Communication

The other day I was updating our database with a new client and I arrived at the field asking for the company’s fax number. And this made me think....how often these days do we send faxes? I racked my brains but could honestly not remember the last time I sent one. These days documents are scanned and emailed rather than faxed.

And this in turn made me think about how communication has changed over the years.....we have used messengers, pigeons, letters, telephone, telex, fax, emails, instant messenger and now skype and webinars. All various ways to interact with colleagues, friends and family.

At Dale Carnegie we have embraced the changes in communication and one of our latest ways of learning through webinars has been a huge success. But what about good old fashioned face to face communication.

How often do we email someone when we could easily pick up the phone, or even walk into the next department/office and speak to them? How often do we email our clients when it may be better to call them? Email is a very easy way of communicating and is extremely effective too, especially when dealing with clients and colleagues in different countries.

But you really cannot beat face to face communications. An example of this is when you deal with someone on the phone for a period of time and then you actually meet them – this in fact happened to me this week. Nine times out of ten once you have met that person your relationship blossoms as that interaction makes further communication so much easier.

So next time you decide to email, how about picking up the phone instead....or even better, pick up the phone and arrange a meeting.....you never know what could come of it.

And to end, here are a few tips from our founder, Dale Carnegie, on face to face communications:

~ Smile
~ Become genuinely interested in the person you are talking to
~ Remember that person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most sound in any language
~ Give honest and sincere appreciation
~ Show respect in the other person’s opinion. Never say “you’re wrong.”

For further tips why not come to our free preview session of our flagship programme, The Dale Carnegie Course.

The most useful person in the world today is the man or woman who knows how to get along with other people. Human relations is the most important science in living ~ Stanley C Allyn

Helen Mills
Financial Controller
http://www.london.dalecarnegie.com/