Reputation COUNTS

The beauty of face-to-face interactions is that people can hear how words are said.  You can tell so much from listening to the tone a person uses.

That is not always the case with e-mail communications.  Consider the following message:

“There were several errors in your e-mail so I corrected them.”

Do you think this message sounds critical or was the intent to be helpful?  Is it clear or are you uncertain? 

Since the person reading your e-mail will not be able to hear your voice, the words you choose become even more important so that your intended meaning is easy to understand.

Tags: Communication Skills by Marcia Hall
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 “Talk in complete sentences,” an employer asked me to pass along.  “If you are working in an adult job, speak like an adult.  Stop using terms such as, ‘uh, yeah, like you know’.”

Slang is fun to use when talking with friends.  But if you say to your boss, “I had a wicked good time at the company dinner” before you know if slang is acceptable, you may make the wrong type of impression.  Not everyone understands slang and some people are offended by it.  In the business setting it is best to avoid using it, unless you are absolutely sure it is acceptable.

Using poor grammar creates problems as well.  Saying, “I can’t get no…” does not make you sound intelligent.  Your supervisor will be reluctant to give you speaking opportunities because he/she can’t be certain of what you might say.  Inattention to grammar can keep you from moving ahead.

Watch how you speak, particularly when you are talking to clients or your boss. 

Tags: Communication Skills by Marcia Hall
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How you ever found yourself trying to figure out someone else’s handwriting?  You can’t make out the letters and it’s frustrating.  Maybe you received some notes from a colleague and you can’t read what was written down.  You end up spending time you don’t have to figure it out, or worse yet, you have to ask the person to decipher it for you.

You can make sure you don’t inflict that on someone else by printing your name on applications, other forms and correspondence so that people can read the letters quickly and easily.  It is fun to scribble your name but sloppy writing costs other people their valuable time.

How to Make This Tip a Habit:

Every time you handwrite a communication, print each letter carefully and as big as the space allows.  Use a good pen and write dark enough.

Tags: Communication Skills by Marcia Hall
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I was listening to a webinar the other day and the presenter’s style of speaking distracted me from hearing the content.  Each statement sounded like it was a question.  You’ve probably heard people talk that way, even when the sentence is not a question, because the inflection is higher as the speaker finishes the sentence.

As a result, the listener may believe that the person is tentative, lacks confidence, or isn’t convinced about what she/he is saying.  If you find yourself talking in that way, make a conscious effort to keep the question out of your voice, unless you are really asking one.

Tags: Communication Skills by Marcia Hall
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