communication

Communication Skills

5 Myths of Communication

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The ability to communicate effectively is perhaps the most important of all life skills. It is never too late to work on one’s communication skills and by doing so, one may find how the quality of life can improve tremendously! Just as we embark upon the journey of communication excellence, it is important that we do not fall into the traps by ignoring some of the common myths. Let us have a quick reminder of FIVE such myths. Myth-1 Communication is a natural ability:  Some people assume that communication is something that comes naturally; either you have it or you don’t; they may believe that training and learning cannot improve your communication ability. Truth is that committed learning and structured training bring in significant improvement in your communication. One needs to invest in the process of development. Myth-2   More we communicate the better: Some speak a lot, demonstrate high energy, and talk loud with a belief that it can make their communication more effective. Truth is that is not necessarily the loudness and length of your communication that matters; it is the conciseness, clarity, and conviction that adds to your communication effectiveness. Myth-3 Once mastered, communication can be used everywhere: By learning some impressive language skills, and building internal confidence some may believe that they can handle any situation or any person. Truth is that apart from the language and confidence, one needs to be sensitive to the situation, emotions of the other person to communicate effectively. In other words, you need to tune in to the other person in a given context. Myth-4  Great vocabulary is a must for great communication: By using some complex vocabulary, some people think that they can impress people and emerge as great communicators. Truth is that communicating is about improving the understanding between people and it is not about impressing people. Right words at the right place are good enough and there is no need to use complex vocabulary for effective communication. Myth-5  Telling clearly and confidently is the secret of communication: By presenting their own ideas confidently to others, many believe that they can achieve the purpose of communication. Truth is that communication is as much about telling and speaking as it is about listening and encouraging others to speak. Unless you engage others in the communication process, you can never be an effective communicator. To conclude, we believe that communication is a conscious and mindfulness process that is beyond just language and personality….there are other important ingredients to attain excellence in communication! One must not cut corners in the hurry of sending across a message! Do write to us, what are some of the challenges that you have faced when communicating or any other myths you have come across.. we would love to hear your views.. write to info@hrfootprints.com Author Kalyani Barma,  Head, L&D, HR Footprints More articles on Communication skills: https://hrfootprints.com/knowledge-vs-communication-skills/ https://hrfootprints.com/importance-of-communication-skills/ https://hrfootprints.com/four-communication-mistakes-to-avoid/ Don’t let myths hold your organization back—reach out now to start improving your communication practices!

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Reflecting on our August Experiences @LQube, HR Footprints

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As people associated with behavioral and leadership training domain, no two days are the same for us. Thanks for the kind of work we do; we never feel any monotony at work. The work is forever new as projects keep on changing; there is excitement and challenges that we need to overcome on a daily basis. In this blog, we reflect on LQube‘s August experiences. As usual we have a few scheduled trainings to be delivered in a month, a few assignments around online, digital content creation and not to forget designing the interventions and program details. So for us the plate is always full, reading extensively is something that comes as prerequisite for anyone associated with our domain, be it interesting HBR blogs or articles, our own extensive database repository or relevant books and theories related to leadership and skill development. All in all, the month is full of excitement. While we deliver what is scheduled, we also experience and learn how to deal with complex issues, last minute cancellations from client and then reaffirming the bond ensuring a positive relationship is maintained even if there are last minute hiccups. This month we had two major trainings lined up. The first was a session with one of the UK IT giants in their Hyderabad facility on “Presentation Skills” and “Communication Skills” to a batch of young graduates who have just stepped into the corporate world. Because the target audience was a young bunch we ensured the program had loads of activities, energetic and enthusiastic ambience which would ensure the foundation stones of their corporate life are set well. The session was facilitated by a renowned trainer who has more than 15+ years of experience in training and developing people. By the closing time of the session, we were happy to see the happy faces moving out of the classroom with much more confidence and energy. The most rewarding part is the realization that so many youngsters benefitted from the training. And guess what; we ended the session with a high energy dance performance.  Another interesting program is our First Time Manager intervention to a batch of managers for a software products and professional services company. Each of the modules has been meticulously designed keeping in mind the pressing needs of the organization and coupling it with our real time experience with such managers. Significant amount of improvement and renewed energy is visible from the first module to the next one.  The smile with which we are greeted towards the closing of the session is always the cherry on the cake, because we know we created an impact..!!  And, how do I know all of this? Off course, I am a part of these sessions. But not only that, we have something very interesting that is a ritual towards the end of the session, which we call the gratitude time, feedback time.  We have simple cards, which are placed in the training room and we ask the participants to share their experiences throughout the day. If they have a suggestion we incorporate it next time, and if we receive an appreciation, then the normal card becomes the Happiness Card…!! Yes, you heard it right; we celebrate our efforts in form of happiness cards from our participants. And must I tell you, like always, I have received loads of happiness cards this month too. So what next now..?? Well looking ahead to another high adrenaline rush month, new programs, amazing experiences, and many more happiness cards…!!

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reasons for rejection

Understanding the reasons for rejection

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In our previous blog, we understood three stages where an interviewee will face rejection. Let us understand the likely reasons for rejection at each of these stages. Reasons for rejecting the resume:  Your resume may not be meeting even the minimum specifications of the job requirement. These requirements are mostly seen as mandatory; any CV that does not meet the minimum criteria will not be shortlisted – even it has other merits. Some of the minimum criteria will include qualifications, academic performance, number of years of experience, age, area of specialization/skills of handling specific machinery, technology, computer languages, platforms etc. There could be other special reasons for rejecting resume’ such as gaps in career, frequent career changes, your present company (in case it has any bad reputation or if there is any non-competing agreement) or your higher qualifications.  Reasons for rejecting at pre-interview stage: After short-listing your resume’, some companies may have additional steps in the selection process before calling your for a personal interview. Such steps include a written test, psychometric test, telephonic interaction, group discussion and so on. Reasons for rejection during this stage are lot more intricate to understand. Seldom have you heard any specific reason for rejection after this stage. You need to keep introspecting and self-evaluating your performance during written test or group discussion. Your language, numerical or technical abilities have to be reassessed based on the focus of the written test. If you were rejected after a telephonic interaction, the primary reason could be your oral communication. It helps to closely scrutinize your English communication! If you had gone through an on-line or paper based psychometric test, it would reveal your personality traits. In case, they find your personality not readily matching the job requirements, you will be rejected. This one is surely difficult to gauge. You may be left wondering why you were rejected. Reasons for rejection after the personal interview: The main reason for rejection after the personal interaction seems to be mismatch of expectations. Your resume would have created some level of positive expectation and in case you could not match to the same during the personal interview, you will often hear a statement – “only good on paper”! When you probe a little deeper, reasons could be simple aspects like poor presentation of yourself, inappropriate dressing, immature talking or comments, attempting to be smarter than the interview panel (telling that they were wrong!), arguing during the interview, throwing too much of attitude in an attempt to project confidence, faking, inconsistent responses, hiding facts and so on. Other reasons could be higher salary expectations, mismatch of role expectations or your longer time to join. During your career, it is common to get rejected in your attempts. Smarter attitude is to understand and analyze the probable reasons for rejection; more importantly, avoid the same mistakes and approach your next attempt more positively! Article – “Reasons for Rejection”By: Dr.Raj, Published in HR Mirror, Hans India.Follow Dr.Raj on Twitter @drraj29

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trainers

Mistakes That Trainers Commit

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In our previous blog, we discussed how to become a good trainer. We emphasized the need to have passion as the first step. Just for the sake of performing your job or just to earn a living if one takes up training as a profession, I am sure they won’t do justice to their career nor to their participants. After that we spoke about the necessity of communication skills, presentability, audience connect, subject matter and basic design skills. One of  the qualities of becoming a good trainer is to learn all these skills; another way of learning is by understanding the likely mistakes that could creep into the training delivery and consciously avoid them. Today’s blog highlights some of those often committed mistakes. Some of the mistakes look silly but still we witness them. Mistakes in communication: –> Some trainers use an accent while speaking English that is so much alien. We can make out that that is not their natural accent; but still they try to use it thinking that it will impress the audience. While doing so, they make themselves so funny that participants find it hard to control their laughter. –> Simple typographical mistakes on the slides are another often committed mistake. It may not have serious consequence but it unnecessarily diverts the attention of the audience. Some smart participants may even point out openly creating embarrassment. –> A bigger mistake is when trainers write on the board or chart with wrong spellings. It exposes their poor sense of English words. Mistakes in presenting oneself: –> One trainer opened the session with a statement, “You are all much more experienced and I do not know about your industry” which instantly created a disregard among the participants. He possibly thought that he could present himself with humility, but that is not the way to open the session and positioning oneself. He should have established his personal credibility as a trainer to gain respect. –> Going onto the other extreme, some trainers make their self-introduction so pompous and boasting that it can over the top. It is safer to tune the introduction based on the profile of the audience. –> Inappropriate dressing is another mistake while presenting oneself. Either overdressing or completely informal attire is not good for a trainer. One must remember that what one wears creates the first impression. Mistakes in dealing with audience: Missing to study the audience profile is the biggest mistake. If you as a trainer prepared to deliver training to juniors, and one finds more seniors among the audience, you can surely expect a few walk-outs. We often find trainers making mistakes while responding to questions. When one participant asks a question, some trainers tend to walk close to that person and engage in a discussion, not realizing that the rest of the participants are completely lost and losing interest. A good trainer always remains connected with the audience even if the question is raised by one participant. Mistakes in subject knowledge: –> Lack of depth in the training subject will surely expose the trainer. He or she will not be confident to face the audience. They demonstrate haste in closing any discussion because any extended debate will not expose their ignorance. –> Under preparation is mostly the mistake that some trainers commit; they will appear to be superficial and fail to engage the participants. –> A bigger mistake is to bluff about the subject; one might be lucky to get away if none among the group know the subject. Imaging how embarrassing it would if someone points out that you don’t know the subject and that you bluffed. It may be safer to admit lack of knowledge instead of presenting a false picture. Mistakes in design: –> For many trainers, delivering a training program means flipping through a bunch of slides and speaking about them. These days, it is a sure way of putting the audience sleep. –> Failing to address different learning styles and being unaware of the learning process is another serious mistake. Such training seldom creates any impact. –> Some other trainers reduce training to mere bunch of games; at the end of such training, participants will say that training was enjoyable but we didn’t know what we learnt. Obvious conclusion is to take note of these likely mistakes and not to commit them!  Article – “Mistakes that Trainers Commit”By: Dr.Raj, Published in HR Mirror, Hans India.Follow Dr.Raj on Twitter @drraj29

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Dealing with Aggressive team members

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The protagonist in the case study (published in last two blogs) had two challenges. One, dealing with the caustic relationship with his immediate manager; second, managing his senior most team member. In the earlier article, we discussed some ways of managing self during those unpleasant interactions with the boss. Let us now focus on Mukul, the senior most team member in John’s team. Mukul has been with the organization even before John joined. Owing to his familiarity with all key members of the organization, Mukul feels that he is a cut above the rest. It shows in his body language and the way he talks to his other colleagues in the team. Often times, Mukul thinks that he knows best what is good for the organization. His “I-know-it-all” attitude is dominant that sometimes he refuses to do what John wants him to do; he says, “It does not work here”. John finds it hard to convince him. Even if he pushes him to do, Mukul does not apply himself. There were occasions when Mukul said, “Oh! I forgot about it”. For John the problem comes from Shwetha, his immediate manager who keeps demanding results. You can understand how john gets sandwiched between tough boss and aggressive team member. Getting rid of Mukul is one of the immediate option that crosses our mind. Should that be an immediate option that crosses our mind? Should that be an imminent action or should it be a last option? What If John gives a try to manage such aggressive people? I continued my dialogue with John, this time focusing on Mukul. Me: Which aspect of Mukul is difficult to manage for you? Why is it difficult? John: Primarily, I do not like his body language and tone. It always comes across as dominating. I find it difficult to communicate with such unreasonably aggressive people; they don’t listen. They want to have their way of everything. They want to demonstrate insubordination. Me: Does it mean that you like people who are mild and who always listen to you? John: Not at all; I like people who are aggressive yet understand logic and reason. Me: Is there any why that you can make him listen to your logic and reason? John: I guess I need to work with him at an individual level; I need to make him feel important first and then communicate with him. Me: Is there any positive aspect of Mukul’s aggression? John: Interesting question. If I look at it that way, he also carries a lot of ego; when people say, “Mukul, you can do it!” he works hard to complete. Me: That means he wants prominence and ego stroking. Is it something that you can offer him? John: I need to lower myself and boost up his self-image. Then it will be possible to channel his ego in a positive way. Me: Will such approach also help you in handling any negative aspects in him? John: Once he starts listening, everything else will fall in line. Then I can communicate to him how some of his behaviours are affecting others and how he can be a much better colleague. Me: If you wish to do that, what changes do you think you need to bring in you? John: You are making me think; let me list down what I think are the steps for me to handle the aggressive guy. 1. I firstly need to control my emotions and do not try to match my aggression with his. 2. Understand that every aggressive person is seeking something; mostly, prominence, control, freedom etc. Offer initially what that person wants, so that he will start listening to you better. 3. In this process, I need to believe in my self-worth and need not compete with my aggressive team member. 4. Build rapport  at one-to-one level 5. Communicate gently the areas of improvement without puncturing the ego of the other person. This essentially means that John needs to demonstrate tremendous patience and will to manage aggressive team member. However, with all these efforts, what if there is a change for the better? Is it not a positive experience to John as a manager? Tough managers should not look for easy options. Instead, they have to look for lasting solutions. Excerpts from the article – How to deal with Aggressive Team MembersBy: Dr.Raj, Published in HR Mirror, Hans India.Follow Dr.Raj on Twitter @drraj29 

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Communication Skills

Four communication mistakes to avoid

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We come across quite a few scenes in the movies, which tickle our funny bone. We enjoy when a character acts silly and gets ridiculed on the screen. We have some nice time and walk out of theatre feeling relaxed. But have we seen ourselves in such a scenario where possibly others are laughing at us? Do we have the capacity to enjoy others laughing at us? Are we aware of silly communication mistakes that may have serious consequences. So, here are four communication mistakes that you may want to avoid: Awkward Accuracy: I once heard a speaker who was all well dressed up and was introduced pompously and elevated to the skies. Naturally, the expectations of the audience had gone up. They eagerly looked forward to listen to an inspirational speech. Speaker adjusted his throat and tie; had a glass of water and started with a bold voice. He went on for four straight minute’s nonstop. He was very fluent and confident in what he was speaking. However, he did not notice that the most attentive audience began to look at each other; in a matter of minutes, the speaker could see some change in their faces. They looked confused. He wondered what was going on. Sensing that the matter was going beyond control, the organizer gathered some courage and interrupted the speaker. The eloquent speaker was more than happy to be interrupted, as he was also perplexed with the confusion. The organizer whispered something in his ears, which brought a painful smile on the speakers face. With a pale expression on his face, the speaker said, “Friends, I am sorry for mistaking this to be a conference on biotechnology; I now understand that I am supposed to be speaking about leadership development”. You can imagine how the rest of his talk would have progressed. Barrage of brevity: Once I came across a person who spoke to me for close to half-an-hour emphasizing the importance if brevity in communication. He first started from his college days how they got bored of a lecturer who used to be very repetitive. He narrated how one of his earlier bosses used to prolong the meetings and never finish on tome because he lacked conciseness. He also explained how audience would get distracted if you are not brief and to the point. As he was speaking to me endlessly on the importance of brevity, he did not realize that I was getting distracted and tired of the lack of brevity in his conversation. Confusion in clarity: Try to understand this conversation: “Sir, as you suggested, I approached that person and asked for the information on those things that you asked for. He asked me to get a letter saying so and so needs this information because he is working on so and so project. If you do not provide this thing, he won’t be able to provide that thing. That person will be on leave and so he asked me to come ASAP with relevant signatures. If I cannot get back to that person, then I will have to approach another person. What should I do, sir? His boss who was going through another important e-mail, gently looked up and appeared completely blank.  Deaf Listener: During a conference, one person walked up to me and asked an interesting question – “How important do you feel it is important?” I was about to respond and he quickly added, “I personally feel it is important; if you do not listen, then that shows your disrespect.” I was about to express my views on this statement when he interrupted again and continued, “But I often come across people who do not care to listen to others. What has been your experience?” I began to reply and stopped because he went ahead. “Sorry to say this, even most of the senior people fail to listen. What do you say?” I did not want to say anything, because he would say anyways. Develop self awareness; observe if any of the above silly mistakes slip in your communication; they may look silly, but when sustained and repeated over a period of time, these mistakes do turn serious. This Article was published in HR Mirror Hans India. Follow Dr.Raj on Twitter @drraj29

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