Communication Skills Training for BST UBM India focuses on improving verbal and written communication. The agenda includes exercises to improve speech, handling difficult customers, email drafting, and building language skills. Verbal exercises help with pronunciation, voice modulation, and articulation. Etiquette and negativity handling are discussed. Email best practices include impactful subject lines, brevity, and follow-up calls. Language topics cover articles, voice, structure, punctuation, and growing vocabulary through resources like books, apps, and online sources.

1. Communication Skills
Training for BST
UBM India
13-11-2013
Trainer: Brian Pereira

2. Agenda
• How and why we communicate ; comm. process.
• Verbal – speech and voice exercises.
• Communication etiquette.
• Handling negativity, disgruntled customers.
• E-mail drafting.
• Language: Grammar, Punctuation, Vocabulary.
• Learning Resources.

3. What, why, how…
• Communication (from Latin commūnicāre,
meaning "to share" [1]) is the activity of
conveying information through the exchange
of thoughts, messages, or information, as by
speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behavior.
• It is the meaningful exchange of information
between two or more living creatures.
• Source: Wikipedia

4. The written & spoken word; thought
• Spoken: Pronunciation, fluency of language, choice of
words, voice modulation.
Also: hand gestures, body language, handshake, eye
contact, facial expressions, appearance, dress etc – this
is collectively the VISUAL element.
• Written: Vocabulary, sentence structure, writing style,
how well you articulate, the completeness of the
information. Brevity and clarity of the message.
• Thought: Recollection of incidents, experiences from
memory. What you read, observe, interactions with
people.

5. Before you communicate…
• Objective or Goal of the communication?
• Who are you going to communicate with?
(individual, group; rank/level)
• What do you want to communicate?
• What approach will you use (channels)?
• Timeline, sense of urgency.

6. Before you speak…
• Know exactly what you want to say.
• Listen, research, notes, group discussion.
• Think of all the possible reactions that the
audience might have, and prepare for that.
• What is the audience profile or industry?
• Formulate your thoughts and ideas.
• Write scripts (consistency) – edit reedit
scripts.

7. Communication Tips
1. Think before you speak. Collect thoughts.
2. Be acquainted with your message.
3. Avoid lengthy explanations.
4. Get to the point quickly (easier for the listener to
remember what you said).
5. Know the results you want from your dialogues.
6. Have some knowledge about the person you are
speaking to.
7. Persuade the other person to accept your point of
view.
8. Proper planning in advance (research).

8. Verbal communication

9. How does a musical instrument
produce sound?

10. How loud speakers produce sound

11. How the human body produces sound
3. Articulation: The vocal
tract articulators (the
tongue, soft palate, and
lips) modify the voiced
sound. The articulators
produce recognizable
words.
1. Power Source
(lungs): The power for
your voice comes from air
that you exhale. When we
inhale, the diaphragm
lowers and the rib cage
expands, drawing air into
the lungs. Exhale: the
process reverses and air
exits the lungs
2. Sound: The air
from the lungs is
pushed up the wind
pipe or Trachea and
reaches the Larynx or
voice box which
contains the vibrating
vocal chords – that
produce sound.

12. Speech
1. Power source (lungs): The power of voice -
Breathing exercises
2. Resonance/vibration (vocal chords):
Resonance exercises
3. Articulation: (tongue, palette, jaws, teeth):
Speech exercises /tongue twisters

13. Breathing Exercises

14. Resonance Exercises

15. She Sells Sea Shells
by the Sea Shore
Speech Exercises: Tongue Twisters

20. Voice Modulation
• Changing the timing, pitch and volume of your
voice during speech or while singing.
• Puts emphasis on certain words of phrases
• Makes certain words stand out
• Helps people remember the words
• Adds clarity to words
• Creates impact
• E.g. Sports commentator, news reader on TV, RJ
(Radio), VJ (TV)

21. Voice Modulation
• Pitch – Varying the notes in voice; high, low
• High pitch for excitement; low pitch for
seriousness.
• Pace – Varying the timing at which you speak.
• Speak slow to emphasize words, pause for effect
• Speak fast for excitement, for sentences that are
known.
• Don’t speak too fast; slurred speech; lose clarity
• Normal speed – most of your speech

22. Voice modulation
• Power or volume: Vary the volume of your
voice.
• Loud creates an impact, keeps people awake.
• Loud for something that needs attention;
seriousness.
• Don’t speak too softly when you go back to
normal.
• Learn to use the power and intensity of your
voice to your advantage (Practice)

23. Communication Etiquette
• Respect (Salutation), empathy
• Tone – cheerful, polite, positive, greeting
• Smile (talking on phone)
• Inform – imagine what the recipient needs in terms of info
– anticipate questions
• Brevity, concise
• Articulate, clarity
• Call to action (next steps, leave message, contact info)

24. Handling negativity, disgruntled customers
• Expect conflict, negativity and prepare for it in
advance
• Use facts – not emotions – keep cool
• Don’t be impulsive in responding
• Be cordial, polite, yet firm
• Be empathetic, but stay with the reality
• Be impartial (take the customers side)
• Show that you understand - acknowledge what
the customer is saying (Call center)
• Resolution: Provide solutions – not excuses

25. Email Drafting

26. Email
• When to use email (purpose)
– More details, info, on-record
• What time is best to send email?
– People open their mail at different times of the day
– Tuesday – Thursday
– Two slots: 10:00 – 12:00 ; 2:00 – 4:00
• What does the recipient look at?
– From, subject line, auto preview, reading pane)
– 3 second comprehension

27. Email
• How recipients see mail:
– 1. From
– 2. Subject line + Auto Preview
– 3. Read the first para (Reading pane or click to open)
– 4. Skim through rest of mail
– 5. Eye notices emphasized text (bold, highlighted)
– 6. Visuals and graphics

29. Three second comprehension

30. Auto Preview

31. Email: Design & Content
• Subject lines should be impactful, catchy
• Balance of text, images and white space
• Avoid embedded JPG images with text
• Use plain text or HTML (links)
• Brevity, clarity, informative
• Tracking code - URL link embedded in mail
• Social media links
• Include links to information
• Opt-out and Opt-in

32. Email: Best Practices
• Delivery and Read receipt confirmations (use link
tracker instead)
• Do not use Mail merge from your desktop – use a
reputed ESP service (Mail Chimp, Epsilon etc)
• Sender name must be authoritative / use a
senior’s ID or alias/company ID
• Allow the recipient to reply – do not use “Do not
reply” or “no-reply” in the from field
• Opt-out and Opt-in

33. Email: Best Practices
• People receive lots of email so follow up with
a call the next day
• Be consistent with the email communication,
over a long term (don’t lose touch)
• Anticipate questions and provide answers/info
in your email
• Include all relevant details: Date & time of
event, venue, fees, website, your contact
• CTA, Register here (link), call us (no.),
download whitepaper (link)

34. Sample-1 (email)

35. Example-2 (Email)

36. Example-3 - email

37. BST samples

38. Phone calls
• Email – next day follow-up call
• Call at the right time
• If you know the person, use your mobile
(screening)
• Keep it brief and informative
• Show that you care about his time: Is this the
right time? Can I call later? Can I have 5
minutes?

39. SMS, mobile apps
• Should be used for reminders – third level of
contact
• On the day of the event – “gentle reminder”
• Keep the tone of the message friendly
• Don’t spam
• What’s App and other apps (tech savvy)
• What’s App – can attach a small graphic or
document with details

40. Language

41. A few things about language…
• Articles
• Voice
• Para & Sentence structuring
• Punctuation
• Vocabulary building

42. Articles
An article is a word that is used with a noun to
indicate the type of reference being made by the
noun. Articles specify grammatical definiteness of
the noun, in some languages extending to volume
or numerical scope.
The articles in the English
language are the and a/an, and (in some
contexts) some.

43. Indefinite Articles
• A/An are called ‘Indefinite’ articles – they
refer to something generic. They are used
with countable nouns and usually before
words that begin with vowels or vowel
sounds
• An Apple (Vowel) An Elephant A Zebra
(consonant)
• An MBA (sounds like ‘E’)
• [x] A water (not countable) – [] water

44. Definite article
• The is called ‘Definite’ article – it refers to
something specific or unique, something or
someone in particular.
• He is talking to the boy who lives next door
• Give me a book
• Give me the book

45. Voice
• Write in the Active voice
• The boy picked up the book (active)
• The book was picked up by the boy (passive)
• [Thing doing the action] + [verb] + [thing receiving the
action]
• Subject + verb + object
The boy kicked the ball
• In some cases, you need to write in passive voice
(negative news)

46. Para and Sentence structuring
Document
Paragraph
Sentence, phrase,
clause
Words
Characters

47. Para and sentence structuring
• Para – a unit of thought leading to an idea – so group
related sentences
• Ideally, not more than 3 – 5 sentences per para
• Sentence – a group of words that make sense. Has a
Subject and a predicate. The other words are modifiers
and add to the meaning.
• Simple sentence (single independent clause)
• Compound sentence (multiple independent clauses joined
by coordinators: and, for, so, yet, nor)
• I tried to speak English but he did not understand
• Complex sentence (one independent clause and one or
more dependent clauses)
• Clause: Has a subject, verb, predicate (part of a sentence)
• Phrase: a small group of words that forms a meaningful
unit within a clause e.g. A vase of roses stood on the table

48. Punctuation: Apostrophe
- It’s your turn (It is your turn - contraction)
- The dog wags its tail (possessive)
- We can’t go (contraction of cannot; omission of letters)
- - You shouldn’t say that
- I don’t know
- The boy’s hat (singular, possessive)
- The boys’ hat (plural, possessive)
- Charles’ hat (proper noun ending in ‘S’)
- Summer of ‘69 (Omission of characters)
- Nat’l Academy (National Academy)
- In one week’s time (time and quantity)
- Two weeks’ notice (plural possessive)
- O’Neil, O’Reiley (Irish names)
- Mind your P’s and F’s (plurals of letters)
- Do’s and Don’t’s (Plurals of words)
- A CIO’s perspective
- The CIOs are coming

49. Vocabulary (word power)
1. Vocabulary cannot be taught; it is self-learned.
2. Vocabulary cannot be built in a day; it is built
over a period of time.
• Study: Students in India do not read much, yet
their vocabulary is good. How is that so?

50. Vocabulary
It is important to have a good Vocabulary because:
a. You become more precise in your
communication, and use less words.
b. Increases your credibility.
c. Listeners will pay attention and respect you.
• Also build your General Knowledge (well read).
GK + Vocabulary = intelligent person

51. Vocabulary building tips
• Listen to the pronunciation of words (Apps,
Websites). British and American pronunciation.
• Underline words in pencil and look these up in a
dictionary (app on phone, Google Define)
• Try to understand the correct context in the usage
of the word (See examples)
• Repeat words aloud. Practice using sentences.
• Compare the way you say words with the ones in
the app (Merriam-Webster app)
• Do Crossword puzzles
• Reader’s Digest column: Word Power

52. Vocabulary building tips
• Go through a dictionary at random
• Thesaurus (book of synonyms and antonyms)
• Roget’s Thesaurus
• Online resources (Dictionary.com &
Thesaurus.com)
• A Word a day (email newsletter)

53. Word pronunciations
• Dictionary follows the International Phonetic
Alphabet (IPA) to explain the pronunciation of
words

54. Word forms
• Remark – (root)
• Derivatives:
– Remarkably (adv)
– Remarked (verb)
– Remarkable (adj)

55. Vocabulary resources
• Books: Word Power made Easy - Norman Lewis
• Read: Novels, Reader’s Digest.
• Read: Time, Newsweek, Economist, Fortune,
Forbes, BusinessWeek, Outlook Traveller, Lonely
Planet (Online editions available).
• Listen to podcasts, audio books
• Watch English movies (classics)
• Watch News channels (be wary of accents)
• Apps: WordWeb, Merriam Webster app

56. Vocabulary resources
• Vocabulary: A word a day email newsletter
http://www.wordsmith.org/awad/
• http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/
• http://www.wordthink.com/
• Online Grammar checker – Grammarly
http://www.grammarly.com/
• http://www.reverso.net/spell-checker/english-spelling-
grammar/
• BOOK: Eats, Shoots & Leaves – Lynne Truss

57. Resources-2
BOOK: Reader’s Digest: Write Better, Speak Better
BOOK: The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
• English Grammar, Style
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl
• http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
• http://grammar.about.com
• OTHER – Workplace, career
BOOK: The Essential Manager’s Manual – Publisher: DK
Multimedia

58. Speeches
• I have a dream – Martin Luther King
• First Inaugural address - Abraham Lincoln
• Fourth of July address - Abraham Lincoln
• U.S. Democratic National Convention
Keynote - Barack Obama
• Stanford Commencement address - Steve Jobs
• http://www.history.com/speeches

59. Thank you!