18 Feb 12 Communication Skills for Travel Agents – Being Heard
How can you be certain the person to whom you are speaking hears you? I mean hears you in a way that lets you know that they were really listening? how do you persuade someone that your point of view has legitimacy? how do you make the emotional connection necessary to good communication without losing control of your emotions? Good questions all. the travel agent with a loyal following is almost certainly an expert in communication skills- a worthwhile study, indeed.
Experts at persuasion will tell you to find common ground with your listeners. Common ground typically is all about empathy, a topic that we have addressed many times in our conversations on authentic marketing. When you are empathetic, you let your listeners know that you are aware of their situation, that you are interested in their best interests. this is a far distance from “selling”, and that’s a good thing. You don’t want to be perceived as selling your ideas, of being an intellectual bully or of badgering people to accept your position. Rather, you meet your listeners on their ground, where they live. You let them know you understand their position and that your position is open to persuasion. By doing so, you free your listener up to shift their intellectual stance as well.
Confidence is key to persuasion, and confidence means doing your homework and admitting where you have gaps in your knowledge. In fact, turning to your listener and asking for help creates and immediate bond. Conversations are two way streets and are best explored in tandem with your conversational partner. a shared conclusion is so much more powerful in the long term than coercion. Persuasive conversations enroll the participants in a mutual appreciation of each other’s position – a far cry from the shrill protestations of what passes for political discussion in today’s entertainment news – probably the worst possible venue to educate people on the possibilities inherent in communication.
Yesterday, we discussed how listening is the first step in being heard. if you want to be heard, speak to your listener’s experience and interests, not to your vast knowledge. After all, if you believe in a client-centric approach, the client is the ultimate expert in his own needs and desires. Participate by providing a reflection of their interests. the minute you sprint off in the direction of your own experience, without relating it to the client, your listeners will hear you only distantly. You will be one more conversation in the day, one more person who spoke to them about…something. Deal with their experience, their needs and their concerns and you will be remembered.
And that is what marketing is all about.
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17 Feb 12 Oman research council looks to bridge the gap between education and labour market
MUSCAT ? A team of researchers here has begun work on a study aimed at bridging the gap between higher education and the requirements of the labour market. They will particularly examine how better English language skills can help Omani students to find jobs in the private sector.
The Research Council, the sultanate’s highest research body, will fund the study under a deal signed with the research team, from the Sultan Qaboos University. They will closely look at ways to enhance the proficiency of communication in English and linguistic skills of students as an effective key to success in the Omani labour market. “English is the second official language in Oman, and therefore, it becomes crucial for Omanis to tailor their children and young people to become completely adept in this language so that they can take advantage of the opportunities,” explained Dr Rahma Al Mahrouqiya, principal investigator of the project.
She noted that the government made considerable effort to facilitate education in the English language right from the beginning of formal education “to support the country’s advancements towards modernisation and to prepare young Omanis to effectively contribute to the local labour market”.
Like most other parts of the globe, she added, English skills were key requirements for the labour force in the private sector, including the sultanate, adding: “English holds the key to success to career development. It is also a significant tool for strengthening the Omani economy in view of the extensive quantity of foreign investment in the private sector.”
Against this backdrop, Mahrouqiya said, the importance of English skills was more than crystal clear. “It is imperative,” she stressed, “to hone the linguistic, communication, and practical research skills of students in higher education so that they can cope with the demands of the labour market without facing the challenge of English”.
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16 Feb 12 Oil industry communication could improve, poll suggests
While a large majority of Albertans rate the oil and gas industry highly when it comes to creating jobs, nearly one third think they could do a better job communicating with the public, according to a poll done for CBC News.
“Albertans appreciate the crucial and positive role the energy sector plays in Alberta in terms of economic growth, which makes their lower ratings of the job that industry and government are doing in communicating with the general public even more pointed,” says pollster Bruce Cameron of Return on Insight (ROI).
The CBC poll, done by ROI, found 66 per cent of those surveyed think government and industry is doing an adequate, good or very good job communicating with the general public.
Janet Annesley, of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, says she’s happy with the industry’s marks for public communication. (Handout)
And those “lower marks” industry received for public communication are still pretty good, said Janet Annesley, of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, pointing to the majority of Albertans that have a positive view of how the industry communicates to the public.
“To have two thirds of Albertans essentially say that the industry is doing an either adequate, good or very good job communicating with them is actually pretty robust poll results, in my view.”
The results are especially pleasing as the industry has to deal with serious, and often controversial, issues like hydraulic fracturing, flaring and tailings ponds, said Annesley.
Most Albertans agree that the government (56 per cent good ratings) and the industry (70 per cent good ratings) are doing well creating economic wealth.
ROI’s poll shows public concerns about jobs and economic growth — specifically in the oil and gas industry — have doubled in Alberta in the last four years.
Forty-one per cent of Albertans give the oil and gas industry favourable marks for responding to critics of pipelines.
Only a third of those surveyed view the government positively when it comes to responding to critics of pipelines.
Almost an equal number of Albertans believe the government (32 per cent) and the industry (31 per cent) are doing a poor job or very poor job of communicating with the public about the oil and gas industry.
Public relations professional Doug Lacombe says the oil and gas industry has improved its communications efforts in recent years.
Still, the president of Communicatto said messaging from critics of the oil and gas industry remains potent.
Pollster Bruce Cameron of Return on Insight (ROI) said Albertans want the government as well as industry leaders to communicate more effectively, especially about pipeline issues. (CBC)
“What we have got is people that are effective picking up the social media blow horn and attaching very precise issues to the industry that may or may not be theirs to own – and running with that to create dissent,” Lacombe said Tuesday on CBC Radio’s Calgary Eyeopener.
Progressive Conservative party supporters are more positive about the government’s efforts to communicate about the sector. Wildrose Party supporters rate the industry higher than the government, especially in terms of dealing with pipeline critics. Liberal supporters have a mixed view of both industry and government.
NDP supporters, on the other hand, are almost universally critical of the industry and the government’s handling of energy issues.
ROI pollster Bruce Cameron says that oil and gas has the potential to become a wedge issue in the coming provincial election.
“How the government deals with the challenges facing the energy sector, especially in the court of public opinion could become a key battleground in the upcoming election, as the effectiveness of public outreach campaigns on behalf of the industry comes under increasing scrutiny,” he said.
ROI’s poll for CBC News surveyed 803 adult Albertans from Jan. 25 to 31.
It is considered accurate +/-3.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
16 Feb 12 Improving Communication in Team Interactions (Feb. 21)
International Voice Image Specialist Marlena Reigh will give a presentation on how to improve communication in team interactions on Tuesday, Feb. 21 from 5-7 p.m. at the University of Michigan Center for the Education of Women.
As work environments include diverse groups of people from various cultures, it is more important than ever to develop the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently in order to maximize productivity and to build a sense of community for all team members.
Whether you are a leader or on a team, this program will teach you how you can make an even more positive impact on projects and team member involvement. Learn the essential skills needed for effective communication and develop skills to speak clearly and concisely, skills that you can start using today.
Reigh, owner and president of Radiant Communications Company, has more than 20 years of coaching, speaking and seminar-leading experience. She has worked one-on-one with more than 1,000 voices and is a published author of books and tapes on voice image and presentation skills.
Reigh’s background also includes singing and acting professionally, as well as developing and teaching college courses in voice and vocal performance.
Deadline to register: Thursday, Feb. 16
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