Business Management Agenda

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BUSINESS MANAGEMENTCOMMUNICATION SKILLS

Employment Skills Survey

1. Strong verbal and interpersonal communication skills

2. Self-motivated/self-management/self-starter

3. Team player

4. Sound academic achievement

5. Analytical and conceptual skills

6. Strong written communication skills

7. Flexible and adaptable “Can Do” attitude

8. Problem solving skills

9. Energy and enthusiasm

10.Professional ethics

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

• Lesson 1 – Axe the Fillers!

• Lesson 2 – Expressions

• Lesson 3 – Are You a Motormouth?

• Lesson 4 – Are You Listening?

GRADING…

• Your grade for this unit will be based on:

– Participation in discussions

– Participation in exercises

– Lesson journals (in binders!)

LESSON 1

Axe the FillersAxe the Fillers

The Speech Problem

• Using excessive fillers while you speak is the most irritating speech habit

• Fillers range from repetitious sounds through favorite catch words a phrases

• The problem? Fillers distract your listener – often to the point that he/she doesn’t hear anything you say.

The Speech Problem

• Speech fillers are dangerous. If you use fillers, you may not even be aware of the speech problem yourself!

• Fillers tend to become so embedded into your speech patterns that even once you’re aware, you’ll have a very hard time trying not to say them.

Guard Against Stock Responses

• Even if you don’t use fillers, you may find yourself falling back on stock responses that irritate your listeners.

• Stock responses are phrases that we develop over time to particular communication situations, such as statements that call for acknowledgement and nothing else.– i.e. “Okey-dokey”

Guard Against Stock Responses

• Try to vary your response to these standard situations, rather than falling back on whatever your stock response is every time.

• Avoid slang and “cute” phrases as you would avoid the plague.

• If you have trouble varying, pick several neutral, formal phrases, such as “Right away”, “I will” and/or “Yes, certainly”

Speech Exercise – The Tell-Me Game

• Test your speech to see if you use fillers• Identify your favorite filler words and

phrases• Two Roles –

– Listener: listen for the particular speech problem being worked on and record all instances of the speech problem

– Speaker: speak impromptu on one of the listed speech topics for two minutes. Do NOT spend time thinking about the topic before you start!

The Benefits of Eliminating Fillers

• As your speech fillers decrease, your listeners will:– Form a better impression of you as your

speak, thinking of you as an educated, knowledgeable person, more worthy of trust

– Be better able to focus on the message you’re communicating, rather than being distracted by the way you’re expressing yourself

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Lesson 1 – Axe the Fillers

LESSON 2

ExpressionsExpressions

Economics Lecture

The Speech Problem

• Speaking in a monotonous voice is a real communication killer.

• When the variety of your voice’s pitch doesn’tdoesn’t vary, it’s impossible for your listener to maintain any interest in what you’re saying.

• People with monotonous voices are perceived as untrustworthy or boring.

Other Speech Problems of Expression

• A far more common problem is a lack of appropriate vocal variety…”tired voice”– Voices that are not suitably expressive

• If you don’t sound interested in, or excited about, what you are saying, then your audience certainly won’t be, either!

Speech Exercise

EMOTION SENTENCESEMOTION SENTENCES

• The purpose of this exercise is to practice getting more vocal variety into your speech

Speech Exercise

BELIEF SENTENCESBELIEF SENTENCES

• The purpose of this exercise is to practice conveying meaning through expression in your speech.

Speech Exercise – Drama Queens/Kings

• Role-playing speech exercise to help you develop a more expressive voice by exaggerating your normal pitch and rhythm

Benefits of Improving Speech Expression

• As your voice expression increases, your listeners will:– Be more interested in what you’re saying and

more attentive– Be more likely to be receptive to you and the

message you are communicating

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Lesson 2 - Enthusiasm

LESSON 3

Are You a Motormouth?Are You a Motormouth?

The Speech Problem

• Speaking too quickly is one of the most common speech problems

• Speech typically speeds up when we are stressed or excited

• Some people, however, are genuine “motormouths”

The Speech Problem

• We also don’t want to talk too slowly!

• The trick to speaking at an appropriate pace is remembering that you need to speak at a rate that allows your listener to understand what you’re saying.

The Speech Problem

• Listening is not a one-step process; we have to hear what is said and then translate that into meaning

• If we speak too quickly, the second step of the process is lost

• What happens to the listener if you speak too quickly? Too slowly?

Slowing Your Speech Down

• Focusing on our enunciation when we speak is one good way to slow down our speech

• When we focus on enunciating clearly, we force ourselves to stop slurring and dropping syllables when we speak

• Another way to slow down is to concentrate on phrasing and punctuation

Speech Exercise: Five Step How-Tos

• Because the pace of speech and comprehension are so closely linked, this exercise focuses on speaking at the optimum pace for making your message understood

• Complete the “Five Step How-Tos” with your partner

The Benefits of Improving Your Speech Pace

• When you speak at an appropriate pace, your listeners will:– Be more interested in what you’re saying and

more attentive– Be more likely to comprehend the message

you’re communicating

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Lesson 3 – Are You a Motormouth?

Lesson 4

Are You Listening?Are You Listening?

The Speech Problem

• Listening is the speech skill that is practiced the least

• Most of the time, we are thinking about other things instead of listening to whoever is speaking to us

• “In one ear and out the other”…or does it even enter one ear???

• We do it…because we can get away with it!

The Speech Problem

• Most of the time, the speaker won’t know we are not listening…Why???

• You’re the one that has to make the commitment to truly listen…become an ACTIVE LISTENER!– Change from being a passive target to being

a contributor to the communication

• Make this one change and you will improve your communication skills tremendously

3 Techniques for Active Listening

1. Setting the Stage for Listening

2. Appropriate Advancement

3. Summarizing

Setting the Stage for Listening

• Stop whatever else you are doing• Turn to face the speaker and make eye

contact• Do not cross your arms/legs (why??)• Lean slightly towards the speaker

*You want your body language to send the message that you are receptive to the speaker’s message

Appropriate Advancement

• As the speaker speaks, make appropriate comments that advance the conversation– Just saying “um” or “ah” won’t do!– Make statements or ask questions that show

you’ve been paying attention

Summarizing

• Simply restate the speaker’s last point– “You were saying that…” and then summarize the

speaker’s key points

• Most powerful use is at the end of the conversation, when it’s “officially” your turn to respond

• Close by adding an action statement. Something you will do as a result of what the speaker has said– “You said that you don’t feel that I’ve been listening to

you because I keep facing my computer screen when you’re talking, and don’t seem to have anything to add to the conversation. From now on, I’ll give you my full attention when you speak to me.”

Speech Exercise: Drawing Bugs

• Practice Active Listening

• Materials needed: paper and pen/pencil

• I am going to describe a drawing I have of a bug. Without seeing the drawing, you are to draw the bug that I describe.

• You may not ask questions or talk to each other.

My Bug

Drawing Bugs

• Why don’t all the bugs look like mine?• What did you think of first when you were told to

draw a bug? What did you see in your mind?• What could we have done differently so that

your drawings and mine would have looked more alike?

• What would have been the advantages of allowing questions to be asked?

• How many of you wanted questions to be asked?

The Benefits of Active Listening

• When you listen actively, people communicating with you will:– Feel more confident that they’ve actually

communicated a message to you– Feel more positive about you and the

message you’re communicating

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Lesson 4 – Are You Listening?

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Wrap UpWrap Up

Lessons

• Lesson 1 – Axe the Fillers!

• Lesson 2 – Expressions

• Lesson 3 – Are You a Motormouth?

• Lesson 4 – Are You Listening?

Speech Exercise: Words Alone• This exercise will demonstrate how important

words are in expressing ideas, and how important active listening is to receiving the appropriate message

• Keep in mind all lessons:– Try to avoid using fillers– Be expressive with your words to convey your true

meaning– Don’t speak too quickly (or slowly) that you lose the

listener– Be an active listener…remember to set the stage, use

appropriate advancements and summarize

Words Alone• Grab a partner. One person from each pair needs

to get a piece of paper from me that will have a list of words on it

• The partner with the paper will give a verbal description (no hands allowed), of what is on the paper…one word at a time, trying to reveal all words on the list

• Concentrate on the careful choice of words, avoiding non-verbal signals as much as possible– Hint: use descriptive words relating to all five senses

(smell, touch, etc.)• Switch roles, grab a new sheet and repeat the

process

Words Alone

• How efficient were words alone in expressing ideas?

• How did you feel doing this activity? (talker and listener)

• What does this remind us to do in our own communication?

FINAL JOURNALFINAL JOURNAL

Journal about the entire Communication Skills Unit