Conversing in Business–Keep It Short and Sweet!

Most business is still conducted in conversations either by phone or face to face, so good communication skills are essential to success. It may be surprising to learn that experts say people want to know three things before they enter into a business conversation:

1.  How long will this take?

2.  Will this be painful?

3.  What do you want from me?

To create the conditions for a successful conversation, the initiator should address these points before the conversation begins. Simply stating, “I know you’re busy, so I’ll just take a minute of your time to…” can start a conversation off on the right foot.

It’s also important to consider body language when conversing. Over half of all people interpret messages based on the speaker’s facial expressions; 37% rely on the speaker’s tone of voice. Eight percent rely on words.

Source: Anderson, A. (2013, May 28). Successful business communication: It starts at the beginning. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/amyanderson/2013/05/28/successful-business-communication-it-starts-at-the-beginning/

Best “I’m Late Because…” Excuses 

Talent Management recently reported survey findings that listed the best excuses employees made for being late. Here are a few doozies.

• My cat got stuck in the toilet.
• I thought Halloween was a work holiday.
• I forgot the company changed locations.
• A zebra was running down the highway and caused a traffic jam (it was true!)

Source: (2014, February 4). Retrieved from http://talentmgt.com/articles/view/survey-reveals-most-memorable-employee-excuses-for-being-late