Business Efficiency - Chapter 2

Hi Team,

Hope that everyone has had a good week.  Did anyone find any interesting articles that they would like to share with the greater group?  Don't forget to share with us!  Even if you have a question at work that you need some input, post it to the group, under FAQ page, to get some feedback.  

This week is a fairly long post, so I suggest you grab yourself a cup of coffee (or tea), sit down & read on . . .

Chapter 2

To kick off this chapter I want you to think about what are the necessary interpersonal tools that are required when dealing with customers?

Fig 1 Stick men communicating

Did you consider the importance of communication!  Communication is a term that is thrown around quite a lot and often we lay blame on the communication process..."we had a communication problem"..."there was a communication breakdown"..."we need effective communication"...etc, etc  Do we think about what it is that makes up the process of communication?  Most of the time, the answer is "no".  There are certain elements that contribute to the term "communication".  Communication covers a very broad area and can include effective questioning techniques, listening skills, tone of voice, words used and body language.

Professor Mehrabian

Here is a question that I want you to think about, "how relevant is Prof Mehrabian research today?"  His research was undertaken many years ago, so is it still relevant in today's society and if it is how does it have an impact on  the communication of today?  How relevant is our body langauge when we are on the phone or writing an email?  Probably very little, however the tone & words used has a greater influence.  Be aware when you are taking a phone call with your customer, is there a "smile" in your voice?  The tone that you are using will support the message you are trying to get across.  What about your emails?  ARE YOU SHOUTING AT YOUR CUSTOMERS?  WHAT ABOUT THE USE OF TXT :)~   ;) or LOL, BTW.  The overuse of punctuation!?!?  All these points need to be carefully considered to help support the message you are trying to send.

Take the time over the coming weeks to pay closer attention to the body language of your customers?  What non-verbal signs are they portraying? How can you offer a service based on the non-verbal signs being delivered? Let me know what you come up with. 

And speaking of body language what language are you picking up in this picture!

Fig 2 Mona Lisa.  What body language do you think she is portraying?

I was lucky enough to see the orignial at the Lourve in Paris last year.  I was quite surprised at the overall size of it.  More info about Mona Lisa & her smile can be found here  I'd love to hear your comments on this one! 

言語はコミュニケーションのための障壁である場合もある!

Do the above characters mean anything to you?  Maybe if you could write Japanese . . . Maybe if I put it this way "il language può essere una barriera alla comunicazione!"

The language we use impacts on our communications, and can become a barrier if we are not careful.  To our customers, the language of records management sounds like a foreign language.  The acronyms, terms and jargon used, is as foreign to them as Japanese or Italian may be to you  :)  Did you feel excluded? frustrated? missing out?  Welcome to the world of our customers!  Choose language appropriate to your customers and to the situation. 

Consider also the way in which we communicate - face-to-face, email, phone, slideshow, demonstration, etc.  Some environments or means of communicating may not be suitable for us or our customers. I've spoken to a number of you so far by phone: has that been a better form of communication than email, the blog? Why? Or would you prefer face-to-face? 

Consider your customer relationships and approach your customers with an open mind - avoid assumptions, preconceived ideas and stereotypes. 

Communication activities

Pg1 Communication Style

Pg 2 Communication Style

Have a look at the above Communication Style activity and try to identify when certain communication styles should/could used in the five scenarios.  Depending on the message that you need to get across will depend on the style that you use.  At times there may also be a combination of two of the styles for example a passive/aggressive person.  Their intention may be to demonstrate "assertive" however the tone and body language that they use demonstrates an aggressive approach.  Again tone & body language play an important part in the overall communication process.

Fig 4 Reading Activity

In previous classes the students have undertaken the above reading activity.  See how well you can follow instructions and complete the reading activity.  Some students find it interesting to learn more about their colleagues!  I'll let you read the activity to see what "the catch" is.  Anyone able to pick it up?!?  

So how many of you consider themselves as good listeners?  Check out this video & compare your answers.

Active listening is so important and unfortunately this skill can be difficult to develop.  Have you ever heard of the saying "we have two ears and one mouth"  The ratio is like that for a reason!  Next time you are having a conversation be sure to focus on the conversation and the message.  Try not to interrupt the person or daydream about what you need to cook for dinner tonight!  If need be ask questions to clarify the information that you have just heard.  As detailed in your book there are a variety of different types of questions that you can ask.  Depending on the information that you need to extract will depend on the question you want to ask.  If you were to use questioning techniques to identify an object, your open questions would prove quite valuable.  Closed questions do not give you enough information.  Some of the questions that you might ask:

Closed questions

"Can you fit it in the palm of your hand"

No

"Do you use it every day"

Depends

"Is it fabric"

No

"Is it metal"

Yes

Open questions

"What do you use it for"

Assists in eating

"Is it a spoon"

No

If you hadn't guessed . . . it was a metal fork!

Assignments

I was advised that the contact email in your study guide is incorrect.  Ooops!  please send your submissions to srsaTrainingEnquiries@sa.gov.au 

Remember to keep up to date with your assignments.  Thank you to students who have already emailed/sent me their first assignment.  I look forward to reading all of your submissions. 

Have a lovely weekend and BTW (by the way) hope that your Valentine spoils you.

Ciao,

Melisa

P.S LOL = Laughing out loud, just in case if you haven't come across it before.