Voice & Word Make-Overs - Sandra Baigel

Focus on Confidence not Accent

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:12:00 +0000

With English his fourth language, Anton felt insecure when speaking in front of an international group in that language.

Posted to Australia by his Engineering firm, he was determined to achieve a leadership role while working in the country. He took classes, practised technically accurate English, read the local papers and embraced every chance he could to speak in public.

Yes, all that work made a difference, but he continued to sound hesitant and spoke with a fearful tone in his voice. When we met, he was close to despair.

Together, we agreed on changing the focus. Working on skills in delivery, voice projection and the use of structure in speaking environments, Anton realised that he had been working against, rather than with his existing English language skills.

By relaxing his approach, he took the pressure off himself and his spoken English. He freed up his spontaneous thinking and began making deeper connections with his professional audiences.

The change of focus from accent to self-confidence made all the difference!

A plague on voice strain

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:30:00 +0000

Suzette heads up the HR department of a multi-national organisation.

Her work demands regular trips across Asia. She is constantly in air-conditioned environments. And she has been seeing a throat specialist due to sporadic voice loss.

With her specialist's approval, we've been working together:

On relaxation techniques in confined spaces

On voice release techniques

On voice preservation techniques

And on voice projection techniques

Establishing a voice care routine will make a difference to your enjoyment of work. Consider a tailored Master Class.

Quite by chance...

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:09:00 +0000

There are times when it appears that a Makeover happens quite by chance. It is appearance only; the context, the mood of those present and the person themselves need to meet and generate change.

Just recently, this occurred in a group working on 'Voice in Story'. While going through a quick warm-up exercise, I called for volunteers to spontaneously speak on a selected topic. One participant, known in the organisation for a strong, almost forbidding communication style, rose.

The group were spellbound by a gentle, loving story of a relaxed family holiday.

Of interest to me, was hearing how the teller's voice changed as the story unfolded. It moved from direct, purposeful, dogmatic delivery into a blend of wry humour, wonder, reflection and celebration.

The impact still resonates in the group. No longer seen as stern, demanding and dogmatic, that narrator is now sought-after for their unique warmth, insight and approachability.

When a speaker relaxes and releases the story, it is not just the narrative that benefits!

International Conference Calls - Credibility

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 04:51:00 +0000

Saving time and cutting costs have contributed to the steady rise in virtual communication.

With limited or no body language as a mechanism for interpretation, leaders and executives rely increasingly on their voice, their delivery and their tonal messages to hold attention and speak with conviction.

Charles (based in Australia) and Elise (working temporarily from central Europe) had been colleagues for around 8 years. They knew each other relatively well and had contributed to a number of key projects as technical specialists; he in IT she in finance.

Their relationship was tested by recent global pressures and changes in business practices in Europe and Australia. Their communication was derailed by time zones, misinterpretation and virtual assumptions.

To better manage their telephone interactions they agreed to a system of language indicators. The moment one or the other identfied uncertainty or confusion in the other they would stop the conversation, go back one or two steps and repeat the core of the message. To each core they would add a clarifying statement such as 'This means that....'; 'What I am seeing is...' and similar.

While the repetition was initally frustrating, they found that by closely listening to their communcation partner's tonal shifts and addressing the assumptions and snap judgements that arose from them, they were able to sustain clear, credible interactions. Each gained deeper appreciation for the other's pressures and challenges. Eventually, they were able to 'pick up' mood swings in voice and, through that skill, were able to get to the heart of the message sooner.

Yes, instant virtual communication is a boon. It is also one that needs to take note of context and the potential for misinterpretations.

Style Adjustment for New Leader

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 04:29:00 +0000

'Charles' was flattered when he was head-hunted by a recruitment agency for a significant leadership role in a professional services firm. Previously, he had worked as a financial specialist in a small, closely-knit IT development company.

His new role demanded a high profile approach to his work, on-the-spot presentations to strategic teams and delivering updates at quarterly Board meetings. As a confident, clear speaker, Charles felt at ease in his new position.

He was therefore surprised when the Financial Director approached him for a confidential 'chat about his style'. He was mortified to hear that he was deemed 'light-weight' and possibly 'wrong for the position' because he came across as relaxed and 'overly-confident' when he spoke.

In three-way discussions, the Director, Charles and I agreed that subtle adjustments to voice, vocal tone, vocal expression and language choices would help him fix these unintended, undesirable and inaccurate impressions of him in his new position.

It was a worthy exercise to undergo and useful to identify that styles need to change when people change roles in and across organisations.

Expectations and ground rules are different for each organisation. Being able to identify and make subtle changes in style is necessary when changing jobs and advancing careers.

Are you considering a career change? If so, ask me about appropriate shifts in style in your voice and spoken word presentation.

Avoid confusion - test your clarity

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 03:42:00 +0000

It is so easy to change sounds, drop sounds out, insert additional sounds and generally confuse people when you first speak English. It is particularly so if, in your mother-tongue, you naturally speak fast.

Jose, a soccer player from Argentina, had just that problem. Once, when interviewed after a match, he spoke so quickly that he saw only confusion on the interviewer's face. With shock, he realised, while watching the replay, how difficult it was for people to understand him.

Embarrased and distressed, he asked for help and direction.

In this post, you will find some common errors that occur when speaking too quickly.

Have a go at this exercise and this process if you want to receive some feedback and direction from me.

Get help with giving feedback

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:30:00 +0000

It can be awkward giving feedback to someone who is not clear when they speak at work.

Jake contacted me to discuss that very issue when his food production company went on a major recruitment drive. A number of new recruits had learnt English as their second or subsequent language. Others had endured poor education opportunities which diminished their use of language and expression.

All of them were struggling to express themselves in small but significant ways. Managers and team members were frustrated. Relationships were stalling.

Jake wanted to give his talented new people opportunites to advance their careers. But how do you tell someone that they are difficult to understand? How do you tell them their grammar is all wrong? How do you ask them to work on their spoken language skills without hurting their feelings?

After a few conversations and a visit to the organisation, we came up with a 'slow and steady' approach to individual language development solutions. Working virtually, remotely, in situ, singly and in groups, support was generated within the organisation and across production teams.

Wiht Jake, I worked on how to start the conversation, illuminate a wide range of consequences and generate postive alternatives.

Make contact if you find yourself struggling with giving feedback as a manager, leader or entrepreneur. If you're interested in exploring more about accent and clarity, open this.

What are you saying to yourself when you speak?

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:30:00 +0000

Far too many people undermine themselves through their self-talk. I hear it when they say ‘I don’t like the sound of my voice!’; ‘I simply can’t stop mumbling!’; ‘My accent is impossible to understand!’

Take Anna, the founder of a growing technical support company. She built up a solid reputation in an essential services industry, saw a gap in the market and stepped in to fill it. Her organisation has operated in this niche for nearly 15 years.

The business has expanded under Anna's direction and leadership. But, until recently, Anna saw herself as a manager rather than a leader, in operations rather than strategy, seeking rather than generating opportunities for the organisation. She had not stepped up mentally to the position of strategic leadership. This mindset was affecting every action she took.

Her vocal style, her language choices, her communication and presentation remained locked behind the picture of herself that she held in her mind.

It took courage to step beyond her self-created limitations. She needed clarity of purpose, language and delivery to express her role without ambiguity. And she developed the capacity to be honest and gentle with herself as she stretched her mind-boundaries and enveloped different skills and techniques.

She has become the leader and entrepreneur her colleagues caught glimpses of in the past. And she is enjoying every moment of her engaging, confident voice.

Is accent the issue?

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:51:00 +0000

Sometimes a person’s accent is secondary to spoken word clarity and understanding.

At various times, Itka, lfshan and Jacques shared the same issue.

Their mother tongues supported rapid delivery, small movements and limited vocal vitality. As a result, their issue with accent was magnified when their work took them overseas.

By adjusting their current delivery techniques in English, valuing the pause/pace balance and giving expressive weight to the words being used, each of them was able to make a difference to their overall clarity.

Then, by addressing individual accent challenges, they were able to advance their clear speech impact at work.

Find out more about accent, clear speech and take the clear speech test.

Confident leadership - the role of self-belief

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 02:51:00 +0000

Around two years ago, I met Frank at a conference. At that stage, he was about 6 weeks into his role as the new leader of a technical team. And he was struggling with his self-confidence. Over lunch we got into a conversation about voice and vocal confidence. We organised to meet again at the end of the day.

What happened to Frank can happen to anyone who is progressing in their career. Even in ‘flat-structure’ organisations, a management or leadership role can be problematic.

Frank found himself marginally isolated in his new position. Previously privy to relaxed chat and confidences from his colleagues, he discovered that, as their leader, he was out of the loop of daily, relaxed chat.

In addition, the pace of business turnaround moved him further from his team. He began to question his judgment and his decision-making process. The tension that he unknowingly held in his body affected his voice quality and altered his previously relaxed, engaging delivery style.

Following our conversation, he took himself through a 3-month Voice & Word program to better understand his voice and the impact of his new position and related changes upon it. He soon discovered how his reduced confidence influenced his voice and delivery style. He was able to developed skills to recognise, adjust and sustain his desired vocal impact.

For more information on voice visit about your voice and browse past posts.

Over here you can explore the value of voice for leaders and their vocal leadership styles.

Reduce self-consciousness to increase connection

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 02:51:00 +0000

"Mary" and "Mark", both key contributors to the engineering team, shared the same problem. Whenever they spoke up in meetings, updated a group of clients or briefed new teams they swallowed their voices, struggled with their words and lost concentration.

This is a very common issue - where the speaker focuses on themselves rather than the receivers of the message. It is easy to do. All eyes and ears are on you as you stand up, or walk towards the podium, or make a statement or ask a question. So you turn the spotlight on yourself and struggle with the intensity of attention on you.

Remember, whe you have something to say, it is something to share with your listeners, your audience, your team, your colleagues. It is about them, not you. It is about adding your voice, contributing to the knowledge, the examples and the conversation.

In Mary's case, she learnt to focus on the knowledge because that was what her role demanded of her. Being current, being across new information and innovation in the company. By focusing beyond her 'self' Mary was able to speak to key points, use commanding language and be convincing.

In contrast, Mark learnt to focus on the conversation. By clarifying content and asking pertinent questions he was able to demonstrate his deep understanding of the processes and systems in the organisation. Also to test and flush out potential stumbling blocks.

By developing their ability to turn their attention towards the audiences, Mary and Mark were able to reduce the 'pressure to perform' on themselves. In doing that, they released the internal pressure on their voices, their tonal patterns, their delivery styles and increased their unique ACE Factor.

Their confidence increased to the extent that, in the year following their voice work, they volunteered to present at a national conference and won new clients.

Examine additional material on this, in this edition of 'Get the Edge' and listen to the July 2011 SoundByte.

You can also contact me via the Voice & Word website.

Convince via delivery

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:34:00 +0000

Vincent is a brilliant technician. He knows his subject matter well, is able to trouble-shoot and can see his communication chess moves evolving well in advance of any action.

His difficulty is common to many technical experts - translating the depth and breadth of his knowledge and experience into practical, effective and convincing material. It is possible to learn how to select and deliver challenging information with conviction and confidence.

Within 3 months, Vincent learnt how to adjust:

his chosen content by aligning his thoughts with every audience and their unique requirements
his presentation success by using narrative techniques to deliver relevant examples to willing listeners
his ability to engage his audience by changing his delivery style to the situation and the moment

The changes that he made led to an increase in his self-confidence, greater ease in preparation and improved business results across his department.

Now, Vincent uses his ACE Factor with confidence and ease. Submit an audio snapshot and receive feedback on the current impact of your ACE Factor.

International Conference Calls - Authority

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 04:07:00 +0000

Traditionally, an essential meeting management strategy is to pre-publish an agenda and stick to it to keep the meeting on track.

In virtual meeting environments (either via telephone or video), this is mandatory.

For instance, Simon's experience brings to mind how important it is to confidently call attendees' attention to the agenda.

As a recently-appointed member of his company's global marketing team, Simon was hesitant to speak up too soon. He wanted to establish some credibility with the group before demonstrating his solid experience gained across several Asian markets.

He generally used a a quiet, calm voice that was overlooked in European and US contexts. Matters came to a head when he was challenged by a colleague who based a strategy on untested assumptions.

It forced Simon to speak up using his full voice thus drawing attention to active, action-based words.

Self-belief feeds self confidence

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:15:00 +0000

External changes influence changes to the invisible text we 'write and speak' about ourselves. When they make external changes to their voice and spoken word expression, people start to shift the way that they think, feel and speak about themselves. In many instances, changes to the internal dialogue are deeper and more dramatic than the shifts made in voice and spoken word contexts.

The change to internal dialogue was one of many themes obliquely addressed in 'The King's Speech. This was best captured in the differences in physical presence of the king when we first see him and in the final view of him in the movie. By re-writing his own impression of himself, the king was able to educate his public about his true strength of character.

There is a fine balance between self-honesty and self-destructive inner talk. Circumstances, significant influences, mentors and key people in life require as much scrutiny as we give to ourselves.

Being able to develop an honourably honest relationship with oneself is key to one's success as a leader. Voice work has the potential to be the facilitator of that change.

Turning a small, husky voice into clear bell-tones

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 07:50:00 +0000

Monica worked long hours in a law firm. She was determined to get ahead and develop a stellar career. She became frustrated by the number of times people asked her to repeat herself over the telephone, in meetings and at client events.

She suffered from a common problem, one that involved holding the voice towards the rear of the mouth and into the back of the throat. The habit was worse when Monica become enthusiastic about a topic, passionate about a particular approach to a solution.

The trapped voice fed her natural tension, caused her to tighten the muscles in the neck and upper chest and increased the problem by limiting her breathing and breath control.

As we worked through vocal style changes, Monica realised how much she was inadvertently contributing to her colleagues' and clients' frustration. Encouraged by early changes and good results, she continues to work on her voice and advance her career.

Nasalisation (3) - Volume is not about being loud

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 02:28:00 +0000

As the national sales director for a technology supplier, Celina spent much of her time travelling interstate in the early and mid 90's. She'd built a significant reputation for firm and fair dealings with staff and clients. Her strong, resonant voice worked well in face-to-face environments where gestures and movement supported her vocal impact. Then, things changed.

When the Melbourne-based technology supplier was bought by an international organisation, there was a natural gravitation towards virtual work via tele- and video-conferencing. Webinar events followed soon after. This meant that the sound of the human voice dominated communication contexts.

In virtual environments, Celina's strong voice, mostly placed towards the back of her throat, demonstrated a few harsh, strident tones. Initially, she attempted to manage her voice's tones by keeping her voice contained and clamping her jaw. She thought that the issue was volume. In reality, these strategies led to increased nasalisation and an audible rise in pitch.

Exercises to improve the function of the soft palate combined with strategies that support a relaxed throat and easy flow of exhaled breath made a difference. Celina could hear the changes in her vocal tones and was better able to manage pitch levels across her natural vocal register.

Find out more here.

Nasalisation (2) - Breath for Vocal Projection

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 08:36:00 +0000

As a primary school teacher, Charmian had to push her light, high voice to be heard across the classroom. In her sixth year as a teacher her voice broke down and she endured multiple episodes of voice loss and sinus infections.

She contacted me before she returned to work as she was fearful that voice loss would recur and she'd lose her position. By working on managing vocal volume and reach via breath control and breathing for voice she was able to reduce the potential for vocal strain.

It is essential that people who use their voices to earn their living understand how the voice arises and how best to apply it to speaking. It is even more important that they gain skills in voice projection and voice management to ensure that the good health and wellbeing of their vocal instrument is sustained throughout their working lives... and beyond.

Nasalisation (1) - Physical damage

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 06:24:00 +0000

'Shane' had consistently lost out on senior leadership roles. He was well regarded in his professional services firm but something got in his way. Thinking it was his communication style, he called me to set up a meeting.

He revealed that he was not always taken seriously at work. He spoke about his demeanour, his meeting management style, his presentation approach and his conversations with clients. As he spoke I listened and concluded that, in his case, he was not taken seriously because of the dominant nasal twang in his voice. The nasalisation contributed to a lack of clarity on some sounds - listeners were likely to tune out or get snagged in the message when they lost words and phrases. Nasal dominance, particularly when speaking loudly and a tendency for him to lift the pitch level higher than desired in his natural vocal register diminished the fullness of his voice. Combined, these three acoustic influences undermined his credibility as a potential leader.

When I broached the subject of his vocal impact, 'Shane' confirmed that, as a teenager, he'd suffered a broken nose on the football field. He confirmed that he'd sounded this way ever since that event.

It is unusual for a broken nose to cause the amount of vocal 'damage' that 'Shane' endured. Some of the vocal patterning arose because he attempted to overcome the changes in his voice. This resulted in less than effective speaking habits that evolved into his vocal delivery style.

Together, we worked on voice power and placement, adjusted some vocal sounds to increase their clarity and took action on general strategies relating to voice care. It is making a difference to his life and his career path has recently opened up leadership opportunities for him.

Open this link to examine voice placement in more detail on the about your voice blog.

Incongruence between vocalisation and feedback message

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 05:06:00 +0000

When reading this you are sure to have a situation come to mind. Not the same context, or personality, or voice quality. But a memory sparked because of incongruencies between voice, the speaker and the message's intent.

Over 5 years ago, I worked with a senior leader in the Human Resource function of a multi-national organisation. A.L. had achieved great success, but contacted me when concerns arose in relation to incogruencies between voice and the delivery of the message. Statueque, with a strong -full-toned voice, A.L.'s presence was damaged when delivering critical feedback to senior executives in the organisation.

Clear, strong, purposeful words were undermined by a weak delivery style when speaking under pressure. Clearly it was time to take action in relation to both the voice and delivery changes.

Our two-pronged approach included strengthening the lower notes on the vocal register and overcoming a hesitant delivery style that emerged in critical conversations.

A.L.'s ability to be believed increased. The message being delivered was heard loud and clear. And, as a result, the messenger retained presence under difficult circumstances.

No matter whom the leader might be, there comes a time when their success relies upon the deliberate application of their ACE Factor

The 'Rock Star' Football Coach

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 05:58:00 +0000

Sam's voice is permanently damaged from shouting out across sportsfields. When he speaks its sounds as if he has rough-edged stones rolling around at the back of his throat. His gravelly voice came about from years of pushing his voice out, forcing it forward to get it to reach the furthest corners of the fields on which he worked. His throat doesn't hurt, it just sounds strained and tight when he speaks.

Football coaches, gym instructors and aerobic workout leaders and fitness coaches tend to shout from the throat rather than using full breath capacity when they speak. A combination of the voice being pushed from the throat and limited breathing for voice contributes to the phenomenon.

If someone you know comes to mind as you read this, let them know that they can learn how to use their voice powerfully without damaging it, harming their throat and suffering voice loss. Find out more about voice placement, and make contact here.

Style Change for Entrepreneur

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:56:00 +0000

Paul's outcome-driven communication style rose to the surface at our first meeting.

A successful entrepreneur, he'd known tough times as a young man and had worked fearlessly and feverishly to achieve his goals. Driven to achieve, Paul acknowledged tht he could ride rough-shod over people to reach business outcomes.

He laid out his challenges at that first meeting. He was building a national business presence; he'd initiated significant increases in staff; his central team had expanded and he had to build stronger, lasting relationships with key people. He could no longer afford to be an erratic, unpredictable communicator - benign and smiling one moment - fierce and fiery the next.

At first, Paul was impatient with his slow, steady progress. He wanted to see lightning changes; large gains and achieve immediate, generous reach in his vocal impact and communication style.

But behavioural changes take time. Consistently, there is a sense of progress and retreat, success and failure, achievement and loss in the journey towards agreed outcomes.

For Paul, his seemingly erratic progress towards professional goals became his teacher. He learnt how to soften his style, how to increase skills in engagement, how to deepen his listening and to apply discernment in his questioning techniques.

His personal investment of time, effort and attention is paying off. He and his team are now working together on a clear, consistent business message.

Confusing Words and Sounds - What is Missing?

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:48:00 +0000

Each spoken language has a unique family of sounds that relate to that particular language system.

While many spoken word sounds can be similar across languages and language groups, there are times when the sounds in one language are not present in others.

This becomes an issue for international speakers who have to learn how to make those particular sounds that they have no knowledge of in their mother tongue.

Given that we learn to speak over an extended period (a few years at least) using the ear and acoustic copying as children, it remains a challenge for teens and adults to literally get their tongues and mouths around sounds that are new to their ears.

Many are not exposed to the active, focused sound-learning at language schools; thus they 'pick it up' in the course of their work and study. Approximations abound and it is these that cause confusion and concern.

It is approriate that managers and leaders are aware of the challenges that international executives may face whenworking in an English-speaking environment.

Sensitivity, cultural awareness and respect can make a difference to the transitions these men and women are expected to make as they adjust to their new surrounds and contribute to the success of global organisations.

If there is someone with whom you are working who is currently making the transition, please contact me via the website to discuss how best you can help yourself as you communicate with them.

New Role - Regenerate Confidence

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:53:00 +0000

With many readers making career changes at the moment, I'd like to tell you about 'Charles' who, out of the blue, achieved his desired career change when he least expected it.

'Charles' works for a national retailer of exclusive products. For a while, he had desired a senior management role and had worked towards achieving his goal. He was approached to take on his 'dream job' about the same time that his wife gave birth to their second child.

A few months into the role (and certainly suffering from lack of sleep and distracted attention), he went through a dip in confidence despite his mentor confirming the successes that surrounded him.

His lack of confidence manifested in his voice and vocal impact. Given that he spends the bulk of his time dealing with people in a range of negotiation settings, he decided to address it immediately.

Together, we worked through his customised ACE Factor program; targetting his voice's inherent strengths, minimising distractions and building up his personal vocal impact.

It worked! After three months of one-to-one work, 'Charles' is delivering excellent results for his company. He looks better, feels better and sounds great!

Fielding Questions from the Floor

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 03:19:00 +0000

This is about a National Operations Manager who held a great reputation within his industry.

About 5 years ago, at the pinnacle of a stellar career, he accepted a 'couldn't refuse' offer and moved into a high-profile position. It was a large leap up; one that he was expected to conduct in full public view.

Soon after taking the role, and during the national roadshow of a suite of products where production, fulfilment and after-sales service were not going as smoothly as hoped, he faced a barrage of questions from loyal, but disgruntled clients. This is what he did:

he listened with full attention, clarifying production events, processes and outcomes
he proposed a range of client options and invited comment via email, telephone and scheduled meetings
he identified company representatives and expressed their unique expertise
he directed people towards solutions
he invited additional detailed conversation to take place after the event
he stayed true to the strategic objectives of the event

By using the roadshow as a way to generate query and conversation he was able to elicit examples, experiences and disappointments that provided his organisation with insights of the clients' exposure to products. By having company expertise at the event, he was able to expose them directly to client experience and facilitate more effective responses to their requirements. By being willing and open to hearing dissent he was able to demonstrate his company's character to receive and respond to critical feedback in an appropriate time frame.

Remember, questions from the floor are an opportunity to re-state your case, re-establish your reputation and command respect from your audience.

If, as a presenter, you dread question time, take steps to overcome your fear and capture the potential of appropriate responses to the questions you face.

Confusing Words and Sounds - Titles of Articles

noreply@blogger.com (Sandra Baigel) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:28:00 +0000

Have you ever looked closely at newspaper article titles? Designed to intrigue and draw us in to reading them, they are often very confusing for international business people and visitors in countries across the globe.

The play on words (as in 'Where there's a wheel there's a way'), cryptically unique contexts and historical insinuations (for example,The ANZAC Myth) have little meaning to people beyond our local (and, in this context, Australian) borders.

Consider too, the various implications of reasonably common phrases like 'Moment of Truth', 'Stay and Play', 'Black Spots in Focus', 'Softly, Softly Approach' and 'The Waiting Game'. Each of these can be applied to a number of work and social contexts. The meaning and implications change depending on what and whom each article is addressing.

One of the most valuable spoken word activities I undertake with international business people who are coming to grips with business English, is uncovering the layers of meaning inherent in these phrases as they apply to each particular article.

Jargon, industry speak and three letter acronyms that pepper each discipline are all culprits that put communication off course. Being aware and mindful of language choices is worth individual and company attention.

Never take for granted that what you say will be understood as you intended!