10 Ways to Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills
The 21st century seems one poised to be the communication century, where the old ways fall by the way side, as true communication goes further and further toward building bridges between people, and greases the skids in the business world between coworkers, clients and managers in ways that would seem impossible even a generation ago. Don’t be left behind. Here are 10 effective ways to build your interpersonal communication skills and stay ahead of the game.
#1 – CONDUCT THE DIFFICULT CONVERSATION
Shying away from necessary conflict for the sake of avoiding confrontation is a big hindrance to forging meaningful communication. Through practice you will learn the best ways to conduct the difficult conversations that need to be done.
#2 – BREVITY IS BETTER
A good and proper economy of phrasing goes a long way toward earning good will from those you wish to communicate with. Get to the points you wish to make quickly, do not waste others’ time and mental energy on pointless “filler” conversation, and people will appreciate you.
#3 – MAKE YOUR FEEDBACK COUNT
Often, the most important communication skill is learning to make the most of the small windows offered for you to give constructive feedback on something. Make the most of these opportunities.
#4 – RECEIVE FEEDBACK GRACEFULLY
Likewise, a crucial skill to effective interpersonal communication is learning how to take criticism and feedback in stride, and to never take it personally. Feedback is a great way to learn what you need to focus on to perform better. Cherish the opportunity.
#5 – MIND YOUR HYGIENE
One of the first things people notice about you is your hygiene habits. Bathe regularly, keep a neat and tidy appearance, and mind all aspects of your personal grooming habits. It makes no sense to allow something so easy to control to derail your attempts at communication.
#6 – DRESS FOR SUCCESS
Also, dress properly for every occasion. There is no excuse to ever be “under dressed” as it will only allow other the excuse to not take you seriously.
#7 – LEARN TO SELF-ASSESS
An honest self-critique can be the most useful ability in building interpersonal communication skills that you have at your disposal. Learn how to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.
#8 – LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES
Look for the numerous non-verbal cues that will clue you in to what the other person is trying to convey to you in conversation. Pick up on the eye contact, the posture and the body language to hear the hidden conversation at play in every interaction.
#9 – DO YOUR PREP WORK
Always be prepared for any conversation, but never fear not having a particular fact handy. It is much better to admit ignorance than to make something up.
#10 – SILENCE CAN SOMETIMES BE GOLDEN
Learning when not to speak in a conversation can be a incredibly useful skill that allows the other person room to say what they need to. Challenge yourself to be silent the next time you feel urged to argue and you’ll instantly build more effective communication skills.
Article Source : 10 Ways to Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills : ArticleBase
Joshua Uebergang -
About the Author:
Read more articles for free to help your interpersonal communication skills and sign-up to my free effective communication skills eNewsletter at towerofpower.com.au/free/
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Manage Your Energy For Better Results
Learning how to manage your energy goes along with the post I wrote a few days ago explaining the importance of knowing yourself and what works for you. Another part of that strategy is also knowing and managing your energy cycle, levels and preferences. Then the next step is figuring out how to use that knowledge to your advantage to help you work smarter, be more effective and have more free time.
Personal energy considerations:
- Are you a morning person or a night owl?
- Do you get a lunch time or mid-afternoon energy slump?
- What is your optimal length of focus or work period? For some people it’s 30 minutes spurts with short breaks in between, for others it’s 60 or 90 minutes and for a rare few it’s 3 or 4 hours.
- How often do you need to eat to maintain your concentration and energy? For health purposes you should eat every 3-4 hours, but perhaps a snack every 2 works better for you.
- Does the type of food you eat matter? Perhaps pasta isn’t a good lunch if it makes you want to take a nap!
You may not know the answers to these questions and you are not alone. The best method to use to get a better “map” if you will of your energy cycle is to track your workday activities with energy notes for a week. You should already have some type of calendar that you use for work and/or home. Simply make brief notes as you go through your week about the type of task you are doing and how you are feeling each hour. When you look back at the end of the week, you will see a pattern that you can use to help you schedule tasks, meetings, breaks and other activities during the times that are more appropriate for you.
For example, I have discovered that I am a morning person and that my brain gets fuzzy late at night. However, when I first wake up it takes me a while to calm my mind and focus; it’s usually like a whirling vortex of ideas and task. This is not a good time for me to write a blog post or do project work. It is a great time for me to scan social media, read RSS feeds, answer quick emails (things that only need a few minutes focus) or alternatively to exercise which helps to calm my mind. My energy and focus “curve” slowly climbs throughout the morning and peaks late morning. So 10AM-12PM is great project/writing time. This is why I frequently get caught up in a project and do not want to stop to eat lunch.
I will keep working until 1 or 2 some days and then I am starving. So, the lesson for me here is not only when to schedule high focus activities, but also to make sure I take a mid-morning break and have a good snack in case lunch is later. I am almost useless many days late afternoon, so I best get everything done before 3PM or else it has to wait until mid-evening. I do get another spurt of energy between 6-8PM, which I like to use for those household chores, being active with the kids or occasionally writing or other business tasks that I may not have time for during the traditional work day (i.e. finances, marketing, technology issues.) The other things I discovered are that I work better in 90 minute blocks of time (30 minutes is too disruptive for me) and that I need to eat every 2 – 3 hours.
Article Source : Manage Your Energy For Better Results : ArticleBase
Royale Scuderi -
About the Author:
Royale Scuderi is a personal productivity expert and author. She blogs about productivity tips, tools and strategies at http://www.personalproductivity101.com. Her mission is to Help you to work smarter and live better! You too can have business success and life satisfaction through increased efficiency, organization, motivation and awareness.
Visit http://www.personalproductivity101.com to sign up to receive free productivity tips via email.
Copyright © 2010 Royale Scuderi All Rights Reserved
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5 Tips to Writing an Engaging Headline
The success of marketing copy such as brochures, ads, and press releases depends on the headline—or in the case of an email, the subject line. It needs to grab the reader and compel him or her to take action by reading the brochure or opening the email.
It’s your first hurdle, and it’s a big one.
The headline needs to speak to a pain the reader has or something the reader wants—now. Arousing curiosity is a good tactic. Appealing to strong emotions grabs the attention of the reader and hits him or her on a basic, gut level.
Following are a few ideas to show you how to write your next powerful headline.
Benefits, benefits, benefits.
Create a headline from your main benefit. What will your product do for customers? Get to the point, and show them what they get.
Try a brain dump.
Don’t worry about a great headline yet—get your thoughts down. Add to the benefits. Remember the pain you’re trying to ease. Think about the 5Ws and an H: who, what, where, when, why, and how. Can you use any of those words in your headline? Write five or ten options out, and play with them.
Don’t be too clever.
A little cuteness makes people laugh and helps them remember your product, but too much sounds insincere. People can spot phonies a mile away. Remember, while they don’t care about you, they need to feel they can trust you before they buy.
No false promises.
Misleading promises or incorrect information is always a no-no. You don’t want to appear untrustworthy. One person who doesn’t trust you can suddenly become 10, 20, or more.
Keep it short and sweet.
If your headline is too long, try taking out words or groups of words, and see if it still flows. You probably won’t get a perfect wording on your first try. Take out words like that, really, and just. Use short words and action verbs wherever you can. Make the customer feel as if you are addressing him directly. Speak in the second person—you, not we.
Finally, when you think you have a good headline, let it sit for at least 8 hours. When you go back to it, you’ll see it with fresh eyes. You’ll be amazed at what will come to mind, and you’ll know when it’s ready to go. If you take the time, you’ll surprise yourself at how well you do.
Discover simple marketing strategies to attract and convert prospects. My bimonthly ezine, Sumer’s Secrets is packed with tips on how to improve your web copy, promote your website, and market your brand. Sign up and receive a FREE report on creating web copy that will increase sales and site traffic.
Article Source : 5 Tips to Writing an Engaging Headline : ArticleBase
Michelle Salater -
About the Author:
Michelle Salater is an award-winning writer and president of Sumèr, LLC, a company which specializes in web copy writing, SEO copywriting, and the promotion and marketing of websites after they launch. As an avid business blogger, Michelle has grown her marketing blog, Copy Doodle, to be a powerful lead generation and client education tool, and frequently guest blogs and lectures on blogging. In 2009, Michelle won the Charleston Business Journal’s Forty under 40 award for her business and community leadership.
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As a realtor having a real estate buisness means doing large volumes of advertising and marketing. One of my strategies as a real estate assist is having handy lists. Compiling a list of headlines for listings, self promotions and your email marketing will reduce the time you spend when your actually need to sit down and create them. When you get an idea for a good headline, type it on an easy to access word document or just dictate them to yourself on your phone to write down on a sheet of paper that is specifically for this. Believe me, I use my handy list every day.
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The Symbolic Value of the Brand
The symbolic representation is usually composed of a name and images or concepts that distinguish it. When it comes to logo, usually we refer to the graphical representation and expertise in graphic design, where the brand can be represented by a combination of symbol and / or logo.
However, the concept of branding is far more comprehensive than its mere graphic representation. The introduction of his name and graphic representation – announced the “intention” of a product / service that translates your attributes and differentiates in the market. This is what makes it special and unique from its competitors.
The role of marketing is to constantly search for an association with the brand “personality” or a “mental image”. Thus, its purpose is to “tag” the image in the mind of the consumer, that is, make a positive association between the image and product quality.
The brand is essentially a promise from the company to provide a specific set of attributes, benefits and uniform services to buyers. Bailing us back to Kotler, quality assurance comes with the best brands, but a brand is a symbol more complex and may bring up to six levels of meaning:
1) Attributes: the brand has the power to bring to mind certain attributes.
2) Benefits: These benefits are translated into functional and emotional.
3) Values: the brand also conveys the company’s values.
4) Culture: the brand has the power to represent a certain culture.
5) Personality: The brand can project a certain personality.
6) User: The brand suggests the kind of consumer who can use a product.
Creation of Value for the Consumer
The brand is a contract. The brand reduces the risk that the consumer goes to purchase the product. Ensures a level of performance, irrespective of its distribution.
The mark identifies. In a bid to products which are often indistinguishable brand recognition facilitates and promotes loyalty. As an example alcoholic drinks, televisions, mobile phones and so on.
The brand apart. She appreciates the one who uses or consumes. It transmits its identity to people. For purchases of social status is essential added value brought by the mark.
Creating Value for the Enterprise
The brand has commercial value. The brand is a negotiable asset, either by selling the brand, either by rental or licensing of the brand. A strong brand allows higher prices (price premium or additional cost incurred by the mark). Between a Citizen and a Cartier, the difference in price for equal quality, can be several hundred dollars.
The brand has value institutional or corporate. The brand can develop a powerful sense of belonging among employees of a company. A strong brand has a strong influence on financial reporting. This explains, among other things, that some groups change their name to be listed on stock exchanges under the name of his best-known brand.
Article Source : The symbolic value of the Brand : ArticleBase
logoemarca -
About the Author:
Professional creation of logomarca, logotipo, brand and identity
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Real estate professionals, or any service professional for that matter, should take the time to create a brand that represents their service and brings value to the consumer. Your brand is something you will want to use in all your marketing and promoting. Researching other brands will help you to create and develop your own brand. Make it yours plus make it a fair representation of your business. Don’t rush into it!
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Become A Better Blogger With These 5 Tips
One of the most important aspects of blogging is to develop your own writing style. There are millions of blogs and websites out there and if your blog and the way you write the content is in the same style as everyone else then you will find it hard to get noticed.
No matter how pretty your blog looks if the content you publish is not written in a style that is interesting, readable and informative people will not care. They will come once and never return. With a blog you want to develop a close relationship with your readers, to interact with them so that they do keep coming back for more.
The thing is that for most people find developing their own writing style is not the easiest thing to do especially, in the beginning. The key thing is to have a go and keep practising and your own personal style will eventually emerge.
To help you develop your own writing style try out these tips:
Tip 1
Avoid rambling on when you write a post. Keep it short and to the point.
Tip 2
Write in the first person and keep your blog posts down to a minimum of 100 words per post.
Tip 3
Before you write think about who you are writing to. For example, pretend you are writing to a friend and think about how you would start the conversation with them. As time goes on you will understand your readers more deeply and you will use this knowledge to develop the subject and the content of each post. The key is understanding their needs and wants and fulfilling those needs with the information you write to them about.
Tip 4
Keep your blog posts as informal as possible. Write as if you were having a conversation but make sure you omit any swear words!. A good technique is too read out aloud what you have written to see how well it flows. If it feels stunted and does not flow naturally to you then make the necessary changes until it does.
Tip 5
As the saying goes If you can’t beat them then, join them. A good way of improving your style is to learn from other successful and popular bloggers. The point I want to make clear is that you should never copy what they do but identify with what you think is working for them and adapt it and make it unique to you. The things you can look at are the length and frequency of their posting and the subjects they write about.
Peter Nibley has been writing articles for over 2 years on subjects he cares greatly about. Check out his new website which provides information about credit restoration and credit restoration services.
Article Source : Become A Better Blogger With These 5 Tips : ArticleBase
Peter Nibley -
About the Author:
As a full time writer, Peter Nibley researches and writes articles on subjects he is passionate about. You can visit his new website at http://www.creditrestorationadvice.com/ which provides information relating to credit restoration companies.
Make Money Online – Becoming A Better Video Marketer
Anyone who is able to make money online with video marketing is doing well for themselves. However, if you are not satisfied with the traffic that your videos are producing, it may be because your strategy is insufficient. What you are doing incorrectly might not be readily apparent, so you will need to do some exploring. For many of you who have been taking measures to make money online for a while, you are well aware of how important it is to test, and retest your strategies.
One thing that I can tell you right off of the bat, is that when it comes to using videos to market your products or services, you need to keep it simple. Your audience has a short attention span. They do not want to see you go on and on about how the ingredients in your products are picked at an altitude of 5000 feet. Rather, they want to know what you can do for them. How can what you are offering make their lives better. That is what you need to convey.
With that being said, you need to strap your marketing hat on tightly. Assuming that you have already identified your target customer, you have to show this customer that the answer to whatever they are trying to fix is contained within your offer. You have to show them that unless they take advantage of your offer, nothing will change for them.
Your video must make the viewer feel as if they will come out ahead by using your product or service, not you by making the sale. The full focus must be on the viewer, and the viewer alone. With that being said, your claims must be legitimate.
One thing that I am going to plead with you to avoid, is making a common assumption. This is an assumption which is frequently made by internet marketers. They assume that the potential buyer shares the same excitement in their product that they do. As such, they attempt to turn viewers into immediate buyers. Unfortunately, not very many people are willing to pull out their credit card and make a purchase after simply watching a video. Therefore, you need to use the video to get your foot in the door. Give the viewer enough information to become interested enough to want more information. Offer more information to the viewer by offering a free report which must be emailed. Once you have the visitors email address, you can market to them in the future. Do you see how that works? Now you have the ability to market to the viewer over a period of time.
When you convey your message via video, at the conclusion of the video, your viewers should be able to envision how great things will be if they take advantage of your offer. If you first target your niche market, then compose a video which clearly indicates that your product or service directly addresses the concerns of those in your niche market, they will have a difficult time turning their back on you. You will have made them an offer that they cannot refuse. Those who have mastered how to make money online, have mastered this technique.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to know your niche market like the back of your hand if you want to make money online long-term. Knowing your niche market enables you to get into their minds, know what they are thinking, and communicate with them in a compelling manner. Once you are able to do this, you will have all of the traffic that you will ever desire as a result of video marketing.
By: By: Brian Lett
If you are taking advantage of videos to Make Money Online, you are taking the right path. Take full advantage of your opportunity to Work At Home by getting the most out of video marketing. Check us out at SOSComplete.com
Article Source : Make Money Online – Becoming A Better Video Marketer : ArticleDashboard
It’s Time to Give It Up!
Time-sapping administrative tasks are a distraction for any real estate professional. But when you’re accustomed to doing the work yourself or think that no one else can do something as well as you can, it’s often hard to delegate.
“Only I have the extra, special, super skills to do this task”
“By the time I teach someone else how to do it, I may as well have done it myself!”
While these are valid reasoning’s, don’t let these barriers hold you back from greater success. Get rid of the idea that you’re the only person who can do anything right. Other people have skills that you don’t have.
Most realtors fail to realize that you must focus on results in order to reach the next level.
You need to be aware of the fact that as a professional real estate agent you just don’t have one job. When you are doing too much by yourself, or you’re spending hours working on a large number of different projects, this is a sign that you will need to begin delegating tasks to an assistant.
Here are 5 Key Tips that will help you get over those barriers and take a well-planned and logical approach to delegation:
1) Figure out what needs to be delegated – Choose tasks that you tend to drag out because you don’t enjoy doing. These tasks that are stressing you out are only sabotaging your chances of personal and professional advancement.
2) Be picky when choosing the correct person – It may take time, but by having thorough discussions about your expectations and the other person’s ability, will allow you to make a good decision about who you choose to assist and support you.
3) Provide Clear Instructions – Having clear documentation outlines the details of the work and provides all of the necessary information that is important. But don’t leave it at that. Once everything has been reviewed take time to answer any questions that may arise. An experienced and trained assistant will guide you through this process.
4) Follow the work and provide feedback – When you have found help don’t simply write them off and forget about them. Follow up to ensure its being done correctly and to your specifications. This will allow you to monitor the work and provide feedback for improvements.
5) Keep checking on what needs to be delegated – Business responsibilities change, so your delegation needs will also change. Regularly check what you have coming in and who you are delegating it to in order to determine if you need to outsource more work. This will help you anticipate any changes as they occur.
It is difficult to excel at multiple things simultaneously.
Your time is valuable! With delegating, you can enjoy more time and flexibility to focus on bigger responsibilities such as planning and strategizing, coming up with new ideas, pursing business prospects and ultimately allowing you to focus on the bigger picture.
Let go and your real estate business will grow! Contact us today to find out how a Virtual Real Estate Assistant can be that support for you.
Share your comments with us!
Author Bio: VA Certified and passionate about helping entrepreneurs succeed. As President and Owner of VA Contact, Lori Isachsen works directly with real estate professionals for over 5 years coupled with 25 years business experience in management, administration, accounting and computers in both the public and non-profit sectors. My clients enjoy the advantage and benefits of gaining their time to focus where they want to. Lori is skilled and highly proficient in organization, attention to detail, maintaining deadlines, establishing systems and strategic planning. Our goal is to listen to you and what you need in your business through communication and client satisfaction.
Copyright © 2010 Would you like to republish this article? You are free to do so as long as you include a link back to the full post, attributing the author, Lori Isachsen
Why Categorize Your Contacts
Every contact database, whether you use Outlook, Top Producer, IXACT Contact or others, has a feature called Contact Type or Category.
Working with many Realtors, this seems to be an area, with management of their database, that either gets over used, never used or is just plain used incorrectly. I’ve seen many contact database systems set up with so many categories or types that they become too confusing or categories have the same meaning. Having a process on managing how a contact is set up, right at the very beginning, will save loads of time down the road.
This feature is used to easily view and manage the way you interact with the contacts that you set up within your database. When doing mass emails, letters or postcards on the fly to specific contacts, the category or contact type will make it easier and faster.
Here are a few tips on how to organize your contact categories or types.
1) Make a list of the types of contacts that you associate with, right now, in your real estate business.
(These can be your buyers, sellers, prospects, active listings, other Realtors, Realtor referrals, banks, lawyers, business associates, personal, etc.)
2) Think of the different types of marketing that you do or may want to do in the future. Information you will send to your various categorized contacts.
(Will you send a monthly newsletter or possibly schedule weekly emails of your new listings or sending out yearly Christmas cards)
3) Determine if you need to separate the names on your list into more defined categories based on how often you need to access their information AND if it is necessary to market to them.
(For example, do you need a category for lawyers because you frequently contact them for transactions. Or maybe you may combine a category for banks and mortgage companies. Possibly put insurance companies, home stagers, management companies into your business associates)
You can always refine your contacts as you need or as you grow your real estate business. The one thing to keep in mind is that it does not have to be complex and confusing to use your contact categories or types. Keep it simple!
Contact us if you would like to know more about how you can get help with your contact database management.
Please share your comments!
Author Bio: VA Certified and passionate about helping entrepreneurs succeed. As President and Owner of VA Contact, Lori Isachsen works directly with real estate professionals for over 5 years coupled with 25 years business experience in management, administration, accounting and computers in both the public and non-profit sectors. My clients enjoy the advantage and benefits of gaining their time to focus where they want to. Lori is skilled and highly proficient in organization, attention to detail, maintaining deadlines, establishing systems and strategic planning. Our goal is to listen to you and what you need in your real estate business through communication and client satisfaction.
Copyright © 2010 Would you like to republish this article? You are free to do so as long as you include a link back to the full post, attributing the author, Lori Isachsen
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