Communication Skills

The Golden Rule “Seek first to understand, then to be understood” Stephen Covey, the 7 habits of highly effective people

Communication some important questions What are the basic elements in the communication process? Why listening and questioning skills are important how can sales people develop listening skills How could people communicate without using words And what are the barrier for effective communication

The Importance of Communication Table 1-1: Importance of Competencies in Hiring Decisions

The Nature of Communication The Process of Communication Sender Message Encoding Channel Receiver Decoding Feedback Noise

One Way Communication Sender (encodes the msg) Receiver (decodes the msg)

TWO-Way communication Sender encodes the message Receiver Decodes the message FEED BACK

The Process of Communication Figure 1-1: Communication Model

Other Factors affecting the message decoding Noise Uncomfortable Environment Mood Fatigue

Using Body Language Tone of voice Words Body language

Verbal Communication Effective use of words Characteristics of words Using effective words Painting word pictures Tailoring words Speech rate Loudness

Verbal Communication Asking questions Encourage longer response Space out questions Ask short, simple questions Avoid leading questions Questions to collect information Questions to maintain the flow of information

Types of Questions OEQ (open ended questions) = to find and clarify. Starts with What/when/Why/How. CEQ (close ended questions) = asked to give information. Answered with yes or no or I don’t know BTQ (benefit tag question) = mention benefit followed by a tag. (E.g.:this product has a rapid onset is this what you’re lookin’ for?)

Good Listening Is An Active Skill Observing – what one does Hearing – what one says and how one says it Feeling – how one is feeling Sensing – what one has not said, but wishes to or means to say

Why Listen? Clears the air. Helps the speaker solve the problem. Stimulate the speakers. Involvement and Learning. Get a chance to think & relax.

Improving Your Listening Skills: Repeat information. Clarify when you are not sure. Summarize. Tolerate Silence. Be fresh and concentrate.

Listening Hearing-attention-understanding-feedback Repeating the information Rephrasing (restating) Clarifying Summarizing the conversation Tolerating silence Concentrate on the main idea

Non-Verbal Communication Body language Face Arms Hands Legs Body language pattern Posture and body movement Matching the customer’s communication style

Body Language Face (95%) Arms (90%) Body Angle (80%) Hands (70%) Legs (50%)

Non-Verbal Communication ‘Space and physical contact’ Distance during interaction Touching

Non-verbal communication ‘Appearance’ Dress like the customer Hints for men Hints for women

Social Styles

Social-Style Social-Style bias develops when we have contact with another person whose social style is different from our own.

Social-Style Principles: Individual Differences exist & are important. Individual style differences tend to be Stable. Everyone makes judgments about people based on social style.

Benefits of understanding Social-Style: Salespeople understand social-style classification methods & learns how to apply them, can… 1- Avoid common mistakes that threaten interpersonal relationship with customers. 2- Reduce the possibility of tension arising during the sales call. 3- Close more sales because they can tailor the sales presentation to the style of the customer.

Social-Style Matrix: The social-style matrix that defines these styles is based on two important dimensions of human behavior : 1- Dominance 2- Sociability

Dominance: Dominance can be defined as: The tendency to command,control, or prevail over others. Dominant people tend to be quite competitive. They also tend to be very decisive & determined

Sociability: It can be defined as: The tendency to seek & enjoy interaction with others. Sociability, reflects the amount of control we exert over our emotional expressiveness.

The Four Social Styles

Four Social Styles High Sociability Amiable Expressive Low Dominance Analytical Driver Low Sociability

1-The Expressive Style: A style that combines high sociability & high dominance. When two people meet for the first time, the expressive person will be more apt to initiate & maintain the conversation as well as to initiate the handshake.

The Expressive Style: Cont. The Expressive person will move to a ”first name” basis as soon as possible. The Expressive person generally do not hide their feelings. They often express opinion dramatically and impulsively. The Expressive person is likely to express feeling with vigorous movement of the hands and rapid speech pattern.

2- Driver Style: A style that combine high domains & low sociability. 1- The driver doesn't like to waste time & wants to get to the point. 2- In most cases the driver feels more comfortable talking than listening. 3- The driver usually communicates a lack of warmth & is apt to be businesslike & impersonal. 4- The driver voices strong opinions & usually wants to influence the other person’s point of view.

3- Analytical Style: A style that combine low domains & low sociability. 1- Analytical tend to curb emotional expression & are less likely to display warmth openly. 2- Analytical enjoy a highly structured environment generally feel frustration when confronted with unexpected event. 3- The analytical usually doesn’t express dramatic opinions. 4- The analytical tends to be quite formal in social relationships & therefore is viewed as aloof by many people.

4- The Amiable Style: A style that combine low domains & high sociability. 1- Amiable can easily display their feelings, but not in the assertive manner common to the expressive individuals. 2- Amiable listen attentively to other people. 3- Amiable tend to avoid the use of power & are more likely to rely on friendly persuasion. 4- The amiable usually takes a long time to make a decision.

The excess zone is characterized by a high degree of intensity & rigidity.

Excess… Expressive Style Expresses highly emotional options. Stops listening to the other person. Tries too hard to promote own point of view. Becomes outspoken to the point of offensive. Uses exaggerated and facial expressions to make a point.

Excess…… Driver Style Gets impatient with the other person. Becomes dictatorial. Will not admit being wrong. Becomes extremely competitive. Is cold and unfeeling when dealing with people.

Excess…. Analytical Style Becomes stiff and formal during social relationship. Is unwilling to take a decision. Avoid displaying any type of emotion Displays a strong dislike for change. Is overly interested in detail.

Excess…. Amiable Style Agrees with everyone. Is unable to take a strong stand. Becomes overly anxious to win approval of others. Tries to comfort every one Constantly seeks reassurance.

Thank you!!!