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Take the elevator to the top!
 so
you've got it all in your head, and you tell yourself
that the minute you get a willing audience, everyone's
going to know all about it too.
Still,
when you face an important crowd at a meeting, an interview
board, or an auditorium of people, you feel like a bunch
of bananas about to be eaten. So what's the solution?
You either duck or run before they start throwing bad
eggs, or you open your mouth enough to say you'll be
back later.
Meanwhile,
how about picking up some communication skills?
You're going
to need all of them when you set out on a new job.
How
to open your mouth when you need to (and close it too)...
| Visualise |
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Close your
eyes and think of the time you have to face people.
What comes to your mind? You. Do you think of
a smart, confident wizard with all the answers,
or do you find a poor fish with his mouth open?
Most probably, the second. Well, don't. Just think
of yourself as the smart type, and you will begin
to get there.
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| Talk
a lot |
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Do a lot
of it; keep telling yourself how important it
is to learn how to speak articulately, effortlessly
and continuously. Talk to a friend, a parent,
a child, to yourself, to the walls, if need be,
but talk. Describe a scene, a mob, a touching
scene.
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| Prepare |
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Yes,
it's important to jot down what you want to say,
how you want to say it and what your opening line
will be. This is not to get you to fake things,
but to prevent anyone from catching you off guard
at least for a while.
|
| Be
sure of what you say |
|
If you don't
know what you are talking about, not all the tips
in the world can help you save your face when
you trip with a crowd of friends. So if you don't
know something, admit it at once.
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| Learn
to listen |
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You've got
a lot of things to say, but let the other fellow
in first. The best way to talk is to listen.
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| Be
natural |
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Everyone
likes Cary Grant, and everyone likes the way he
talks. But no one wants you to talk like that.
They'd rather see you doing a better job being
yourself.
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| Feel
right |
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Remember
the last time your friend dropped a stone on your
toe? Did you need anyone to tell you how to communicate?
No sir, you just did it, and you yourself could
have given a few tips on how to talk. What's important
is - talk with feeling.
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| Learn
to trust |
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People
are nice on the whole, and wouldn't want to make
a fool of you unless you help them with proof.
You know that story about the dog and the mirror
- if you like people, they like you back.
|
| Do
not show off |
|
Talk to other
people about what they're good at - themselves.
Nobody likes to waste an afternoon hearing about
you - they'd rather waste it on themselves.
|
| Quit
bossing |
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Why
should you tell people what they should do? They
want to find out themselves, even if it means
that they trip up first.
That
about sums it all up. Communication, I guess,
is really about being a nice human being and deciding
that others are nice too. Just try it out.
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