Monday 15 August 2011

Your Appearance Communicates

How you present yourself is always communicating to others a lot about yourself. In the business world, a person losing an opportunity because of lousy dressing happens more often than not. I found this information on dressing in the business world that is very informative....


http://www.dba-oracle.com/dress_code.htm

How to Blog: Blogging Tips for Beginners

Blogging may be a new thing for some people. It has been around for a long time, it is a good way to discuss something you have interest in and provide your personal opinion. I found this post on this site that describes blogging and how to blog for beginners. This isn't just a basic website with a small definition of blogging. They have links on basically every different type of blog you can think of. They tell you all the basics on how to start blogging about what ever interests you. This is a great way to express your self, I think everyone should blog- http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/14/blogging-for-beginners-2/

-Gagan

Sunday 14 August 2011

Five Grammatical Errors that Make You Look Dumb

I found this article to be a good read and it was a bit funny too. Everything they mention is very much true. When we are in hurry to type we make stupid grammar errors. This article looks are the 5 most common Grammatical Errors people use when making online post. It is true, it does make you look dumb, so take the time and make sure it makes sense. If your looking for a funny, useful and short read you should check this out- http://www.copyblogger.com/5-common-mistakes-that-make-you-look-dumb/

-Gagan

Class Participation Tips

Class participation is a important part in doing well in school. I have no trouble speaking in public and asking question. However, there are a lot of shy kids who find it very difficult to participate in class discussions. I found this website that gives a lot of useful tips on how students can increase there level of class participation. This site gives a lot of tips, like if you cannot come up with a question to ask you can pony off some other students question. If you feel like you are a shy person and don't participate in class, I do believe this site can help you out so please take a look- http://www.suite101.com/content/class-participation-tips-a30543

-Gagan

How to Write a Research Proposal

We looked at this in class many time and the textbook explains it as well. A research proposal is a large task to complete and you can easily get off track. This website has an article written by professor Dr. Paul T.P. Wong from Trinity Western University on how to write a research proposal. I found this site very useful because of the way everything is explained. All the key components and step are laid out and numbered. As well, under each section there is a description on what is expected for this section and what you should include. I found this helpful when I was stuck on my proposal and I believe it is worth checking out- http://www.meaning.ca/archives/archive/art_how_to_write_P_Wong.htm

-Gagan

What is good PowerPoint design?

Powerpoint presentation can get very boring, especially if they lack pictures and are full of information. We suffer from information overload, especially its a 3 hour lecture. This website give great tips on how to make your powerpoint more informative using less words and more graphs. This is a great website for when you are making a powerpoint presentation for a project. Have a look and see- http://presentationzen.blogs.com/presentationzen/2005/09/whats_good_powe.html

-Gagan

Avoid These 10 Resume Mistakes

With this economy they way it is, it is very difficult to find a job. There is large number of unemployed workers who are all applying for jobs. If you want to stand out and get that phone call for an interview you must have a solid resume. I came across this website some time ago, it basically takes about the 10 things you need to avoid when making your resume. The text book talks about tips and the correct form on how to make a resume. This website goes more in depth and looks at your resume from a view of a company looking to hire workers. I found this very useful and I hope you guys do to- http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_mistakes.html

-Gagan

Social Media as a Business Communication Tool

The traditional method of communication is email. With the introduction of social media websites like facebook, twitter and Google + we see more and more companies using social media as a tool to communicate. Business are able to communicate with employees using social media as well as communicate with potential customers. For example, when facebook first began, advertising was very minimal. Now when we log onto our facebook we are drowned with advertising and almost every big organization has their own facebook page. This website has a very interesting blog on the hierarchy of communication, which looks at all the different forms of business communication. I found it very interesting I hope you guys check it out- http://socialnewswatch.com/social-media-as-a-business-communication-tool/

-Gagan

How to Write a Business Memo

This site is very unique in terms of it layouts how to write a professional memo as well it defines and explains the importance of each component. This is a good way to double check your memo or use it as a guideline. What I really liked about this site is that people that have never made a memo before can make one using this site. This site also has links on different forms of business communication and how they can be prepared. Take a look-http://www.hodu.com/memo-writing.shtml

-Gagan

Better Communication with Employees and Peers

This site is a great resource for improving communication skills. It has a large number of tips on different communication situations. You will be able to get advice on basically any communication situation you can think of. The tips and advice come from communications experts and CEOs. This site is a good way to practice your communication skills for the professional workplace, especially you are in a management position and have a hard time connecting with your employees. I found this site to be very useful. I hope you guys take a look- http://www.inc.com/guides/growth/23032.html

-Gagan

Toastmasters Public Speaking

I came across this website that is dedicated to toastmasters. Toastmasters is a club that helps develop professional communication skills amongst its members. This website tell users how to set-up a toastmasters meetings and gives you all the information you need to know about toastmasters. However, this website also provides tips on how to better your communication skills. There are many tips, like public speaking tips for example. This is a really good website to visit if you are looking for ways to improve your presentation skills. Give it a look: http://www.toastmasters-public-speaking.com/professional-communication-skills.html

-Gagan

The Dynamic You

I came across this really interesting website called "The Dynamic You" I was really captivated by this article on their home page that gave an amazingly interesting story about the hidden treasure inside all of us. This website is very resourceful as it has links to different workshops that they run as well as a signup sheet for each of them. Such workshops include: total self confidence, the leader in you as well as many more. This site has a blog you can follow which lends its self for a very interesting read. This website also gives a list of recommended readings on different issues. I hope you enjoy this site as much as I did! –Sarah
http://thedynamicyou.in/index.html

The Evolution of Communication

In today's day and age, social networking seems like a normal way of life. However, it was not so long ago that the fad of Facebooking or the idea to "broadcast yourself" was such a popular mantra. It seems odd to me when someone living in today's world does not understand how to use Facebook, add an attachment to an
e-mail or even text. However technology is constantly evolving at such an increasingly fast rate that it is hard to keep up, even for us computer savvy generation Y's. This paper discusses how not only how the mode of communication has changed but how the messages sent by that mode are constantly changing. http://www.nmc.org/pdf/Evolution-of-Communication.pd

Effective Communication in the Workplace

I wrote my paper on effective communication within the workplace and was really intrigued by the results and findings of some of the studies I looked at. I also came across an interesting web site that posts many articles in relation to this topic and specifically to the topic that I was writing on. Being as this is a business communications class I thought you might enjoy reading an article that lists the importance for communication within the workplace. This website also has many other interesting and relatable articles dealing with issues from communicating with difficult customers to business ethics.I hope some of you find this interesting and/or helpful -Sarah
http://www.suite101.com/content/effective-communication-at-workplace-a95815

Tips For Cover Letters

Found a good website with tips for writing cover letters. Some of the parts about the purpose for a cover letter are not helpful because we have already gone over a lot of that content in class, but some of the tips are pretty helpful.

  • Expand on your resume, rather than repeat the resume's content
  • Be sure to market yourself. Explain what you can offer the company; not what the company can do for you
You can find the rest of the article with this link

http://resource.educationcanada.com/c_tips1.html

3 Steps to Writing Persuasive Messages

Recently I came across this site that has a great article about writing persuasive messages. What drew me to it was that it only required three steps which was very misleading as there are sub heading for each step (18 pages?!). Overall, it was a good article with valuable information but the title alone, persuaded me to read it. Check it out here.



Saturday 13 August 2011

How to Conudct a Good Job Interview

Although this information might not be applicable to us now, at some point many of us will be in managerial positions. I found this website that has some good information about conducting a job interview.

I especially agree with the part about avoiding using you or personalizing the job.

I have a copy of the link just below.

http://www.how-to.com/Operations/How_to_conduct_a_job_interview.htm

Getting Along

So on a personal note, I found this website about fixing communication errors in relationships. This is also helpful in the busness world, because we all have to work together or at least be able to get along.

http://www.mindreality.net/fixing-communication-problems-in-relationships

How to Network Online ??

Network online is becoming very power and famous for each one in the world. there are many goals of network online:


  • Communication and find your friends

  • Education

  • Looking for job

  • Research and discussing a topic

There are many online services you can communicate through them:



  • Facebook

  • Teiiter

  • Linkedln

  • MySpace

  • Youtube

  • Google

For more network online information visit:


http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-network-online/

Dress Well for Your Job Interview!!!

Dressing for interview success. First impression makes a different in business. There are some general steps of how to get ready for the interview:


  • Ask if you need a help

  • Clean your self and your clothes with nice smelling

  • Cover your tattoos

Men have to suit themselves with a tie, hear care, polish the shoes. Women have to suite themselves with dark colored clothes, avoid wearing noisy jewelry and minimize your make up.


For more tips the following website will help you :


http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-dress-for-a-job-interview/

How to Write your Resume!!!!

Writing a resume is a sensitive step in a job research stages. Knowing ho to rite your resume lead you to the next step which is the interview. There are three rules you have to remember before you start writing a resume:


  • Be honest

  • Be professional

  • Be concise

You can format your resume as you like, but you have tell your qualifications and your experience. Before you start your resume you have to take a deep breath and take a good time by thinking what you will write. Objective Statement is the first thing you have to list it,because it helps you to know what is your career goals. Knowing what is your really important to decide your resume type.Finally do not forget to check if there is any grammar or writing errors


The following website showing the different kind of resume,small video describing writing resume rules and some steps in writing resume.


http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-write-a-resume/

Friday 12 August 2011

Participation

Some organizations forget that employees need to give and not just receive information. Employees should be encouraged to get involved in decision making. Many great ideas have evolved from surprising sources. Contests and prizes can be offered to get staff to participate.

Email overload

It is just to easy to "send to all", when you are sending internal email in the office. This results in an overload of emails, which take too much of your valuable time to sort through. A better option is sending an e-bulletin. An e-bulletin provides all the necessary information needed for employees to do their jobs. E-bulletins give updates on all internal news and events. They can be sent daily and are quick and easy to use.

How to Make Good Presentation

Good communication skills is the key to have a good presentation.Presentation is a method of showing and explaining our topic.

If you are deciding to have a successful presentations you have to follow the following tips

* Take your time by thinking on the information that you will provide your audience with it.
* PowerPoint is a useful material to explain your topic and show your information
* Your presentation time should be fit on the giving time
* Insure that your message delivered to your audience clearly and simply
* Use complete sentences and plane English this will be better for delivering your message.

Roger is the writer for the following article providing many presentation tips to help you:
http://www.rogerdarlington.co.uk/Presentation.html

Prepare for the Interview

Most of the people looking for job and most of them losing their chance at the last step in the job research which is INTERVIEW. You have to prepare yourself very well to have a successful Interview. Increasing your confidence helps you to improve your performance and job skills.

The first and important step in the interview is to prepare your application, Resume, Cover letter, References, and knowing every thing in your Job Package. You have to know your qualifications, skills, and the experience in your past jobs to answer the questions specifically.

To get ready you should practice for the questions and your body language. Also tell your references and that the job office may contact them.

For the Interview day. Have your applications well done with extra copies, dressed well and come fifteen minutes earlier.

Finally, following up is good step, send thank you note to the interviewer and tell them you are Interested to the job.

For more information:
http://www.mcgill.ca/caps/students/job-search/interviewing/

Reference Checks

A reference check is important step in the recruitment process. It helps the employers to have a big background about each employee.It helps to take a good decision to hire people. The purpose of reference checking is to verifying accuracy of the information provided on qualifications ad experience. It is a way that avoid managers and the recruitment decision from any mistakes.You have to take your time and find qualified people to ask them .

For more reference check tips read the following source:

http://www.bcjobs.ca/re/hr-resources/human-resource-advice/recruitment-strategies/job-reference-checks-avoiding-pitfalls-in-the-job-reference-check-process

SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis is a method to evaluate the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and threats. It is really Meaningful and useful planning strategy in any business report or project. It helps to develop your business and it is way to understand your career clearly.
SWOT Analysis has two categories:


  • Eternal Factors: The strength and weakness inside the organization

  • External Factors: The Opportunities and Threats outside the organization.

It helps you to focus on your strength, minimize threats,and take the greatest possible advantage of opportunities faced you. Also it is a good tool to understand your competitors at the workplace.


http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_05.htm

Visualizing Who You Know

The following article was written by a man named Phil O'Brien and was actually posted to his personal blog. There is a video that he posted and it shows how a company "Viewdle" has made a device that allows for face recognition on video. It connects to social networking sites like Facebook and lets you gather information about people while also communicating and posting directly to the site.

He goes on to give his opinion about what he thinks about the future and how all this advanced technology will take away from the tradition and fun of getting to know someone the normal way. Phil O'Brien says, I hope in 5 years time I will meet people I know nothing about – and build a relationship “unwrapping the layers of the onion”. With all these social media sites like Facebook, you can find out so much about someone before even meeting them. And now with new advances like this, you can take these networks with you wherever you go and find out things about someone on the spot.

The facts that he mentions in this article are things to really think about. If we let technology and social networking take over, then the physical and verbal forms of communication that we have grown up with for centuries will gradually become less. People are depending more on their gadgets and online websites to communicate rather than in person. Imagine what this might do for the children of the future.

Something to think about.

The History of Visual Communication

Have you ever stopped to think about all forms of communication? Well if you haven't, one of my favorite is visual communication. The ability to communicate an idea or feeling visually and expressively.

I came across a website with course material from a university in Turkey. It is a course on visual communication and it has various sections and examples of these forms. Beginning from the early images found in caves and carved into rocks, all the way through to our more modern computer and age of technology.

There are several images and a lot of information that teaches you how things have evolved over time.

I really enjoyed this website because it allows you to see how far communication really goes. It dates back as far as over 40,000 years ago with the use of cave paintings and carvings as forms of communication. Very primitive but proved to be effective.

Let me know what you thought of this find. =)



Good Communication Will Get You Far In Business

I came across this article on a website that talks about good communication and it goes over the advantages and disadvantages of effective communication.

According to the National Commission on Writing, they estimate that Americans businesses spend 3.1 billion training people how to write.

Writing and communication are very important and sometimes are the big determining factors on whether a company hires someone or not.
We all have to make sure we keep up to date and work on these skills.



Thursday 11 August 2011

Structure of the Reports

Business Reports are providing information and solutions in any business. It helps to take the decisions and solve any problem at the workplace. To understand what are your contents should be in the report, first you have to know the outline of your business report. The writer should do the reports completely done to let the receiver understand it well without any question

The steps:


  • Executive summary

  • Table of contents

  • Introduction

  • Body

  • Conclusion

  • Reference Check

  • Appendix

http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/report/4b.html

Giving and Receiving Feedback

Feedback one of the important process you can engage in Business Communication. It is the feeling and the reaction the receiver get from others speech. It might be positive or negative feedback.

Positive feedback: is to appreciate others work and encourage their performance, and saying the parts you liked them or the skills you are impressed on.

Negative feedback: is to improve others performance and help them to achieve their goals. Also giving some suggestions and advices in parts did not do well in them.




How your feedback should be?






  • Be timely


  • make it regular


  • prepare your comments


  • Be specific


  • Criticize in private


  • Use "I" statement


  • Limit your focus


  • talk about positive too


  • provide specific suggestion



How you receive your feedback






  • Seek feedback


  • Avoid debates


  • Listen actively


  • Ask for examples


  • Do not obsess


  • Process your feedback in your own time



Giving feedback in business really important to improve others performance and to avoid anyone to has any business mistakes.




Also you can see this site "http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_98.htm" to learn more information about how you giving and receiving feedback

Communication process

Communication process is a way to understand how the communication works. It works by different stages , each stage has a job and function . It leads people to recognize the effective communication and communication skills.To get a successful communication you have to make sure both of the sender and the audience understand the topic clearly by using these stages:




  • Source: You have to have meaningful information to deliver

  • message: What are your information and what the purpose of your communication

  • Encoding: the way of your transferring your information should be clear and simple

  • Channel: how to deliver your information it might be face to face or other materials

  • Decoding: Take your time in each stage to make sure you do not have any mistake

  • Receiver: Your message now delivered to your audience make sure they are understanding your point

  • Feedback: The feeling and reaction you get from your audience

  • Context:In which situation your point is delivered

You have to break down all the barriers in each stage of the communication process to have a simple and clear communication


Fro more information; http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/CommunicationIntro.htm


How to Use Your Body Language

Body language is non verbal communication. It is necessarily to use it through our talking because it makes some emotions and impressions to persuasive others. Also it helps to read and understand other people more easily, and more effectively communicate with them.

you can use your body language by:


  • eye contact

  • tone of voice

  • heads moving

  • hands to cheek

Body language has many types it depends on individual and cultures.It is really important to learn how to use your body language in different situations and this site will help you to know all body language information.


http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/Body_Language.htm

How to create a good first impression

A first impression is crucial to many things, such as job interviews,sales, meeting people and pretty well any other interaction you can think of. Their are a few things you can do to ensure a better first impression.

  • Be on time: When you are late it puts a negative impression in someones mind of you before they have even met you.
  • Be yourself: Don't try and be someone you are not, be happy and confident with yourself and people will be more receptive of you.
  • Present yourself appropriately: Hygiene is big but also make sure you are dressed appropriately for the situation. Be sure not to over dress or under dress for the occasion or meeting. Conform to the situation but be sure to set yourself apart at the same time and ALWAYS ALWAYS SMILE!.
  • Make small talk: This is important as it allows the person you are interacting with to get to know you and relax a little. As well it allows you to get to know them and relax as well.
  • And finally be courteous and attentive at all times: Make sure not to offend the person you are interacting with. Depending on the scenario this could mean having an idea of another culture. Make sure to be attentive repeat key things they say to you so they know you are paying attention to what they are saying. This will make them feel important as well as that you are listening the more comfortable and important you can make them feel the better your interaction will go.
These are tips there is no sure fire way to make sure that you will make a good first impression and their are many other tips to doing this These are but a few to help you.

for more detailed information see http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/FirstImpressions.htm

5 tips to closing a sale

Sales is about getting the person you are talking to , to trust you. Sales is about making the person you are talking to believe that what you are selling is what they need. I will briefly summarize the five tips I found to closing a deal.

  1. Get beyond "yes": Once the person has agreed to what you are selling move into the next stage of sale quickly. Do not spend to much time lingering after the client has said yes this will give them time to second guess and in the end say no.
  2. Create a sense of urgency: Try to close quickly try to make it seem as though they need to take this deal right now and not wait.
  3. Use the threat of competition: Sometimes making someone feel like the deal will be lost or the deal will go to a competitor is enough to close the deal.
  4. Generate "late breaking" news: Make sure through the entire process you are giving new and valuable information to the client in order to continue to reinforce why the deal should be made.
  5. Be prepared to not close: You are not going to close every deal, sometimes people walk away. Make sure you got a lead out of it and do everything you can to make the sale or another sale with that person in the future.
information provided by http://www.startupnation.com/business-articles/1138/1/AT_5-Tips-For-Closing-Deal.asp

Extremely funny!!!

I have recently reviewed a extremenly funny movie, and i just can't stop la ughing at it, so i would like to share with you guys. Also, i would like to emphasize on the importance of communication between different countries and different cultures, same gesture may have totally different meanings, and which may cause chaos and even fights between two tribes.
So, here's the link and hope you guys all enjoy it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INOL2zVv7mw

4 Quick, Easy Ways to Say No to People Who Take You for Granted

I read this interesting article about how to say no to people in communicating and I want to share it with others. The reason I chose this article because I think sometimes saying NO to others might be difficult to some people. This happens to me in my own life and on my friend. One of my friend is always very nice to people, and I find that because she doesn't know how to reject and say No to her friends, she ended up very busy and complicated in her life. I found that she often has to spend a lot of time on the phone with her friends who is unhappy and she had to hear their complain which ended up costing her own personal time.

"No matter how wonderful you are sometimes other people will try to take advantage of your good nature. They will push you, get you to do more than your fair share and keep asking you to do
even more."
I believe my friends can learn to stand up for herself and learn to say No to others which will saves her a lot of times and unnecessary tasks in her life after reading this article.

Here are 4 great ways to stand up for yourself and say No:
1. Soften the No - by postponing your help to other times.
2. Negotiate - say you're willing to help on one condition
3. Say No when you do not care the outcome
4. Say No to the Big Request and Yes to a smaller one

For more details on 4 ways to stand up for yourself and say No please go to:
http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/granted4.htm

Wednesday 10 August 2011

How to Turn Around A Sinking Conversation

Have you ever experience a situation that a conversation is not working out and end the conversation with frustration? I have found a great article with 7 tips about how to turn around a sinking conversation. I think this article is very helpful to me because sometimes I find myself end a conversation shortly when I actually want to continue and keep the conversation going on fluently. I believe it will be also beneficial to others whoever wants to improve their conversation with other people and build a better relationship with others.

7 tips to turn a round a sinking conversation:

1. Question your assumptions about the other person
2. Ask for clarification
3. Are you really listening?
4. Address the issue directly
5. Ask for help
6. Take a break
7. Aim for good not perfect

For more details:http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/sink.htm

Communicating With Confidence

I have found another great article also related about communicating with confidence which is quite important not only on communicate but also in every ways.

Why does a talk show host will get a lot of laughers from the audience? Why President Obama’s speeches do are so motivate? Why do all the great leaders from the past till present are always motivate and have many followers? It’s all because they have confidence in every ways! In my personal opinion, confidence is equal believing yourself even in everything, if you wouldn’t be able to believe in yourself, you won’t have any confidence in the way you talk or acts. Being confidence is also a way of representing yourself to others, the way you talk, the words you said, and the way you act would create an image of yourself to others also effects others’ opinions of you as well; a guy will looked like Brad Pit without putting any hair gel on, having a great figure or driving a fancy car! A girl will look so attractive without putting any makeup, wearing high heels or wearing any accessories! Confidence is the best way of making a person outstanding from the crowds.


http://www.leehopkins.com/communicating-with-confidence.html

How to Solve Disputes with the Helicopter Talk Technique


Hey Guys

This article wants you to imagine yourself as a helicopter when you are in a dispute or you are trying to resolve a dispute. This is a fun article for me to read but can be a challenge task for me to do. The reason that I personally think is challenge because resolving a dispute can be quite difficult. The words must be carefully selected when you are communicating with the other party. The reason that people communicate is to build a bridge, not cause a verbal violence.

Here are some tricks which you can apply if you are in a dispute:

1. Think yourself as a third party (a helicopter)

2. Remember how you communicate from the last incidence (you are about to be landed)

3. Now, how do you handle the situation differently or improving it?

4. Imagine there is a trustful beside you in the helicopter, what would he or she advise you before you take the action to resolve the dispute

Hope you all enjoy this article!

Joseph Shen 100200828

The Link: http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/heli.htm

7 Simple Tips For Cultivating Tons Of Confidence

I found this article about seven simple tips for cultivating tons of confidence by Peter Murphy. I think it is important to communicate and talk with confidence. Communicate to people with confidence attitude gives credibility to your words. If you speak without confidence people will start questioning "Is this person telling the truth?" Therefore, speak with confidence is crucial for communication, especially speaking at public.

Here is the 7 tips:
1. Spend time each day with confident people
2. Find a mentor
3. Understand that confidence is only a feeling
4. List your reasons to be confident
5. Makes a public declaration
6. Preparation makes perfect
7. Self comparison is the key

Why you talk with your hands

Hi, I found this article very interesting. People use gesture when during a conversation or communicating with other. The use of gesture and body language can help a person to convey their message and meaning more effectively. Gesture and speech are so tightly connected that we can't do one without the other but it is important to know that this gesture are vary by different culture. What is acceptable in one culture might be rude in another culture, so we have to be careful of the gesture if we go to other countries.



http://www.leehopkins.com/ckg-nonverbal-communication-why-you-talk-with-your-hands.html

Do You Make These Common Mistakes When Talking to People?

Hey Guys
I have founded a great article and it mentions the common mistake that people make when they are communicating with others. I think we can learn the points which author makes and use them as a standard in our goal.
These are 3 common mistakes we may make, but I hope we can learn these and improve ourselves:
1. Judging your performance against unrealistic standard
I think this is a great point because we often set a goal which is too difficult for us to achieve. We need to have an ability to access our own ability and set a goal to our own standard. Do not measure yourself with a long-term goal because this way only gives you frustration if your long term goal takes long-time to meet.
2. Learn the failure each day
People often are lazy and think they can learn their failure other day. This action can cause people to be driven away from their goal.
3. Attempting to be original
Don’t need to be unique when you are with others. People get stressed when they use different conversation to different person they met.
Joseph Shen 100200828
The link: http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/mistakes.htm

How To Communicate With Negative People

Hey Guys
This article is talking about how to communicate with negative people around us. Communication is natural gift for us and we are applying this gift to people everyday. When we are communicating with friends, family, or strangers; we all apply this skills of communication and hope to achieve the result from communication. I notice that some people aren’t confident when there is a negative force around them. The negative often cause them to have less confidence to speak or share ideas.
Here are 3 ways to help us to communicate with people confidently:
1. Do not believe everything you hear! (The best way to do is filtering every word from others.)
2. We don’t need others’ approval to communicate (Being positive about the things that you are saying.)
3. Being positive and staying positive! ( Seeing things in a positive perspective!)
Joseph Shen 100200828
The link: http://www.leehopkins.com/communicate-with-negative-people.html

The Unspoken Secert in Communication

Hey Guys
I found an article and the topic is discussing about The Unspoken Secret in Communication………………. So what is the unspoken secret? The unspoken secret is actually being a good listener. Many successful communicators actually pay enormous attention for particular words when they are listing or talking with other. Many of them also repeat the information in their mind after they heard. This is the reason why many communicators have an accurate response after they heard the information, so they have less chance to respond confused or misdirected answers.
Here is one of questions from the beginning of an article, so “before Mount Everest was discovered, what is the highest mountain on earth?”
The answer is simple, the highest mountain on earth is Mount Everest, and it is always the highest even before people discovered it.
Joseph Shen 100200828
The Link: http://www.leehopkins.com/unspoken-secret-of-great-communicators.html


Common Causes of Problems in Internal Communications

According to this site, one of the biggest issues in communications is assuming that if you know something, others must know it too:

Perhaps the most common communications problem is managements' (leaders' and managers') assumption that because they are aware of some piece of information, than everyone else is, too. Usually staff aren't aware unless management makes a deliberate attempt to carefully convey information.


http://managementhelp.org/organizationalcommunications/internal.htm

word-of-mouth communication

As we all know that grossips spread out exemtremly fast among friends, colleagues, families, relatives and so on. Therefore, a powerful way of communication called the word-of-mouth had developed. It's quick, effective, easy and mostly likely free!
Usually, start-up business doesn't have a lot of money to advertise for its products or services, so word-of-mouth seems to be the best way for small businesses to squeeze in a existed market. A website below summarized and gave tips for most small business how to implement a successful word-of-mouth strategy.
1. Start with Friends
2. Give a Little First
3. Go Right to the Influencers
4. Generate a Buzz
5. Be Honest
(http://www.sitepoint.com/5-strategies-to-maximize-word-of-mouth-marketing/)
What i want to mention here is that a lot of business failed even through they implemented a word-of-mouth strategy, however, they failed in fullfilling the last criteria, honesty. All businesses, regardless of the type and size, honesty must be carried out in every step and every aspects.
I hope we can all benefit from this sometime in the future.

Familiar faces in Advertising

I think effective advertising is an important part of business communication. That's why I read this article and want to share with everyone. I think advertising is a way that a business want to convey their business product to the consumers. I strongly agree that familiar faces (not necessary a famous face) use in the advertisement will be more effective and attract more people and consumer attention, especially advertisement with sex appeal. For example, a hot cover girl on a magazine. First attention grabber is very essential to be communicate effectively in any type of communication or advertisement.
"prestige's effectiveness is derived not only from the fact that the illustrious are famous figures but from the fact that they are familiar faces. The faces of famous athletes, film stars and musicians are all familiar to us"

The other interesting point I learned from this article is that from psychology studies shown that not only men are attractive to this kind of advertisement but women are also more attractive to this kind of advertisement with a hot girl with familiar faces.

Minimising conflict with effective communication

I found this article very helpful because I think everyone will face team communication in the future wherever it's at school or in the workplace. Communication is a team is very important and better communication will reduce the conflict in a team, hence produce a more efficient and effective outcomes. Willing to listen, being honest, and avoid negative communication will help to reduce team conflicts and help the team run smoothly and achieve a better goal.

5 types of communication that lead to conflict:
1. Negative communication
2. Blaming communication
3. Superior communication
4. Dishonest communication
5. Selective communication

Cell Phone Do's And Don't During A Meeting

Cellphone becomes part of our lives and most people owns a cellphone. Cellphone is a very easy way to connect people but cellphone can be disturbing and rude to other people in a meeting. The articles talks about Cellphone Do's and Dont's during a meeting to avoid unpleasant and disturb feeling to other people that you're having meeting with.
It is extremely rude especially when a person let the phone rings aloud and for a long time.
For example, the article mentions that imagine you're texting and using the phone all the time, the person across to you is like invisible. The person that you're having dinner with might feel unrespected and not as important. The communication between you and the others might kept getting disturbed by phone calls.

For a list of Do's and Don't do during a meeting please refer:

Take Advantage of Electronic Communication Texts and e-mails

I found this article very interesting about electronic communication. The article talks about the advantage of electronic communication like emails or text message for debt collector. It is more effective and less invasive for collecting debt from debtors. "There is a 12% increase in collection by using electronic communication" by Michelle Dunn.
I believe that electronic communication can be a better way of communication to avoid mistakes and be less invasive when collect money from debtor.

Here are some dos and don'ts for using electronic communication in your debt-collection efforts copy from the articles:

Do:

  • Skip tracing or locating debtors
  • Researching collection tools, such as software or skip tracing tools
  • Credit reporting
  • Use database technology to maintain account information on customers
  • Get authorization for each payment
  • Research place of employment

Don't:

  • Send instant messages to a debtor about a debt
  • Initiate unauthorized additional payments on a bank account.
  • Send a friend request to a debtor on any social networking website

Accent and Tone of voice

This article is about accent and tone of voice. I found this article quite interesting because as a foreigner I think one of the difficulties to learn English is the speaking and the accent we have from our country. It is important to speak more accurate to be able to communicate fluently without any misunderstanding.
In this article it mentions how to speak more clearly in English with the accent and tone of voice. For example, "with words of two or more syllables, it is usual to give at least one of the syllables a special stress". Special straess on one of the syllable will be focus on emphasis distinguish some words similar to other words, which will reduce mis-communication while we speaking in English.

For more info:

Visuals for Presentaions

With the amount of class presentaions that the average student has to complete in there post secondary journey, it is very important to understand the role of visuals to stimulate interest in your presentation. I found this web site that is loaded with ideas and knowlege about the integration of your visuals to inhance a class presentation.


http://www.srikumar.com/education_cources/visual_communication.htm

How to Use Effective Visual Aids

Visual aids are a very important part of a presentation, particularly when covering a long and complicated topic. They help the audience understand the material and follow the presenter better.

This article talks about effective use of visual aids: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/164305/how_to_use_effective_visual_aids_.html

Tuesday 9 August 2011

Communication Skills: Space and Distance

Hey Guys
This article is talking space and distance in communication skills. I found this article to be particularly interesting and want to explain the concept of space in our culture. We are very aware of the person to person distance in our culture. We can often tell a person’s power or status by his office layout and his office space. There are many appointments and waiting need for us to do in order to meet the top position manager or executive in the company. An office’s physical space can also tell a man’s position in the organization chart.
Later, the article also mentions to us the distance between a person that we should have according to the relationship
Intimate Distance: 1 to 2 Feet
Personal Distance: 2 to 4 Feet
Social Distance: 4 to 12 Feet
Public Distance; 12 feet to further
Joseph Shen
100200828
The link: http://www.leehopkins.com/nonverbal-communication-space.html

25 Public Speaking Skills Every Speaker Must Have

An article that compiles 25 skills that a good public speaker must have

  1. Research
  2. Focus
  3. Organization
  4. Usage of quotes, facts, statistics
  5. Metaphors
  6. Storytelling
  7. Starting and closing
  8. Humour
  9. Pace, tone, and volume
  10. Gestures
  11. Moving around
  12. Visual aids
  13. Audience analysis
  14. Connecting with audience
  15. Interacting with audience
  16. Questions & Answers
  17. Discussion
  18. Timing
  19. Introduction
  20. Confidence
  21. Preparation
  22. Coherence
  23. Feedback
  24. Listening
  25. Ethics
http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/25-skills-every-public-speaker-should-have/

5 Presentation Secerts WIll Change The Result

Hey Guys,
This article gives us five different secrets to improve your presentation style and my favorite one is asking the audience to get involved with you. I am pretty sure many people have listened to a boring presentation and hardly pay attention to it. I am also pretty confident to say that we want to make a good presentation for others. Why is it important to ask your audience to be involved with you? Because statically reporting, an average American can only pay attention for 9 seconds about what your present then they need to take a mental break. The audience only remembers 20% of your presentation contents. Here is some tips to help them remember your presentation.
1. Draw Questions balls at them
2. Make audience interactive by responding opinions
3. Allow audience to demonstrate
4. Give them prize or reward by responding your questions correctly
Joseph Shen 100200828
The Link: http://www.leehopkins.com/effective-communication-activities-5-presentation-secrets.html

5 Presentation Secerts WIll Change The Result

Hey Guys,
This article gives us five different secrets to improve your presentation style and my favorite one is asking the audience to get involved with you. I am pretty sure many people have listened to a boring presentation and hardly pay attention to it. I am also pretty confident to say that we want to make a good presentation for others. Why is it important to ask your audience to be involved with you? Because statically reporting, an average American can only pay attention for 9 seconds about what your present then they need to take a mental break. The audience only remembers 20% of your presentation contents. Here is some tips to help them remember your presentation.
1. Draw Questions balls at them
2. Make audience interactive by responding opinions
3. Allow audience to demonstrate
4. Give them prize or reward by responding your questions correctly
Joseph Shen 100200828
The Link: http://www.leehopkins.com/effective-communication-activities-5-presentation-secrets.html

What are Effective Presentation Skills?

According to an article I found, there are 3 components to an effective presentation:

  1. What the presenter has to say …

  2. How the presenter delivers it …

  3. The impact on the audience …


More: http://www.presentation-skills.biz/presentation-skills/what-are-effective-presentation-skills.htm

Non-Verbal Communication: TIME!

Hey Guys,
I have found an article which mentions the importance about time. I think this article applies directly to me because I am not a time-oriented person and I am not always arrived on time. When a person is arriving class late, she or he may only get deducted from his mark. On the other, when a businessman arrives late for his meeting or deal, others might want to cancel the business transaction or meeting because they feel they are being insulted. What I learn is always arrive a meeting or workplace 5 or 10 minutes earlier then you won’t regret. Some culture might have different perspectives about time, but I realize we are racing with time every day.

The Link: http://www.leehopkins.com/nonverbal-communication-time.html

Joseph Shen 100200828

5 Ways to Give An Effective Presentation

Hey Guys,
I have found an article which is giving us five different structures to maximize the attention when we are presenting. One of the five ways is the motivation presentation. I personally favor this one and I will be explaining how to use this one effectively.
1. Grab the audience attention before the presentation
2. Explain the situation and also list all the current problems. (Make sure that you mention the seriousness of the problem)
3. Give a recommendation so the audience can get released from the tension
4. Suggest any failures or damages if they don’t implement the recommendation
5. Using the personal messages to draw audience attention again. Tell them that they need to do some actions
I wish I could post this before the presentation, so we all can improve our marks!
Joseph Shen 100200828
The Link: http://www.leehopkins.com/nonverbal-communication-structure02.html

Writing A Email That Will Get You A Clear Result

Hey guys,
I have read a short article and I think this very important for us to read. This article is giving us some effective tips to get your email a clear result. We know that there is tons of email sent and received per day and people simply don’t have time to read and reply each of them. This article is trying to shape your email into a unique and attention drawing one. What you need to write is simply a personalize title, simple and passion messages, subheadings to illustrate and guide the points, and then use many action verbs as possible. Hope you all learn and apply this in your career or communication skills with others.
Joseph Shen 100200828

This is the link: http://www.leehopkins.com/results.html

Feedback for Pedro's blog on professional dress code tips

I can't have access to anyone's blog or comment on it, so I just post my feedback
Hey Pedro,
I agree that appropriate dressing will help you to be more approachable in business environment. Personally, I have noticed the importance of the appearance. My Parents have taught me to dress appropriately and always have a smile no matter where I am. I didn’t pay much attention to their advice before, but I start to realize and learn the essential of the dressing code. I don’t know what others think of these, but dressing appropriately will give me more confidence when I am making a speech or presenting myself. Others will naturally think that you are a friendly or kind person when they are communicating with you. Another important tips is always smile to the audience when you are presenting or making a speech because a simple simile will give the environment more relaxing and less intensive atmosphere
Joseph Shen 100200828

Email etiquette

According to a site I found, 32 most important email etiquette tips are:

1. Be concise and to the point
2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions
3. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation
4. Make it personal
5. Use templates for frequently used responses
6. Answer swiftly
7. Do not attach unnecessary files
8. Use proper structure & layout
9. Do not overuse the high priority option
10. Do not write in CAPITALS
11. Don't leave out the message thread
12. Add disclaimers to your emails
13. Read the email before you send it
14. Do not overuse Reply to All
15. Mailings > use the bcc: field or do a mail merge
16. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons
17. Be careful with formatting
18. Take care with rich text and HTML messages
19. Do not forward chain letters
20. Do not request delivery and read receipts
21. Do not ask to recall a message.
22. Do not copy a message or attachment without permission
23. Do not use email to discuss confidential information
24. Use a meaningful subject
25. Use active instead of passive
26. Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT
27. Avoid long sentences
28. Don't send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks
29. Don't forward virus hoaxes and chain letters
30. Keep your language gender neutral
31. Don't reply to spam
32. Use cc: field sparingly

http://www.emailreplies.com/


Business Negotiation

I took business negotiation last semester, and i think i learnt a lot from this course, especially negotiation skills. I would like to share with you from what i have learnt, in general.
Before the negotiation, you need to indentify the relationship type between you and the other party, distributive or integrative?
First, do some research!!! A lot of people ignored this stage because they believe in confidence, but knowing the market trends, gain some common knowledge will help you negotiate faster and more effective.
Secondly, know your BATNA(Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement), set your bottom line and target point. Don't change your bottom line easily unless you have to. Keep in mind that no decision is always better than a bad decision!
Thirdly, conduct the negotiation, this stage are the key components in negotiation, there are lots of things you need to keep track of, like discovering the other party's resistance point, influence them to change their resistance point, assess their target, manage the other party's impression, modifying them, make up the proper offer/ counter-offer and so on.
Fourly, closing the deal.
In real negotiations, there are a lot of unexpected situations, where you may be stuck on some point in negotiation where no one wants to step back, at this time, assessing the information you have collected and find out the similarities and differences, and try to work out something from mutual interests.
Personally, i have learnt a lot from this class, especially from this Instructor, Carlos E. Calao. I would strongly recommend this professor, since his classes are very interesting and practical. I believe this class BUSI 2465 conducted by Carlo can definitely gain you much more than you expected!

4 types of Communication

This is a really cool site that offers information about the four main types of communication: Verbal Communication, Non-Verbal Communication, Written Communication, and Visual communication.
Then it offers more knowledge that apply to each group.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/four-types-of-communication.html

How to impress at first sight

I think it's very important to impress your owner or interviewer at first sight. "You never have a second chance to make a first impression".
An ariticle indicated four criteria when you are trying to impress someone:
1. Smile!
There's nothing more simple but faster than sending a warm, friendly smile that can impress people.
2. Eye contact
"You’ve probably only heard this one a half-a-million times, but it’s critical. Don’t just look at someone’s eyes - look into them. Make a connection. Let him know that, for this instant, he is the most important people in your life."
3. Use his/her name
I think a lot of people may forget the person's name, so try the best to memorize it when he/she is introducing himself/herself, also keep repeating his/her name when making conversations, not only helps you to remember his name better, but also make him/her feel that he is valued and importanted to you.
4. Be interested in him
Don't just talk about yourself, make a point to show interest in them.

"http://www.thisweekbangalore.com/issue45/news9-Impress-First-Sight.html"

Professional dress codes

I think there are a lot students are unaware of how dress codes can greatly affect communications, especially in business communications. For example, when giving presentations, dressing professionally is more likely to attract the audiences' attentions, is more persuasive visually, is showing great respects to audiences and has such more positive meanings.
Businesses have preferences in selecting the "more professional" looking ones.
I found a website which gives u a lot of hint in professional dress codes. Remember, dress code does not only mean your clothing, but a physical visual impression when appearing to the audiences.
This website outlines the general criteria for women and men dressings, and it will definitely help you whenever you face professional situations.
"http://www.dba-oracle.com/dress_code.htm"

Color used in business communications

We all know that different colors has different meanings, indeed, its essential to select the right color for the business, especially in the right country.
For example, "white" in western country means naive, clean, holy; however, in China, it's can be an unlucky color, it's often used in someone's funeral. If you are producing a drink, but using a white symbol, i can tell that your business are unlikely to succeed in Asia countries.

"Color has a powerful subconscious effect on every part of our lives, without even saying a word; an understanding of color meanings in business gives us an invaluable tool to get the best response to our marketing and promotional efforts and ultimately to create a successful business."
Cited from:http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-meanings-in-business.html

I had some research online to find out some useful tips for selecting the right color for the right business. It discussed quite a lot different colors for different business. I think it's very interesting and therefore posted for your benefits, feel free to comment on this.

Effective Interpersonal Communication In The Workplace

Here is how to be a succesful communicator in your workplace. You must be
  • clear
  • avoid spelling errors
  • direct
  • concise
  • mind your font size and style
  • courteous, tactful, considerate
Details and more information here: http://www.essortment.com/effective-interpersonal-communication-workplace-36165.html


Friends and Family in the Workplace?

I have always thought that friends and family should not work together in the work place.  However, I recently saw two short videos on the financial post where two entrepreneurs stated otherwise.  Daniel Debow, Co-Ceo of Rypple is a co-founder with his best friend and states that although most people do not suggest working with friends, the working relationship can be amazing.  Debow asserts that when working with friends, one should communicate upfront about expectations and over communicate continuously.  Jacquelyn Cyr, CEO of Espresso thinks that if there is skill set match and talent understanding then friends and family are ideal candidates to work with because they know you the best.  Wow, I guess you do learn something new everyday!

http://business.financialpost.com/2011/08/08/should-you-hire-friends-and-family/

Voldemort has no Place in the Office!

I am sure that most people know who Lord Voldemort from the popular Harry Potter series is.  For those of you that don’t, ask and I am sure many can enlighten you on his evil ways, so evil that people do not dare to mention his name.  Have you ever worked with others on a group project who shared some qualities like Voldemort?  Unfortunately, these individuals may also present themselves in workplaces. When career coach and author, Caroline Ceniza-Levine asks if Voldemort works in your office? She is not referring to evil coworkers or management.Rather, the author uses the term to highlight how fear and contempt can grow in the workplace if the root of problem -- whatever it is -- is not adequately and openly addressed.”  Levine urges personnel to tackle the issues and discuss them constructively (strategize and brainstorm, instead of letting a small problem grow and fester). Unfortunately, many people don’t discuss the problem and bad situations can spiral.  So remember, don’t “Voldemort” an office issue, deal with it directly! You have to see and work with these people everyday..

http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/workplace/default.aspx

Helpful Business Lunch Etiquette Tips

Hello classmates, I came across this informative and useful article about business lunch etiquette.  I thought everyone could benefit from reading this since we are relative new comers to the business world. First, it is the host’s responsibility to choose place and time; please consider dietary plans. Second, it is wise to have a business relationship with a few restaurants so your guests will be impressed when the waiting staff knows you personally. Third, arrive before your guests do to ensure you have a good table. Fourth, choose meals that can be eaten easily with a knife and fork. Fifth, if your guest is having difficulty deciding on a meal, offer them some choices. Sixth, ensure that your cell phone is turned off. Seventh, respect their time; lunch or dinner should last between 45-60 minutes. Eighth, steer conversation away from political and religious opinions. Ninth, don’t over indulge in drink or food. Tenth, take care of the bill ahead of time and don’t let the bill land at the table to prevent awkwardness.    

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/workplace/List+your+next+business+meal/5224696/story.html

Using Graphics Effectively

I just presented my oral presentation for a class yesterday and used this article online to help me with using graphics. I did not want to use too many or graphics that were irrelevant to my presentation so I had to carefully select the ones that I felt would capture the audiences attention and also that were most pertinent to the topic I was discussing.

The article online provides 12 tips for creating better documents, I used this as a guideline for my power point presentation.
1. Choose your content carefully
2. Create a theme
3. Use graphics to illustrate key points
4. Use tables for page layouts
5. Use footnotes to support your details
6.Use headings and a table of contents
7. Add an appendix
8. Stay in control of your document by knowing what it is doing
9. Create your own set of styles
10. Save time by using different views
11. Place graphics that stay in place and look great
12. Control the look and use of graphics

This article is mostly for MS Word but I found that the MS suite is pretty interchangeable and the information here worked for PowerPoint as well. Check it out here.

Do you know how to talk to people so they will listen?

Sometimes we try to persuade someone to do some thing, but ends bad. Just as Ken Ward's example in his article, if you tell some one the house is dirty, it will not motivate him to clean the house.

He also said, "People, you and I, act to get good feelings or to get something that gives us good feelings". So how to talk motivated is important. He told us in order to use this motivating technique, you need to know how to makes others feel good. You will need to really care about people, and you will need to be interested in using this technique. Think this way and do things this way with people around you can improve your interpersonal skills.

We all like to hear compliments, but good compliments sounds good is because it sounds like trues.

Here is the link for the article: http://www.trans4mind.com/personal_development/Vignettes/Beneficial.htm


Do you know " WriteByNight" ?

As I was checking what to post to blogs, I found this websites which is a writing help centre.

It is a websites for someone who just love to write, for someone who want to improve their writing skills, and for someone who want to become a writer.

WriteByNight is a writing centre that offers services to help people creatively writing and reaching literary goals. They offers a creative programming and resources for writers. Also, it provide a membership program, as well as customizable coaching, even publication services for experienced writers.

I totally recommend this website and I know for sure I will join it! Here is the link:
http://www.writebynight.net/

Reasons of Taking Communication Courses

I remember, Communication classes used to me my least favourite classes in school, since we never had any classes like this in China. But later, writing a report already became a part of every day school activities while I was studying International Trade and Transportation at BCIT. I always wonder why all colleges and universities have communication courses in all programs.

Zulmarle Gonzalez wrote an article which said Americans reported their greatest fear is the fear of speaking in front of a group, according to the Bruskin (July 1973). I guess communication courses are not only my least favourite classes, but why for people whose first language is English still have to take that many communication classes?

Zulmarle made a good point by saying this way:

"Effective communication may not actually be able to solve all of the world's problems but practicing better communication skills might begin to solve or avoid any problems. This is the reason that communication is consequential."

I do think it make perfect sense. Check the link if you want to read the whole article.
http://www.helium.com/items/227572-reasons-to-take-a-communication-course-in-college

Why not Wiki it?

Many people like to use Wikipedia to get information, since it is so easy. In this article posted by FSU Library, it tells us why not Wikipedia it.

First, the author question it reliability since everyone can edit information on it.

Second, it can cause conflicts since anyone can write anything anywhere they want to.

So should we avoid to use it at all? The author said this way:

"Most entries have good information and Wikipedia is fairly vigilant about real abusers to the system. We use Wikipedia at the library all the time, but in the same way we would use any other encyclopedia – as a jumping off point into more in-depth information. "

Check the link for more detailed information,http://fsclibrary.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/why-not-wikipedia/

Monday 8 August 2011

overcoming test anxiety

I came across this article, on how to reduce test anxiety.

They give some tips for the preparation stage first. And say how important it is to build up your confidence.

During the test you should allocate your time, and read the directions for the test carefully. There are many more interesting tips on the website.

It might be helpful for some.

http://www.studygs.net/tstprp8.htm

10 ways to communicate more effectively with customers and co-workers

I've found an interesting article on how to communicate better with others in a workplace setting.

Here are the ten rules it specifies:

  1. Beware of interrupting

  2. Listen actively

  3. Avoid negative questions

  4. Be sensitive to differences in technical knowledge

  5. Use analogies to explain technical concepts

  6. Use positive instead of negative statements

  7. Be careful of misinterpreted words and phrases

  8. Remember that technical problems involve emotional reactions

  9. Anticipate customer objections and questions

  10. Keep the customer informed


Details can be found here: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-ways-to-communicate-more-effectively-with-customers-and-co-workers/207

Using Twitter and Facebook to Find a Job

You can use social networking sites to get in touch with employers and find work. It is quicker and easer than traditional job searching.

This article talks about how to use sites like Twitter or Facebook to get a job
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1903083,00.html


Basic Business Research Methods

We are recently doing the research report, so the methods of research are crucial. I found a link which provides variety of business research methods and steps of research.
It is more effective while we use proper methods to do research.

Here is the link:http://managementhelp.org/businessresearch/

Growing from correction

Today we gave encouragement to our colleagues on what we thought of there presentation. After we talked about what we could work on, taking criticism well is essential to growing in your skills because you are willing to learn. I found this site about accepting criticism well and learning from it.


http://zenhabits.net/how-to-accept-criticism-with-grace-and-appreciation/

Receiving and Giving Feedback Effectively

Hi there,
After our presentations today we received some feedback on our presentations. We were also asked to give feedback to our class mates.
It is important to take feedback in an effective manner as it is important to give it in an effective manner. This website that I found gives tips on how to do both. With 7 points on giving feedback and receiving feedback it is very informative.

http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/tips/receiving_and_giving_effective_feedback.html

How to Give and Take Criticism


From time to time, we come across situations that we need to give and take criticism. It's not easy to take criticism because we all have selfrespect. But it's also difficult to criticise others if we don't want to offend them.

This article talks about how to give and take criticism, and it can help us to have the proper attitude when we face these "criticle" situations.

Here is the link:

http://artofmanliness.com/2008/11/04/how-to-give-and-take-criticism-like-a-man/

How Prepare for a Behavioral Job Interview


We have talked quite a lot about interviews, but right now, employers prefer to have a behavioral job interview as a new trend. Behavioral interviewing requires candidates to give concrete examples of when they demonstrated the skills needed for the job.For example, employer can sak:"Can you give me an example from your past when you had to make a quick decision under lots of pressure?" Many people find these kind of questions are more difficult to answer comparing with questions like "what is your strength?"

Here is a good article for preparing a behavioral job interview:

http://artofmanliness.com/2010/07/02/how-prepare-for-and-rock-a-behavioral-job-interview/

How to Introduce Yourselp in Different Situations?


Your first impression to others is very important. And often, people get their first impression of you from your introduction. Making introductions used to be a formal affair, but nowadays keeping it simple and respectful goes a long way, and this link provides more tips when you do your introduction:

http://artofmanliness.com/2010/08/10/how-to-make-introductions-like-a-gentleman/

How Online Social Networks Are Changing The World

If we look at young freedom fighters battling vicious tyrannies today in the streets of Tehran, Damascus, Benghazi, and elsewhere, we find one big thing they all have in common: they all use online networking sites to organise their protests and rebellions. The activists are using Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube to spread the word and rally support.

It is not just in the Middle East. In China, mostly young 'netizens' use the web for social protests. In the Former Soviet Union, activists of youth opposition groups like 'Oborona' ('Defense'), in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, use the site Vkontakte.ru, the Russian-language answer to Facebook, to recruit followers and to organize rallies, protests, and demonstrations.

The Internet, and social networks, are changing our planet. They are helping people fight for their rights, for justice, and freedom.

Power Points

Hey everyone,
I should have posted this before our big presentation today, since it is about power points which a lot of us did today.
Although we have already done our presentations, maybe this can help you for any future power point presentations.
This article goes over a few tips to a successful power point as well as what should be included in each slide.
This webstie helped me form my power point and hopefully you can all find it helpful as well.

http://www.cob.sjsu.edu/splane_m/presentationtips.htm

Sunday 7 August 2011

How to "Smart" Google?

According to Nielsen NetRating Search Engine Rating (2005), Google is the most popular search engine. When we use Google to search for academic information, it is important to know how to effectively use it?

Total six tips on Google engine you must to know is listed as below:

1. Match all words, automatically done by Google
e.g. Enter " apples oranges" , then the matches pages will have both "apple" and "oranges".

2. Must include the word, use "+"
e.g. Enter " star wars episode + I", then the matches pages will show "star wars episode I" only.

3. Must exclude the word, use "-"
e.g. Enter " apples - oranges", then the matches pages will have "apples" but do not have the word "oranges."

4. Match a phrase, use " "
e.g. Enter " apples and oranges", then matches pages will have the actual phrase "apples and oranges."

5. Match any word, use "or"
e.g. Enter " apples or oranges", then matches pages will have "apples" or "oranges" or both " apples and oranges."

6. Synonym search, use "~"
e.g. Enter "~computer~tutorial", then matches pages will have "computer" and "tutorial" but also pages which used terms such as " hardware" or "PC."

The information above comes from Matt Baxter BCIT Course Web Site, with link " http://www.faculty.org/matt/."

Privacy and Social Networking

A link my Organizational Behavior instructor tweeted. It covers a few points on what to put on social networks and what to keep to yourself

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/08/privacy_is_a_luxury_you_dont_h.html