Effective communications skills for the Industry - Transactional analysis

According to wikipedia Transactional analysis, commonly known as TA to its adherents, is an integrative approach to the theory of psychology and psychotherapy. It is described as integrative because it has elements of psychoanalytic, humanist and cognitive approaches. TA was developed by Canadian-born US psychiatrist Eric Berne during the late 1950s.

The three ego states that a human being communicates from are -
1. Parent state - I am OK but you are not OK.
2. Adult state - I am OK and you are OK.
3. Child state - I am not OK and you are OK.

The ideal interaction in a professional environment is from the adult state to the adult state.

An angry person shouting is in the child state trying to stimulate your child state.
In such a situation..
1. You should not respond from the child state, which would be to get angry and shout back.
2. You should empathize with the child and elevate them to the adult state.
3. The a fruitful adult to adult communication can occur.

Often positive attitudes and interactions can be achieved by identifying what state you are transacting from and transacting to and recognizing the others ego state and communicating accordingly. The adult to adult states are the most effective

Effective communications skills for the Industry - Complaint handling

It has been a while since i posted an article in this series. Here is the next in that direction and it is on complaint handling. As usual i will highlight only the important points and leave the rest to your interpretation. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and i will try to respond.

1. Listen with a positive attitude
This can be through verbal communication or body language.

2. Empathize - Show concern
Of complainers feelings and situations.

3. Apologize - With sincerity

4. Offer a solution

5. Solve the problem

6. If you cannot solve the problem, minimize the damage and offer alternate solutions

7. Follow-up on feedback from complainer whether problem has been satisfactorily solved

8. Check if you can offer or do anything further to excel in customer satisfaction

9. Conduct a proactive exercise to check why the service went wrong

10. Ensure that similar complaints do not recur

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Effective communications skills for the Industry - Modulation skills

During a conversation voice modulation plays a major role in defining the atmosphere to get the message out. In this post we look at the various factors that can be worked during a conversation.

Pitch: Musical notes as in "Do Re Me So .." or "Sa Re Ga Ma .." usually start from low pitch to high pitch.
Volume: How loud can you be.
Tone: The character/Timbre of sound. (Eg. The Rustle of Paper or the Tinkle of glass.
Pace: The speed of conversation or how long a sound lasts.

The variation of the above aspects of your voice give personality, variety and clarity to your conversation. To check and modulate the individual effectiveness of your voice focus attention by following the below steps...

1. Cup your right hand around your right ear pulling it forward.
2. Cup your left hand around your mouth to direct sound in to you ear.
3. Then talk and hear your voice. This is pretty much how people will hear you.

Use the below to control your voice..(the PAMPERS of voice if i may call it ;-))
P Projection
A Articulation
M Modulation
P Pronunciation
E Enunciation
R Repetition
S Speed

Earlier post:
Effective communications skills for the Industry - Being Politically ccorrect
Effective communications skills for the Industry - The Basics
Effective communications skills for the Industry - Introduction

Effective communications skills for the Industry - Being politically correct!

Being politically correct is to being sensitive to people, their cultures with the evolving environment and society! Here are some examples.. The words in brackets should be avoided during conversations...!!!!

1. African American or Afro-American (Blacks/Negroes)
2. Chairperson (Chairman)
3. Ms. (instead of Miss/Mrs)
4. Mentally challenged (Mentally retarded)
5. Economically Challenged (Poor)
6. Vertivally challenged (Short)
7. Visual equipement and support (Instead of Visual Aids, now has the H.I.V disease connotation - A negative association)

There are many words like these and the above list is just a hint..

Earlier post:
Effective communications skills for the Industry - The Basics
Effective communications skills for the Industry - Introduction

Effective communications skills for the Industry - The Basics

In any conversation you have to lay some ground rules that can setup a platform to project your thoughts. These are some of the basics that you cannot afford to miss.. (not in any order)

1. Be very clear in your thought and be prepared about what you want to say.
2. Be aware of high risk situations and know what you don't want to say.
3. Be confident, but not very confident.
4. Understand what is needed of the discussion.
5. Always do your homework while understanding the product or service.
6. Listen diligently! This applies for both verbal and non-verbal communication.
7. Always ask searching questions to show you are interested.
8. Be clear in matter while trying to keep it short and simple.
9. Be sensitive to others.
a. Talk politely.
b. Be courteous.
10. Keep a positive attitude while using positive and accurate language.
11. Be genuinely convinced and enthusiastic.
a. Verbal communication and body language should communicate the same message.
12. Be very clear in speech.
Extra verbal - Should convey correct meaning!
Intra verbal - Use appropriate voice modulation to adjust pitch and speed.
13. Pick up the signals early.
Signals can be Confusion, Resentment, Disinterest, Skepticism, Pre-Occupation, Objection, Anger etc.
14. Never assume things. Ask and Listen.
15. People like to be liked - This is the Human factor.
16.Always address the person by name and try to recall likes and dislikes.
17. Offer a choice of things!
18. Use words to express and not impress.

The next big step is in controlling communication through probing techniques!
Probe to identify needs, concerns or views. Here needs can be satisfied to achieve objectives and to further or add value to your service or brand. Concerns and views have to be empathized about and addressed.

There are two kind of probes that can be used as tools to achive the above target...
1, Open probe
2, Closed probe

An open probe is one question that may have an elaborate answer. An example would be "What are the critical concerns and priorities in your business?". Open probes can be used encourage customers to speak freely about a topic of their choice.

A closed probe is one that has a a very short answer. An example would be "Will you be paying by cash or card?". These can be used to control and direct the communication.

When open probes don't work, closed probes can be chosen from prospected information in observation or clues the customer gives during meetings or any other teleconferences.

Earlier post:
Effective communications skills for the Industry - Introduction

Effective communications skills for the Industry - Introduction

Communications skills play a very vital role in today's competitive business environment. It is also critical in a core technical environment where the success of your product or service will depend on how effectively you communicate and share your ideas and opinions.

The following series is my humble attempt to share my views on effective communication from my past experiences of working in a multi-cultural and cross site setting, spanning various geographic zones. This will be more general that can be applied to any industry rather than just Electronics or Semiconductors!

The following are the topics i will be writing about and i hope to get your valuable feedback. If you feel that i should talk about some specific topic please leave a comment and i will address that.

The Basics
Being Politically Correct
Modulation skills
Paradigms
Effective Teleconferencing
Listening Skills
How to be Assertive?
When to be Aggressive?
Customization for various kinds of people
Analyzing Body Language
Effective Email Communications
Presentation Skills
Cultural Scenarios - US, British, German, Chinese, Indian
Importance of Feedback - One size will not fit all!
Social Etiquettes & Diversity

What to know who i am? Then explore me on Blogger or LinkedIn!