Communication and Beyond

executive communication

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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How To Hone Your Leadership Communication With Business English

The pandemic of 2020 nudged us to move towards a digital world. This shift has come up with many opportunities and a few challenges. One among them is effective communication that helps you create a rapport with employees in the physical world and remote presence. Effective leadership communication is a crucial driving force for a company’s success. Leaders are responsible for building trust within organizations and motivate growth at a personal level and for the company as well. Good knowledge of English will help you communicate well and be understood. You must be professional, polite, and confident with your English ability. You need to know the right language- vocabulary, idioms, and phrases that managers must use. Let’s cruise into the aspects to understand how business English will help you. Why must you be conversant in English for leadership roles? For most working adults, being fluent in general English is adequate, but you, as a senior manager and a leader need more. You need to be proficient at an advanced level because you are in-charge of making changes, influencing people around you, and helping businesses grow. Can communicate openly When you are confident with your English ability, you don’t have to avoid phrases. Your words will define you, so make sure you don’t alienate yourself. Appear respectful Confidence breeds within us grace. When you know what to say and what to avoid, you won’t end up belittling anyone. Even you can tell a negative feedback making it sound constructive. When you start spreading professional happiness, your team will respect you. Can build trust and better professional relationship If you are at an impasse with a team member or a colleague, the manner in which you speak will help build a better relationship instead of letting it go sour. When you communicate with a deep understanding of others’ opinions and convey yours more clearly, you can develop healthier and more satisfying associations at work. Avoid wrong communication Maybe you don’t intend to say something, but you may end up offending or hurting sentiments due to a lack of vocabulary. Yes, that happens, and this not just creates a lousy workplace scenario but also lowers self-confidence. With the right words and their usage, you will ace your conversation and not just build a delightful work ambiance, but that will raise your self-esteem too. Poor leadership communication is often the main reason for lack of trust within an organization. Remember that strong leaders communicate with flair. 3 Tricks to keep in mind 1.  Avoid asking a “Why.” Instead of questioning “Why,” to understand someone’s thought process, ask “What” or “How.” For instance, instead of saying, “Why do you think so?” you can ask, “How is that relevant to our project?” The former will make the other person act defensive and feel like he has to justify his opinion; the latter approach will encourage him to add more perspectives. 2.  Acknowledge others’ efforts When an employee comes with a good idea or finishes a task efficiently, don’t just nod but appreciate using a few magical words. Kind words deliver results, and you create a team of happy and valued people. 3. Frame your statement with a value Don’t just say anything forcefully. Maintain self-integrity and offer ethics by framing your sentences with the right words to impart positivity. Winding Up Becoming a leader and delivering leadership are two different things. How you communicate, what you say, makes a huge difference. I have shared a few clues on how to leverage your communication skill with Business English. There is more to know and accumulate.

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Archana Parmar Leadership Communication

Overcome your fear of public speaking

In a survey done by Dr. Laurie Rozakis, author of Idiots Guide to Public Speaking, it was found that many people are scared to speak before a group. It is the number one fear among Americans, “–and the number 6 is fear of death,” according to Dr. Rozakis. Even the most experienced speaker gets anxious when speaking in public. However, this fear can be controlled so that you can put your fear to your advantage. This topic teaches us why people are nervous when speaking in front of a crowd and how you can conquer your fear. FEAR OF THE AUDIENCE People are afraid of rejection by their audience. Thus, many are terrified of speaking in public for fear of being criticized by the crowd for how they look or how they deliver their speech. On the contrary, audiences are very understanding about the speaker’s problem with stage fright. You become more nervous when your fear of the audience increases. Below are some strategies that can help you overcome your fear of the audience. > Choose a topic that you like and you are familiar with. The more comfortable you are about your chosen topic, the more confident you are in facing your audience. > Concentrate on your topic. Focus on your topic and not on yourself. When you start to think of your subject matter and not yourself, your fear of speaking will likely decrease. > Say to yourself: “I am the BOSS.” Trust in your capability of delivering your speech. Showing that you are in charge decreases your fear and increases your confidence in facing the situation. > Don’t think of your audience as a threat. Bridge the gap between your audience and yourself. Analyze carefully to establish rapport. You should consider age, gender and their level of expertise. Remember to analyze your audience. FEAR OF FAILURE There are two ways to win over your fear of failure. > Picture yourself succeeding. If you think that you will stutter in front of many people, chances are you will stutter. But if you visualize yourself delivering your speech well, then, you will. > Face your fear. You cannot overcome your fear unless you show it and admit that you are afraid of it. FEAR THAT YOUR SPEECH IS A BAD SPEECH > Write well. Take time to write your speech. Review it and rewrite if necessary. If you are confident with your speech, the less terrified you will be about speaking in public. > Practice and ask for suggestions on how you can improve your speech. Ask a friend of relative to act as your audience. Once you have delivered your topic, ask for their feedback. Don’t be afraid to hear about what they will say. Their feedback can give you insight on what is good or bad in your speech. The best tool that can help you prepare is your mobile phone. Record your practice sessions and review your own performance. Learning takes time, effort and lots of practice so we shouldn’t let negative emotional responses stop us from achieving our learning goals. Learning and practice give familiarity which leads to confidence. Drop me a message at archana@archanaparmar.com or connect with me here .

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Archana Parmar

6 Steps That Will Make You a Better Communicator

Here are six tips for improving your communication style: 1. Identify your style: Knowing how to improve communication skills will come easier once you become aware of your own communication style. Each person has a unique way of communicating. Listen to your own speech. What sorts of words do you use? Which sort of body language and what tone of voice are you using? Now, think of someone who, in your opinion, is a good communicator. Compare your style to theirs. You’ve just taken an important first step in how to improve communication skills. 2. Observe others around you: Now that you are aware of your own style, study the style of those around you. How do the most important people in your life converse? How do they say things? Look for approaches you can model and make your own. 3. Adjust to the other styles of communication: Don’t think it is too late to change your way of conversing because its been years. You had to learn to communicate in the first place and you can unlearn certain behaviors or change them. Sometimes we get stuck in a communication rut. A father once was having a hard time with his teenaged daughter. She was growing and he thought she didnt tell him what was going on in her life. They were in a heated discussion when he asked, Why didnt you tell me? Her answer was that she had, but he was too busy lecturing her to hear her. He learned that adjusting his style to his daughter would involve listening first before jumping right into solving the problem. 4. Rapport: To build rapport, during a conversation try and match the other persons movements, posture and verbal style. Don’t do everything they do, but mirror one or two things. For example, if the person gives mostly short answers to questions, you follow suit. Or, maybe they talk at a slower pace than you usually do-slow your speaking speed to match theirs. This may sound simplistic but it is a very potent way to make someone feel very relaxed and comfortable in your presence. 5. Be mindful of your surroundings: The way you communicate at home may not be the same as in a different environment. Make sure you change your style to suit the different setting. Some comments you might want to tell your best friend, in private. Other things can be shared in a group setting. Learn how to improve communication skills by altering your style for the appropriate setting. Many of us know someone who offers far too much information in a group setting. 6. Avoid imitation: Don’t criticize others for communicating differently. If we all communicated in the same way, we’d soon be bored with each other. Getting a good grasp of your communication style and finding ways to accommodate other peoples styles, is a good way to improve your communication skills. All of these are steps to be taken every single day. The more you implement, the more you master.

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