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archanaparmar startup

Why Effective Communication is Vital for Startup Founders

Uncovering the Power of Effective and Persuasive Communication Through Pitcher Zee 5’s Story! Effective communication is essential for any successful business. It is essential for building relationships, inspiring action, and getting results. Persuasive communication can help you to make a lasting impression on your audience and to get them to take action. A great example of effective and persuasive communication is the story of Pitcher on Zee 5. In this article, I will uncover the power of effective and persuasive communication through the Zee 5 series Pitcher. Introduction to Effective and Persuasive Communication Effective and persuasive communication is the art of connecting with an audience in order to influence their decisions or actions. It is a skill that can help you to build relationships, increase sales, and solve problems. It requires a deep understanding of the audience, their needs, and the message that you are trying to convey. It is important to be able to craft a message that is both clear and compelling. Persuasive communication is the art of using words, body language, and visual elements to create an impactful and memorable message. Effective and persuasive communication is essential for any business. Whether you are a small business owner or a corporate executive, you need to be able to communicate effectively and persuasively. Effective and persuasive communication will help you to make a lasting impression on your audience and to get them to take action. The Benefits of Effective and Persuasive Communication Effective and persuasive communication has many benefits. It can help you to build relationships and trust with your audience, increase sales, and motivate people to take action. It can also help you to explain complex ideas in a clear and concise manner. Effective communication is essential for any successful business. The Story of Pitcher on Zee 5 Pitcher is a story of a small startup enthusiast who had a great idea for a product that could help to solve a problem. He had been struggling to get his business off the ground and he needed to find a way to get the word out. He decided to create a powerful elevator pitch that he could use to convince potential investors to invest in his product. Naveen crafted an elevator pitch that was concise, clear, and compelling. He was able to effectively communicate the value of his product and why people should invest in it. He was able to make a lasting impression on his audience and get them to take action. The Art of the Elevator Pitch The elevator pitch is a short, persuasive speech that you use to communicate the value of your product or service to potential customers or investors. It is a powerful tool for convincing people to take action and invest in your business. An effective elevator pitch is concise, clear, and compelling. It is to be tailored to the specific audience and target their needs. The elevator pitch is an important tool for entrepreneurs, business professionals, and salespeople. It is important to be able to craft a compelling elevator pitch that will effectively communicate the value of your product or service. Analyzing Pitcher Zee 5’s Story The founder was able to use effective and persuasive communication to make a lasting impression on his audience and get them to take action. He was able to craft a powerful elevator pitch that was concise, clear, and compelling. He was able to explain the problem that he was trying to solve and the value of his product in a clear and concise manner. He was also able to focus on the benefits of his product and make it personal to his audience.

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Assertiveness - An Introduction || Skills You Need

Assertiveness – An Introduction || SkillsYou Need

Assertive communication is a style of speaking that allows one to convey their demands and feelings in a straightforward but courteous way. Researchers have found that being assertive in communication leads to better results across the spectrum, from the academic achievement of elementary school students to the job satisfaction of experienced professionals. This blog post is to help you know more about assertive communication, how it differs from other communication styles, and how you may develop your own assertiveness. Continue reading to find out how speaking up politely can elevate your interpersonal and career interactions and help you accomplish your objectives. When we relate with people, we behave or communicate with them in three ways- Communication in the passive style reveals a lack of respect for one’s own demands and rights. The majority of passive people either don’t communicate wants at all, or they do so in a timid, apologetic way that makes them difficult to hear and dismiss. A subservient/passive individual may believe they have spoken clearly while in fact their message was completely misunderstood due to its ambiguity. However, the expression of feelings wants, and ideas in a hostile/arrogant/dominant manner is known as the aggressive mode. It is an “attack” or “move intended to cause harm.” The assertive form of communication enables a person to uphold their self-respect, express and pursue their wants clearly, protect their rights and personal space without dominating or abusing others, and keep their sense of self-respect. It validates one’s ability to exist in the world and express needs, wants, thoughts, and feelings. Let’s look at these three styles in detail- Understanding Passive style One upside of communicating in a passive manner is that it helps in avoiding conflict. The kind of conflict that can be extremely frightening to some people can be avoided, delayed, or at the very least hidden by saying ‘yes’. People are born assertive but are trained by their parents, elder siblings, teachers, and other adults to be passive/submissive/obedient. These are frequently complimented for their good behaviour; they are described as “kind,” “unselfish,” and “good sports.” “Nice” also carries a cost. People who are submissive comply with everyone’s preferences and demands rather than making their own decisions. Remember that every surrender is a repression of anger, and that anger eventually seeps into any affection that people may feel. Tragically, obedient people behave in this way in attempt to win someone’s love, but their very nature eventually leads to disagreement and separation. Understanding Aggressive Behaviour The person who is aggressive seeks to satisfy their desires, even at the expense of someone else. Three main ways that aggressive communication and behaviour pay off are that the aggressive person is more likely to meet their material demands, be able to defend their personal space, and appear to have control over both their own and other people’s lives. Aggression has a number of negative consequences as well. People that are violent are highly afraid; they act aggressively not because they feel powerful but rather because they feel vulnerable. Their propensity for making enemies ultimately leaves them more exposed and afraid. Aggressive persons frequently alienate others and are not well-liked or adored. The alienation is a very compelling motivation to address this problem. Understanding Passive-aggressive behaviour Individuals who communicate in a passive-aggressive manner frequently convey their ideas and emotions in a hazy or perplexing manner. These people may at first seem quiet, but they eventually respond angrily in indirect ways. People who use passive-aggressive communication styles may feel helpless, stuck, or resentful about their present situation, yet they may be unable to address it directly. Instead, they can use suppressed anger expressions to try to undermine the cause of their hatred. Outward collaboration and internal irritation and resentment are common characteristics of passive-aggressive behaviour. Understanding Assertive Behaviour The power to assert yourself is associated with higher self-esteem, and assertive people usually like themselves more than the other two categories. By making a person more at ease with themselves and hence more comfortable to be around, assertiveness typically promotes stronger relationships. Being assertive significantly lowers fear and anxiety, allowing people to discharge pleasant energy toward one another. Being aggressive increases a person’s chances of getting what they desire in life and from other people. Although being assertive doesn’t always ensure that you receive what you want or need, it’s still generally the best course of action. Does being assertive comes at a cost? Ofcourse, it does. Learning to be assertive requires work and can be challenging. It is difficult to change a regular communication style. Communicating your needs, wants, or feelings openly and honestly can be extremely unpleasant if it results in conflict or rejection. Being assertive is being prepared to take the chance of going through a fight in the hopes of creating a connection that is more genuine, satisfying, and intimate. It’s not an easy decision to decide to focus on being assertive. However, it is the only way to take control of one’s life and get out of a rut of compulsive tendencies picked up in unhealthy relationships. The ability to have and exercise choice, as well as learning to accept other people’s choices, are all skills that can be developed through assertiveness. Assertiveness for leaders: If I had to choose one skill for most leaders to work on, it would be assertiveness. Not because assertiveness is such a great quality in and of itself. Rather, because of its ability to accentuate a wide range of other leadership qualities. Every leader wants to be more self-assured, but very few know how to assert themselves. Being assertive lies somewhere between being passive and aggressive. You might come across as submissive if you don’t speak up when you have anything to say. And if you’re adamant about your point of view, you might appear unfriendly or, worse, a bully. You can express yourself without being passive or confrontational if you learn to be assertive, and you’ll have a better chance of receiving what you want. For all

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communication skills improvement archana parmar

11 Practical Ways to Refine Communication Skills for Executives

Most, if not all, of the conflicts and relationship difficulties, personal or professional, are linked to a lack of effective communication.  Regardless of your chosen field, ambitious professionals always share a strong desire to advance their careers. For many, that entails developing a career that leads to a position at the C-level of a top business in their industry. Senior executives are responsible for communicating the organisation’s vision hence they must be able to communicate with other executives, workers, and public at large in order to effectively convey the company’s goal. Still when it comes to communicating effectively, you feel you do not have those skills in you and you fail to make an impact. Let’s understand why it is the way it is… Most of you have never learned to communicate, you subconsciously reproduce what you have observed and absorbed from your immediate environment- your parents, teachers, friends, colleagues and unfortunately, they themselves have done the same. However, the quality of your life is intimately linked to the quality of your communication, and you just cannot not communicate. You do not only communicate with those around you but also with your own self. What should you do then?  As a senior executive you must learn and practice transformative communication, which means experiencing, developing and including qualities such as empathy, responsibility, integrity, assertiveness and leadership. I understand it is easier said than done, but these add-on skills can reduce confusion, encourage transparency, and improve the productivity and collaboration of the entire executive team. Sign up to gain access to Free Webinar Webinar on Assertive Communication, now for FREE Watch the webinar now Loading… Thank you! You have successfully joined our subscriber list. Here are the 11 practical ways to develop your business communication skills- Clear your objective. Decide what you want to accomplish before you start talking. Consider a discussion as a journey you are going on together. If any of you is unsure of where you’re headed, it will start to deviate off course pretty rapidly. Only if you both properly understand your goals will the journey be successful.  It’s crucial that you clearly explain your goal from the outset. Specify a headline. State your major point at the beginning of the conversation if you are aware of it. Limit Confusing Words. Technical jargon and words like “A/B testing,” “content marketing,” and “conversion optimization” frequently appear in all industries. Some people use terminology that are unclear to those around them without even realizing it. Although using industry-specific language may seem natural, it can exclude those who are attempting to participate in the discourse. You can improve connections with leaders and the team by avoiding using these terms in talks with other team members. Additionally, it’s crucial to pay attention to what other people are saying and the terminology they employ to describe particular circumstances in the field. Both you and your audience can benefit from using clearer language as they strive to improve their communication skills. Be authentic. Be genuine and truly curious about learning about your audience as persons. Keep in mind that people have human interests, views, doubts, achievements, failures, and their own personal stories just like everyone else. People who are liked by them do business with them. Tell them through words and actions that you are sure of yourself, that you are not frightened by them or turned off by them, and that you genuinely care about their success and the success of the company. Set boundaries for yourself and abide by them. Choose which, if any, face-to-face discussions you won’t permit to be disrupted by digital voices. Do your best to be fully present. Your people will realise they might not get a prompt reply to their texts from you as you begin to wean yourself off your phone reliance and also micro-managing and spoon feeding. It’s okay that way. Remember, leadership is about galvanizing people. Choose your communication channels wisely. Short messages like where to meet, yes-or-no questions, a brief check-in, or a straightforward word of encouragement can be sent via text message. However, it is more crucial to adopt more subtle communication techniques the more significant the message and the higher the stakes. Invest time in learning about media richness theory. Also, you can become a great communicator by listening to the advice of professionals and then putting what you learn into practice. Be assertive. As a leader you must stand up for and speak out on what you believe in – it requires courage, but it shows your followers that you have a moral compass and are worthy of their trust. It gives them the confidence to follow you. You have to learn to show your character – people must know what you care about and what your beliefs are. This will make you more predictable, and inspire them to follow your beliefs. Positive body language. Always remember that people will be watching your actions as a leader. The higher you go in the organization, the more people will be scrutinizing your behaviour. If you want to be a great leader, you’ll need to get used to people viewing and evaluating your every move. Many executives underestimate the importance of their behaviour to the people they lead. As a leader, you communicate warmth nonverbal y with open body postures, palm-up hand gestures, a full -frontal body orientation, positive eye contact, synchronized movements, head nods, head tilts, and smiles. Pay attention to paralanguage. Consider tone, pace, pitch, pronunciation, articulation and cadence. More than what you have to convey, how you convey the message matters more. Understand the tone and cadence of the audience you’re dealing with and thus communicate accordingly. Know your audience. Keep it short and straightforward and keep in mind that you are the organization’s face as a senior executive. The values and organisational structure of your organisation are reflected in what you say and how you behave, thus it is important to know who your audience is and how to communicate effectively with them.

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Archana Parmar Assertive communication

Assertiveness: Skill You Need To Move To The Next Level

As you stack all your technical skills to prepare to chart the career progression, one more thing you need to add to your bag is people skill. You need to be assertive to excel at your career. Assertiveness is a personality trait characterized by being proactive, confident, straightforward, and direct. It’s opposed to passiveness which is characterized by being compliant or yielding. Assertiveness skills are so essential for your professional growth because they’ll enable you to speak up for what you believe in without hesitation. If you’re not assertive in your professional life, you may dare not: 1. Persuade others to accept your ideas, even if they’re better than others’. 2. Try the new ideas to solve the problems instead of repeating what everyone does or what they think is right. 3. Speak up for yourself and stand up for what you believe in. 4. Say No when you need it without feeling guilty about it later on. 5. Communicate honestly with your boss or your peers. 6. Clear out conflicts without destroying the relationship entirely. 7. Overcome competition easily, no matter how tough it is for you. You don’t let somebody’s expectation bring you down to the ground. This is an issue which increases stress levels considerably despite its simplicity in practice. You’ll be able to fight stress if you can learn to be assertive. You may feel the need to hide behind a polite smile, swallow your words and thoughts, and pretend that everything is okay when it’s not. At the end of the day, you’re hurting yourself by not being assertive. The reasons why you’re an assertive person may vary from case to case. Some people grew up in a family where they were expected to be submissive and polite all their lives, while others were brought up in the environments where speaking up your mind was ordinary. However, there are still some symptoms which you can recognize that could help you identify whether or not there’s something wrong with your assertiveness style. Communications are key to this skill set… you need to communicate with your boss, peers, and subordinates effectively so that everyone gets what they want or need. Interpersonal skills are essential for success in any business environment because they ensure the smooth running of organization and existence of trust between staff members. To start to develop your assertive communication skills, visit www.archanaparmar.com/assertive-communication

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Archana Parmar

How to say ‘No’ when you don’t want to say ‘Yes’

Assertiveness is an excellent leadership characteristic. In order to efficiently manage people and run a firm, business executives must be forthright, straightforward, and able to distribute duties. The capacity to be forceful in your professional life might put you on the fast road to a leadership position. What is Assertive communication? When you boldly convey your demands and opinions in a fair, honest, and calm manner while taking into account the needs and perspectives of others, you are engaging in assertive communication. It is critical for anyone’s career to learn how to be assertive at work. Assertiveness aids in earning the respect of your peers and ensuring that your viewpoint is heard. It’s a vital stress-relieving technique because it helps you to: Take action to protect yourself. Feel free to say “no” without feeling guilty. Make your wants, needs, and opinions known. Practicing self-control is essential. Assess the circumstances and be assertive only when it is appropriate. Why to be assertive? Some people are born with the ability to assert themselves, while others do not. However, if you work on it, you can develop assertiveness. Assertiveness lies somewhere between passive and aggressive. You might come across as submissive if you don’t speak up when you have anything to say. And if you’re adamant about your point of view, you might come out as unfriendly or, worse, a dictator. You can express yourself without being passive or confrontational if you learn to be assertive, and you’ll have a better chance of receiving what you want. When you’re assertive, you balance your wants and needs with the rights and needs of others. How to be Assertive? Use “I” statements. Make it a habit to use phrases like “I believe…” or “I feel…” Never use abrasive words or phrases such as “You never…” or “You always…” Your audience is irritated by these statements, and communication is halted as a result. You can be confident and assertive without alienating or excluding others by using “I” expressions. Learn to say “no.”  People are sometimes hesitant to say “no” to others in order to please them, even if saying “yes” causes them inconvenience. Helping others helps individuals feel good, whether it’s taking on a colleague’s extra work or watching a friend’s pet. However, you must know when your life must take precedence over assisting someone. Simply say no if you already have a lot on your plate and are unable to take on more at this time. It’s a liberating sensation, and you may offer assistance when it’s convenient for you. Tips on assertive communication: Make sure you express your feelings to the other person. Listen respectfully and empathize with the other person. Respectfully receive both positive and negative feedback. Speak at a volume and pace that is appropriate for a typical conversation. Make a firm but not harsh tone. Maintain eye contact with the other person. Use “I” statements to make your points clear, such as “I want.” Exaggerated words like “always” and “never” should be avoided. Instead of saying, “You always give me your work,” say, “This is the third time this week you’ve delegated your work to me.” Instead of saying “You’ve done a bad job again,” say “This report has information about Xyz missing.” Be comfortable in saying ‘no’ to others, that’s how you say ‘yes’ to yourself. I’ve got your back.  Write to me at archana@archanaparmar.com Order your copy of my book ‘Business English and Leadership Communication’ – kindle or paperback

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Archana Parmar

How to structure your business emails?

What are some ways that compelling emails can help you to be more productive?  Simple: choosing the correct words to communicate will persuade people to respond to your emails. You will obtain the result you’re looking for more accurately and faster, and you’ll save a great deal of time. If you want to improve your business emails and make your business writing more impactful, you’ve come to the right place.  What you write and how you write will have an impact on how people see you & your firm, whether you’re communicating with business clients or coworkers, managers or subordinates. Not only that, but your writing could mean the difference between a stalled project and a completed one. Always ensure that your email has a clear and logical structure, regardless of the topic, purpose, or receiver.  Include all of the following components in your business emails for optimum effectiveness:  introduction + details + action + closing. INTRODUCTION  Begin by addressing the receiver as “Dear Name.”  The most prevalent ones in today’s corporate sector, from more formal to less formal, are “Hello Name” or “Hi Name.” Introduce yourself by email. Begin with a cheerful and friendly tone, including some basic background information, the main reason for your letter (explain them what’s going on right away), and a brief summary of the following steps. Example: Hello Lata Michael has asked me to send you an email to confirm that I will be able to come to  New Delhi in September to conduct a product training course with your IT staff.  I’m available any time throughout the first two weeks of the month. DETAILS Do they require any other information or background? If that’s the case, you’ll want to mention it in this section. Short paragraphs should be used to break up your email (no longer than 4 or 5 lines each).  Bullet points assist in organising your thoughts, also the material will appear clearer to the reader, be more visually appealing, & be easier to scan. Here’s a rough estimate of the costs: • Fee for a trainer: INR 9000 per day (this will probably be a two-day course) • The cost of a flight is roughly INR 4000. • The cost of a night’s stay is approximately INR 3000. ACTION What’s the next logical step?  Tell them exactly what they need to accomplish (agree on meeting schedule, approve the budget, or proofread a document, for example).  Let them know if they don’t need to do anything after receiving your email. Kindly let us know whether you can manage these fees.  I’ll arrange flights and make hotel reservations once I receive your confirmation.  We can save costs if we book weeks in advance. CLOSING Always (always) say thank you if they have to do something.  Before signing, you can say “Have a wonderful day” or “All the best.” Thank you for your support, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns concerning this training course. Have a wonderful day, Archana Note: You want people to read and act on your emails. Ready? Let’s get the ball rolling!

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Archana Parmar

Speaking is controlled breathing. Did you know?

Breathe in- Breathe out Rather I should be saying stomach in- stomach out. That’s how we were designed to breathe by default. The rhythm of breathing creates electrical activity in the human brain that enhances emotional judgments and memory recall, scientists have discovered for the first time. These effects on behavior depend critically on whether you inhale or exhale and whether you breathe through the nose or mouth.—study results (Northwestern University). Why am I talking about respiratory system today? Well, we all have seen, heard, experienced the benefits of deep-breathing ever since this pandemic happened. It might seem a common thing to discuss. But today, I am discussing this with reference to leadership communication. Yes, you read it right. Breathe Well You’ve been breathing since birth; it’s just that a majority of us breathe from lungs, including me, till a few years ago when I came to know of lungs’s functioning. The only thing that stuck with me – lungs- the main respiratory organs, I forgot the diaphragm’s contribution. The diaphragm is a thin skeletal muscle that sits at the base of the chest and separates the abdomen from the chest. It contracts and flattens when you inhale. This creates a vacuum effect that pulls air into the lungs. When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and the air is pushed out of lungs. –www.healthline.com My involvement with communication studies got me notice the role our posture, voice, and breath plays to make it effective. While working with my clients, I realized most people are completely unaware of what they’re doing with their breathing system, again because, they never cared just as we don’t pay attention to our feet while walking, or our teeth while chewing or even our heart while it is pumping. Breathing is so much more than just an auto programmed feature of our bodies. So if you want to sound inspired and inspiring, read on, and be ready to boost your influence. Speaking is controlled breathing Every time you speak your exhale. Hold your hand next to your mouth and speak- did you feel the warmth of your breath? Now, try to speak something as you inhale from your nostrils- see! Breathing well is the first step of speaking well. It means you need enough air in your lungs to breathe out words and sentences. This means that you need to breathe in adequately before you speak. It also helps you in producing a good and confident voice- we will be talking more on voice quality later. Check your breathing There is a very simple way to check your breathing pattern for yourself. Stand straight, place one hand on your belly and another hand on your chest. Watch yourself in the mirror. Breathe naturally and calmly, and notice which part of your body moves the most. If you breathe well you should find that most of the movement is in your belly. As you breathe in, your belly should expand outwards. Stomach out As you breathe out, your belly should retract. Stomach in That’s how the babies breathe. If you find a great deal of movement in your chest rather than your belly, or if your shoulders rise and fall as you breathe, this means you are not breathing effectively and indirectly it is preventing you from using your voice properly. How to breathe? Lie down on your back, knees bent up. Place one hand on your belly and another hand on your chest. Breathe out all the air from your lungs and close your mouth. Do not breathe in again until your body tells you to. Feel the vaccum. Now, let your body to breathe in for you, it will happen automatically. With this breath, you should start to feel your belly rising up and you may find that the breath you take is somewhat deeper. Breathe it all out again immediately and notice how your belly drops back to its original position. Wait for the next in-breath. Practise technique for about 10 minutes, and observe the sense of release and freedom in your belly as you breathe. You should start to feel calmer and more relaxed. Gradually you will practice this breathing pattern when you are sitting, then standing and then 24*7. Belly-breathing or diaphragmatic breathing gives you a skill, essential for successful and authoritative speaking. Breathe in- Breathe out Stomach in- stomach out Did you get your copy of my book- ‘Business English and Leadership Communication’? Available versions- kindle and paperback.

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Archana Parmar Leadership Communication

Tricks on how to negotiate and ask questions as a leader

When you are a business leader and have to use English in your career, make sure that you create an aura as you speak, not just put words together.  You have to focus on vocabulary and specific linguistic structures. No matter what you communicate, you have to create an impression of authority over the language and influence people around you. The surprising power of Questioning It goes beyond your imagination and exchange of views! Improved questioning skills can strengthen managerial effectiveness. For that, you will need to frame your questions before you place them across the table. Taking a calculative measure and giving an explicit thought on this helps you grow in your role and inspire others around you. This will add value to your work and help build a team of skilled people together. Do remember that asking the right question is an essential leadership skill. To be perfect at this, you will need a good command of your language and to achieve this, you must have a good hold over your Business English. Coming to negotiations, if questioning is growing, knowing to negotiate well makes the growth pleasant. To accomplish both, you must be an explorer at heart. You must be aware of data and information and gather essential insights before you speak. Often negotiation skill is not innate; you have to acquire through learning. Also, a situation may be so that you know how to negotiate, but you don’t find the exact words to craft your thoughts thoughtfully. Here, you will need the touch of proficiency. Become a confident negotiator When you are in top positions, you have your struggles, and the way you address them will help you stand out from the competition. I aim to teach you the importance of both language and skills to enhance your Leadership score. You may be a good analyst, a great listener, and encourage team work, but without any ability to communicate right, you cannot attain your goal. You will need strong social skills to become confident with your approach and Leadership communication for useful conversation. If you prefer to distance yourself from a formidable negotiation, let me tell you this is nothing more than a regular discussion. You have to find a way agreeable to all and yet beneficial on purpose. Some tricks on how to negotiate or ask through the process Here, I am sharing 4 Dos to embrace, and 3 DON’Ts to avoid. Do prepare your strategies and how you will express yourself. Be insightful with all data and information and know exactly what to speak. Do know your bottom line. Before you begin a negotiation, you must be clear with the outcome you want. Do listen to others by giving them a chance to place their views and have a healthy interaction. Do apply a friendly approach, be amiable and business-oriented at the same time. Wear smiles and exchange pleasantries and see how smooth the negotiation happens or how well you accomplish a task. Don’t be emotional or get overwhelmed. Don’t question your worth. Keep a note ready with your or your organizations’ accomplishments, strike the deal right in case of negotiations and questioning, and be confident with your analytical skills. Don’t boast after a win. If you negotiated as expected, maintain a calm demeanor as you have done throughout the process. Excellent negotiation skills and questioning potential comes from good business education. With this, you are equipped to succeed in business and life. Take a look into this and sustain personal motivation to grow through life.

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Archana Parmar Leadership Communication

10 Websites to Practice English Grammar Online

Mastering grammar—irrespective of the language—is not in any way an easy task. It is a process worth investing your valuable time and consistent efforts, no, I don’t intend to scare you here, rather I am going to share some of my favourite websites that may help you with English grammar practice. You may be familiar with some of them or may be all of them, in that case, I would request you share the article with your friends, family, colleagues who you think will benefit from these grammar exercises. And yes, if you know about any other helpful addition to this list, feel free to share that with me in the comments section. 10 websites to Test and Practice your English Grammar Online 1. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org British Council is known for providing a wealth of resources online. 2. https://britishenglishpage.com This site hosts Free online English lessons & ESL / EFL resources 3. https://www.englishgrammar.org/ From beginners to advanced learners of English, this site caters to all. 4. https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/ This site houses resources for grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, writing and many other topics. Bookmark this site for future references. 5. https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/ The most interesting thing here is the English Grammar Level quiz, give it a try. 6. https://www.examenglish.com/grammar/ This website is for people studying for an English language exam. Here the pages contain free online practice tests for the most important international ESL exams. 7. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/category/handbook/ Find answers to all your writing conundrums with Grammarly’s simple guide to basic English grammar rules. 8. https://www.ef.com/wwen/english-resources/english-grammar/ These pages are a complete English grammar guide filled with the rules of English usage. Each grammatical rule is explained in plain English with several examples, and when needed, counter-examples. 9. https://www.usingenglish.com/ Tests, quizzes, reference guides, practice activities, phrasal verb dictionary and more! 10. https://englishgrammarsecrets.com/ Looking for a quick overview on English grammar with a lot of examples? This is your site! In addition to these, here a list of some interesting language apps, you might want to have a look at. I believe you will find these sites helpful as you practice English grammar! Thank you so much for your time. Note: grammar is just one part of the language. It is best to incorporate the grammar you are learning into all 4 language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking! Want to learn how to do that? Drop me a line at archana@archanaparmar.com or schedule your free session now.

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Archana Parmar

Did you know avoiding eye contact kills your speech?

Body language is very important when delivering a speech. Have you ever seen our great leaders fidget or make unnecessary movements while addressing the nation? Since you are the center of attention while making the presentation, you should mind every move that you make so as not to bore or distract the people listening to your speech. So you already have a speech prepared, you know the topic well and you are now standing in front of the audience. They are in for a treat because you have prepared a great presentation, yet you also know that they have a very short attention span. How would you keep them interested with what you are saying? The answer is to maintain eye contact. This is one public speaking technique that great speakers use whenaddressing a large group of people. Here are some tips on how you can use this “trick” to keep your audience interested while delivering a speech: Once you have already started speaking and have delivered yourintroduction, take a look at your audience. Do not be nervous if you see one or two people frowning as you are not sure of exactly what they are thinking. Instead of looking out for unfriendly or blank faces, search for the people who are smiling and nodding their heads. Try to focus on this person for a couple of minutes and look him or her in the eye. This way, you would have an immediate “friend” in the audience to whom you can look at and gain confidence from. This will not just increase your confidence but also relax you in the course of your speech. Gaze steadily at your audience, moving from one part of the room toanother. This way, you would immediately grasp their attention. Never read your speech. Just make an outline of the important points that you can expand on. If you have visuals, do not read the bullet points word for word as this might imply that your audience cannot read that themselves. With this, you are instantly creating a “bond” with your audience as aspeaker since you do not have to keep on looking at your notes through the course of your speech. The key to delivering a great speech is to just breathe, relax and make eye to eye contact with your audience. Thus, you are not just making a physical connection with them but you are also ensured that you come out as a sincere speaker who wants to inform and interact with the audience through your speech. I hope these tips will help you communicate more confidently from now. It’s just about consciously avoiding these mistakes. Connect with me on Linkedin for everyday posts on skill development. You can also get on a call with me at a time convenient to you. Just click here and choose your slot.

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