Month: February 2022

Formal Presentations on a variety of occasions have become a norm. Very Often these include PowerPoint presentations slides. The person who is presenting however, remains the main hero. Therefore it is very necessary that after you have made the PPT, your  job has not ended, in fact your job has just begun.

In fact you must understand the fact that the flow of the particular content.  The slides must match and also must be properly aligned to whatever you say. If it is carried out effectively, then presentations without a doubt becomes the most important activity in the field of persuasion. But that is possible only if you follow  the following steps:

1. You must be very committed to the subject and also to the proposition you are going to make.

• It has to be  very professional, where you use your eye for detail as much as possible.

• Finally, you must be passionate about the subject and you must not allow your enthusiasm to melt down.

  There are a lot of book about how to make presentation, but the best thing is not to be confused and adopt the above said principles.

It is very imperative to keep in mind your  audience. The need of your audience, the likes and the dislikes of the audience and the language they understand and also speak. Having said that you must also ask yourself the following tough questions:

1. Why are you giving or making the presentation?

• What are you going to say?

• As mentioned  above, who are you going to say it to?

• Finally, most importantly, how you are going to say it?

We must keep in mind that even the best content, if delivered not properly , is a sheer waste like useless paper thrown in  the waste paper basket.

Now let us also try to dwell on each of the above aspects:

1. The answer to the question Why? Why are you giving the presentation or an explanation. It could also be just a letter or just a telephone call.  However you have chosen it because of the need to bring all the decision maker together. When you  contact them individually, it is very difficlut to bring about the same or the similar effect and result.
2. Next point is what you are going to say and how you are going to generate the content. Needless to say, you must start with the unstructured drafts from all the relevant information. The following procedure will be helpful:
3. Prioritising- Divide the material into:
4. Must mean some thing that is essential to meet the objective.
5. Should which means important or valuable but is not essential.

• Putting them in order- the sequence of your material of the various aspect of the proposition is critical. So therefore give maximum attention to it.

The written words have a really great deal to contribute to your particular workplace communication. The importance of the written words in a particular business ecosystem can never be exaggerated. In order that your written communication becomes more effective, you will need to keep in mind the following points.

1. Use the most appropriate words that appropriately convey what you want to express.

• You can also your own ideas as well as draw your own personal conclusion. However oyu must keep in mind your particular audience, before drawing the particular conclusion.

• The good thing about the particular written material is that the written material can be transmitted to any number  of people as and when you want and desire.

• Always you must betrue to use a title that indicates what you are actually talking about.

• You must introduce the subject, defining the key aspects in very simple words to enable readers must understand and assimilate things very well.

• You must finish your writing by highlighting your key points as well as their conclusions.  The final and concluding paragraph must be clear and very articulate.

When you have completely finished you must put it to a test. The checklist must have the following:

1. Does the writing make sense?

• Is the writing very clear?

• Are the explanation or your particular arguments accurate or not accurate?

• Is your explanation complete and does it not remain hanging?

In the end, you must very carefully assess that will your readers be able to understand all the terms as well as all the concepts.  Thus you must keep the communication as simple as possible.

In addition I would like to add some sayings about what some great personalities say about writing and written communication.

1. “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” – Peter Drucker
2. “Emotional awareness is necessary so you can properly convey your thoughts and feelings to the other person.” – Jason Goldberg

• “Communication works for those who work at it.” – John Powell

Blog is written by Vikram Kakri.

Formals Meetings in the formal organisations are quite common and important. Typically it involves four or more people coming together to discuss some particularly important issues of the organization.

 Usually the meetings tend to become unnecessarily long. So therefore it is necessary for the organizer of the meeting, that necessary ecosystem for the meeting must be for the meetings which must be created so that unnecessary time is not wasted. If as an organizer you are sure that the meeting has a significance, so please circulate the meeting’s agenda.

If necessary the relevant document of the agenda is also circulated, so that the participants can be ready to give there particular suggestions. During the meetings some particular protocols or discipline has to be maintatined by observing the following steps:

1. Do not speak until the chairperson invites you to speak. Then speak very clearly and concisely. Keep your particular explanation or proposition very brief and simple.
2. You may invite questions and you should be prepared to give an appropriate answer that will establish the significance of your suggestions.
3. It is possible that some people who are attending your meeting may have a different  opinion on what you have to say. Listen to them carefully and if you are sure of your proposition explain the same clearing the doubt which was put forth by the questioners.
4. In case, you are the organizer you must also thank the chairperson for his or her particular time and end the meeting pleasantly.
5. The minutes of the meeting must be recorded on the same very day, as if it is delayed you  are likely miss a point.

Talk is one of the most common method of communication method where talk can be in person on the telephone or in a formal meeting.  In whichever way of communication the content should be good and it should be delivered really well. When the talk is face to face with one particular person, the expression also plays a really important role.

Telephonic talk is different from the face to face talk, because here, the communication here is only by means of voice as well as you cannot see each other and you do not  know the accompanied body language of the other person.

Though nowadays, video talks on certain application like zoom, WhatsApp, etc are the, yet the person  presence is an entirely different experience. So when you are explaining something on telephone, there are some keys which must have to be kept in mind, which are stated below:

1. Prepare your communication before you pick up the telephone to make the call. You should be clear about who, what and why of your call.

• Make a proper list of your objectives and tick of during the call when you achieve them. If there is any controversy, please make a note.

• For an extremely important call, it is worth thinking about rehearsing with somebody or in front of the mirror.

• When you are talking with someone, starts by telling you are, & why you have called them.

• Keep the particular initiative for whatever you have to talk about the topic, but pause from time to time to allow them to give you feedback.

• Keep the telephone talk as simple as possible. The objective should be to express yourself, butnot to impress others.

• When some particular questions that are asked to you, make sure you listen to them, understand them and then reply after applying you mind properly.

• You must summarise  after every important telephonic talk. The summary of the talk must be containing all the important points but keep it as short as possible.

The act of explaining anything is the key component at workplace communication. The ways and also the means in which explaining does happen are very important skills which executives must understand as well as practice.

The What and Why of Explanations?

We will describe in detail the various facets of explaination is very important. In fact explanation is the most commonly used process. Besides it is a very versatile one. To give examples, you explain opinions, you describe facts, you explain theories as well as hypothesis or conclusions and deductions.

To give further examples why will, does or did something happen. It could be also about how will does or did something happen or even it could be when or where will did or does something happens. The people that study will always tell us that explanation does have a number of things in common. The common features are:

1. Statements based on a logical such as because of this, so therefore  we have come to a particular conclusion.
2. Using words and phrase referring to a cause and effect relationships such as them as a consequence, so then etc.
3. Statements about relationships about the words like first, then, following and finally. The language you use often adopts or uses the present tense such as are turns or happens. It could also be for action related words like fully, rises or changes; also even for non – human participants such as the computers, the sea or the environment. Further the conjunctions like when, then or first are also used in the explanations.
4. Explanations also uses general nouns like boats, birds and passive statements such as a saturated are changed or pronouns such as they and there. Despite all the complexities, the Explainations are a ommonly used way of communication.

Definitions OF Explaining

With the above background, we would like to define explaining as the way to smoothen out. Iron out, take out the roughness, from or to open out, unfold, spread out or flat out a material object or to make plainly visible or to display. The definitions that we generate for ourselves Is that you can directly link the process of communication.  A description of an event, process or a state of affairs that attempts to illuminates make clear its causes , content and consequences.

Ways and Means OF Explaining:

Explaining at the core is an explanation which can  either be: Written language or spoken language with non-verbal communication and body language or both of above. However it is not an either / or situation as you ca gives an explanation in the form of a letter or a report and then support the same with spoken words or written communication.              

In Negotiation, it is necessary for both the parties to be prepared for conversation with a view to negotiate a conflict or a problem. We call it a conversation because it needs to be conducted in the same spirit if there are two parties.

Since both parties are fully aware of the fact about what they want, there could be a certain amount of conflict, but the important fact remains that both parties would want to resolve their particular issues with amicable discussions. That is the only reason why both of them have to meet on the discussion table.

In your preparation, you must have identified the acceptable limits of the core areas. This means that you are always prepared  to forgo some of your demands while the conflict  would be described a number of demands while the conflict would be described a number of demands on various aspects of the problems. In the same manner the opposite party would have to also prepare and had already decided to what extent they put forth there proposals, it should match and meet the requirements of both the parties. Therefore each must take his particular position carefully. Its is then in that cordial atmosphere you are taking a particular position which does not reveal in entirety  what you can trade off, for the resolution.

Then begins the most important part, bargaining on both the sides, and it is for you that you do your best so that your arguments are not heated up and the cordial atmosphere is maintained. For this there are certain do’s and don’ts which is recommended for all the negotiations. First of all let us focus on what needs to be avoided.

1. Nothing should be said in a manner that irritates the other parties. So therefore the choice of words and the way you speak are very important.

• Whenever a proposal is made by one party the negotiator is to immediately offer a counter proposal in a manner that it is not out rightly rejected.

• In any case everything cannot go on in a goody – goody fashion. So one should be prepared to face the heated arguments or defends form the other party. But always the best response to an attack other party. But the best response to an attack is by understanding and assimilating before you give a suitable reply. Active listening and staying cool are critical.

• Sometimes an argument can be diluted by many reasons which may support your cause. This must be leveraged by the skill of alertness and of remaining cool.

Now let us consider what are the particular steps that must be taken to improve your negotiation.

1. You need to give advance notice of your  action or your behavior. This means that you must deliberate overtures and do nothing beyond. It helps to maintain the very formal as well as polite manner in which the conversation goes on. It avoids the danger of the tempers rising.

• Disagreement patterns that start with a statement of explaination should be expressed before the statement of disagreement. 

• The discussions need to be summarized so as to avoid any miscommunication  or qny misunderstanding. It is necessary to maintain  and promote clarity.

• Information that encourages the other negotiator must reveal more so that more may be requested for. As they say, it is only by asking that you get anything. It also helps you with controlling the negotiation and providing time to think when the opposite party is generating answers.

• Skills negotiations also give more information about feelings and motives in a very polite and decent fashion.

The overall objective of negotiation always should be to find a win – win of acceptable middle path.

It is very important for a negotiation to understand the strategy & tactics which he may to have to adopt. While a strategy is a plan that is made, the tactics are the one the stop decisions that may have to be changed that may come in to force due to some unexpected conversations.

For Example,  the strategic decision of a journey  will start where the journey starts and where the journey concludes.  The mode of travelled by car, train, plane, or by boat are specified in the strategic decision. However the tactical decisions are somewhat similar to any army general when he finds something unexpected that is happening by the enemy. When he notices a change in the decisions of the enemies tactics, he changes the actions on that line.

In your negotiations skills your strategic decisions are about the outcome and the pace of the bargaining process.  Your tactical decisions are about the details about how you would react to the ploy of the opposite party.

You cannot understand and correctly visually the action what he opposite party might have taken. So therefore the tactics might assume a seriously great amount of importance.  The preparations steps can be divided into three steps:

1. Stage 1. In the initial stage of the negotiation, you have to be very formal. You may tell each other, broadly speaking your objective but beyond, you will not explain any important detail.

• Stage 2. In the second stage of negotiation, time is spent, always trying to find various pathways to possible agreements.  However even at this stage you will not commit yourself and also keep an open mind for the negotiation to continue.

• Stage 3.  In this final stage you will once again return to the more formal way of behavior, having identified some possibilities in the previous stages, efforts will have to be made to convert one of the possibilities into concrete realities of the complete agreement. But this may not happen directly, there could be many missing links. In case that happens, you keep the discussions line open to sit and negotiate this topic later.                    

Negotiation is a conversation between two person or a discussion between more than two people. The main objective of such a conversation is to resolve such a conflict which people have been harboring in their own mind. Therefore how to be a great negotiator becomes a very important part in life. The Negotiations skills are actually a tool with must be used with proper discretion and with proper preparation. The following steps are actually recommended by experts.

1. You must understand the conflict or problem. It is necessary to contemplate and apply your mind to understand the genesis of the problem or the conflict.  While analyzing it, you must also observe the reasons or the roles people have to precipitate the matter in hand.

• After you understand the particular problem you have to decide what exactly do you want. Any particular negotiation cannot proceed if you want it all. Therefore you should be prepared to follow the principle of give and take. You may like to draw a line to which extend you go in order to find a mutually acceptable solution.

•  In the meanwhile you must also, look at the problem at the opposites point of view. You must also note down what he or she would like to achieve through such negotiations skills. Having thus studied and understood the problem, you must contemplate how you will conduct yourself.

• You must go to the negotiation table with an open mind. Then try to recapitulate your assumptions or your prejudices in relations to the opposite party or the situation. This will definitely help you to thwart these thoughts which otherwise may impede the success of negotiations.

• Active listening is definitely critical. You hould not be anxious to speak. You should be wanting to listen. As the famous writer of the famous book, ‘7 Habits Of Successful People, says that first you must first understand and then be understood. This principle is bound to work wonders, in finding and concluding a particular solution. Incidentally, Lord Almighty has given us two ears and one mouth. So we must listen twice as much as we speak.

• As the discussion proceeds try to encourage the opposite party to take a proper stand. However if it does not happen, then you must project your propose politely. Here you need to remember that you should ask some thing more than what you have decided to trade for. There must be some room for giving some ground to your opposite party also so that they must have there say as well.

Organization persuasion is a particular important. It is the duty of the leader to understand the attitude and conduct of his or her leaders. This should motivate the leaders to do whatever should be done, so that personal tendencies are set aside and the thoughts and actions of the teams are fully aligned to the company’s vision as well as objectives.

Apart from the employees the organization has to deal with various outside agencies. These could be regularity authorities, investment broker, bankers, venders, etc. Of course the customers and the employees come first. As has been said above the structure of the organization should be such that efforts to achieve the organization’s goal should be absolute. The importance of structure of the organization can never be undermined.

The organization needs security. The organization also needs loyalty of the customers and the employees; Often these could be some conflicts of interest, which the organization must identify and then must iron them out sooner than later. Everyday working life of our people needs to be considered very sympathetically. Employees continuously working under tension can never  give there optimal performance. If an organization is insensitive of the organization is not such that the employees see there goals fully aligned with the golas of the organization, it is therefore a series flaw.

Thus having a structure in place, in managers who act as an agent of the management, to tactfully use his or her skill to encourage the change in your attitude. There could be three different aspects of the working life of the employees.

1. The rewards that employees work for.
2. The value that you place on the organizational goals.
3. The compatability of your goals and needs with those of the organization. The persuasion takes place primarily and not exclusively from the organization to the employees.

Money is undoubtedly the most important motivation. However it is not  only motivation. However it is not the only motivation, for example the people with high self esteem would not like to work that does not give response or recognition to the efforts and work done by them. They would rather except smaller salaries where the find they are an integral part of the organization. In such situation the employees recognize and start feeling that the organization belongs to them. This sense of belonging motivates them to put there very best. The managers and the structure of the organization both can contribute to such a happy situation.

When you think of persuasion, you will realize that this thing will happen pretty much anywhere and everywhere. Persuasive situations are pervading everyone’s lives.

The underlining objectives of persuasion could be any one of the following:

1. Agreeing to an existing attitude of one or both the participants or more than one participant.

• Changing the attitude when required due to changed circumstances or any other reason whatsoever.

• Modifying the existing attitude, retaining the core principle. It can even be creating  a new set of attitudes.

As we find these outcomes or desired outcomes  that are quite different form each other. Therefore it may be said that communications have to be very focused  and aligned to the desired objectives. When the experiences was positive or negative or the experiences are forced to change the attitude even if  there was no prior experience: it all depends on the communication. There can be many workplace situations in which a change in attitude of a person is not enough. It has to be followed by behavior or action. The attitude of the staff attending to customers particularly there complaints has to be positive as well as cordial.

What are the persuasive overtures? When you look at the how of persuasion, the complexity increases. It means how through persuasion you try to achieve a certain objective or objectives from the team members or all the employees. This concept may also be  used when you have a one on one situation. Between individuals or the manager and his team or an organization and an individual; these are all various persuasive situations and accordingly overtures.

Now let us look at one to one influences. We all have a rich repeatour of experiences. These may begin of experiences. These  may begin on a child of their parents, then of there teachers, friends and people around them. These influences shape certain assumptions which a  grown up adult may adopt. The assumptions may be right or wrong, if not in absolute terms, but surely in relative terms. Thus in  a particular organization which finds the assumptions which  are harbored, by individual or individuals, who are conflicting with the vision of the organization. These need to be corrected by using the technique persuasion.