Workplace Communication For

Career Success
What do you find challenging in communication?
 Miscommunication
 Lack of responses
 Speak too much, listen too little
 Ambiguity
 Fear of talking to new people
 Slow in responding

What is communication?
 the exchange of idea, thoughts, information and even feelings between
people by listening, speaking, writing, reading or non-verbal
communication.
 a two-way process

Types of communication
 Verbal communication (Oral)
 Non-verbal communication
 Written communication
 Visual communication

Verbal communication
 Speaking face to face with a colleagues
 Speaking over the telephone
 Speaking to a small group at the meeting
 Delivering a presentation
Advantages Disadvantages
 More effective and time-saving  Cannot be taken back-may
 Get immediate feedback ruin relationship
 Able to ask clarification  Able to ask clarification
 Requires the listener to listen
well

Written communication
 Sending email
 Memorandum
 Letter of faxes to colleagues
 Advantages Disadvantages
 Has a record of what have been  Depending on the types,can
said be time-consuming
 Message can be delivered even
when the person is not available
at that time

Non-verbal communication
 Body language
 Vocal characteristic
 Personal appearance
 Touching
 Use of the time and space

Body Language
Facial expression  Frowning shows that you are
upset
 A smile shows friendliness
Eye contact  Eye contact may show sincerity
and confidence
 Eyes can reveal excitement,
boredom
Body movements  Fidgeting shows nervousness
Posture  Standing with hands in the
pocket shows negative image

Vocal characteristic
 Paralanguage- non-verbal symbols that accompany a verbal message
( tone, speech, volume, pitch, speaking rate )
 Changing your tone of your voice and stressing different words create
different impressions

Personal appearance
 How you dress and groom yourself send out non-verbal messages to
others

Touching
 Handshakes
-Firm shows confidence
-Weak may suggest nervousness

 Touching may differ from one culture to other

-A warm hug
-A tap on the shoulder
-A pat on the back

Time and space

 Punctuality used to show authority or respect
 We tend to stand closer to people we like and further from people we
dislike or are afraid of
 The size of the office shows that the status of the person

Written communication
 Dirty envelope or message with grammatical or spelling mistakes shows
carelessness and probably unreliability
 Error-free and clearly printed documents shows reliability and efficiency

Differences between verbal and non-verbal communication

Verbal Non-verbal
 Has a purpose  Spontaneous
 Can be planned or thought  Done unconsciously/beyond our
through control
 Choices of words can be  More reliable
controlled

Internal vs external communication

Internal External
 The exchange of information and  Links the company to the
ideas between members of an outside world
organisation  With customer, suppliers,
 Carries information up, down and competitors and investors
across the organisation  Eg: Advertisements and
 Helps to get job done and press announcement
enables everyone to identify  Can be both oral and written,
problem and react quickly to formal and informal
address them
 Via phone, email, fax or a memo

Formal Internal Communication

 Downward Flow
-Organisational decisions are made by top management and passed down to
the people who will implement the decisions.
-Can be carried out via meetings, memos, or email messages

 Upward Flow
-Employees have to report to their superiors regarding some issues or
problems.
-The managers will then take the information to a higher level.

 Horizontal or lateral flow

-Information flows from one department to another.
-Employees share information to solve problems together.

Informal Internal Communication

 Informal conversation among colleagues that is related to work.
 It is a rapid channel for transmission of information but may not always be
accurate.
 May be used as a channel to get feedback for the betterment of the
company.
 Shows signs of healthy relationship amongst colleagues.

Formal External Communication

 All planned communication with parties outside the organisation.
 Eg: Letter/email to customer, advertisement, press release, reports,
official announcements, websites, social media etc.
 Can create favourable or unfavourable impression – all written and verbal
communication with outside world has to be carefully prepared.
 Language, tone and content of written and oral communication can
reflect positively or negatively on the company.

Informal External Communication

 Informal conversations with outsiders where they find out more about the
company based on the things the member of the organisation say or the
non-verbal signals shown when talking about work.

Written Communication
 Frequently used in both internal and external communication.
 To avoid misunderstandings or misinterpretation, messages should be
clear, purposeful and concise with correct words.
 Provides a permanent record for future use.

- Prepared speech
- Memorandum
 Used for internal circulation
 Less formal way of passing on information
 Can be sent by supervisor or even colleagues to pass on certain
information regarding work
- Letters
 More formal than memos.
 Often used to communicate with parties outside of the organisation
 Used for more official purposes (eg promotion, termination)
- Reports
 When information has to be provided to a group of people
 Written after a lot of research and hard work
 Annual report: formal and comprehensive
 Proposal to improve something: less formal and can be presented in the
form of a memo.
- Minutes of meeting

Mobile phone etiquette at workplace

 Do not leave your mobile phone ring tone on. Switch to silent mode.
 Do not talk loudly over the phone.
 Do not talk about issues related to work over the phone in public.
 Only talk importance calls in the office.
 Use professional ring tone.
 Do not use your mobile phone in the meeting.

Basic purpose of communication

 Establish and build goodwill at workplace
 Persuade and convince others to act in way beneficial to the organisation
 Enables to share information
 Establish self-effectiveness
 Makes you feel good about yourself (improve self-esteem)

Basic skills expected of employees

 Reading
-To locate information
 Scanning – Read fast to locate certain specific information.
 Skimming – Read quickly to get a general idea. Focus on important
details.

-To summarise
 Helps to keep record of information we need.
 Identify main idea and some supporting details which may be relevant to
be put into the summary.

-To draw conclusion

 Helps to make correct decisions or recommendations
Identify objective or problem
 Gather information
 Read the information
 Draw conclusion
 Find best solution or make best decision
-To accomplish a task
 Reading instruction manuals to help a customer
 Reading forms that you have to fill in to ensure that you fill in all the
necessary information.

-To develop and use related technical vocabulary

 To know the acronyms and words relevant to your field.
 May read reference books, maps, flow charts, schedules etc.
 Writing
 Listening
Casual listening Active listening
 Without specific purpose in mind  Essential in workplace
 Understand but may not make an  With a purpose in mind :- to
effort to remember pass message, to respond
accordingly
 May need to rely on
non-verbal signals as well

 Speaking

Obstacles to effective listening

 Preconceived impression of the speaker
 Preconceived of the topic
 Environmental distraction
 Inability to stay focus
 Unnecessary note-taking

Difference between a good listener and a bad listener

Good listener Bad listener
 Makes an effort to concentrate  Fakes attention
 Uses body language to show  Tends to argue
attention  Tunes out if delivery is poor
 Forgives delivery errors  Tunes out dryer subjects
 Judges content over delivery  Easily distracted
 Interrupts only to clarify
 Gives the speaker a chance
before judging
 Considers facts and data

Techniques for effective listening

 Prepare to listen. Clear your mind so that your attention is assured.
 Avoid pre-judgment. Do not pre-judge the speaker because of
appearance or occupation. Do not jump to any conclusions before
hearing what is said.
 Be open-minded. Appreciate the speaker’s point of view and accept that
it may not necessarily agree with your own.
 Establish eye contact. This shows that you are listening, as does your
posture and your facial expressions.
 Don’t interrupt. Try to keep emotions out of it and hold any
counter-arguments until the speaker has finished.
 Judge content, not delivery. Appraise the content instead of the speaker.
Consider the main points and ask if they make sense.

Oral Communication
 Telephoning skills
 Presentation skills
 Persuasive skills

Improving oral communication skills

 Use positive words
 Give examples
 Ask the right questions
 Think before you speak
 Reduce verbal pauses
 Avoid careless language
 Accept compliment graciously

One-way communication
 One-way communication occurs when a message is received and no
feedback is given.
 In this case, the communication process is incomplete and has failed.

Two-way communication
 Two-way communication is when there is feedback. In this case, the
person providing the feedback becomes the sender.
 In the process of a normal two-way conversation, the parties involved
take on different roles each time they speak, listen and then speak again.
Communication is successful only when it is two-way.
 This explains the importance of feedback in the communication process.
 Remember that feedback is vital in any communication as it is the only
way the sender can know if the message has been understood.
 Positive feedback is given when the communication is effective.
 If the receiver does not understand the message, then negative feedback
is given.
 It is the sender’s responsibility to encourage feedback and to welcome
both positive and negative responses.
Factors consider by the sender
 Analysis of the audience/receiver
-Is the receiver in a good mood?
-What is the level of education or work experience of the audience?
-What is his or her cultural background?

 Techniques in preparing message

-Good news : main idea (good news) and then supporting details.
-Bad news : reasons and then bad news.

Channel and Media

 Choosing the right media
-The four medias: Speaking, writing, listening, reading
-Based on situation and skills

 Choosing the right channel

-Spoken channel: telephone conversations, face-to-face, discussions at
meetings, speeches, video conferencing
-Written channel: Memo, email, reports, maps, graphs
-Non-verbal channels: Hearing/aural, visual, touch, taste and smell
-To ensure efficiency
-E.g. Solving the customer’s problem over the phone is more efficient than
sending a letter.

Barriers to communication
External barriers
 Barriers that exists outside the receiver and the sender
-Environmental factors
-Appearance of a document

Internal barriers
 Barriers that exists inside the receiver and the sender
-Different personalities
-Educational background
-Biases
 Effective Telephone Skills
Flows of telephone calls
 Opening Greeting
 Warming up
 Giving the message
 Rounding up
 Closing greeting

Guidelines to making call

1. Introduce yourself in a polite and friendly way.
2. If you are calling a stranger, identify yourself immediately.
3. If the receiver does not know you, be prepared to explain how you
obtained the number.
4. Always try to put your receiver at ease.
-“I’m so glad to finally be able to speak with you.”
-Sound relax and enthusiastic about communicating
5. Help the receiver to recall who you are.
-Add the name of organisation/department/ reason for calling.

Developing the telephone voices

Desirable Traits My Voice Undesirable Traits My voice
 Is pleasant-sounding  Is nasal
 Has pitch variation  Sounds throaty
 Has a normal rate  Sometimes squeaks
 Varies in volume  Is a boring monotone
 Sounds like i am smiling  Is too soft
 Has ample force  Is too loud
 Stresses proper accents  Does not convey a smile
 Sounds too harsh

How to produce more desirable voice?

 Hum quietly – this will help deepen the sound of your voice.
 Call a telephone answering device and record several messages. Then
listen to the playback. – Practice your pitch and control.
 Role play with a friend and tape-record the conversation – review for tone,
rate of delivery, pitch and quality.
 Put a smile into your voice. Smile as you answer a call – this will help you
to sound friendly.

Why effective listening is important?

 To pass the accurate message
 To interpret messages accurately
 To give effective response
Lack of effective listening
 Misunderstanding messages
 Give inappropriate response

Benefits of effective listening

 Listeners would want to understand you better.
 Disagreements are more easily settled when we listen to one another –
easier to find solutions or at least reach a compromise.
 You will receive more accurate information.
 Callers would be inclined to give you the whole story.
 You will be able to listen for non-verbal clues – pauses, vocal tone.

Telephone manners
 Know about your phone beforehand
 Hold the transmitter portion of the telephone directly in front of your
mouth.
 Place the telephone on the desk so that the receiver can be picked up
without banging into anything.
 Avoid side conversation
 Make sure you place the caller on hold before discussing his/her situation
with your colleague.
 Do not eat or drink while talking on the phone.
 Before placing a caller on hold, it is good manners to ask your caller for
permission and wait for an answer.
 If you have several callers on hold, remember the priority of each call.
 Know how to take phone messages
 Know how to say thanks and goodbye properly

The call not for you ...

 Establish the caller’s situation.
-Find out why they are calling or who they wish to speak to.
 Advise who the caller needs to speak to.
 Transfer the call for the caller or give the caller the right number to call.

Transferring calls
 Give the caller the name of the correct person and offer to find out if the
person is available.
 Remember to inform the caller what you are about to do and
approximately how long it will take.
 Before transferring the line, pass the details of the caller and the situation
to the PIC.
 Tell the caller that you are able to transfer the call and that you have
explained the situation.
 Give the caller the name and the extension number of the person who is
 about to take the call.
 Transfer the call
 If the PIC is not available – take message or provide details for the caller
to call back.

Taking the messages

 Find out these details
-Name of the caller
-His/Her organisation
-His/Her contact details
-Suitable time to call back
-The message
-Special action required
 Repeat the information to the caller
 Double-check spellings and contact details

Call back
 When you are unable to handle a request at the time of the original
telephone call offer to call back.
-Briefly explain why you need to call back.
 I’m sorry but it will take me some time to get the information you need.
 I’m sorry but it’s going to take a while because I will need to check with
my dispatch staff about the shipment.

-Ask your caller for his/her permission to make a call back.

 Will it be alright if I call you back later?
 Will that be okay?

-Make a commitment to your caller to call back at a suitable or agreed-upon

time.
 Say, before 3.30?
 I won’t be able to call you until after lunch time, say at 2.00 p.m.

-Personalise your statements

 Cik Hamidah
 I’m afraid it will take me some time to get the information you need,
Cik Hamidah. Will it be alright if I call you back later?Say before 3.30?
 Cik Hamidah, I’m afraid it’s going to take a while because I will need
to check with my dispatch staff about the shipment. I won’t be able
to call you until after lunch time. Say, at 2.00 p.m. Will that be okay?

Saying Thank you

 Simple and effective etiquette
 Builds rapport with caller and leaves positive image about organization
 Say it sincerely
 Allow caller to hang up first

Types of challenging callers

 The assertive/demanding caller
 The aggressive/angry caller

Characteristics of assertive caller

 Quick to demand action
 Get to the point quickly
 Clear as to what they want
 Spend little time with social or other non-business conversation
 Calls will generally be shorter than most
 Assertiveness can be mistaken for anger, especially if you fail to listen
carefully.

Characteristics of angry caller

 Very emotional, at least at the beginning of the call
 Avoid small talk
 Wants the listener to understand their feelings

As listeners:
 Important not to match their emotion with your response
 Remain calm and listen carefully to what they are telling you

Dealing with challenging calls

 stay objective & stay calm
 listen attentively to caller’s problem
 allow caller to vent emotions
 apologise generally / relate by agreeing
 give ideas on how to overcome the problem
 be direct and to-the-point
 propose action plan

Ways to raise assertiveness

 Raise your voice slightly if you tend to speak softly.
 Learn to be direct and to the point in your statement.
 Keep non-business conversation to a minimum.

Which type of caller are they?

 What I need to know is exactly what you plan to do about this.
 Look, I’m not interested in all that. What’s the cost?
 I’m tired of all these excuses. You people don’t know what you are doing.
I just want my money back!
 Tell me what you intend to do about this. Or else I am taking my business
elsewhere!
 Just give me the figures, okay?
 The answer is no!
 Just tell me what to do so that I could respond to my people.
 I’m sick and tired of all this run-around. Every time I call your people, it’s
the same old story. Now, tell me what exactly is going on!

4As when you receive a complaint

 Attitude
-A positive attitude on your part will remind you that a complaint is actually an
opportunity to improve.

 Acknowledgement
-Listen attentively to what your caller has to say. Ask open questions.
-Check your understanding.
-Do acknowledge that there is a cause for complaints and show empathy.

 Agreement
-Discuss possible solutions with your caller.
-Seek his/her agreement when offering alternatives or options.
-Never assume the caller will agree with you on everything that you suggest.

 Action
-Make sure you keep the caller informed at all times.
-Implement what you have agreed and call the caller to check if the solution
has been satisfactory.

How to deal with aggression and rudeness?

 Never enter into an argument even if the caller provokes us.
 Allow the caller to vent.
 Do not interrupt the caller while he/she is venting.
 Apply the 4As
 Ignore the rudeness – keep in mind that it is not intended for us
personally.
 Do not retaliate – do not answer rudely.
 Business Writing
Why is written communication important?
 Word-of-mouth is not sufficient in the workplace
 Black-and-white. Verbal agreement is not acceptable most of the time.

Tips to improve writing skills

 Have clear purpose
 Plan what & how much to write
 Be courteous & polite to the reader
 Adapt style & tone suitable to reader
 K.I.S.S. (Keep It Short and Simple)

Business Writing
 Avoid old-fashioned language
-no long sentences
-no difficult words
- no clichés
 Personalise your letter: our writing reflects our own style and voice.
 Keep reader in mind when planning to write
 Ensure that words used are simple and easy to understand
 Use active & passive voice

Active
 Easier to write in the active
 Focuses on the ‘doer’ – the ‘subject’
 Writing is more personalised
 Eg. Richard replied the letter immediately.

Passive
 When the ‘doer’ is not emphasised (eg. The letter was not replied
immediately)
 When delivering bad news and you want to distance yourself from it (eg.
Your loan application has not been approved)
 To emphasise the object (eg. Our credit cards will be approved on the
spot)
 To vary sentences in your writing

Tone
 Shows the ‘emotion & attitude’ of the sender
 Shows the formality or informality of sender
 Tone must suit the purpose of message
 Eg. Positive, negative, urgent, informal, formal, regret, apologetic, anger
etc
Common Business Writing

Email
 Is challenging to some of us
 Reveals our writing and language skills
 Reveals our general attitude towards communication
 Requires unique writing skills - message should be crisp and clear
 No long-winded expressions
 Requires us to reply promptly and appropriately

Common E-mail Abuses

 Spamming
 Rambling and changing subjects
 Writing in one continuous paragraph
 Writing messages that might offend other receivers if the message were
forwarded to them
 Shouting
 Making mechanical errors because of the immediacy of e-mail writing
 Using emotion frequently or inappropriately
 Flaming
 Sending e-mails without any messages – just attachment file
 Sending e-mails without attaching the files

Advantages or disadvantages of email

Advantages
 Casual and informal –
conversational style allows
easy understanding
 Can be sent to multiple readers
with a click – saves time and
energy
 Instant
 Saves cost – saves stationery
Disadvantages
 Informality may not be
suitable for all communication
– e.g. conveying bad news
 Risk in sending emails to
multiple readers – spam, virus,
confidential information
 May end up sending
messages hastily and end up
regretting – e.g. offend others,
send wrong information
 Large files – take a long
time to be downloaded

Tips for better netiquette

 Always include a clear subject line/heading
 Check the email address
 Check your inbox regularly
 Send emails only when you have to
 Send emails only to those who need to be informed
 Don’t be long-winded
 Check your message before sending

Carbon copy (Cc)

 Anyone we would like to receive a copy of our email message

Blind Carbon Copy (Bcc)

 Send a copy of our email message without the knowledge of the original
reader.
 Enables you to send your message to a host of people without invading
their privacy
 the emails of the list of people you sent to will not be revealed to the other
email receivers.

Effective Subject Lines (SL)

 Should attract attention of reader and not be boring, ambiguous or
unclear
 Must state message clearly, concisely and descriptively
 Must not use language normally found in spam or junk mail
 Avoid acronyms, jargons or technical terms

How to write email

1. Opening
 Stating purpose
 Acknowledgement of previous email

2. Content
 State the most important issue to the least important

3. End
 Action oriented phrase or statement

 Mind language, tone and style

 Be accurate, clear and brief
 Choose appropriate font size and colour
 Use upper / lower case appropriately
 Acceptable to be casual
 Specific subject headings
 Forward messages to relevant people
 Use bullets / numbers for easy understanding
 Ensure message is correct before sending
 Avoid sexist language
 use the plural
 Reword sentences
 Usage of abbreviations / acronyms
- commonly used and accepted
- decide if your receiver can recognize and understand them
- don’t litter or overdo
 Long words / phrases can be abbreviated first in brackets and then used
throughout message

Letter
-Enquiry Letter
-Reply to enquiry
-Complaint letter
-Adjustment letter

Layout
 Has business-like appearance
 Saves time – no indentation
 All parts start from left-hand margin
 Open punctuation for address, salutation and close (Eliminates
unnecessary full stops and commas)

Format
1. Writer’s address
2. Date (28 February 2021)
3. Recipient’s name (optional), designation and address
4. Salutation (Dear sir/madam-Yours faithfully Dear Mr Lee-Yours
sincerely)
5. Subject heading
6. Opening
7. Contents
8. Closing
9. Note of thanks
10. Complimentary close
11. Writer’s signature, name and designation

4 point framework
 Introduction
-Writer’s self-introduction
-State the reason for writing
-Make reference to either a previous letter or document.

 Details
-Provide or request for information.
-Give relevant details.
-Ensure that each paragraph has a separate issue/theme.
 Feedback/Action
-Explain the action that you will be taking.
-Explain the action you expect the reader to take.
-Provide necessary deadline (if any).

 Conclusion
-Provide a summary or conclusion.
-Maintain goodwill
-Contact for more information

Memo
 Written to people who work in the same organization – formal internal
communication
 Very brief and to-the-point
 Used for many routine purposes – to inform / to remind / to request for
information / report / respond

Tone of a memo
Factors that affect the tone:
 Status of sender / receiver
- a superior is more casual to subordinate
- a subordinate is more formal to superior
 Nature of message
- if message is serious, then tone should show the urgency
- if message is casual, then tone should be casual

Tips for effective memos

 Keep memos brief and to-the-point
 State purpose clearly in memo
 Provide necessary background info
 Use spoken language
 Use positive tone
 Avoid using memo for bad news
 Tone must be appropriate
 Plan, draft and edit memo
 Oral Presentation
What topic should I choose?
 Interesting
 Knowledge of the topic
 Passionate of the topic

When choosing the topic, consider the following aspects:

 Will your audience be interested in your topic?
 Will your audience gain any new knowledge or understanding?
 Will you be able to deliver your topic within the allocated time?
 Does your topic have any value to you?

Audience Analysis
 How much do they know about me?
 What do they expect me to speak on?
 What will their attitude be towards me?
 What is their age group and gender?
 How much does the audience know about the topic I am going to speak
on?
 How interested will they be in my topic of presentation?
 What level of language will be appropriate for my audience so that they
can consider what I say seriously?
 How will they react towards what I am going to share?
 What positions do they hold in their organisation(s)?
 What is their educational background?
 What is their ethnic/cultural, political, occupational, geographic and
religious background?
 What is their socio-economic background?
 Are there any kinds of cultural biases that they might have towards me
and my topic?

Five characteristics to ensure credible information

 Reliability
-Does this author or this journal have a reputation for providing valid and
accurate information?
-Are the author’s credentials provided?
-Is the author a very well-known person who has published widely on this
subject?

 Accuracy
-Are the sources accurate?
-Do the arguments make logical sense?
-Are they based on evidences?
-Are they coherent and based on facts?

 Currency
-Has the source been published recently enough to be relevant?
-Is it up-to-date?
-Has there been latest findings?

 Bias
-What stand or perspective does the author take on the topic?
-Is there any indication of bias in the language used?

 Context
-Does the source have appropriate context related to the issue you are
presenting?
-Are the information based on a similar culture?
-Example: If you are talking about Malaysian law, a law from China may not
be applicable.

Guidelines for Citation

Quote
 Word for word; exact words of
the person you are quoting
 Most effective when they are
brief, when they convey your
meaning better than you can,
they are witty, eloquent or
compelling.
Paraphrase
 Presenting the gist of the
person’s ideas in your own words
 Longer than two or three
sentences
 Has complicated sentence
structure

 Quote your sources – give your audience some background information

of the author and context in which the quote was made ; avoid quoting
out of context.
 Paraphrase correctly – always give credit to the source
 Present statistics effectively
 Use multiple sources - support viewpoint or argument better.
-A mixture of relevant quotes, statistics, visual media, testimony.

Structuring Oral Presentation

 Audience cannot rewind and hear what you have said again.
 Structure of an oral presentation is extremely important to help them to
follow what you are saying.

What distracts the audience?

 Speaker overestimate the background knowledge of audience.
 Structure of presentation is unclear and line of reasoning is hard to follow.
 Visual aids are confusing, inadequate, unreadable and too small to follow.
 Speaker uses long sentences with jargons and abbreviations
 Speaker reads from the prepared script.
 Speaker uses monotonous sentences – speak too fast/too slow, unclear
pronunciation and lack emphasis.
 Speaker does not have eye contact with audience.

Defining the main idea

 Think of one message you want the audience to walk away with after
listening to you.
 Your presentation must be organised to achieve that objective.
 The sequence of the main idea and supporting ideas should help the
audience follow the presentation effectively.

Introduction
 Purpose: Gain the attention of the audience and build rapport with them.
 An effective introduction will bring about the following:
-cause audience to be interested in your topic
-help you to establish your credibility
-prepare the audience for the rest of the presentation.

Elements in an introduction
 Greetings
 Attention-getter & Reveal the Topic
 Credibility statement
 Thesis statement / Preview of main points

Greetings
 Greet the audience
-Good morning/Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.
 Introduce yourself ( name, position / qualification)
-Good morning, my name is Natasha Lee. I am a student at the WOU. I am
also the president of the debate club.

Attention-Getter
 Startle the audience
-Say something to shock your audience.
 Use visual aids
-Show the audience something to get them interested.
 Question the audience
-Ask a rhetorical question to get the audience thinking about your speech.
Reveal the topic
 The topic of the speech must be stated clearly to your audience.
 In the process of gaining attention, be sure to state clearly the topic of
your speech.
 If you do not, your listeners will be confused.
 The audience’s perception of whether
a speaker is qualified to speak on a given topic.
 Answer the question "Why should we listen to YOU?“
 This could be the fact that you had a class on the topic, or that you have
done a lot of research, or that you have first hand experience with your
topic, or you are an expert.

Body of the speech

 Forms the major part of a speech
 Clarity of flow is important to ensure understanding
 Always stress the connection of one point to another so that audience
can follow better

Organising the body

 Time/ Chronological Sequence
 Topical Sequence
 Known to unknown
 Cause and effect sequence
 Problem-solution sequence

Connectives
 Transition
-A transition is a connecting flight that links one thought to another. If you
miss the flight, you miss the next thought completely, or grasp it too late to
understand the whole idea.

Functions of Transition Markers

 To indicate cause and effect
 To indicate time relationships
 To indicate sequence
 To indicate addition
 To indicate contrast
 To indicate comparison
 To indicate example

 Internal preview
-A statement in the body of the speech that lets the audience know what the
speaker is going to discuss next.It is more detailed than transitions; works
just like the preview statement but comes in the body.
How to hold your audience’s attention?
 Relate your subject to their needs.
- Make sure what you are going to say affects them
 Anticipate questions
-Think of possible questions and address them in your presentation
 Use clear and vivid language
-Use familiar words, short sentences and concrete examples
 Explain how familiar ideas are related to your subject.
-Show how the content of your presentation is linked to what they already
know and understand.
 Take short pauses for questions and pauses or even ask for opinions.
-Audience will switch over from listening to participating.
-In this way, the audience is more actively involved.
 Carefully illustrate your ideas with visual aids.
-Illustrate with visual aids or clear and simple examples.
-Use statistics – clear, easy to understand and are strong proofs as they are
based firmly on facts.

The Conclusion
 Signal the end of the speech
 Reinforce the audience’s understanding of or commitment to the central
idea of the speech.
 Summarise the speech/presentation
 Re-emphasise the main idea in a memorable way
 Motivate the audience to respond
 Provide closure
 Summarise the speech/presentation
-In summary, to be a good student, you must pay attention in class, do your
revision every day and ask a lot of questions.

Methods of Speech Delivery

 Manuscript / Reading from prepared notes
-For head of countries – omission of words may be interpreted differently by
audience.
-May lack eye contact

 Memory
-Most difficult
-Usually for trained artiste
-May forget lines and lack of eye contact

 Impromptu
-Little time to prepare – usually in a meeting or function.
-Tips: Decide your points immediately and briefly speak on the topic.
 Extemporaneous/ Speaking from notes
-Most effective and easiest
-Notes can be written on notes card
-Allows plenty of eye contact and interaction.
-Can appear spontaneous and effortless with enough practice

How should you project your voice during your presentation?

1. Project your voice loud and clear.
2. Do not shout.
3. Use a variety of volume (speak louder when you are emphasizing a point).
4. Use appropriate tone and pitch. Avoid speaking in monotone.
5. Speak at an appropriate rate. Vary your speaking rate according to the
context.
6. Slow down or pause at appropriate time to drive home the point.
7. Speak fluently without frequent pauses or fillers (such as “um”, “like”,
“you know”).
8. Pronounce and articulate your words clearly.
9. Rehearse your presentation and get your friends to give you feedback.
10. Present your speech in a way that it sounds spontaneous.
11. Vary your pitches accordingly as you would when you speak in daily
conversations.
12. Avoid speaking with fake accents as it hampers the audience’s
understanding.
13. DO NOT memorise or read your speech as it will make you sound too
rehearsed and unnatural.
14. Speak confidently and enthusiastically for a lively and engaging
presentation.

Non-verbal symbols
 Eye contact
-Maintain eye contact with your audience at all times.
-Avoid reading from notes. Keep your notes brief. Notes are supposed to
help you to project your ideas.

 Hand gesture
-Use hand gestures to emphasise or reinforce what you are saying.
-Ensure that your gestures are natural, spontaneous and match your
message.
-DO NOT hold pens or other objects.
-Avoid unnecessary and distracting gestures such as cracking your knuckles,
touching your nose frequently, etc
-Add appropriate facial expressions as you are talking. They mirror your
attitude and emotions.
-Avoid unnecessary and distracting facial expressions such as frowning,
biting your lips, blinking continuously etc.

 Posture
-Maintain an erect posture with relaxed shoulder and body.
-Keep your hands by your sides and use them appropriately.
-ALWAYS face your audience.
-DO NOT turn your back against them.
-Avoid unnecessary and distracting postures such as putting your hands in
your pockets, folding your arms, leaning on a table, standing lopsided,
fidgeting etc.

Overcoming nervousness and anxiety

 Major concern of students in public speaking is stage fright(anxiety over
the prospect of giving a speech in front of an audience).
 Your audience will understand your nervousness.
 Nervousness is not always visible
 Practise with friends and family
 Make thorough preparation
 Concentrate on your message
 Begin with a slow, well-prepared introduction and have clear and
confident conclusion
 Look for familiar faces and have eye contact

Types of visual aids

 Overhead transparencies
 Electronic presentations (Power Point slides)
 Chalkboard and whiteboard
 Flip charts
 Handouts / brochures
 Models / samples
 VCDs and DVDs

Effective Slides
 Readable
 Consistent
 Simple
 Audience-centered
 Clear
 Concise and grammatical
 Focused
 Fully operational
Guidelines for Preparing Visual Aids
 Prepare visual aids in advance
 Keep visual aids simple
 Make sure visual aids are large enough
 Use fonts that are easy to read
 Use a limited number of fonts
 Use color effectively

Tips for Preparing Your Power Point Slides

 Choose a suitable background without too many details. Use the same
design for all your slides.
 Ensure that the font size and font type is appropriate for the audience to
read.
 Suggested font size for header is between 32 to 36 and 20 to 24 for the
body.
 There must be good contrast between the colour of the text and the
colour of the background.
 Text must be short and brief.
 NO short forms (example before – b4, your – ur)

Guidelines for Presenting Visual Aids

 Display visual aids where listeners can see them
 Avoid passing visual aids among the audience
 Display visual aids only while discussing them
 Talk to the audience, not to your visual aid
 Explain visual aids clearly and concisely
 Practise with your visual aids

Feedback
 Repeat the question asked
 Focus attention on the person asking question
 Take a moment to reflect on the question before answering
 Ask for clarification when unsure
 Allow the person to finish his or her question
 Avoid prolonged discussions
 Avoid antagonistic postures
 After responding to the question, ask the person if you have answered
the question sufficiently and then thank them for the question
 Unable to answer – admit and apologise
 Meetings and Negotiations
Why do we need to have meetings?
 To find solution for problems
 To update one another
 To reach a decision
 To discuss about new opportunity
 To brainstorm ideas
- A properly planned meeting can achieve a lot – develop team spirit

Organising effective meetings

 Important to ensure that the meeting achieves something at the end
 Consider the following before calling for a meeting:
-A meeting must have definite goal or purpose
-The agenda of a meeting should clearly indicate how participants should
prepare for the meeting
-A meeting which can be replaced by an email message should never be held
at all

Types of meeting
 Regular meetings
-Held weekly or monthly
-Follow-up action is expected after every meeting

 Irregular meetings
-For special project
-Will not need to meet again after the project

 Discussion meetings
-Require participants to share ideas and opinion
-Problem-solving meetings

 Briefings
-Few speakers deliver information
-Little participation
-Sales presentations/training sessions

Determine the purpose of a meeting

 To give information
 To get information
 decide on an action plan
 decide on a new supplier
 solve the staffing problem
Preparing an agenda for the meeting
 To inform the participants about the meeting, you can either send a
memo or an email with the following:
-Date and place of meeting
-Time meeting is scheduled to start and end
-Meeting objectives
-Agenda
 The agenda should be written in future tense
 Agenda – a list of items to be considered or discussed at any meeting.
-Topics to be covered
-Any background information that participants should know so that they can
be prepared
 Agenda serves as a guideline to both chairperson and the participants.
 Items on agenda arranged according to priority
 It must be simple and concise
 It must be realistic to ensure that all items can be discussed within the
time allocated
 Each participants should know why they are at the meeting

Example Agenda (Regular Meetings)

1. Apologies for absence
2. Confirmation of minutes of previous meeting
3. Matters arising
4. Annual staff dinner
5. Selection of event organiser
6. Any other business
7. Date of next meeting

Meeting Terminology
Motion A subject for discussion at a meeting
Resolution A decision made at a meeting
Amendment A correction made at a meeting on
the previous meeting’s minutes
Minutes The minutes of a meeting record
what was said and decided upon at a
meeting.
Show of hands One way to show that you approve of
something at a meeting
Ballot A piece of paper used in secret
voting
Off the record Things that will not be recorded in the
minutes of a meeting. (“My remarks
should be off the record”)
Propose The action of suggesting something
 to be discussed in the meeting
Proposer Someone who makes a suggestion
which is then discussed
Quorum Minimum number of persons who
must be present at a meeting before
the proceedings can be considered
legal.
Adjourn To end a meeting.
For example: The meeting adjourned
at 5.00p.m. means that the meeting
ended at 5.00p.m.

Who should be there? What should they prepare?

 A meeting held after complaints by customer about poor quality control
of your products.
 A meeting of residents in an area where there have been many cases of
petty thefts.
 A meeting of company executives after employees have threatened to go
on a strike unless there is a pay rise.
 A meeting with company executives after a group of tourists have
demanded compensative for poor food and service during their package
tour.

Minutes
 Provide a summary of what happened at a meeting in the order of the
agenda.
 Minutes must include:-
-The name of the organisation
-The date, time and place of the meeting
-The names of those who attended and those who were absent
-Approval or amendments made to the minutes of the previous meeting
-A brief write-up of the discussion and decisions made
-Actions to be taken

Effective Leader
 Be prepared for the meeting
 Make sure that the meeting starts on time – shows how serious you are in
making it an effective meeting.
 Politely stop participants who are taking up too much time.
 Make sure that the meeting ends on time
 Follow time schedule in the agenda closely.
 Follow the items in the agenda closely to achieve its objectives.
 Do not interrupt the participants unless they are taking up too much time.
 Do not dominate the discussion – facilitate the discussion
 Ask the correct questions and listens to answers.
 Able to balance the discussion with everyone’s participation – make sure
everyone has a chance to offer an opinion.

Effective Participants
 Be prepared for the meeting
 Know the purpose and the final objective of the meeting
 Source for information to be able to contribute productively at the
meeting
 Abide by the time limit given
 Participate actively in the meetings
 Be courteous and respect the opinion of others
 Ask questions when need to
 Do not monopolise the discussion
 Do not beat around the bush – be concise
 You may disagree with others but never criticise
 Do not take rejection personally and do not get defensive when others do
not agree with you

Ingredients to Successful Negotiations

Negotiations
 A communication process to reach an agreement with others.
 A process where parties resolve disputes, agree upon courses of action,
bargain for individual or collective advantage and attempt to reach
outcomes which are of mutual interest.

Types of negotiations
Win-win negotiations
 With the intention of coming to an agreement beneficial to all parties.
 Goals of all parties concerned are achieve in order to have the best
long-term relationship.
 It can also be for an one-off deal – no other business deals in the near
future.

Win-lose negotiations
 Two parties regard themselves as opponents and only one party can win.
 One party will get all the outcomes desired without driving the other party
to permanently break off the negotiations

Lose-lose negotiations
 No one achieves a satisfactory outcome. The goals of all parties are not
achieved
 There is likely to be conflict and ill feeling
Proposed Agenda
1. Clarify and define the objective
2. Present proposal of contract terms
3. Discuss areas of disagreement
4. Decide on the most acceptable terms
5. Craft and refine an agreement
6. Review and recap the agreement
7. Plan to implement the agreement
8. Decide on follow-up of the outcome

How to achieve a successful negotiation?

 Be prepared – determine what you must have and what you are willing to
give
 Create the right atmosphere from the start (make them feel welcomed)
 Listen for facts and reasons behind the other party’s position – explore
the needs of the other party
 When in doubt, clarify through questions, rephrasing or summarising.
-Ask appropriate questions to obtain more information

 Know your goals – make it clear and achievable

 Know your alternatives

-You may not always achieve your goals in negotiations.
-Hence, you need to have the best alternative to a negotiated agreement
(BATNA)
-BATNA is the lowest value that you can accept – anything lesser and the
deal is OFF.
-However, certain considerations may result in acceptance of terms below
the BATNA.

 Know your counterpart

-Conduct some research on the person’s negotiation
-Understand their culture and unique negotiation styles

 Use correct communication skills

-Use words like “should”, “could”, “might”

 Know how to handle conflicts

-Conflict may arise due to misunderstandings, poor communication skills,
difference in culture, unrealistic demands, etc.
-Take a short break when emotion runs high
-Find out the cause of the conflict
-Try to compromise with one another
-If no concession can be achieved, still end on a polite note
-If either party wants to offer a compromise, you may ask for concessions.
-Declining offer

Closing a negotiation
 Review and recap
 Let’s confirm the details that.
 Can we check these points one last time?

 Confirm the agreement

 I believe we have an agreement.
 This agreement is acceptable to us.
 We are happy to accept this agreement

 Action plan for implementing the agreement

 We’ll prepare the agreement for your confirmation in two weeks.
 We’ll send the minutes for your approval.

 Follow-up session
 Would it be fine to meet again in … ?

 Closing
 That was a fruitful discussion. I look forward to working together with all
of you. Thank you.

Important terms in negotiations

Agreement An agreement is an arrangement between two or
more people or companies
Bargain price Bargain price is a reduced price
Bedrock price Bedrock price refers to the lowest possible price
Commitment A commitment is an engagement or undertaking.
Condition A condition is a requirement which must be fulfilled
Contract A contract is a written agreement between two or
more parties
Counter-offer A counter offer is an offer made in response to an
offer by the other party
Counter-productive Counter-productive means having the opposite
effect to that intended
Joint venture Joint venture is a way of entering a market by joining
with another company to manufacture or market a
product or service
Negotiate To negotiate means to discuss a business deal or
contract in order to reach an agreement
BATNA BATNA refers to the best alternative to a negotiated
agreement which means the lowest value acceptable
 by you
Quote To quote is to give an estimated price
Deal A deal is a business transaction
Discount A discount is a reduction in price
Estimate An estimate is an approximate calculation of the cost
Rebate A rebate is a reduction or discount
Frowning 坐立不安 Ample 足够 Rambling 漫 不
 经心
Paralanguage 辅助语言 Banging 敲打
Reliability 可靠性 Rapport 关系
Thought through 深 思 Assertive 保
熟虑 守/自信
Spontaneous 自发 Aggressive
挑衅
Press announcement Vent 发泄
新闻发布
Goodwill 信誉 Provokes 招
惹
Skimming 浏览 Retaliate 报复
Preconceived 先入为主 Sufficient 充
足
Graciously 客气 clichés 老派