http://peakcp.com/blog/index.php Communication Skills en-us Sun, 13 Jan 2008 03:28:42 GMT Sun, 13 Jan 2008 03:28:42 GMT pMachine 2.4 http://backend.userland.com/rss http://peakcp.com/blog/index.php Communication Skills http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=31_0_1_0_C Your introduction got the audience interested. You laid out a great benefits-oriented presentation and now it’s time for the close. Don’t let all that hard work go to waste. Presentations can’t simply stop—they need to conclude. Here are the top five problems that sink presentations: http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=31_0_1_0_C Thu, 21 Sep 2006 19:27:05 GMT http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=30_0_1_0_C The use of statistics in a presentation is a double-edged sword. When used appropriately, statistics can make a presentation more credible, more persuasive and more authoritative. Used inappropriately, they can make the presentation less interesting, less effective and less audience-centered. It’s unlikely you’ll have a room full of statisticians, so you need to find ways to translate those numbers for a lay audience. Here are some tips on how to make statistics work for you rather than... http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=30_0_1_0_C Thu, 07 Sep 2006 15:24:49 GMT http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=25_0_1_0_C It has many names; glossophobia, communication apprehension, stage fright, having butterflies in the stomach. It has several symptoms; a rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, a dryness in the mouth and unsteady hands. Most people are familiar with one recent poll or another showing that Americans rank fear of public speaking ahead of fear of death. Find something people are afraid of and you can sell a cure. Unfortunately, many “cures” out there are platitudes peddled by the snake oil salespeople... http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=25_0_1_0_C Thu, 27 Jul 2006 20:32:12 GMT http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=24_0_1_0_C One of the keys to increasing sales is creating a good first impression. When you sit down with a prospect, one of the strongest impressions you’ll make is the language you use during the sales process. Even when you’re acting on a referral, the wrong interaction can quickly destroy all the hard work you’ve put into building your business. It may not be fair, but many times, it’s all the prospect has to go on. That means these interactions take on a significance that extends far beyond... http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=24_0_1_0_C Fri, 07 Jul 2006 23:40:02 GMT http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=22_0_1_0_C An urban legend is something that gets repeated so often, that it becomes part of our collective “common knowledge.” It’s something “everybody knows.” The field of communication is not immune. Just like urban legends, there are statements about communication that have been repeated so frequently, they are taken as facts. When you peel away the veneer, you’ll find people believe them because of repetition rather than any research findings. They often contain downright false information.... http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=22_0_1_0_C Fri, 23 Jun 2006 00:05:40 GMT http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=21_0_1_0_C There is a saying that when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. The underlying idea is that given the choice of only one tool, you’ll probably try to use it in inappropriate situations. The problem with many sales scripts is that they’ve become cliché’s, phrases repeated so often, that they make prospects shy away because they know they’re being sold. The more savvy the buyer, the less effective cliché’s are with them. Here are the top five sales clichés that keep... http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=21_0_1_0_C Thu, 08 Jun 2006 18:51:17 GMT http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=20_0_1_0_C We usually think about conflict as something to avoid at all costs. It’s true that conflict can cause stress, damage interpersonal relationships and be a barrier to productivity within a group. But conflict also has some positive consequences. For example, it can help to test faulty assumptions. If we overemphasize the importance of everyone “getting along,” we’re in danger of stifling any dissent and creating only an illusion of unanimity. We have to realize is that Conflict is a... http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=20_0_1_0_C Thu, 18 May 2006 10:36:46 GMT http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=19_0_1_0_C The word persuasion has a reputation it doesn’t deserve. Many people tend to associate it with advertising, propaganda or downright manipulation. On the contrary, in our interactions with others persuasion is one of the most useful tools at our disposal. Used ethically, it is at the very heart of healthy interpersonal relationships. After all, let’s look at the alternatives. If we define persuasion as the act of moving someone to a course of action, think about some of the other ways... http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=19_0_1_0_C Fri, 05 May 2006 02:03:11 GMT http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=18_0_1_0_C I’ve had the opportunity to deliver, coach and witness numerous international presentations. This experience all points to one lesson—in addition to the careful preparation required for any presentation, those for an international audience demand extra attention. In any presentation, one of the keys to success remains a focus on the audience’s frame of reference. However, when that audience is international, you’ll need to step out of your own frame of reference and focus on making... http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=18_0_1_0_C Thu, 20 Apr 2006 16:38:47 GMT http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=17_0_1_0_C One of the keys to increasing sales is creating a good first impression. When you sit down with a prospect, one of the strongest impressions you’ll make is the language you use during the sales process. Even when you’re acting on a referral, the wrong interaction can quickly destroy all the hard work you’ve put into building your business. It may not be fair, but many times, it’s all the prospect has to go on. That means these interactions take on a significance that extends far beyond... http://peakcp.com/blog/comments.php?id=17_0_1_0_C Thu, 06 Apr 2006 18:46:32 GMT