Communication Skills

CONTENTS
1. Introduction to communication
2. Sending verbal message
3. Listening to verbal message
4. Sending non-verbal message
5. Reading non-verbal message

INTRODUCTION
TO COMMUNICATION
Definition
Communication process
Communication barriers
Communication method

COMMUNICATION
Is a process whereby information is transferred and
understood between two or more people.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Transferring
The right information
To
The right person
At
The right time
In
A cost-effective manner

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
50
%
Said Heard
Heard Listened
Listened Understood
Understood Believed
Believed Remembered
Is
SaidRemembered 1/32

COMMUNICATION PROCESS
Message
Feedback
Encoding
EncodingDecoding
Decoding
Environment
SENDER RECIEVER

COMMUNICATION BARRIERS
Communication breakdowns can be caused by:-
1. Encoding
2. Decoding
3. Environment

1- ENCODING & DECODING
What a person want to say
“We have an entire line of
copiers.
But I think the model 900 is
ideally suited for your needs
because it provides the
basic copying function at a
low price”

What the person says
“The model 900 is our best selling
copier.
It is designed to economically meet
the copying needs of small
businesses like yours”

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWNS
What the customer hears:
“The model 900 is a low price copier for
small businesses”

What the customer thinks:
“this company makes low price
copiers with limited features.
They are designed for
businesses that don’t have
much money to spend for a
copier.
We need copier with more
features. We should invest in a
better copier that will meet our
future needs”

2- ENVIRONMENT
Communication may be affected by the environment in
which the communication process occurs, such as:

2- ENVIRONMENT
Noise
They are sounds unrelated to message being exchanged
by the salesperson and the customer.
such as:
 Ringing phones
 Other conversations nearby

2- ENVIRONMENT
Physical
People communicate
more effectively when
they are physically
comfortable.

COMMUNICATION METHODS
People communicate with each other through:
1. Face to face interaction
2. Phone
3. E-mails
4. Letters.

Interactivity: is a function of the time between sending
message and getting a response to it.
Verbal communication: is the transmission of ideas or
thoughts through words.
Non-verbal communication: is the expressions (body
language, space and appearance) that communicate
thoughts and emotions without using words.

Face to face Telephones E-mail Letter
High High Low Lowest
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Limited No No
Highest Low Lowest Moderate
Interactivity
Verbal channel
Non-verbal channel
Quantity of information

Body Language
55%
Voice Quality
38%
Words
7%
FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATION

SENDING VERBAL MESSAGE
In order to properly send a verbal message, we should
consider:
A. Effective use of words
1. Characteristics of words
2. Using effective words
3. Painting word pictures
B. Voice characteristics
1. Speech rate
2. Loudness
3. Inflection
4. Articulation
C. Asking questions

A- EFFECTIVE USE OF WORDS
 Each industry has its own trade
jargons.
 Use simple words that could be
easily understood by the other
party.

A.1. CHARACTERISTICS OF WORDS
There are two types of words:
1. Concrete
2. Abstract

Concrete
They are fact oriented words and expressions which
convey more information and less likely to be
misinterpreted than abstract.
“The mineral content of this water is one part per million”

Abstract
“This water is pure”

Concrete
It was extremely hot today
It will be a long meeting
Come early tomorrow
Abstract

A.2. USING EFFECTIVE WORDS
Word artist have the ability to soft and appealing or strong
and powerful.

Cheaper More economical
Prospect Future client
Objection Area of concern
Sign Approve
Sell Get involved
Contract Agreement
Cost / Price Investment
DON’T SAY SAY

Appointment Visit
Commission Fee of service
Customer People we serve
Problem Challenge
Deal Opportunity
Buy Own
Down payment Initial investment
DON’T SAY SAY

A.3. PAINTING WORD PICTURES
 Salesperson can use word pictures to help customers
understand the benefits of a product.
 A word picture is a story designed to help the customer
visualize a point.

B- VOICE CHARACTERISTICS
 A salesperson delivery of words affects how the
customer will understand and evaluate his/her
presentation.
 poor voice and speech habits make it difficult for other
party to understand the message.

B.1. SPEECH RATE
 The average normal speech rate is 140 words per
minute.
 People who talk faster or slower than the normal rate
should consciously try to slow down or speed up.

 Salespeople should vary their rate of speech, depending
on the nature of the message and the environment in
which the communication takes place.
 Simple message should be delivered at faster rate, and
more difficult concepts should be presented at slower
rate.

 Telephone calls should be
conducted at a low speech rate.
 In noisy environment, the
salespeople should speak at
lower speech rate.

TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION
Voice Quality
84%
Words
16%

B.2. LOUDNESS
 Speech loudness should be tailored to the
communication situation .
 Generally, salespeople have to avoid monotony and
learn to emphasize certain points of the presentation to
indicate the customer that these parts are more
important.

B.3. INFLECTION
 Inflection is the tone of speech.
 At the end of a sentence, the tone should decrease
indicating completion of a thought.
 When the tone goes up at the end of a sentence,
listeners often sense uncertainty in the speaker.

B.4. ARTICULATION
 Articulation is the production of recognizable sounds.
 Poor articulation has three main causes:
1- Locked jaw
2- Lazy lips
3- Lazy tongue

C- ASKING QUESTIONS
Objective:
1. To gets the other party to participate actively in the
interview rather than just listening to the presentation.
2. To get the other party’s attention and ends up learning
and remembering more about the idea you want to
communicate.

C- ASKING QUESTIONS
Recommendations before questioning:
1. Space out your questions
2. Ask short simple questions
3. Avoid leading questions
4. Use questions to collect information
5. Use questions to maintain the flow of information

C- ASKING QUESTIONS
SPACE OUT YOUR QUESTIONS
 When salespeople ask several questions, one right after
another, customers may feel threatened.

C- ASKING QUESTIONS
 Some customers react by disclosing less rather than
giving more information.
 Questions should be spaced out so the customer has
time to answer each question in a relaxed atmosphere.
 If several questions are really necessary, the
salesperson might ask a permission question first.

C- ASKING QUESTIONS
ASK SHORT SIMPLE QUESTIONS
 Questions that have two or more parts should be
avoided.
Why?
 Customer will not know which part to answer and the
salesperson will not know which part has been
answered.

C- ASKING QUESTIONS
AVOID LEADING QUESTIONS
 Questions should not suggest an appropriate answer.
 Such questions may put a word in the customer’s mouth
rather than drawing out what the customer actually think.

C- ASKING QUESTIONS
e.g.
Salesperson “ why do you think this product is a good one”
Customer “ well, you said it has a low price and reliable”

C- ASKING QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS TO COLLECT INFORMATION
 Questions used to collect information usually starts with
4W and 1H.
 The response for these questions gives the salesperson
a better understanding of the customer problems.

C- ASKING QUESTIONS
QUESTION TO MAINTAIN FLOW OF INFORMATION
A good way to maintain the flow of information is to offer
verbal and non-verbal encouragement, such as:
1. Really
2. Uh-huh
3. That’s interesting
4. Is that so

C- ASKING QUESTIONS
Another approach for maintaining the flow of information
is to make a positive requests for additional
information such as:
Can you give me an example of what you mean?
Please tell me more about that?

C- ASKING QUESTIONS
 A third type of approach for maintaining flow of
information is to make neutral statement that reaffirm
or repeat the customer’s comment.
 This allows the salesperson to dig deeper, and stimulate
customers to continue their thoughts in a logical manner.

C- ASKING QUESTIONS
 By reaffirming a customer’s statement, the salesperson
can respond to the customer without agreeing or
disagreeing with him/her.

LISTENING TO VERBAL MESSAGE
Many people believe that
effective communication
is achieved by talking a
lot.

Inexperienced people think
that they have to outtalk the
other party.
However, people who
monopolize the discussion will
not find out what the other
party wants.

120-160 words
per minute.
800 words
per minute.

Hearing Listening Active listening

ACTIVE LISTENING
 Active listening is not a passive
activity.
 Good listeners project themselves
into the mind of the speaker and
attempt to feel what the speaker
feels.

ACTIVE LISTENING
 If a customer says that he needs a small Microphone,
the salespersons should listen carefully to know:
1. What the term small microphone means to the
customer?
2. How small it has to be?
3. What the customer is willing to sacrifice to get this
small microphone.

ACTIVE LISTENING
Suggestions for active listening include:
1. Repeating information
2. Restating or rephrasing information
3. Clarifying information
4. Summarizing the conversation
5. Tolerating the silence
6. Concentrating the ideas being communicated

ACTIVE LISTENING
1- REPEATING INFORMATION
 It means : repeat what the other party has just said.
 Objectives :
1. To verify the information taken from the other party.
2. To minimize the chance of misunderstanding

ACTIVE LISTENING
e.g.
 customer “ I will take 15 pack of X and 10 packs of Y”
 salesperson “sure, dr….. That will be 15 X and 10 Y”
 Customer “ wait a minute, I got that back. I want 10 X
and 10 Y”
 Salesperson “ fine, 10 X and 10 Y”
 Customer “ yes, that is what I want”

ACTIVE LISTENING
2- RESTATING INFORMATION
 It means: to restate the other party comment using his
own words.
 Objective:
1. Ensure that both parties understand each other.

ACTIVE LISTENING
e.g.
 Customer “ X efficacy is not as I expected”
 Salesperson “ I see, you are dissatisfied with the results
of X”
 Customer “ oh, no I didn’t say that, I mean that X results
are more than expected”

ACTIVE LISTENING
3- CLARIFYING INFORMATION
 It means: to ask questions designed to obtain additional
information.
 This may give a complete understanding of the other
party concern.

ACTIVE LISTENING
E.g
 Customer “ I tried X and it is not effective”
 Salesperson “ in which indication you had used it?”
 Customer “ chronic prostatitis”
 Salesperson “ what concentration did you prescribed?”
 Customer “ 750 mg”

ACTIVE LISTENING
 Salesperson “ what dose?”
 Customer “ twice daily”
Salesperson “ are you used to prescribe multivitamins
with X?”
Customer “ does that make any difference?

ACTIVE LISTENING
4- SUMMARIZING THE CONVERSATION
It means: summarizing points that have been discussed
earlier in the presentation.
This will give both parties a quick review of the
presentation.

ACTIVE LISTENING
5- TOLERATING SILENCE
 This technique is better to be called “bite your tongue”
 During the sales presentation, the customer may need
time to think.
 While the customer is thinking, a period of silence
occurs.

ACTIVE LISTENING
 You may feel uncomfortable during this period and think
that they have to say something.
 But the other party can't think while you are talking.
 So you have to tolerate this silence in order to give the
other party a chance to think

ACTIVE LISTENING
6- CONCENTRATING ON THE IDEAS BEING
COMMUNICATED
Sometimes, words that customers say and how they say
can distract salespeople from the idea the customer are
actually trying to communicate .

ACTIVE LISTENING
e.g
salespeople may react strongly when customers use
emotion-laden phrases such as:
1. Bad service
2. Lousy product.
Instead of getting angry, the salespeople should try to know
what upset the customer so much.

ACTIVE LISTENING
The good listener knows
when to talk and when to
listen.

SENDING NON VERBAL MESSAGE
The channels a person can send nonverbal messages to a
other party are:
1. Body language
2. Space
3. Appearance

1- BODY LANGUGAE
People should strive to use
positive body signals.

1- BODY LANGUGAE
Cooperative cues indicate to
customers that the salesperson
sincerely wants to help them
satisfy their needs.

1- BODY LANGUGAE
On the other hand, salespeople
should avoid using negative cues
since it will intimidate customers and
make them uncomfortable.

1- BODY LANGUGAE
Body language includes;
1. Face.
2. Eye contact.
3. Hand movement.
4. Posture and body movements.
5. Matching customer’s communication style.

1- BODY LANGUGAE / 1- Face
Facial expressions are often
involuntary, therefore, it is
very difficult to manage.

1- BODY LANGUGAE / 1- Face
 Nothing creates rapport like a
smile
 99% when you give a smile,
you receive a smile.
 The smile should be natural
and comfortable, not a smirk or
an exaggerated.

1- BODY LANGUGAE / 2- Eyes
 Appropriate eye contact varies from situation to another.
 People should use eye contact when talking to show
sincerity, credibility and trustworthiness.
 Staring has an opposite effect and makes the customers
uncomfortable.

1- BODY LANGUGAE / 3- Hands
Hands movements can have a dramatic impact.
Exposing palm of the hand Openness and receptivity
Slicing hand movement and
pointing a finger
Very strong signal used to reinforce
only the most important point

1- BODY LANGUGAE / 3- Hands
 Pointing a finger must be avoided unless highlighting an
important point.
 Over gesturing using hand movements will make the
customer watch the hands and miss the words.

1- BODY LANGUGAE
1.4. POSTURE AND BODY MOVEMENTS
Salespeople should make comfort is their guide when
searching for the right posture.
Practice in front of a mirror, straight your back and pull
your shoulders back to elevate your head.

1- BODY LANGUGAE
1.5. MACHING THE CUSTOMER'S COMMUNICATION
STYLE
Salespeople develop better rapport when they match both
the verbal and the non verbal behavior of their customer.

1- BODY LANGUGAE
If you speak loud and fast to a customer who is soft-
spoken and slow, you are in a real mismatch.
You are communicating: "I am not like you"
"I don't like you"
We all tend to like people who are like us.

2- SPACE AND PHYSICAL CONTACT
Intimate Zone
"Closest relation"
Personal Zone
"Close friends"
Social Zone
"Business"
Public Zone
"Teachers, class rooms…"

The physical space between a customer and a salesperson
can affect the customer's reaction to a sales operation.

Distance and spacing during interaction
 The size of the intimate and personal zones
depends on age, gender, culture and race.

The social zone for Latin American is much closer than that
of North American.

 Customers may react negatively when they believe that
the salespeople are invading their intimate or personal
zones.
 This negative reaction may be expressed by moving
back away or folding their arms.

On the other hand, standing too far away can create an
image of aloofness, conceit or unsociability.

 In general, salespeople should begin the customer
interaction at the far end of the social zone and avoid
moving on until the initial approach has been
established.
 If the customer showed a friendlier relationship, the
salesperson should move closer.

TOUCHING
 People fall into two touch groups: contact and non
contact.
 Contact people see non contact as: cold and unfriendly.
 Non contact people see contact as: over friendly and
obtrusive.

 Although, some customers may accept a hand on their
backs or a touch on their shoulders, the salesperson
should limit their touching on handshake as touching
clearly enters the customer intimate zone and this may
be considered as rude, threatening or an invasion.

3- APPEARNACE
Physical appearance, especially dress style, is an aspect of
non-verbal communication that affects the customer
evaluation of the salesperson.

3- APPEARNACE
Two priorities in dressing for business are:
1. Getting the customer to notice you in a positive way.
2. Getting the customer to trust you.

3- APPEARNACE
If salespeople overdress, their clothing may distract
from their sales presentation.

3- APPEARNACE
MATCH THE CUSTOMER DRESS
The appropriate style of dress depends on the
salesperson's occupation, social status, age, physical size
and geographic location.

3- APPEARNACE
 Salespeople can get some clues about appropriate
styles by observing their customers.
 Salespeople should attempt to match the styles of their
customers and avoid dressing more stylishly or
expensively.

READING NON VERBAL MESSAGE
In addition to asking question
and listening, you can learn a lot
from observing the other party’s
nonverbal behaviors.

The five elements of body language are:
1. Body angels.
2. Facial expressions.
3. Arms.
4. Hands.
5. Legs.

1. BODY ANGLES
1. Side-to-side movement
2. Body movement toward a person
3. Leaning back or away
4. Back-and-forth movement

Leaning back or away
Boredom,
Anger
Apprehension

Back-and-forth emotions
Positive outlook
Body movement toward a person
Positive regard

2. FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
2- FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
A. Facial muscles
B. Eyes

2. FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
FACIAL MUSCLES
 The face has many small muscles capable of
communicating innumerable messages.

Disgusted Bored Tired
Happy
Cold
Scared Irritated Shocked

Sad
Scared
Angry
Confused
Laugh
Embarrassed
Curious
Excited

2. FACIAL EXPRESSION
EYES
 Eyes are the most important
area of the face.
 The pupil of interested or
excited people tend to enlarge.
 Eye position indicate a
customer’s thought process.

In USA, salespeople look
directly into their customer’s
eyes when speaking or
listening to them, is a sign of
interest in what the customer
is saying.

 In Japan, looking directly at a
subordinate indicates that the
subordinate has done
something wrong.
 When a subordinate looks
directly into the eyes of his
direct boss, that the
subordinate is displaying
hostility.

Eyes focused straight a
head
Customer is passively
receiving information
but devoting little effort
to analyze the meaning
and not really
concentrating on the
presentation.
Intense eye for more than 3
seconds
Customer displeasure

Staring eye Coldness, anger or dislike
Eyes are positioned right and left
Customer involved in the
presentation
A gaze to the left
Intense concentration based
on emotion consideration
A gaze to the right
Customer consider logic and
facts in the presentation
look way for long period Wants to end the meeting

3. ARMS
3- ARMS
 A key factor in interpreting arm movement is intensity.
 Customer will use more arm movement when they are
conveying an opinion.
 Broader and more vigorous movement indicates the
customer is more emphatic about the point being
communicated verbally.

4. HANDS
4- HANDS
 Hand gestures are very expressive.
Open and relaxed hands
especially with palm facing up
Positive sign
Self-touching gesture Tension
Involuntary gesture as tightening
of fist
True feeling

4. HANDS
 The meaning of hand gesture differs
from one culture.
 For example, in USA the thumbs-up
expression means that everything is
alright.

4. HANDS
 In Japan, the OK sign “ holding the
thumb and forefinger in a circle”

5. LEGS
5-LEGS
Uncrossed legs in an open
position
Cooperation, confidence and
friendly nature
Crossed legs away from the
salesperson
The presentation is not going
well

BODY LANGUAGE
NEGATIVE SIGNALSPOSITIVE SIGNALS
Crossed arms or legsUncrossed legs and arms
Leaning backward or away
from the salesperson
Leaning forward
Shaking headsNodding
No eye contactEye contact
Little change in expression
“lifeless”
Animated and excited
reactions

HINTS FOR MEN
SUIT
 Dark suit gives more authoritative
image.
 Lighter suits create a friendlier
image.

HINTS FOR MEN
SHIRTS
Solid white shirts, blue and pale
are the most common.
Shirts should be lighter than the
suit and the tie should be darker
than the shirt.

HINTS FOR MEN
Shirt stripes should always be
too close together, clearly
defined and of one coordinating
color on white background.

HINTS FOR MEN
TIE
A good rule is to wear suits and
shirts in basic color and let the tie
provide the accent color.
The tie tip should come just to the
belt buckle and its width should
harmonize with the width of the suit
lapels.

HINTS FOR MEN
BELTS
 Most belts are acceptable.
 Buckles should be small, clean and
traditional.
SHOES
 Shoes should be black or brown.
 Never wear shoes of multiple colors or of
high heels.

HINTS FOR MEN
ACCESSORIES
For accessories, the less the better.
Stay away from bracelets and pins.

HINTS FOR WOMEN
SUITS
 A good business wardrobe contains navy,
black or gray suits worn with light colored
blouse. Also suits with more cheerful colors
may be added.
 The suit should be stylish but not so trendy.
 Women have a little more variety in colors
than men.

HINTS FOR WOMEN
BLOUSE
 The blouse should be
1. Businesslike but feminine
2. Soft but not seen through
3. Plain or with small prints

HINTS FOR WOMEN
SHOES
Black, brown or navy colors are all accepted
The heel should not be higher than 3-4 cm

HINTS FOR WOMEN
ACCESSORIES
Accessories such as ties, scarves, simple pins, gold
chains and plain watches can make even a plain dark
suit look dressy and businesslike.
Chunky jewelry and clanking bracelets are out.

HINTS FOR WOMEN
HAIR
Hair length is not an issue, but it must be managed
effectively.

Communication Skills

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