Communicative tools

When establishing a good channel of communication is mandatory to keep forms. We need to have present that first two minutes of a conversation are the most important due to they are first impressions are made. Even first 7 seconds we already have a prejudice made due to our biases.

Communicate with impact. We have to communicate with feelings what we want to express. For getting it we have to keep an interactive communication, seeking enjoy and entertainment.

Body is always thinking about running away in a risky situation such a presentation. This causes that we make involuntary corporal movements, such not looking at the interlocutor or turning of body in another direction.

In remote conversations, keep always good manners: camera always active at the eye level, good audio, video and illumination quality.

When foreseeing a long meeting, it is important to active body vigil mode oxygenating the body, moving a bit, eating or drinking.

Communicator types

Depending on how we transmit information, we distinguish three types depending on the effectiveness of the communication:

• Information transmitter through reports
• Communicator of the information between two people
• Disclose of knowledge in seeking personal growth

Great communicators are those that make great others. It is necessary to teach without comments that might question the knowledge of the other person.

Expositions

When we are about to perform an exposition or we want to offer our services communication need to be effective. For reaching that:

• It is not necessary that our exposition is a powerpoint, the other part focuses on what they see, not paying attention on what is being said
• In case of offering our services, me must know which are the necessities of the other part and present the value we are going to provide
• The use of images during our exposition you will get that the listener remembers the information we are providing longer. This makes that the right brain hemisphere, which is the one for feelings, sensations or memories, is used to store information
• You have to vary the volume and intonation to generate intentionality and interest

A driving thread for our exposition provides us a structured:

• establishes the objective of the communication
• Develops 3 or 4 ideas of the strategy to reach the objective. Ideas must be short phrases to be well remembered: subject, verb and predicate.

When we are presenting a new service, we will use the problem / solution pattern:

• Present the problem or need they have (primacy phase)
• Comment the background and consequences of keeping the same line (primacy phase)
• Present a solution
• Show benefits (recency phase)
• Call to action (recency phase)

In order to show connection with the audience, we must look them in the eyes in order to demonstrate a deeper connection. If we have a big audience, look at the people sitting in the front rows and at the last rows.

Attention

During a conversation we must take into account the different phases:

• Initial phase. During the first 5 minutes we will present the most important information, due to we will evoke the primacy effect of the listener, moment where they pay more attention. Due to that, do not present yourself too much.
• Intermediate phase. The listener has a decreasing receptive attitude.
• Final phase. In this point we have to evoke recency effect, warning the listener we are about to finish and they will pay more attention. We will remark key points of our exposition we want them to remember.

People lose focus during long meetings. To avoid that we can:

• make them participate in the conversation
• make silences to capt attention
• do something different to avoid entering in automatic pilot
• all meetings need a person that is in charge and must be the responsible of establishing order
• if the meeting is not profitable for some people, feel free to leave it. Use two feet rule: If you are in a discussion group and you are neither learning nor contributing, your knowledge and energy are too important to have it wasted. Use the Law of Two Feet to take yourself to where you are learning or contributing.

We have to try that the number of words per minute is between 150 and 200, otherwise it is too slow or too fast to process.

Corporal language

We must not only express with words, also with our body.

Position in an exposition:

• Protagonist: we place ourselves in front of the presentation
• Co-protagonist: both at the same visual level
• Side: we do not influence due to the visual resource (video, image...)

Attitude:

• do not be recumbed, display interest
• Use your hands: hand palms looking up we are requesting, down indicates submission and vertical denote emphasis.

Silence

Silence is a very important communicative resource:

• authoritarian silence: we use it when we want listeners stop talking
• dramatized silence (not dramatic): used to making emphasis on what we are expressing
• structural silence: defines a transition between concepts
• void silence: gives us time to think, instead of using "eh...", "okay..."
• after a word: it allows to give emphasis the word we just said

Communication tone

When having a personal conversation with one person, it is key to identify the DISC Profile of that person. Having this information, we can adapt how we are going to transmit the information in order to make the communication more friendly to the listener.

Opening resources

• make analogies
• ask a question to gain information or participation
• state a personal experience or historical event
• compliment the audience

Closing resources

• repeat the major benefit, key aspects or the plan
• use an inspiring quote
• request an action