Press release
February 2002
SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION: HOW TO SAY IT RIGHT
Today’s Women into Business National Conference, hosted in London, is set to focus on
women as powerful influencers and celebrate their role in the workplace. One of the
secrets of women’s recent success in UK business is due to the fact that women make
better communicators.
According to OfficeTeam, leading provider of specialised administrative personnel on a
temporary and full-time basis, communication is often taken for granted and some of the
simple principles are overlooked. Women in business are far more likely to get the basic
communications skills right; they are more likely to confront difficult situations, more
likely to admit when they don’t know something and more likely to listen to and act on
the comments of others.
The following tips will ensure the messages you’re conveying make the strongest impact.
Keep your ears open. One of the fundamental elements of effective communication is
active listening. All too often, the root of misunderstandings isn’t necessarily due to
confusing information, but rather to poor listening habits. To be a good listener, focus
your full attention on the speaker and block out everything else around you. Avoid doing
other tasks, such as reading e-mail while listening — you could miss some essential facts
while your attention is diverted. Also, wait your turn to speak. If you feel the impulse to
interject a comment, keep in mind that interrupting others in mid-sentence is impolite and
can be disruptive — you may miss a vital piece of information if the speaker loses his or
her train of thought.
Articulate clearly. You should always express your ideas in a logical manner. Whether
you’re involved in a group discussion, on the phone, or writing an e-mail or letter, you
should focus on important points and state them clearly and simply. It may be helpful to
sketch outlines detailing the information you want to convey, even if you’re merely
leaving a voice mail message.
Understand what you’re communicating.
To speak or write effectively, you should
have a solid grasp of the topic under discussion. The best communicators rarely offer
opinions they can’t back up or speak simply for the sake of hearing their own voice.
Study the topic you’ll be covering if you aren’t well-versed in it to build credibility and
convey your message in appropriate terms.
Express enthusiasm.
Have you ever listened to a speaker whose voice lacked
inflection? How did it make you feel? If you’ve ever listened to someone with an
upbeat, charismatic and dynamic style, odds are you paid greater attention to him. One
integral element to successful communication is delivering a message with passion and
energy — and this applies to writing as well. Enthusiasm is infectious — if your interest
is genuine, your recipients will recognize this and take notice of what you’re trying to
say.
Engage your audience. Keep in mind that there are many distractions competing for
people’s attention. Unless you draw your audience in and engage them personally, you
may lose them. Tailor your messages to the needs of the recipients and be succinct and
direct with crucial points. Excessive words can cause your audience to drift and could
hamper your effectiveness in conveying key information. Speak or write only that which
is necessary to get your point across.
Effective communication is a two-way process: to do it well, you not only have to write
and speak clearly, but also deliver the message most effectively for the audience.
ENDS
Notes to editors
OfficeTeam is a leading provider of specialised administrative personnel on a temporary
and full-time basis, with over 300 offices worldwide. A division of Robert Half
International, it has the expertise, leadership standing and network to attract the most
highly skilled professionals and offer them the most rewarding assignments. For more
information about OfficeTeam or to learn about online job search opportunities, please
visit www.officeteamuk.com
For further information please contact:
Kelly Long
UK Public Relations Coordinator
+44-1753 83 59 55
E-mail: pr@officeteamuk.com