Following is a selected list of communication tips. Taken from The Most Creative, Escape the Ordinary, Excel at Public Speaking Book Ever by Philip Theibert.

Communicating is an essential part of any business. Miscommunication, for instance the wrong specs for the product, can cost millions of dollars. Miscommunication with customers, as we all know, can also be costly. This is a great speech to give to employees, emphasizing, “What steps we should all take to ensure that we all communicate and don’t screw up customer orders, products, future plans…”

You can also choose selected items from this list. For instance, you can start your speech with Item 11 on the list. Note how it is a ready-made opening for any speech on communication. Here it is:

“Communication makes your reputation. Beware of how you approach each communication opportunity. Every time we communicate, we are either improving or destroying our reputation as a person of integrity, manners and professionalism. Even a quick bit of gossip in the hallways sends a message to other people what you ‘are about’. Every e-mail you send, again, however minor that e-mail is, gives everyone a chance to judge you. Because when you think about it, your professional reputation hangs upon two threads. The first one is what you do. People can and will judge you by your actions. The second thread is your communication skills. You judge someone by what they say, how they phrase it and the intent behind their words. So communication is not just a casual activity where you toss off an e-mail or a sound bite in the hallway to friends. Every word you say and write determines how people judge you now and how they will react to your ideas in the future. Never say anything, even a casual opinion, in the workplace, unless you have done the research to show that you know what you are talking about.”

After that opening, you can say, “And because communication is so important to your reputation, and our reputation as a company, we must ask ourselves, are we sending our customers, vendors, shareholders the right messages? Is it time to sit back and analyze what we are doing wrong and right?”

Take your time, highlight the material you like in this list, and you will have plenty of material for any speech on communication.

Quote: The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said. ~Peter Drucker

26 Essential Business Communication Tips

• People judge you by the way you write: Once, when I was finished interviewing a CEO for a speech, he walked to his desk and pulled out a file. Then he said, “I have over 5,000 employees and I can’t keep track of all of them. But I can tell a person’s thought process, by what they write and how they write it.” He showed me a file filled with e-mails, letters and reports from employees The CEO said, “When I see a well-written document that reflects a good thought process and the ability to put ideas into action, I put that document in the folder and tell my managers to watch that person.” The point is obvious. People judge our thought process by how we put words on paper, on how we logically develop our ideas, how we back up our ideas.

• Tailor your communication: One size does not fit all. You communicate with individuals and every individual is different, ranging from your boss to your spouse to your best friend. And there is no way that you talk to all three the same way. You tailor your communication to fit the listener ’s needs. This also applies when dealing with different cultures – you must tailor your communication to meet the cultural traditions and in addition to meet the listener ’s individual personality. And of course, you also must tailor the communication depending on the customer.

• Always research your audience: Ask questions, then ask more questions. What type of data is your audience expecting? Why are they expecting it? What are they going to do with it? How do they want it presented? Ask these key questions in advance, perhaps by an e-mail, followed by a phone call, and you have a good chance of hitting the target.

• Sell a lifestyle: We buy things because we want to create a script, for example the script of a loving family sitting around the fire. Or we buy a sports car because we want to create the myth of being young and free (which is why many middle-aged men buy sports cars). Think about any catalog, like the LL Bean catalog. They aren’t selling clothes; the catalog is about creating a lifestyle, long walks in the woods, front porches, fireplaces that the customer wants as his or her lifestyle. This has nothing to do with logic, everything to do with emotion and selling your customer a lifestyle script they want to write themselves into. That is why I can buy a golf shirt for $8 at Wal-Mart, but will pay $50 for the same shirt with a Polo logo. On a certain level, I have thrown logic out the window, to sell myself a concept of being a ‘Polo’ type person. Think about the last product you bought. What lifestyle script were you buying into? What script were you writing for yourself? What scripts are you writing for your customers or audience?• Selling ideas: Communication is the business of selling ideas. We sell ideas all day long, to our friends, to our boss, to our kids... Remember, you can only sell one idea at a time. So focus on the idea you want to sell, package it from your audience’s perspective and don’t try to sell multiple ideas. Sell one main idea at a time.• Have confidence: It is a lot like the old joke, if you can’t be sincere, at least fake it. Imagine a doctor who walks into your hospital room and she gives you no sense of confidence. The best way to develop confidence as a speaker is to KNOW your subject, know your audience and practice, practice, practice.• Audiences are kind: Audiences tend to be sympathetic. They respect anyone who has the courage to face an audience. So if someone ‘messes up’ a word or a slide and has to correct themselves, this actually could be a plus. The audience roots for the underdog, sees you as a human, not as some smooth talking speaker, and actually may identify with you more and actually listen more closely. There is such a thing as being too ‘slick’. A good speaker has to maintain that ‘Aw Shucks’ attitude too.• Handouts are crucial: Handouts are the important part of the presentation. After you show a slide, it’s gone. But people take the handouts back to their desk and this helps them remember your key points. A simple handout at the end, that lists your key points and what you would like your audience to do, what action steps you want them to take, is always a valuable tool in getting your ideas across.• Presentations get you in front of the right people: Why don’t you just e-mail the information to people? A presentation gets you face-to-face with the people who can make a difference, they can implement your ideas, and they can act upon your suggestions. So don’t lecture to them, study their reactions, ask questions to see if you are all on the same page. When they walk out of a room, you should know their depth of understanding of your presentation. You should know what follow-up steps you need to take, so your audience completely understands what you were discussing, why it was important and what steps they are expected to take. • Be specific: When asking or receiving information avoid vague words. Avoid saying I need it “soon”. What is “soon”? An hour, a day, a week? Also avoid the word ‘almost’. As in, “The report is almost completed”. Is it 90% complete? 80% complete? • Communication makes your reputation: Beware of how you approach each communication opportunity. Evert time we communicate, we are either improving or destroying our reputation as a person of integrity, manners and professionalism. Even a quick bit of gossip in the hallways sends a message to other people what you ‘are about’. Every e-mail you send, again, however minor that e-mail is, gives everyone a chance to judge you. Because when you think about it, your professional reputation hangs upon two threads. The first one is what you do. People can and will judge you by your actions. The second thread is your communication skills. You judge someone by what they say, how they phrase it and the intent behind their words. So communication is not just a casual activity where you toss off an e-mail or a sound bite in the hallway to friends. Every word you say and write determines how people judge you now and how they will react to your ideas in the future. Never say anything, even a casual opinion, in the workplace, unless you have done the research to show that you know what you are talking about. • Get feedback: How do you know that people are receiving the message you’re sending? What steps can you take to double- check? Every person brings their own set of perceptions to every meeting, every phone call, e-mail, in short, any type of communication. A good communicator looks for feedback, verbal, body language, all types of feedback. You can only be sure your message ‘got through’ if you check the feedback. Was the project completed; was it completed the way you requested? Did you just give directions and not check to see if your message was received? Hmm, perhaps there is a reason the project was not completed the way you envisioned?• What does your audience need to know: We are often tempted to tell everything we know about a subject. But every communicator must ask, “What does my audience already know and what do they need to know?” Remember you are not showing off your knowledge, you are trying to provide the audience with information they need and can use. • Be human: You build a relationship by sharing confidential experiences with another person. And if they accept you and they share experiences with you, a friendship has been born. And isn’t that what a good communicator does, reaches out, shows he or she is human, shares a painful experience with you? • Communicators ask critical questions: Managers know the basics of finance and accounting and all that ‘business stuff ’, but businesses which are successful year after year, have critical thinkers who ask hard questions such as, “Why do we do things that way?” “Where are our new markets and why?” “What new products must we develop?” If no one in the organization is a ‘pain’, always asking questions and doing research on the markets, the competition, the future… the company will not grow and prosper.The Most Creative, Escape the Ordinary, Excel at Public Speaking Book Ever - All the help you will ever need in giving a speechISBN: 978-1-78099-672-1, $26.95 / £14.99, paperback, 489ppEISBN: 978-1-78099-673-8, $9.99 / £6.99, eBook Have to give a speech? Don’t worry. You now have your own speechwriter, your own ideas man, your own creative team to make your speech stand above the rest. This book makes you a speech giving genius and guarantees your next speech will be intriguing, insightful, intelligent and interesting. This book will make your next speech the most original speech your audience has ever heard. Use these ideas and you will never be in danger of boring your audience. They won’t need their chairs, they will only need the edge! Philip Theibert has been a corporate speechwriter, copywriter, techncal writer, reporter, editor and author. His websites is www.writingcoachnow.comFollow this author   

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