Impressions are important. They leave an initial taste in people's mouths that can remain prevalent for the entire relationship. If you are paranoid about what kind of impression you make, run through these seven list items and see if you are consistent with them; if you are, then you will probably expose the best of yourself. If not, then work to meet these standards.

#1 DRESS

The absolute first impression you will make on someone will be through your clothing, because that is what is seen from a distance, and cannot change throughout your meeting. Make sure to dress according to the situation-don' t over or under dress-and maintain within the limits of good taste. If you aren't sure if what you're wearing looks good, ask people for an honest opinion. One last thought: always, and I mean always, pull up your pants.

#2 HYGIENE

Take a shower! Shave! Brush your teeth! You must be fully bathed and groomed before you meet with someone for the first time, because scruffy looking people generally don't seem as neat and mature. Pay attention to the little elements like breath: keep a pack of mint gum with you wherever you go, and periodically check to make sure you aren't killing bugs every time you breathe out. If you sweat heavily, keep a small stick of deodorant, and if you notice you're stinking you can freshen up. People notice the minutiae!

#3 MANNERS

At the table and with other people be civilized, polite and respectful: keep your elbows off of the table, open doors for people and address everyone-initially, at least-by their formal title. This will make an especially good impression on senior citizens, because you will prove that you aren't one of those "new fanged punks."

#4 SPEECH

Have clean, clear diction and speak sans "like" or "you know." It is important to be articulate because that inspires a feeling of intelligence and education in the person you are meeting with. Always leave out profanity, and whatever you do, make sure to speak loud enough for all to hear, because conversationalists are easily agitated if you force them say "excuse me?" more than a few times.

#5 DISCRETION

Choose what to share about yourself: forget to tell everyone about that time you went camping and ruptured your appendix, then fell face first into a pile of bug infested leaves-it is rude and will alienate you from the group. Try to withhold from conversations on personal subjects like religion or more disgusting topics like personal medical care. Before you speak, think about the possible impact of what you might say, then imagine its implications in the long run.

#6 HUMOR

Humor can be your most powerful tool or your doom, because everyone has a slightly different sense of humor. What might be hilarious to you might seem disgusting to another, or vice verse. Try to withhold from any jokes that aren't family or dinner table friendly; you can tell those later.

#7 START AND END WITH A BANG

Whoever you are meeting with will remember how you greet them, and then in what manner you left them. If you feel you have trouble with this, practice a few different phrases in the mirror, and introduce elements like: "pleased to meet you," or "honored to make your acquaintance.” Ignore the antiquity of these phrases; it often makes them more memorable.

Making a good impression will set any relationship off on a good foot. If you are in a situation where you need to be judged at face value-such as a job interview or date-then make sure to go through this list and make sure you are within bounds of reason and good taste on all of your decisions. 

Communication

Friday, July 08, 2016

So, here we go with top 10 inspirational social media quotes.

1. “You are what you share.” Charles Leadbeater

2. “Active participation on LinkedIn is the best way to say, 'Look at me!' without saying 'Look at me!” Bobby Darnell

3. “Social media is addictive precisely because it gives us something which the real world lacks: it gives us immediacy, direction, and value as an individual.” David Amerland

4. “We don't have a choice on whether we do social media; the question is how well we do it?” Erik Qualman

5. “Your uniqueness is your greatest strength, not how well you emulate others.” Simon S. Tam

6. “Listening is one of the most important things a brand can do online. If your brand is just broadcasting its own agenda, it isn’t truly engaging in a conversation.” Jeremy Goldman

7. “Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” Seth Godin

8. “Do not write if you don’t know what to write! It’s as simple as that.” Lilach Bullock

9. “Consistently investigate what gives other people energy. Be the fan that fuels it.” Darren Rowse

10. “If you share content with logic and common sense none will re- share it, if you say “this is crazy “then bingo, we are just humans and we use mostly emotions” Ilias Chelidonis

Please comment your favorite social media quote.

Communication

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

In the modern world, there is nothing more talked about than communication. Dynamic organizations send their mangers to attend seminars on communications. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, it is one of the most neglected areas. One, who can speak, thinks that he is a good communicator. Well, that is not exactly what we call communication. A person may be speaking but is not communicating if the message is not getting through. The cost of distorted message is lost time and productivity. The rules of communication run from A to Z and may be a good start to build or refine communication skills.

A is for Assertiveness. A good communicator is always assertive i.e. he expresses himself honestly without denying the right of others. This communication technique involves respect for oneself and respect for others.

B is for Body Language. Verbal language is not the only communication medium. Body language, too, communicates. It is an expression of the way one feels and relates non-verbally to their inner and outer world. Research shows that 55 % of the communication is done through body language. One's body must match with the words, to make the communication process effective.

C is for Concise. We need to be understood without over or under-whelming the people we are talking with. We can only remember a certain amount of information. After the saturation point has been reached, nothing more is taken in. The message should be clear and concise.

D is for Direct. Nothing is better that face-to-face communication. We must accept the ownership of what we say, to avoid distortions. It is only possible when we send our messages ourselves. Communication is too important to be left to others to handle it for you.

E is for Eye-Contact. How do you feel when a person who is talking to you does not look in your eye? We can learn a lot about the feelings of other person if we have a proper eye-contact with him. Research suggests that people do not listen effectively to a person with bad eye-contact.

F is for Feedback. The only factor which distinguishes two-way communication from one-way is feedback. After you have sent your message, always ask for the feedback to check the accuracy. Every sender also needs to be a good receiver. Allowing for the honest expression of thoughts and feelings is scary but beneficial, and is only possible through proper feedback.

G is for Guessing. The exchange of information must be completely correct and concrete. It is only possible when we never guess or assume anything. We must never confuse assumptions with the facts.

H is for Heart. We must communicate from head as well as from heart. Honest people always take other's feelings into account before determining how to say or present sensitive items.

I is for Interruptions. Everyone has a need to be heard. Research shows that interruption is the single most annoying factor to more than 90 percent of the chief executives. So remember this golden rule that if you do not want to be interrupted, do not interrupt others while they are talking.

J is for Judgment. If anything kills real communication, it is judgment. You can use the factual data on words and feelings to make better decisions but do not pass any judgment. The best way to be sure is to check and clarify.

K is for Kindness. Kindness and gentleness are prerequisite for a healthy communication process. If you have left it home, go and get it before you begin. People will not listen effectively if you are not polite. Kindness helps in building up better rapport.

L is for Listening. A good listener never loses any discussion. There is a great old saying that "Listening starts the caring, from caring comes the rapport, in rapport there is magic, and in magic there is power", which well states the importance of listening.

M is for Mood. The way we feel affects the way we present ourselves. It is a good idea to laugh to enjoy both the communication and the people. "Laughter is not a sign of disrespect; rather it is a sign of comfort and productivity".

N is for Normal. Some people have tendency to get excited or confused in a discussion. This behavior affects their body gestures and destroys self-confidence. Do not under or over-react in discussion. Just staying normal gives you control over the situation.

O is for Open. It is okay to tell people what they do well, why you like what they have done and how you feel about it. As truth is a rare commodity, it is often used sparingly. It may seem naive to believe that "Honesty is the best policy," but it still is, and it can establish its user as trust-worthy. Wounds opened to the air generally heal quicker.

P is for Perception. People are different, their perception is different and therefore they must be approached differently. We may disagree with others but must not make them right or wrong. We have different points of view because we have different perception. Understanding that people have different perception is the first step in developing trusting relationships.

Q is for Quit. A communication break-down usually occurs "when both parties carry on dual monologues without ever stopping to listen". People require time to respond. Pausing after you are through will encourage others to clarify any queries.

R is for Rapport. It only takes a second to establish rapport before tackling some issue. Rapport-building is on-going and cannot be stocked up. It is a prerequisite for a good start and helps in breaking ice and developing trusting relations.

S is for Summarizing. One golden rule to avoid any distortions or misunderstandings in communication is to summarize the outcome of the discussion. Spending little time on summarizing will clear any misunderstandings and save lot of time afterwards.

T is for Timing. Everything has a season and a time. In communication also, "there is a time for sharing and a time for withholding, a time for confronting and a time for caring, a time for praising and a time for criticizing".

U is for Urge. Clean your urge for forcing your point of view on others, before you start communicating. Never give your pre-determined solutions up-front until you have clearly listened and understood other's point of view. Be flexible in reaching at a conclusion.

V is for Vocal. The pitch of your voice, your tone must match with your body language and verbal. An aggressive voice or a loud tone does not convey much but may backfire on you. Your vocal controls 38 percent of the total communication process.

W is for Win-Win. Try to create win-win situation in the discussion. We could create it only if both parties were the winners at the end of the discussion without putting anyone down or hurting other's feelings.

X is for X-rated. Use of filthy or x-rated language is a sign of aggression. It does no good for you. You might feel powerful for the time being but ultimately become powerless, when you lose.

Y is for Yap. Words are important enough to loose in noisy foolish talk with no outcome. One may also lose the real message in Yapping. Do not yap.

Z is for Zigzag. Avoid zigzag communication. People get bored and real message is lost in a zigzag communication. Try to talk straight and remember this formula:

Feeling Message = Ownership + Feeling Word + Description of Behavior

Please comment your views

Communication

Friday, April 01, 2016

Major Media Types

Media are the agencies, means, tools or instruments used to convey messages to the public. When most businesses, NGOs, interest groups consider forms of advertising that may be the best for their company, cause, program or event television, radio, newspaper, magazines, and internet are typically the first types of media that come to mind. All of these media outlets do have its advantages, as well as disadvantages. These advantages and disadvantages both are put in practice to choose the right form of media to convey a message, spread news and motivate people to take part in an activity.

Among the above mentioned media types, television and print media pretty much take the cake. The other media take less proportion of interest but are still widely used because of the benefits that they provide. Below are some benefits and disadvantages of each of these forms of media which will give criteria of selecting the right media for right delivery of the message with more efficiency.

Television

The average person spends nearly ten years watching TV during their life span over a 70 year lifetime. Television communicates with sound, action and color. The prime time is between 8 P.M to 11 P.M during which TV channels have their ratings at peak based on viewership.

Advantages:

a. Wide geographic coverage & broad audience reach (appeals to most demographics)

b. Perceived accountability with well accepted audience

c. Relative ease of buying and post-buy maintenance

d. Proven success record for promoting mass consumer products (infomercials)

Disadvantages:

a. Audience share is generally declining due to fragmented audiences

b. Increasing use of commercial free channels and programs is diminishing the impact of commercials

c. Typically high and rising production costs this makes it one of the most expensive media

Radio

Radio reaches 90% of people, which makes it very effective and widespread media to communicate and convey the messages. It is believed that an average person with 70 year of lifetime spends 6 years of their lives listening to radio. Radio has best times as “drive times” such as morning and early evening.

Advantages:

a. Has targeting capabilities

b. Inexpensive compared to other traditional broadcast media

c. Builds frequency quickly (commercials are replayed throughout the day/evening)

d. Branded promotions offer advertisers appealing community involvement opportunities

e. No seasonal listener erosion

Disadvantages:

a. No visual component

b. Advertisers must buy multiple stations and formats to accumulate audience reach

c. Peak listening is during morning and evening drive times with relatively low audiences the rest of the day

Newspaper

Newspapers are the most oldest and one of the most effective type of media for communication, learning and advertising.

Advantages:

a. Broad reach within a defined marketing area i.e. business, sports, shopping section

b. Large readership and a high level of reader involvement

c. The cost is relatively low

d. Newspapers often have special sections to advertise, to promote your cause or to motivate or inform people to any project, market, program or event

e. Newspapers cover a diverse geographical area, as it is available in big cities as well in small towns

Disadvantages:

a. Decreasing market penetration and readership

b. Less interest shown by youth (people between ages 18-24 are not reading the newspaper)

c. Short life

d. Studies show that less than 50% of readers bother to see the ads while others skip those sections 

Magazine

Magazines are mostly part of a newspaper, but are published and issued separately with regular time intervals usually weekly or monthly, have limited circulation and targeted audience. However it has much less circulation than any other printing media form, but still it has its importance for communication.

Advantages:

a. High degree of selective targeting based on demographics, product affinity, or lifestyle (women’s vs. men’s magazines, children’s magazines, etc.)

b. High production quality (images and full-color printing)

c. Longer life span

d. People keep magazines longer than newspapers

e. Focused environment with selected niche

f. Regional editions offer localized targeting capabilities

Disadvantages:

a. Magazines offer specific issues with limited availability to public

b. They are not produced on daily basis but with some fixed time intervals like weekly or monthly

c. Broad market reach is difficult to achieve because of niche readership behavior

d. More expansive than newspaper

e. Less mass appeal within a geographical area

Direct mail

Direct mail is used by business and companies to send the newsletters, catalogs, coupons, samples, price lists, circulars, invitations, cards and letters to be sent via mail to home of the receiver or through electronic mail.

Advantages

a. It can be highly selective

b. It has controlled timing

c. Can be used to actually make the sale

Disadvantages

a. It has low response level

b. People think of it as “junk mail”

c. High cost

Conclusion

However whatever kind of media is used to communicate, a look at the advantages and disadvantages must be practiced before taking actual decision. This information may help to choose the best available media which coincides with effective communication, better delivery of service and helps to get properly managed feedback.

Communication

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

We live in a society which needs communication for better arrangements and understanding of one another. For to communicate we find out tools which help us to communicate better. So it is important to be aware of the different types of communication medium available to you to communicate effectively. A communication medium is merely "how" your message is sent to the receiver. It is often referred to as the communication channel.

It's critical to realize that whenever you are communicating with any stakeholder that the medium you use to communicate your message is just as important as the message itself. Choosing the right types of communication medium is first and most about understanding your ambition with the communication. If you use the wrong medium, your message may never get through to the receiver or may be misunderstood.

When deciding which of the communication mediums would be best for your message, you should take into consideration the following factors;

a. The Purpose of the Communication

b. The Receiver

c. The Type of Information

Types of Communication Media

Now take a look at some of the different types of communication media available to communicate our message.

Face-to-Face Communication

Face-to-Face Communication

Face-to-face communication is any type of verbal or non-verbal communication where you are in the same physical location as the receiver carrying social interaction without any mediating technology. It is one of the basic elements of the social system, forming a significant part of individual socialization and experience gaining throughout one's life time. Similarly it is also central to the organization and development of various groups and organizations composed of those individuals.

Face-to-face communication is very powerful. You can communicate verbally with the words you speak as well as non-verbally through body language. It also allows you to get immediate feedback from the receiver so you can adjust how you are delivering your message if necessary. Despite the advent of many new information and communication technologies, face-to-face interaction is still widespread and popular. It is implied that face-to-face communication is the gold standard of communication, as it is described as the most efficient and informational one. It has been noted that face-to-face communication is the most useful form of verbal communication when the sender wants to persuade or motivate the receiver. In most of the cases it is still considered the preferred method for resolving problems and contentious issues and also found helpful and the best form of teaching.

Some examples of face-to-face communication include informal hallway chats, project meetings, annual performance reviews, and job interviews.

Two-Way Remote Communication

Cell Phone

Two-way remote communication is when you and the receiver are not in the same physical spaces but are able to receive real-time feedback from each other. Although you are able to receive immediate feedback from the receiver, the feedback is usually limited compared to face-to-face communication.

Some examples of two-way remote communication include video conferencing, teleconferencing, cell phone calls, SMS (i.e. texting) and walkie-talkie conversations.

Written Communication

Written Communication

Written communication is any type of communication that involves the written word. This can involve both formal and informal communications. A key distinction between written communication and face-to-face communication is that feedback from the receiver may not be immediate. Although most of us consider ourselves honest and ethical, we're all human and can forget things we've said or misunderstood things we've heard. One of the major benefits of written communication is that it can be used to document what has been said or agreed to. It also can be used to clarify ideas to avoid misunderstandings. Some examples of written communication include letters, email, contracts, SMS, reports and intranet content.

Telephone

Land or mobile telephones have taken up the communication slack in businesses where distance and travel prevent face-to-face conversation. The telephone still allows immediate interaction between two parties in the communication. Mobile phones also expand your ability to communicate with people over distance. The lack of nonverbal or facial expressions removes those elements from the message. This can inhibit the ability to interpret the context or emotion of a message sender. The phone is also less personal than a face-to-face meeting.

Social Media Communication

Social Media Icons

Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Social media has become a very common form of communication. It combines characteristics of some of the other forms of communication such as written communication and two-way remote communication. It allows for real-time feedback with a written record of what has been communicated. What makes social media so powerful is the way it enables team collaboration. Examples of social media communication include instant messaging, Microsoft SharePoint, Facebook, LinkedIn, wikis and Twitter. Many of the web-based tools are also considered to be social media tools since they enable better collaboration.

E-mail

E-mail is a vital communication channel for people who want to communicate with their relatives, employees or organizations which are geographically dispersed. E-mail allows for more flexible response times. You can send a message one day and receive a response in a few hours or the next day. It allows for conversation that isn't time-pressured, but can serve for fast turnaround times. It also allows for the inclusion of files, such as documents or images. E-mail is less personal than either face-to-face or phone. The missing context of the message may lead to misunderstandings or misinterpreted messages.

One-Way Audio and Video Communication

Video Conferencing

Another type of communication medium is one-way audio and video. With this type of communication you are recording your message to be listened to or viewed by your receiver at some time of their choosing. Examples include voicemail, podcasts and YouTube videos. Podcasts and videos are excellent for sharing information, especially for teaching purposes. You can present a lot of information that the receiver can go over at their convenience and as many times as they like.

Discussion Forums

Many companies maintain internal and external discussion forums through catalogs and websites. These carry files and other resources available to participants and allow them to engage in company-wide or small-group discussions about suggestions, problems and solutions on a wide range of topics. Forums offer a low-pressure way to present ideas and feedback. They allow the company to gain insights in a non-confrontational way. Lack of personal connectivity and the potential for anonymous postings are drawbacks. Similarly, delays can occur between comments and responses.

Conclusion

Strategically choosing the specific types of communication medium you use to get your messages across will help you successfully manage your projects. Always consider the purpose of your communication, the receiver of the message, and the type of information you are communicating when determining the best communication media for your message.

Communication

Wednesday, May 20, 2015