we are bombarded with the message that good communication skills are critical to success. And to be honest, they absolutely are!

There are countless stories and examples of how failure to communicate resulted in losses and how leaders with exceptional soft skills lifted companies out of staggeringly bad situations by motivating their teams.

While our daily lives might not be so dramatic, common sense suggests that when you are surrounded by people then communicating with them is a skill that must be paid attention too.

So, if you feel you are lacking in the communication department, then these easy-to-follow suggestions put together by SoaringEagles trainers are just the thing for you:

Communication Skills Tips

1. Tailor your conversation to the person and the situation:

Cracking a mistimed joke in a serious meeting; being overfamiliar with a client or laughing after missing a deadline – these are just some of the examples of how not to communicate!

The first step to improving your communication skills is to tailor your talk to who, where and when of any conversational scenario. Try to find out as much as you can about what’s going on with the person or the situation before you jump into a conversation.

2. Never skip the listening part of communication

Nothing is as off-putting as talking to someone who is not paying any attention! Communication is a two-way process, and you have to learn how to listen actively to practice it successfully.

3. Be brief but clear

Most people like to talk – its true! We tend to overcommunicate; give extra information; spice up facts to make them more interesting or just digress from the actual point of the conversation. All of this ultimately dilutes the main message we want to put across.

To improve your communication, you need to start practicing brevity today. As you go along, you will find that people understand you more clearly.

4. Pay attention to your Body language

A lot of your communication happens non-verbally – everything from your eyes to how you stand and your gestures convey cues that are picked up and decoded subconsciously by people. And it all adds up with your verbal message to make up the whole package.

To improve your overall communication skills be aware of your non-verbal cues; observe the same in others and try to project a body language that is confident and friendly.

5. Be Positive and cheerful

Do you want to be someone who always criticizes, cribs or complains? No? Well, neither does anyone else. While everyone has bad days, and no one expects you always to be grinning ear-to-ear, a smile and a positive attitude will certainly make people around you happy.

6. Think it through

Whether it is a text message or a pitch deck, always keep some time aside to check and recheck very piece of communication that you send out. Even in conversations, curb your enthusiasm and think before you speak.

Communication is a part of every single interaction we undertake, so there are plenty of examples of good and bad communication methods all around us. To improve your communication skills, you need to, first and foremost, notice how others are communicating around you – that should be enough to get you started in the right direction.

Sometimes the DIY approach (do-it-yourself) to improving communication might not be useful in your situation. For example – if you are starting a new job or getting ready for entrance exams. If you need results fast, then we recommend getting hold of professionals – like us!

For more details, click on the Request Consultation button above.

Getting Ready For An Upcoming Big Presentation? Then These Top 6 Tips Will Help You to Present Like A Pro!

Personal Growth

All of us – from senior management to a fresher – have sat through at least one (if you are lucky) excruciatingly boring PowerPoint presentation! I remember my worst experience – it was this lady from a digital marketing agency who read out every single word of a 40-page PPT! Talk about zero presentation skills!

I distinctly remember thinking that I don’t care how good their offer is, there is no way I am giving my marketing budget to someone who is doing such a bad job of marketing themselves!

This little anecdote underscores a point we all already know – communicating well is the key to success. And not just in the corporate arena; being able to present your idea and vision clearly and with confidence, is critical to success in all professional spheres. Whether you are a small business owner, a blogger or a politician, if you cannot put across your ideas convincingly you will not grow professionally.

But presentations can be spruced up, and speaking skills can be polished. Sometimes you might need some professional guidance, but with a little bit of time and effort, it can be done. If you are looking for some quick tips to improve your presentation skills, then dive right in –

First off, know this – it is entirely possible to upgrade your presentation skills in very little time. While getting comfortable with public speaking might need some practice and experience; there is a lot you can do in a couple of days to improve your presentation skills.

Presentation Tips

A killer presentation is a combination of two things –

Content structure
The skill of the presenter

Take a look at your content and decide on a core message

Before you write down even one word or make your first slide, evaluate your entire content, and find the core message you want to leave with the audience. You could also jot down key points you want to reiterate or emphasize.

Tell a story

We all love a good tale, and nothing keeps people’s attention more effectively than a good narrative structure. Start with a bang, present problems, take them on your journey of finding a solution, and leave them on an uplifting note.

If you are presenting dry facts, then try not to do so directly; weave a story around them to make them more exciting and memorable. An excellent way to do this is to explain them through your own personal situation, through a case study or through an imaginary experience.

With every passing decade, attention spans are getting shorter, so you must structure your content to inject some excitement every 5 mins. This could be a quiz, a question, a multimedia component, a game, props or a joke – anything that breaks the content flow.

Humour always helps

Nothing breaks the ice and gets the audience behind the speaker more quickly than humour. A funny picture or a cartoon, an amusing anecdote, a quirky quote or a self-deprecating pun can lighten the atmosphere and put people in a more receptive mood.

Design visually appealing presentations

If you are using decks, then make sure that you keep these basics in mind –

Don’t put too much text on the each slide
Present one idea per slide
Make it visually appealing – there are so many templates available out there that the audience’s design expectations have gone up – simple bullet points no longer suffice
Use multimedia intelligently
Use fonts and font sizes that are readable
Keep a consistent colour or design format throughout the presentation

Body posture and expressions

Many people tend to shift from one foot to another and sway back and forth or continuously touch and adjust their clothing or hair – all this comes across as nervous, distracting behaviour. If you are not seated or don’t feel comfortable striding around on stage, then it’s best to just stand still and use hand gestures.

During a presentation, maintaining eye contact is also quite important; its best to select a bunch of people distributed evenly across the room whom you can look at directly. Along with eye contact, its also a good idea to smile – not only does it help you keep your nervousness in check it will also project a positive attitude to your audience.

Prepare and practice your presentation

Nothing beats practice! There are very few natural speakers who can go extempore; for most people, it is advisable to memorize and practice the presentation several times. If you don’t want to bank on your memory alone, then carrying cue cards is highly recommended.

Naturally, if you are presenting along with a deck, you can always turn around casually and refer to the slide. But coming back to where we started – no matter what you do, don’t start reading off the slide! It is there to create a visual reference point to what you are talking about and cannot replace your energy and your passion.

I am sure you are reading this because you have an idea or vision bubbling inside you that is just waiting to come out and I hope reading these tips can help give it the attention it deserves.

Nancy Duarte, the guru of presentation skills, puts it so well –

“..an idea is powerless if it stays inside of you. If you never pull that idea out for others to contend with, it will die with you. Now, maybe some of you guys have tried to convey your idea, and it wasn’t adopted, it was rejected, and some other mediocre or average idea was adopted. And the only difference between those two is in the way it was communicated. Because if you communicate an idea in a way that resonates, change will happen, and you can change the world.”

For working professionals and business owners, a presentation is an essential part of their work. If you feel you need to upgrade your skills in this arena, click on the Request Consultation button above.

Why Do We Fear Public Speaking? And What You Can Do Immediately To Vanquish This Fear Once And For All

Personal Growth

Have you ever come across someone who tends to freeze in front of an audience, even a couple of people? They find that their mouth dries up, their voice goes weak and their body starts shaking. They may even start sweating profusely, go red in the face and feel their heart thumping rapidly.

Has this happened to you sometime? Do you often shy away from any opportunity to speak in public? Does the thought of speaking in public leave you frozen with fear?

Glossophobia – fear of public speaking

Yes, there is a cool Greek-inspired name for fear of public speaking as well! And as much as 75% of all people are affected by it. Not surprising really, we have all felt butterflies in our stomachs before going up on stage, and most of us have an anecdote or two about public speaking disasters.

But why does something as straightforward as speaking in front of a bunch of people, cause so much dread for so many people?

Studies across the globe have identified four main reasons –

An Anxious Nature

For some people predisposed to anxiety, public speaking can trigger a threat perception hyperarousal – basically your body senses and experiences it as a threat and reacts accordingly – making it even more difficult to perform well.

Your Thoughts

You build it up to be more important than it is, you don’t think you are good enough, you think everyone will judge you and so on – basically your thoughts take over and inflate the importance of the situation to such an extent that natural nervousness snowballs into full-blown fear of public speaking.

Past Experiences

Did you have a bad public speaking experience in the past? Do you speak in public regularly? Your skill and past success or failure play a big role in how you approach public speaking situations.

New or Unfamiliar Situations

It is natural to feel more anxious if you are encountering a new audience or trying out an untested idea or are in an unknown setting. Even something like speaking in your second language or on an unprepared topic can trigger anxiety.

If you are trying to grow your business or climb the corporate ladder or have a fantastic idea that you need to communicate – you need to look your fear in the face and vanquish it.

How? Well keep reading – we have put together some simple tips to help you become a better and more confident speaker.

Know your Content

With anxiety comes the loss of concentration and memory — the first thing to go out of the window is the speech or the presentation you memorised. To avoid a black-out its best to understand your content thoroughly. Don’t just learn the lines; you should know the content well enough to be able to convey the idea in entirely different words.

Practice

For nervous speakers, practice makes perfect! Practice the speech, the pauses, the stance, the gestures and practice in front of a mirror and front of friends. Rehearsing your speech or presentation bakes it in your mind and when anxiety strikes, being over prepared will come in handy.

Relax

Relaxation techniques like breathing exercises, meditation or even some physical activity can help you tamp down the anxiety. The goal is to start the speech with a calm frame of mind, a lower heartbeat, and controlled breathing. If you start off nervous, chances are it will keep getting worse.

But relaxation techniques don’t just work overnight – you will need to make them a habit and practice them constantly to see the benefits.

Know your Limitations

Like everything else, public speaking also requires practice and time to perfect. Don’t try to just jump into a big gathering straight away – know your capabilities, start small. If you are having trouble memorising your content, carry bullet points; don’t force a joke or an anecdote if you don’t want to; don’t speak in front of hundreds of people if you can’t handle ten.

Becoming a good orator requires time and experience. Understand which stage you are at and take your time.

Lastly, ask for Help

You don’t have to go at it alone; if a big presentation or an important speech is coming up, then bring in the professionals.

Counsellors can help you structure your content, help you practice, give you useful and actionable tips to improve and also provide the much needed emotional support.

Don’t let the fear of public speaking close opportunities and stunt your professional or personal growth.

Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it so well,

“All the great speakers were bad speakers at first.”

If you want to become a confident and engaging speaker, then don’t hesitate to get in touch!

You might not end up loving the stage, but we promise you will learn not to hate it.

To know more, click on the Request Consultation button above.

How to Communicate Well With Others: Top 5 Tips

Personal Growth

Communication is at the core of our existence. Whether we know it or not, we are all communicating with others all the time – be it through words or through our body language. As a social animal, we cannot survive without communicating with other. Why do you think solitary confinement is one of the most stringent punishments in prison? So the first thing to acknowledge is that you can communicate. Don’t ever say or think that you cannot communicate, you will only pull yourself down.

The quality of your communication determines whether you get what you want or not. If you find yourself in situations where people just don’t get what you are saying, it is time to reflect and understand where the communication is not going right –

– is it that your idea is not clear; or

– is it that your words are not appropriate; or

– is it that you are not able to get the attention of the listener; or

– is it that you are not able to get the listener interested in what you have to say; or

– is it that you know what to say but just don’t have the confidence to say it well?

It is important to know where you may be getting stuck so that you can improve the quality of your communication and achieve your objectives. The top 5 tips to enhance the quality of your communication with others are as follows:

Enhance Your Active Vocabulary

It is important to use the appropriate words in our sentences to get our ideas across. If we do not have a strong vocabulary, we will struggle to express our ideas clearly and succinctly. If we have to use a lot of simple words to get across one idea which could have been expressed better with one appropriate word, we run the risk of the listener losing interest in what we have to say or worse our ideas get buried under a bunch of random words. So it is important to have a large active vocabulary, i.e., words that we can actually use while speaking and writing.

Everyone has a much larger passive vocabulary than an active one, and that is perfectly alright. However, if you make efforts to listen to how more advanced or difficult words are used by others and try to use it in your communication, you will develop your active vocabulary and then not be at loss of words. Focus on the type of words you will actually use or that are used actively in your industry.

Be Clear about what you want to say and what you want to get out of it

People have very short attention spans and they don’t like to listen to someone who rambles on without any clear purpose. So before you can engage anyone in a conversation, it is important that you are clear about your own thoughts and ideas. When you have that clarity of thought, you will be able to structure your message better.

It is important to be clear on what is it that you are trying to achieve while talking to someone so that you can guide the discussion towards getting that end objective. This does not mean that you show no interest in the person you are talking to. You objective could very well be to get to know the person better and understand what their challenges are so that you can then see how you can help them. At times we make the assumption that the listener knows what we want and will do the needful without us actually specifically asking for it. This approach may not get you the desired outcome. The better approach is to have a clear ‘call to action’ so that the listener knows what you expect or want them to do.

Grab the attention of the listener

Has this happened to you – you are sitting with a group of people and when you try to say something, you realize that no one is listening and then you just stop talking. Believe me, it happens to almost everybody. The important thing is to not give up and start believing that no one wants to listen to me. You have to make an effort to grab the attention of the listeners and say what you have to say. There are many ways of doing it. You can interject when there is a slight pause in the conversation or when one topic that was being discussed has reached its logical conclusion. You can use phrases like – “I want to add to that” or “I had a similar experience” or “Do you want to hear another perspective” or “I agree and ….” or something on these lines.

Another scenario very common these days is when you are trying to say something and the listener starts looking at their phone or doing something else. Before you can get your message across, you need to grab their attention.

Make it interesting for the listener

If you want to engage with someone and have them listen to your ideas, you need to make sure it is interesting for the listener. You need to look at things from their perspective and present your ideas in a way that makes it meaningful for them. If the listener does not see anything of interest to them in what you have to say, they will eventually switch off and your efforts would be wasted. So it is better to understand your audience and tailor your content so as to make it about your audience and not about you. This simple strategy will see your quality of communication improve dramatically.

Work on building your confidence

When you have confidence in yourself, it shows and it attracts others to you like a magnet. People want to get to know you and your self-confident attitude shows that you are worth their time and effort. A self-confident person also makes others feel better about themselves. People who lack confidence tend to avoid connecting with others, they avoid eye contact and project disinterest. This turns people off. For good conversation to take place, people need to make eye contact and need to show interest in each other. So to become a good conversationalist, work on building your self-confidence. When you feel good about yourself, you will be able to make others feel good about themselves.

Remember, a conversation is always a two–way street so both sides need to get to speak and should listen when the other person is talking. Being a good conversationalist is not only about speaking well but also about listening well. When you listen actively and understand the other person’s perspective, you will be able to present your ideas in a much more attractive manner.