Effective Business Communication Skills

1. Effective Business Communication Skills Presented by: Phillip Roth 29 September 2009

2. Contents Areas we will cover: • Polson Higgs – Business Advisors • Understanding the business context • Business communication skills • Written communication skills • Oral communication skills • Team communication skills • Problem solving strategies • Business information management • Developing your skills Effective Business Communication Skills

3. Written Communication Skills Objectives • Efficiency • Effectiveness Effective Business Communication Skills

4. Effective Report Writing (continued) A good report should be: • Readable • Interesting • Well presented • No longer than necessary And should have: • A clear structure • Clear conclusions • A summary Effective Business Communication Skills

5. Effective Report Writing (continued) Advantages of well written reports: • Communicate more effectively • Contribute to business success by improving communication • Reinforce a good firm image Effective Business Communication Skills

6. Effective Report Writing(continued) Poorly written reports: • Waste time of readers • Frustrate readers if incomplete • Create misunderstanding through ambiguity • Lose the confidence of the reader • May not be read.

7. Short, simple, everyday words. • Be precise. • Use specific terms – avoid abstracts. KISS Principle eep K t I hort S imple & S Use of Words

8. Never try to impress. • Beware of jargon/technical/professional words. • Some long words for variety and precision. • Below 10%. • Avoid ambiguity. Use of Words

9. Be Positive • Turn negatives into positives. • Avoid Jargon and Clichés • Accuracy and Clarity are more important than brevity. Use of Words

10. A paragraph is a group of related sentences. • The first sentence is a signpost. • The average person can only keep 5 to 6 ideas in their head at any time. • Paragraph length – 5 or 6 sentences. Summary - Paragraphs

11. W + ( X x 100 ) = Clarity Index S W • W = Number of words. • S = Number of sentences. • X = Number of long words (more than two syllables). The Clarity Index

12. A yardstick for clear writing used by most professional writers. • Aim for a Clarity Index of: • 20 for Notices; • 25 for Letters and Memos; • 30 for Reports Summary – Clarity Index

13. Oral communication skills • Understand the context • Empathy with your audience • Body language and signals • The art of good listening • Maintaining eye contact • Tips for good listening • Practical appreciation Oral Communication

14. Problem Solving Strategies VISION PROCESSING GRID Vision of a Solution Oral Communication

15. VISION PROCESSING GRID Vision of a Solution Oral Communication

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