The second session of #AskSuman was as exciting as the first one. This time, the questions revolved more around speaking skills and formal communication. Here are some highlights:
The first question was about my favourite topic- speaking skills
@Suman_Kher: Hi! Could you suggest some ways to strengthen public speaking and presentation skills? #AskSuman
— Akshay Iyer (@daredevilakshay) September 23, 2016
Since this is a pretty broad questions, everything from structure to speech writing to practice and delivery – all aspects are important. You can read more about improving these skills from earlier blog posts – 9 public speaking secrets from the book Talk Like Ted and What we can learn from the world champion of public speaking.
In fact, Soft Skills Studio is coming up with a surprise to help you in this very skill set. Stay tuned!
We then moved on to etiquette in formal communication.
@Suman_Kher What are the most imp tips to keep in mind while writing emails for professional communication? #AskSuman
— Tejasvi Momaya (@TejasviMomaya) September 23, 2016
Email writing is so important and yet people get the basics wrong all the time. You should know how to write effective emails. Never treat emails like other chats mediums. Emails are more formal and are recorded on servers. They could be forwarded to clients or used as evidence any time in the future. So make you sure you write them well and take them seriously. Here are a few more tips:
Top tips:
Get to the point right at the beginning
Structure in paras
Be clear abt action points
Add extra info in attachments#AskSuman— Suman Kher (@Suman_Kher) September 23, 2016
The question on networking is quite a common one.
@Suman_Kher How to approach people in events,specially when you r meeting them for the first tym nd probably thy dnt even knw you? #asksuman
— Soniya Sharma (@soniyasharmahr) September 23, 2016
Approaching strangers can be intimidating for some people. Start with a friendly face around. Smile and start talking. Don’t jump into your business pitch. A little small talk is fine too. Ask them how’s it been so far. Or if they are from the same city as you. You can also watch this amazing video I made on the blunders to avoid in a networking event:
Here’s an uncommon question on presentation.
Is it necessary to bring hardcopy of your presentation topic fr distribution if u are a speaker in a networking event #AskSuman @Suman_Kher
— Rashmi Regina Ekka (@rashmiregina) September 23, 2016
And the answer is, no. Make an impact with your speech. Don’t add to things that people will anyways throw away in the dust bin later. You can always email your presentation to people who wish to have a copy.
Another interesting one:
@Suman_Kher How does one convey to team or team members that they need to be more productive? #AskSuman
— Tejasvi Momaya (@TejasviMomaya) September 23, 2016
Communication skills is critical for a manager in such situations. Finding out why the team isn’t productive should be the first task. Then decide the strategy – speaking one-to-one or addressing the whole group. Assigning tasks and holding each one responsible could also work.
I just love the different topics we touch upon in these sessions. Those niggling doubts that you had in your mind about things are all cleared! Stay tuned to know when the next session of #AskSuman is coming up. Like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and stay updated with lots of exciting things coming up!