Communication

How do you communicate

?

Ramesh Hariharan

[email protected]

It is not what you say, it is how you say it…

Overall aspects

Specific KPO related

“The more virtual the organization, the more important the personal contacts”

How do you communicate?

How you say something is often more powerful than what you say.

Watch your non verbal communication.Your tone of voice and facial expression

tell people more than your words.Tone, nuances and facial expressions

account for 93 per cent of your message.

The actual words only account for seven per cent!

We can communicate well

You do not need a great vocabulary to make yourself understood.

Your nonverbal communications is what makes the difference.

Your eyes say it all…

Eye contact makes all the difference…

Glance at the person and then look away. Otherwise, it is seen as staring.

Avoiding eye contact indicates low self-esteem.

A relaxed gaze shows you are listening.

Watch your body posture

The way your carry yourself reveals what you think of yourself and what you think of the listener.

Slouching shows you are indifferent to the world. If you are rigid and uptight, you communicate anxiety and insecurity.

Watch your body posture

Has the bus conductor given you due respect?

Body Posture

Best stance for both men and women: straight spine, head erect, feet slightly spread apart and arms at the side.

Body Posture

Are people walking from opposite direction giving you way?

Don’t turn your body away

When talking to somebody else, a slight 30 degree turn helps. The conversation gets personal at once.

Don’t turn your body away

To an extent you can understand if the other person is interested – body language

Distance impacts communication

Standing or sitting together and touching suggests intimacy in a relationship.

Assert yourself in your space

Sometimes, closeness offends you. If it does, be assertive. Stand up and walk around or look the person in the eye. Have an erect posture while doing so.

Have the right facial expression

There is no point trying to express anger while you are smiling or laughing.

It does not work.Let your face say

what your words are saying.

Do not force smiles. Your listener knows it is fake.

Gestures are important

Gestures are as important as facial expressions.

A relaxed use of gestures adds depth and power to your messages.Uninhibited movement suggests openness, self-confidence and spontaneity.

What does your tone sound like?

Is your tone soft or angry?

A lower pitched voice is more effective.

How is your volume?Do you try to gain

attention by whispering or do you try to overpower others with loudness?

Control your voice.Practice with a tape

recorder.

Are you fluent?

A smooth flow of speech helps get your point across.

Clear and slow comments are more easily understood and powerful.

Do not have long hesitations as listeners get bored.

Are you dressed well?What you wear

and how you wear it sends powerful signals.

It shows what you think of yourself.

Wear styles and colors that make you look your best.

Just be comfortable

As far as dressing goes, there are no rules. Just be comfortable with what you wear.

What do you see in the mirror?

Do you like what you see in the mirror?

See a confident you. What does your

body language say about you?

Does your body reflect the kind of message that you want to give to the world?

Develop a confident aura

As a confident communicator, develop a confident style.

Exercise good eye contact.

Use facial expressions.Be assertive.Use hand and arm

gestures as you convey a feeling of openness and ease.

Change the way you communicateCommunication is a learnt behavior. So, start learning today.

Virtual communicationSpecific KPO related

Exercise

Pre-empting issuesAsk for clarificationSuggest methodsRepeat both the above steps in the order

that you likeFollow upBring issues to their notice

– If you tell them it is a suggestion– If they tell you it is a mistake

When to replyEmails should be acknowledged

immediately Emails should be addressed within 30

minutes with proper action planKeep the promises regarding deadlines,

and if there are going to be changes, do convey the message to the client in advance – NOT AT THE LAST MOMENT

If net is down, do call up and tell

When to chase?AlwaysIt is worth giving reminders, previous day

itselfRemember, our aim is to ensure that we are

getting the inputs on time so that outputs could be given on time

No blame gameGentle reminders and updates to clients on

a timely basis is appreciated

Do’s and Don’tsDo not repeat that “words” that you are not

comfortable with – e.g if you are not clear of acronyms, do not assume; ask internally and if need to client itself (ASAP)

Do not use CAPITAL sentences, you can use bold to highlight

Let your email contain few words “please”, “kindly” etc..

Make your assumptions clear, if need be with examples

Phone should not ring for more than 3 rings

While on phone, do remember to laugh… Maximum possible do not use authoritative words like

“What are you saying” – instead you could make it polite “Could you please clarify as I am not clear – sorry”

Speak clearly and slowly – it should be audibleSpeak with confidenceNever be rudeDon’t put them on hold. If there is no other way, keep

chatting to them

When to send outputs?Know the pulse and actSometimes it is not a good idea to send the

outputs, way too earlyAt the same time the delay should not be a

burden imposed by ourselvesThe outputs should go in time so that

clients feel happy with our service and speed.

SuggestionsUse the tools effectively, be it e-mail or

phoneDo not over/under estimate IT

Remember that we have to sell hard – else we do not need to build something