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Ilene Amiel, co-author of "Business
Casual," in Scarsdale, N.Y., provides five communication
skills for improving your verbal presentation.
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| Improve verbal skills: |
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| 1. |
Be articulate and clear. |
| 2. |
Think before you speak. |
| 3. |
Listen effectively. |
| 4. |
Build on ideas of others. |
| 5. |
Be prepared. |
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Mind your manners. In addition to body
language and communication skills, your manners say
more about you than anything you say. Amiel says, "That's
stuff that younger people don't get." We're not talking
the "Yes, sir" and "Please" type manners, though those
are a good idea, too. Nor does this mean bending over
backward for everyone. Be polite, yet strong.
For a good professional image, Amiel and Bedford remind us about some of those things we all learned in kindergarten:
1. Respect your parents (In grown-up terms:
Respect the hierarchy.).
2. Don't eat the crayons (In grown-up terms: Don't usurp anyone's ideas).
3. Be nice (In grown-up terms: Be diplomatic and mature).
4. No hitting (In grown-up terms: Don't
act aggressively).
5. Wait for your turn (Means the same thing today).
6. Pay attention (Ditto).
7. Don't run with scissors (I added that one to their list -- always seemed like good advice to me).
Professional manners still matter when you're
on the phone, too. Amiel recommends using good telephone
manners, being positive and being of service. This phone
etiquette goes for both answering and calling.
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