Due to the Pandemic, most business professionals work from home, and many may continue to do so even as corporations and businesses reopen. Zoom and its equivalent are now the norms. Quite possibly, you attend or host three or four of these meetings every day. If you...
In the old days, managers saw their direct reports daily. They may even have eaten lunch with them or been on the same company bowling team. However, today, managers often oversee people around the globe, in places as far away as India, Kuwait or Korea. The days of...
As business professionals, we attend meetings constantly. Sometimes, many of the meetings we attend are a waste of time. Often, they are counterproductive. If you are chairing a meeting, there are a few tips to remember. Preparation Preparing ahead is important. It...
In the old days, managers saw their direct reports daily. They may even have eaten lunch with them or been on the same company bowling team. However, today, managers often oversee people around the globe, in places as far away as India, Kuwait or Korea. The days of...
Communicating with any team via teleconference or web session is challenging. When the team is spread across the globe, your task as a presenter requires real ‘globe smarts.’ Do not overlook the importance of adapting your message and slides to the audience...
As business professionals, we attend meetings constantly. Sometimes, many of the meetings we attend are a waste of time. Often, they are counterproductive. If you are chairing a meeting, there are a few tips to remember. Preparation Preparing ahead is important. It...
In the old days, managers saw their direct reports daily. They may even have eaten lunch with them or been on the same company bowling team. However, today, managers often oversee people around the globe, in places as far away as India, Kuwait or Korea. The days of...
Listeners on a call or web session make instantaneous decisions about the speaker’s trustworthiness. In fact, they often feel they have a clear read within seconds. Be aware the following missteps can be costly and can inadvertently “bust” your credibility. Sounding...
In the old days, managers saw their direct reports daily. They may even have eaten lunch with them or been on the same company bowling team. However, today, managers often oversee people around the globe, in places as far away as India, Kuwait or Korea. The days of...
Communicating with any team via teleconference or web session is challenging. When the team is spread across the globe, your task as a presenter requires real ‘globe smarts.’ Do not overlook the importance of adapting your message and slides to the audience...
Soft voices are the bane of many people. As a soft talker, you may think it is not such a big issue. However, for your listeners, a voice that is not clearly heard is maddening. It causes people to interrupt or to tune out, especially if they are on a long conference...
A voice with inflection is captivating and motivating. It commands attention and makes people want to hear more. A voice without inflection is flat, a monotone. An uninteresting voice bores annoys and confuses those having to endure it. As you consider how you might...
Communicating with any team via teleconference or web session is challenging. When the team is spread across the globe, your task as a presenter requires real ‘globe smarts.’ Do not overlook the importance of adapting your message and slides to the audience...
Pausing is the most under-utilized tool that a speaker has. Most people who use the phone to conduct business only concern themselves with their message. For example, they want to explain a product, fix your software or update you on month-end results. They forget...
Virtual meetings are a perfect storm. Since attendees know they are not seen, they are often tempted to do additional things. People check email and voicemail. Some even let the dog out or do laundry! If you are the host, multi-tasking attendees are not what you want....
A good portion of anyone’s day is spent on the telephone. Everyone wants to make a good impression, but it’s the first few words out of your mouth that determine whether people will perceive you in a positive or negative manner or whether they will trust and believe...
Approximately eighty percent of our waking hours are spent listening. You would think, by the sheer fact that so much of our time is devoted to listening, we would be fantastic at it, real superstars. The reality is not very many of us are good at listening because of...
Instead of face-to-face meetings, many of us facilitate teleconferences or meetings over the phone. Without seeing people’s responses to our points, teleconferences can prove to be challenging. To be successful, one has to think of being the host of his or her own...
Most of us are forced to leave voicemail messages constantly. In today’s business world, it is almost a rarity to speak to a live person. When we go to the trouble of leaving a voice message, our expectation is that we will receive a “call back.” The vexing part is that this is often not […]
Call centers are the heart and soul of an organization. Customers form an impression of you and your organization within seconds based on the person on the other end of the line. If the first impression of a call center representative is positive, customers will be pleased and continue to do business with you. Their […]
It isn’t easy to do business by phone. Those that are successful have a clear understanding of their customer and the person’s issues or needs. Extra Sensory Perception or ESP concerning our customers comes from being an observant listener. By listening to the person’s tone of voice, pace, diction, you can uncover volumes, almost as […]
Think back to when you were a preschooler. Most of us had some important life messages drilled into us by our parents, our teachers or our coaches. If we use the wisdom of these messages and apply them to our most difficult callers, we will see an immediate positive result. Lesson #1 — Do unto […]
Recent Post Comments