Search
Most Popular Articles
- Discussion of the Human Body Defense System
- The story of the 12 animals zodiac in China
- How to Balance Your Body to Get Pregnant
- Eating Junk Food -- The Hidden Price
- How To Stop Your Cat Scratching - Get Rid Of Those Fleas
- Ski Boots -- Testing 1, 2, 3
- Wear it Up or Wear it Down?
- Cat Care, Cat Products and Cat Diseases
- Choosing a Cell Phone
- Artificial Satellite Types
Getting What You Want, How You Want It, When You Want It!
 Category |
: Women |
 Times Read |
: 41 |
 Date |
: 24 March 2008 07:00 |
Have you ever asked someone to complete a task, but it was not done the way you expected? Or have you agreed to meet people at a large event, but were unable to find them once you got there? Do you have trouble managing staff or delegating responsibility because no one ever does what you ask them to do? Challenges with delegation, meeting locations, and the completion of tasks usually indicate a communication problem. There are two areas that cause a breakdown in communication: being specific and quantifying. If you learn to how to be effective in these areas, you will dramatically reduce your communication problems. Be Specific and Get What You Want Unclear or ambiguous communication can lead to very ugly problems. Terms or phrases such as a few or some or later or soon can lead to misunderstanding and miscommunication. You probably have your own filler or vague words you use to stay non-specific. These words are great in situations where being specific isnt necessary, such as when you tell a co-worker that youre just finishing a project and will meet her in the lunch room, in a minute. Of course everyone knows that doesnt mean exactly 60 seconds. It means soon. But what is soon? For some people that may mean 15 minutes. To others soon may mean only three minutes. Vague words often mean different things to different people because the word is relative to the listeners personal paradigms. If you tell an experienced speaker to expect a lot of people in her audience, she may expect to see two thousand people sitting in an auditorium. An inexperienced speaker may only picture 35 people in the audience when told the same thing. Tell a group of people to arrive around five oclock and you will have people showing up anywhere from 4:30 to 7:30. (I have family members that believe theyre on time if they arrive on the right day!) A deadline is set to have a project finished by the end of the week. Does that mean the project should be completed by 9 am on Friday morning or 5 pm Friday evening? Be specific with what you want and what you are talking about and you will be more successful with your communications. Quantify and Create Tangible UnderstandingIt is difficult to quantify everything, though many things can be measured and/or given a number. Attempt to put everything you can into quantifiable terms to create a value, especially when discussing non-tangible items. Lets look at some examples. On a resume, a job applicant lists her past job responsibilities as: Handled bookkeeping Managed client accounts Created new filing system To give more concrete value to these items, the applicant needs to quantifying her successes and give them the attention they deserve. A more effective listing on her resume would be: Handled bookkeeping of accounts totaling $1.5 million Managed 125-140 client accounts annually Created system which saved 15 hours of manual work weekly Much better, right? When you speak in quantifiable terms, people are more likely to understand the value of the items you are discussing. Quantifying is particularly effective when you are marketing a business, asking for a raise, developing a job resume, or debating an issue. Quantifying is extremely effective in the sales and marketing process. If you can quantify the gain of what the potential client will get by buying your product or service or the loss by not buying, you will be more successful. If the prospect understands and quantifies the problem specifically, he will be more likely to understand the scope of the issue. Rather then just thinking there is a problem with employee morale, help the client quantify the problem in real numbers. Guide the potential client into telling you that the average length of time an employee stays with the company is 16 months. Company statistics shows it costs an average of $3,500 per employee for training classes, a uniform, and standard employee supplies. During the training, an employee receives a paycheck but is not yet productive. The average salary for an employee is $2,500 a month and it takes two months to train a new employee; costing the company $5,000 in salary during training. An average of 25 new employees must be hired each year. Therefore, it conservatively costs the company $212,500 a year just to train new employees. If your solution to employee turnover is less than the cost ($212,500) of the problem, then the client would be insane not to hire you, right?Let the numbers do the selling for you. Numbers are tangible. Numbers are concrete. Numbers speak volumes.So, by being specific and quantifying you will begin to get what you want, when you want it, and how you want it more often. You will be a better manager, leader, negotiator, and overall communicator. Now go out there and have fun with your new communication tools!
About the Author
Kirstin Carey is an award-winning speaker and consultant and Principal of Orange Tree Training & Speaking Group. She works with organizations on effective and persuasive communications. Her company also has a special division which focuses on helping women advance and succeed through more effective communication skills without having to communicate like a man. To find out how Kirstin can help you, call (800) 380-6520 or go to www.powHERful.com
Random Article 1 |
Random Article 2 |
This winter, Midas touched every makeup product he could possibly reach. Soft golden liners and shadows are the latest evening accessory to any outfit. In fact, gold is a very easy color to play with: it looks lovely with all skin tones and complements day or party look if used wisely. A touch of go
|
by: Linda Paquette Swimsuits have ebbed and flowed through the centuries! Its almost certain that the first swimmers wore no suit at all and although some historians date womens first swimsuits to the Eighteenth Century, the first recorded use of clothing for swimwear dates back t |
Random Article 3 |
Random Article 4 |
by: Stephanie Roberts Professional organizers and helpful-hint sources often recommend storage solutions such as shelves above doors and in corners, hooks on the backs of doors, and peg-board or tools and small appliances. They are masters at maximizing every square inch of a closet w |
by: Andrea Britt Making a faux pas during the wedding ceremony or at the wedding reception is every brides nightmare. It is best to acquaint yourself with the etiquette related to various wedding traditions so there is no chance of a goof up. Distributing wedding favors can also get t |