When communicating with a prospect, partner, or customer, using appropriate language can be very effective in realizing your objectives. This goes beyond being polite and articulate, and focuses on making the person feel at ease and comfortable with the conversation and the
result that you are attempting to achieve.
It is important to recognize that your delivery can directly affect how your message is received. This is particularly true in situations where you are not face-to-face with the person(s) you are communicating to, such as with email correspondence or telephone conversations, when you do not have the opportunity to support your message with appropriate body language.
Written words, such as in email and letters, are often the most difficult to interpret properly. It is quite easy to misinterpret language as harsh, impolite, impersonal, sarcastic, or accusatory. Extra care must be taken when using written communication.
With telephone communications, a simple rule is to smile while speaking. It is believed that a smile will infuse warmth into the tone of your voice and improve how your message is received. Also be sure to listen intently, speak clearly, and be responsive when the
other party is speaking.
If you feel the words you are using have a chance of being misinterpreted, then chances are they will be — so improve them. Here are a few sample phrases that you might find useful to bring in to your communications:
• “Help me understand …”
• “If you don't mind...”
• “Is that reasonable…”
• “Would it be convenient for you …”
• “Do you mind if I ask …”
• “Perhaps we can explore the possibility of … ”
• “Just to make sure we are headed in the same direction …”
• “Let's summarize …”
• “What happens when you …”
• “Who else might be involved in making this decision …”
• “What is the process going to look like…"
Careful: Your Words Might Say More Than You Think - To learn more about this author, visit Mathew Georghiou's Website.
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Mathew Georghiou
(Visit Mathew's Website)
Mathew Georghiou, President and CEO,
MediaSpark Inc.
Mathew’s focus is on providing practical,
in-the-trenches business and technology
advice.
Mathew is founder of MediaSpark Inc – an
accomplished technology and design
company, with a focus on software
development and publishing, particularly
in the field of business education games
and simulations.
As CEO and lead software architect, he has
led hundreds of projects, including
multimedia CD-ROMs, Internet products and
websites, training programs, and
consulting projects. Mathew is also the
lead designer of the award-winning www.goventure.net>GoVenture
educational games and simulations.
GoVenture is a line of highly realistic
business and finance games for learning
that have positioned MediaSpark as a
pioneer in education and changing how
people learn.
Prior to MediaSpark, Mathew was an
engineer with IBM Celestica, where he won
several awards, including a national award
for innovation.
Mathew frequently speaks and writes on
topics such as entrepreneurship, business,
education, innovation, and economic
development.
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