Image and Etiquette
As a person who talks for a living, I love precise language; I admire people who can say volumes in a few words. It’s an art to be able to laser in on the meat of an issue, cast aside the fluff and lay bare the essence of your thoughts, in brief. It’s especially wonderful to have a conversation with someone with those skills. An artful communicator is easy to trust.
Posted on May 15th, 2011 by Diane
Filed under: Communication, Presentation Skills | No Comments »
Professor Albert Mehrabian is frequently quoted for his non-verbal communication research on what’s often called The 3 V’s: visual, vocal, verbal. His published studies indicate that, person-to-person, we interpret messages:
• Visually — 55% from facial expressions
• Vocally — 38% from voice quality and the way words are spoken
• Verbally —7% from the actual words
With techno or e-communications, the relevance of the actual word choice increases dramatically. Obviously, the spoken tone upstages language on phone calls — we hear anger or joy — but with emails, words become the stars of the show. From the minor 7% bit player in face-to-face communication, words now move up to 70%, a big change of roles.
Posted on November 28th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Business Etiquette, Communication, Social Etiquette, Techno-Communication, Workplace Etiquette | 2 Comments »
Public speaking is fundamental to my profession. Every week, without fail, I’m in front of an audience. Size and location vary — from a dozen people in a corporate boardroom to several hundred at a convention centre. Regardless of the size or scope or topic, I generally make sure there’s time provided for questions from the floor.
Many people are reluctant to ask a question. Call it inhibition or self-consciousness, bottom line; it’s good old-fashioned fear — getting in the way. On the other hand, there are folks just waiting to hear the sound of their own voices. Often “specialists” in one-upmanship, they tend to monopolize the time allowed, making everyone uncomfortable.
I’ve compiled a guide to help increase the comfort zone for everyone, so question periods become effective and useful tools.
Posted on October 2nd, 2009 by Diane
Filed under: Business Etiquette, Communication, Conferences | 2 Comments »
As most of you know, when it comes to blogging, I fall into the neophyte category. Yes, I’m a social media enthusiast — but the idea of starting a blog was somewhat challenging. The interaction between the writer and the reader demands a greater sense of responsibility than a tweet, for example. With twitter, you’re definitely in the control tower; you monitor followers and can eliminate perceived “print paparazzi.” Not so with a blog. You don’t know your followers.
Posted on September 17th, 2009 by Diane
Filed under: Communication, Diane's Reflections | No Comments »
