Communication & Presentation Skills

One Day Training Workshop on

HR Department CCL Pharmaceuticals (Pvt.) Ltd.

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Communication & Presentation Skills

WORKSHOP CONTENTS:

What is Effective Communication? Barriers to effective communication and means to overcome them. Importance of verbal and nonverbal communication Using active listening techniques to build rapport with your colleagues and clients Nurturing your telephone etiquettes Email Etiquettes Importance of presentation skills Stage fright and nervousness 10 dos and donts of presentations Voice dos and donts How to prepare effective visual aids for presentations Dress up appropriately but comfortably Feedback from the Trainer & Participants

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Communication & Presentation Skills

Communication Skills

Communication is a process whereby information is imparted by a sender to a receiver via a medium. There are auditory means, such as speaking, singing and sometimes tone of voice, and nonverbal, physical means, such as body language, sign language, eye contact, walking or the use of writing. Communication is defined as a process by which we convey meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding. We learn basic communication skills by observing other people and modeling our behaviors based on what we see. We also are taught some communication skills directly through education, and by practicing those skills and having them evaluated.

Communication Process

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Communication & Presentation Skills

Non Verbal Communication

Body language: gestures, posture (e.g. cross arms), facial expressions and eye contact, clothing, hair styles, silence, space, tone, handwriting, symbols and signs. The total impact of a message is about 7% verbal (words only) and 38% vocal (including tone of voice) and 55% nonverbal.

Types of Listening 1: Appreciative: Listening for pleasure; movies, comedy, plays etc. 2: Empathetic: Listening to provide emotional support for speaker 3: Comprehensive: Listening to understand the speakers message 4: Critical: Listening to evaluate a message Good Listening Skills Good listening skills make workers more productive. The ability to listen carefully will allow you to:

Better understand assignments and what is expected of you Build rapport with co-workers, bosses and clients Show support Work better in a team-based environment Resolve problems with customers, co-workers and bosses Answer questions Find underlying meaning in what other say

How to Listen Well The following tips will help you listen well. Doing these things will also demonstrate to the speaker that you are paying attention. While you may in fact be able to listen while looking down at the floor, doing so may imply that you are not.
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Maintain eye contact Dont interrupt the speaker Sit still Nod your head Lean toward the speaker Repeat instructions and ask appropriate questions when the speaker has finisher. A good listener knows that being attentive to what the speaker doesnt say is as important as being attentive to what he does say. Look for non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and posture to get the full gist of what the speaker is telling you. Barriers to Listening Beware of the following thing that may get in the way of listening. Bias or prejudice Language differences or accents Noise Worry, fear, or anger and Lack of attention span Listening Starts Early If you have children you know what its like to feel like you are talking to a wall. Kids have an uncanny ability to appear to be listening to you while actually paying no attention at all. While this is something that may pass with age it is important to help children develop good listening skills early. Thy will do better in schools and you will keep our sanity. As the SCANS report points out, good listening skills will prepare children to eventually succeed in the workforce.

When you tell your child to do something, ask him to repeat your instructions Teach your child to maintain eye contact when talking to or listening to someone Read out loud to your child and then engage her in a conversation about what you have read, and Engage your child in age-appropriate activities that promote good listening skills.

Active Listening Here are some tips to help you learn to improve your listening skills:

Listen for verbal clues. Your teacher will emphasize any important terms and concepts Watch for nonverbal clues. Eyebrow, hands, pauses, eyes: these features all show expression when your teacher makes an important point Be mindful of your own reactions. When your teacher says something that sound interesting, curious, or surprising, go ahead and nod or smile. If the teacher says
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something boring or unpleasant, try not to have an ugly response. Why? To keep yourself on track. As long as you are managing your reactions, you are still listening. Avoid making predictions. If we think we know what someone is about to say, we stop listening and start drifting. Focus on the words, not the person. Dont get distracted by an ugly dress, weird hairstyle or goofy tie. Dont get caught up on one detail. Stay on pace Dont let your mind wander. Put that food, person, music, or daydream out of your head and save it for later. Telephone Etiquettes

20 Telephone Etiquette Tips for Customer Service 1. Make sure you speak clearly and are smiling as you answer the phone; also identify yourself Before placing a caller on hold, ask their permission first and thank them It is better to return a call than to keep someone on hold too long. If the phone rings back to you, youve kept them on hold too long Do not forget to return the call as you promised Do not permit the phone to ring into the office more than three times Always use a pleasant congenial and friendly tone Never interrupt the person while he/she is talking to you Never engage in an argument with a caller Do not handle an unhappy callers concern openly at the check-in/check-out counter or desk

2. 3.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

10. Do not make it a habit of receiving personal calls at work 11. Do not answer the phone if you are eating or chewing gum

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12. Do not give the impression that you are rushed. It is better to return the call when you can give the person the time they need to handle the reason for their call 13. Learn how to handle several callers simultaneously with ease and grace 14. Return calls promptly that have been left on voice mail. 15. Always get the best number (and an alternate) and the best time to have a call retuned to the caller, especially if a manager or another team member must return the call 16. Do not ever leave a message with someone else or on a voice mail regarding details of a delinquent account. Instead, leave a message asking the person to call the Accounting Department. 17. Always make collection calls in private and away from the patient flow or public area 18. If possible, provide a telephone for customers/clients to use. An area providing privacy is preferred 19. Do not call a customer or clients home before 8:00 am or after 9:00 pm, unless they have given you permission to do so 20. When hanging up the phone, make sure the caller or person called hangs up first of the phone is slammed on the receiver. Otherwise, always hang up the phone gently. 10 most Common Grammar Errors and How to Avoid Them Error No.1: Lack of Subject/Verb Agreement In the present tense, subjects and verbs must agree in number. That is, a singular subject requires a singular form of the verb, and a plural subject requires a plural form of the verb. Agreement error: Correct: Agreement error: Correct: The instructions is confusing. The instructions are confusing. One of these orchids bloom at night. One of these orchids blooms at night.

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Error No. 2: Past Tense Error Regular past tense verbs end in ed (smiled, developed), while irregular past tense verbs change form (freeze/froze, catch/caught). Be especially careful not to omit the ed ending on a regular verb. Past tense error: Correct: Past tense error: Correct: During the lecture, she ask many questions. During the lecture, she asked many questions. When he propose, Carla say no. When he proposed, Carla said no.

The past participle form of a verb combines with helping verbs like has or have; it can also be used as an adjective. The past participles of regular verbs end in ed, just like the past tense (smiled/has smiled, developed/has developed). The past participles of irregular verbs like the past tense often change form (froze/has frozen, ran/has run). Past participle error: Correct: Past participle error: Correct: Ivan is a qualify paramedic. Ivan is a qualified paramedic. The dogs have drank all their water. The dogs have drunk all their water.

Error No. 3: Run-on Sentence or Comma Splice A run-on sentence incorrectly runs together two independent clauses without a conjunction or punctuation. A comma splice incorrectly joins two independent clauses with a comma but no conjunction. Run-on sentence: Correct: Correct: Comma splice: Correct: Correct: Correct: Poetry isnt dead its alive and well. Poetry isnt dead; its alive and well. Poetry isnt dead; on the contrary, its alive and well. My friend Bob is a genius, hes especially good at math. My friend Bob is a genius. Hes especially good at math. My friend Bob is a genius; hes especially good at math. My friend Bob is a genius, and hes especially good at math.

Error No. 4: Sentence Fragment A sentence fragment lacks a subject, a verb, or both. It cannot stand alone as a sentence. Sentence Fragment: Correct: Sentence Fragment: Correct: Sentence Fragment: Correct: The dance troupe that visited our campus. The dance troupe that visited our campus was inspiring. Page 8 of 21 Studying all night long. We stayed up studying all night long. Because he is allergic to peanuts. Because he is allergic to peanuts, he cannot eat that sandwich.

Communication & Presentation Skills

Error No. 5: Pronoun Error The most common pronoun errors are pronoun/antecedent agreement errors and case errors. Pronouns must agree in number with the noun (the antecedent) to which they refer. If that noun is singular, the pronoun must be singular; if that noun is plural, the pronoun must be plural. Pronoun case refers to the different forms of pronouns, which depend upon their parts of speech in a sentence. Pronoun error: Correct: Pronoun error: Correct: There is a strong bond between he and I. There is a strong bond between him and me. Her and me will be taking turns driving. She and I will be taking turns driving.

Error No. 6: Apostrophe Error Use apostrophes to show possession: adds after a singular noun or plural noun not ending in s; add after a plural noun ending in s. Do not use an apostrophe after a possessive pronoun (my, mine, our, ours, his, hers, its, their, theirs). Apostrophe error: Correct: Apostrophe error: Correct: His parents cabin is in Utah. (two parents) His parents cabin is in Utah. The company is moving its headquarters. The company is moving its headquarters.

Error No. 7: Comma Error Watch out for these most common comma errors. Missing commas in a series of items Comma error: Correct: I ordered a salad hamburger and French fries. I ordered a salad, hamburger, and French fries.

A missing comma after an introductory dependent clause Comma error: Correct: Because he is ill he will not golf today. Because he is ill, he will not golf today.

A missing comma between two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction Error No. 8: Illogical Verb Tense Shift Comma error: Stars and planets fascinate her so she wants to be an astronomer. Correct: Stars and planets fascinate her, so she wants to be an astronomer.
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Missing commas in non-restrictive clauses Comma error: Correct: My car which is a Volkswagen gets good gas mileage. My car which is a Volkswagen, gets good gas mileage.

Communication & Presentation Skills

A verb tense shifts occurs when the writer switches from present to past or from past to present without a good reason. Tense Shift: Correct: Correct: We drove to the lake, and Joe dives right in. We drove to the lake, and Joe dove right in. We drive to the lake, and Joe dives right in.

Error No. 9: Misplaced or Confusing Modifier To avoid confusion, modifiers must be placed next to the word they modify and must clearly refer to a word in the sentence. Misplaced modifier: Correct: Confusing modifier: Correct: Presentation Skills Success First Rule of Great Presentation A great presentation does not just happen. It is planned, rehearsed then delivered with flair. A good presenter is one who learns the skills of presentations- not one who hopes for talent to carry them. Public speaking is a set of skills not a talent. You can be a good presenter if you learn the skills for presentation success. You will be a great speaker if you learn from every presentation you deliver. Great presenters start as poor speakers- then they get better. Learn from other Great Speech Makers Who are the public speakers you admire? Ask yourself why you admire them. What techniques do they use in their speeches that you can use? What principles can you adapt to your presentations? It could be a great political leader, business executive or innovator. Whether it is a Churchill, Henry Ford or Einstein ask yourself, Why does their delivery work so well? How can I use that technique or principle in my speech? Look for the skills they used and make them your own. Purpose of your presentation Imagine that you have been scheduled to speak to a group. An important question for you to review is Why am I delivering this presentation? Dont answer, Because I was asked. Instead ask why does this group need to hear from you? What message is so important that
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At five years old, my father taught me to ski. When I was five years old, my father taught me to ski. Strip mining the hillsides, many acres were left bare. Strip mining the hillsides, the coal company left many acres bare.

Communication & Presentation Skills

you must take their time to speak to them? You must be clear on the purpose of your speech before you can write it. Please dont give a speech just because you are the boss. Dont waste their time and embarrass yourself. Have something worthwhile to say. If you start by knowing what you want to happen then you will begin to create an effective speech. Your audience is the reason you are there Understand your audience. What do they want? Why would they listen to you? If you want to reach them with your presentation you must reach them through their needs. While you are talking they are asking themselves, Whats in it for us? If you have not spoken to this group before, interview a few of them before your presentation. Mention the names of some audience members during your presentation. It will help you connect with the group. Presentation Structure There are many presentation structures that you can choose from. When you speak to a business group the most effective approach is to state your conclusions first, the actions required then follow with supporting information. That would be an effective business speech. The most boring and ineffectual presentation style to use with a business group is the scientific method that many of us learned in school. The scientific method starts with a problem, followed by a hypothesis, a method, results and conclusion. That sounds logical but most people in business today do not have the patience to listen to that litany. We want the answer first, Speak dont lecture. Q&A structure Another simple presentation structure that works is to tell your audience that you will answer the most common questions you have heard. Then you state the question and answer it. This is one of the easiest ways to give a speech. It sounds like a conversation and you will find it easier to remember. All you need to remember are the questions because you already know the answers. The best speech feels like a conversation. Pain and Relief An effective sales technique is to first reveal or describe their pain, fear or problem. Then you offer the relief to the pain. The relief from pain and desire for pleasure are powerful motivators. Just dont dwell on the pain too long.

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Illustrating your main points We need images to understand. A good image for the accountant and numbers type is a chart. Bankers, financial planners and money folk love charts and graphs. Use pie charts, bar graphs and piles of coins to illustrate and emphasize your points when talking to financial types. Images can contribute more to the success of your presentation then words. Telling Stories Tell stories. Paint word pictures that create images in the listeners minds. If they can see it they are more likely to understand and remember your message. The best public speakers are storytellers. Use stories and anecdotes to illustrate and reinforce the main points of your presentation. Learn to master the skill of storytelling. Listen to the newscasters, entertainers and other speakers. The best stories are personal. Because they are yours they are easier to remember and they make your presentation unique. We listen to stories. We hate lectures. If you forgot that lesson just ask your kids. The way to find personal stories that can be used in your presentations is to write them down. Make a list of significant things that happened to you and those around you; the first time the best, the worst, the biggest mistake, the best break, the greatest ah ha, the funniest moment, the most frustrating incident, the dumbest thing you did, the most embarrassing moment The things that hurt you the most make the best stories to tell in your presentations. Rehearse your stories to edit them down into a short story that is easy to listen to. The hardest thing for you might be to leave out details. The hardest thing for your audience is listening to you describe unnecessary details. Just make the point. Research your presentation Get your facts straight. Dont stand there saying, I think so or Im not sure. Dont lie and pretend to know something you do not. So spend time collecting and confirming your information. Too many public speakers are quick to present their opinions without providing clear substance. Avoid that trap. Be careful of presenting hearsay as evidence unless you preface it as that. You might interview customers for their comments or check with the front lines for their unofficial feedback. That is ok but present it honestly. Do a quick search on one or a few of the Internet search engines to find some new insights on the topic of your presentation. These internet facts might not be confirmable so present them as what you found Stuff from the Internet.
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Test for relevance Review your speech for relevance to your audience. After every statement that you plan to make ask yourself, So what? Because that is what your audience will be asking. If you cannot answer this question clearly or succinctly then rework it or remove it from your speech. What do you want them thinking, Yeah right on! or So what? Remembering your speech The best public speakers do not memorize their presentation. Instead know your topic and the issues. Then make notes for yourself. But dont read your speech. That is so boring. Instead write key words that remind you of your messages. Write your speech notes on index cards. That is much easier to handle instead of fumbling with a sheet of paper. Rehearsing your presentation Rehearse your speech on your feet at least three times. It is okay to rehearse parts of it in your car or sitting at your desk. But because you will deliver in on your feet you rehearse the speech on your feet. It feels different when you speak on your feet. Get used to the feel of delivering your presentation. The best way to reinforce a set of skills is by repeating the pattern the way you plan to deliver. Golfers and musicians rehearse their patterns so the skills of the big day are natural to them. The fear of public speaking Studies show that our number one fear is the fear of public speaking. Hard to believe but it is more prevalent than the fear of death. If you have a fear of public speaking or feel some anxiety you are not alone. Even great speakers like Churchill experienced this fear. But he worked on his delivery skills so he could deliver even when he was nervous. The fear of public speaking might be with you forever. But your audience does not need to know. Overcoming the fear of public speaking In most cases the symptoms of the fear are not noticeable to your audience. You might feel terrified but your audience doesnt know. There are several ways to get past speech anxiety. Focus on the success of your presentation. Before you step up to speak take a couple of slow deep breaths. Speak slowly. Dont let it run away from you.

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Delivering your Presentation Last minute details before you begin speaking Get into the room before your audience arrives to check the setup and get the feel of the room. This helps to make it your room. Walk around the room and sit in a few different chairs to take in the feel of your room and how your audience will see you. Check your equipment and put on your busiest slide to check for readability. Drink one or two glasses of warm water to both lubricate your vocal cords and hydrate yourself. Public speaking dehydrates you. Emergency preparation Check the exit doors and paths from the building. If any emergency occurs the audience will look to you, the speaker, for leadership and maybe their lives. Be prepared to tell people how to leave the room and building. If it becomes unnecessary do it in a calm, commanding and confident voice. Public speaking carries the responsibility of leadership. Everything you do while speaking will be better if you prepare the skills to deliver. Your confederate Always have at least one confederate. This is a simple yet important secret to presentation success. Your confederate should sit near the back of the room so they can survey the room, help late arrivers and do things without disturbing the audience. They will take care of the lights, handouts, ushering people to their seats and even asking a planted question. It is their job to head off problems before they erupt. They should know how to work the lights and who to call when problems arise. Eye Contact Talk directly to people. The best presentation is delivered as a conversation to every person in your audience one person at a time. If you want to be believed talk to every individual looking him or her in the eye. Dont make the big mistake committed by many n ovice public speakers staring at the spot on the back wall. This one technique is a powerful element of successful presentation skills. Emphasizing key points If you want people to remember something repeat it at least three times during your speech. The first time they might hear it. The second time they might mull it over. The third time it

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might stick. I have a dream. Do you know how many times Martin Luther King repeated that phrase in his famous speech? Establishing rapport Talk about things to which your audience can relate. Dont talk down and dont baby them. To build rapport with your audience they must relate to you. Dont pretend to be something you are not. But show how you are like them. Be human. Expose a flaw. Show that you are not perfect. If you pretend to be perfect they will hate you and not listen. Stay on time Start your presentation on time and finish on time. If you start all your meetings and presentations on time people will learn to show up on time. Do not repeat yourself for latecomers. If there is a small group at starting time then be prepared to start with a discussion instead of your speech. Those that are there will believe that you started on time and those arriving late will seat themselves quickly feeling a bit guilty for being late. Finish on time even if it means leaving something out. For that reason always get your important message out early. Never keep the key message till the end of your speech. They might be asleep by that time. Position a small clock where you can see it so you know where you are in your presentation. Dont commit the sin of asking, How are we doing for time? You should know you are the speaker. Deliver your speech with credibility If you are the CEO, President or the boss you have credibility by position. You might lose your credibility by committing presentation sins. You can enhance your credibility by the sources of information you quote. You can quote from a publication they read and respect. You can quote from a well-known and respected person. You can quote from some member of your audience remember your research? You can also imply credibility by waving a source document or book as you speak. Notice how preachers use this technique by holding the bible. Help your audience remember the important parts Repeat the points you want them to remember. Use an anecdote or story to illustrate the point. Pause just before and after you state the key points. We find it easier to remember images and feelings. If you want your audience to remember the key points of your presentation attach those points to images or emotions. Men tend to
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connect visuals with memory while women tend to connect emotion for memory. Be sure to address both needs in your presentations. Look your best Smile. You look your best when you smile. You look most trustworthy, friendly and confident when you smile. We do not want to listen to a speaker who is frowning. Dont grin like a fool all the way through your speech. Instead smile before you start. Smile when you say something important. Smile when you end. Make it a warm friendly smile. When you smile you look confident and help to improve the confidence of your audience. Sounding your best Drinking water before you speak will lubricate your vocal chords. Breathing deeply and slowly will allow you to project your voice and pause when you want to not when you need to. Speak slower that you normally speak. The audience needs to hear you, think about it and internalize it. Try these simple exercises to get your voice in shape before you speak. Yawn. Yes, yawning relaxes your vocal chords and opens the voice channel. The second trick is to hum. Humming seems to set up a resonance within your vocal cavity. Using equipment and technology If you are using a computer projector and PowerPoint in your presentation then avoid the mistakes committed by many presenters. Ensure that your slides enhance your points. Dont make the common mistake of designing your presentation around the slides. Instead, first create your presentation then decide how to illustrate your points. You might have sat through some horrible PowerPoint Presentations. That happens when speakers with poor presenters attempt to hide their lack of skills behind a PowerPoint presentation. Ensuring success in your presentation Your audience does not know your script. Be ready to adapt your presentation to the audience and conditions. Be prepared to leave something out. It might be tough on you but your audience does not know what you left out or forgot. Instead focus on them and your message. If they get it then forget the rest of your speech.

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Correcting things that go wrong If you look and sound calm the audience does not know that anything is wrong. They might even think that you planned the interruption. When things go wrong, smile, pause, breathe and sound confident. Adapt your presentation. Never appear to panic. Instead focus on your message and what you want them to do. Handling Q & A At some point during your presentation you might offer to answer questions from the audience. Never do this as an afterthought. Dont make the mistake of delivering and finishing a spectacular speech then opening to questions. That is a weak way to close. Instead before you finish your speech, announce that you will take questions for few minutes. Then close off the questions and finish with your closing statement. That way you get the strong close you planned not the answer to a lame question. Tame the hecklers How do you handle hecklers? Prepare yourself for the worst questions. Write down all the possible objections and your answer to each. Rehearse the answers when you rehearse your speech. Answering questions well is a crucial part of your presentation skills. No matter what happens remain calm. The worst thing for you to do is to react. Instead, respond and guide the audience back to your message. If you have established rapport with your audience they will be on side with you. Dont alienate your audience by appearing angry or out of control. If a heckler makes a negative comment you can respond with, Thank you for your opinion and move on. Dont let yourself get dragged into a dirty argument. Dont give the heckler credibility. Finish Your Presentation Strong End your presentation with a strong message. You can choose from several techniques. A call to action is one of the best endings to get your audience into action immediately after your speech. Other endings you can use include a rhetorical question; a positive statement; or a famous quotation. But never end with, Well thats all folks. That is an extremely weak ending. Instead end on a positive action generating note.

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Review your presentation and grow Ask a trusted colleague to attend your presentation and give you a constructive feedback. Be specific in what you ask from them; e.g. How well was my point illustrated? Did my humor work well? Did I connect with them? When you ask specific questions you will get specific answers. The most important question you can ask yourself is, Did I make happen what I wanted to happen? If the answer is yes it was a successful presentation. Did they buy, were they convinced, did they march in the direction you pointed? That is the measure of a successful speech. That is the purpose of your presentation skills in action. Also look at where you might still improve your skills. And plan to work on this before your next presentation. When someone compliments you on the presentation be gracious and ask him or her, What was the best idea or strongest message that you will take away and use? You might be surprised at what they heard versus what you said. The fastest way to improve your presentation skills is to review every presentation you deliver. What worked well? What could you change? Leverage your presentation Make your presentation more than an event and part of the process. Summarize key points and questions from the presentation in your newsletter and send a note to everyone. Perhaps the speech would make a good article with some editing. Speaking is only one part of your overall set of communication and leadership skills. These skills are meant to help you get done what you need to get done by you and by others. Your next presentation File your notes from the presentation so you can refer to them next time you present. Include in the file your comments about what you thought worked well and what you need to improve. Include suggestions to yourself on what to try differently next time. Remember the great masters of golf and music are continually improving their skills. They never sit back and rely on talent alone. For success with your presentation Speak well Speak effectively Speak with confidence Speak to make things happen
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Speak imperfectly and speak again

Grooming and Confidence The most important trait of good personality is its confidence. Self-confidence or having confidence in yourself can make a huge difference in how people perceive you. If you are unsure of yourself, you will be projecting the same image outside to others as well. So, it is important that you cultivate confidence in yourself and this can only happen if you really believe that you are capable of handling any situation. Pay adequate attention to your personal grooming. Be clean and neat all the time. Dress up properly for the occasion. No one wants to talk to persons who are shabbily dressed. A neat and clean personality always radiates a confident attitude someone who takes care of himself can also take care of others. Clothes should be comfortable not necessarily fashionable. Every fashion does not suit everyone. Do not be a blind follower choose only outfits that you can carry off confidently. Remember, the first impression is the last impression. People take only a few seconds to judge others and in these first few seconds, what they note is the appearance. What you are fresh and well groomed, it creates a positive impression. Research has shown that good looking people have a 20% advantage over the not so groomed ones. As Dale Carneige in his best seller How to win friends and influence people said Everyone can spot a fake and it does not help to be one. Be kind and gentle to people. Sometime, everyone makes a mistake, be forgiving and importantly differentiate between the mistake and the one committing mistake. True, it may cause a lot of trouble, but it is not going to end the world. So be forgiving and be gentle. Develop your character by inculcating good behavior and discipline in your life. Let your inner charm and faith flow out and embrace others in its magnetic wrap. Charge yourself with strong willpower and have full faith in your abilities. Seven Ways to Boost Your Self Esteem Quickly Low self esteem can trip you up just when you need your self esteem is be at its best. These 7 tips will help you feel better about yourself quickly: 1. Think back to when you did something new for the first time Learning something new is often accompanied by feelings of nervousness, lack of self belief and high stress levels, all of which are necessary parts of the learning process. The next time you feel under-confident, remembering this will remind you that its perfectly normal you are just learning!
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2. Do something that you have been putting off. Like writing or calling a friend, cleaning the house, tidying the garden, fixing the car, organizing the bills making a tasty and healthy meal anything that involved you making a decision, then following through! 3. Do something you are good at. Examples? How about swimming, running, dancing, cooking, gardening, climbing, painting, writing. If possible, it should be something that holds your attention and requires enough focus to get you into that state of flow where you forget about everything else. You will feel more competent, accomplished and capable afterwards, great antidotes to low self esteem! And while youre at it, seriously consider doing something like this at least once a week. People who experience flow regularly seem to be happier and healthier. 4. Stop thinking about yourself! I know this sounds strange, but low self esteem is often accompanied by too much focus on the self. Doing something that absorbs you and holds your attention can quickly make you feel better. 5. Get seriously relaxed. If you are feeling low, anxious or lacking in confidence, the first thing to do is to stop thinking and relax properly. Some people do this by exercising, others by involving themselves in something that occupies their mind. However, being able to relax yourself when you want is a fantastic life skill and so practicing self hypnosis, meditation, or a physically based relaxation technique such as Tai Chi can be incredibly useful. When you are properly relaxed, your brain is less emotional and your memory for good events works better. A great rescue remedy! 6. Remember all the things you have achieved. This can be difficult at first, but after a while, youll develop a handy mental list of self esteem boosting memories. And if youre thinking But Ive never achieved anything, Im not talking about climbing Everest here. Things like passing your driving test (despite being nervous), passing exams (despite doubting that you would), playing team sport, getting fit (even if you let it slip later), saving money for something, trying to help someone (even if it didnt work) and so on.

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7. Remember that you could be wrong! If you are feeling bad about yourself, remember that way you feel affects your thoughts, memory and behavior. So when you feel bad, you will only remember the bad times, and will tend to be pessimistic about yourself. This is where the tip Get Seriously Relaxed comes in!

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