Getting the message across Clare Willis

We do business with people we know, like and trust.

Overview What makes good communication? Preparing for success Influencing skills Communicating in the digital age Team exercise

Paired exercise part 1 A interviews B then B interviews A Four minutes each interview Find out two things about the other person’s firm and one thing about the person that would make you want to work with them

Paired exercise part 2 Each person ‘promotes’ their partner to the group - two minutes maximum Group discussion – what was most persuasive? Consider content, language, voice, body language

What makes good communication? Content – relevant, personal, focus on benefits Language - positive Voice – confident, enthusiastic Body language – open posture/gestures, facial expression, eye contact

Preparing for success Why - long and short-term objective - what do you want to have achieved by the end of the meeting/discussion? Who - research individual as well as firm - put yourself in their shoes How - what’s the best method?

Culture and communication Surnames, titles First names Formal dress/behaviour Casual dress/behaviour Reticent Exuberant Linear-active Multi-active Strict about time Relaxed about time Silence in conversation Uncomfortable with silence Straight down to business Start with small talk Say what you mean Indirect speech Physical contact Little or no physical contact Quick decisions Lengthy negotiations

Communication styles Direct Indirect

Task Direct Indirect People

Task Direct Indirect People

Task Direct Indirect People

Task Direct Indirect People

Task Direct Indirect People

Preparing for success Why - long and short-term objective - what do you want to have achieved by the end of the meeting/discussion? Who - research individual as well as firm - put yourself in their shoes How - what’s the best method?

How to make friends and influence people …

Robert Cialdini Reciprocation Liking Commitment and consistency Weapons of Influence Scarcity Social proof Authority

Digital age trivia 6.8 billion What is the world population? How many mobile phone contracts are there? Which country has the highest percentage of the population with a mobile phone? How many text messages are sent daily? How many emails were sent daily in 2009? How many members does Facebook have? How many users does Twitter have? How many members does LinkedIn have? What is the average age of LinkedIn members? According to a recent UK survey, what percentage of information posted on social networking sites is fabricated? 6.8 billion 5 billion approx Lithuania 148% 6.7 billion 247 billion 500 million 100 million + 70 million + 43 Up to 40%

Communication in the digital age It’s never been easier to communicate with people around the globe. It’s never been easier to avoid talking to people.

Communication in the digital age Have you ever: Sent a phone caller to voicemail because you didn’t want to talk to them? Read/sent emails or text messages during a meeting? Emailed a colleague in the same office because it was easier than getting up to talk to them? Failed to respond to an email because it got lost among all the other messages in your in-box?

Communication in the digital age Are you a member of any social/on-line networks? Do you know what people can read about you and your firm on-line? Does your firm have a digital media strategy?

Suggested action points Talk to people! Manage your email Use on-line networks to develop relationships Encourage your firm to develop a digital media strategy Ensure the content is relevant, interesting and regularly up-dated

Team exercise Work in teams of three Discuss the arguments you would use to persuade a firm to join AGN Practise short sections of your arguments out loud to your colleagues

We do business with people we know, like and trust.