Professional Excellence
Representing Yourself
(and your employer) in Public
NYSAPLS 50th
Annual Conference &
Exhibition
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Professional Excellence
Learning Objectives
z Provide top quality service.
z Improve communication skills.
z Understand business etiquette and its impact
in providing great customer service.
z Creating standards of excellence.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Workshop Agenda
z Introduction of Effective
Communication
z Business Etiquette in the Workplace
z Customer Service Standards for
Channel usage
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Quote of the Moment
“The two words “information” and
“communication” are often used
interchangeably, but they signify
quite different things. Information
is giving out; communication is
getting through.”
--- Sydney J. Harris
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Communication
1. Improve the way you see yourself.
2. Improve the way others see you.
3. Increase what you know about human
relationships.
4. Teach you important life skills.
5. Help you succeed professionally.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Communication Model
z Sender: person who is delivering the
message.
z Receiver: intended person or audience who
is receiving the message.
z Channel: how communication gets from
sender to receiver.
z Sources: ideas that are transmitted via
verbal or non-verbal messages.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Communication Model
Source
Channel
Sender
Receiver
Response
Interpretation
Evaluation
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Communication Model
z Who (audience)
z What (message)
z When (time)
z Where (channel)
z Why (reasons)
z How (word choice, emotional context,
non-verbal, etc.)
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Quote of the Moment
“Good communication is as
stimulating as black coffee
and just as hard to sleep
after.”
- - - Anne Morrow Lindberg
(Gift From the Sea)
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
How We Communicate
Albert Mehrabian Studies:
z Approximately 7% of communication
is words.
z Approximately 55% is facial
expression and body language.
z Approximately 38% is paralanguage
(voice usage).
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
How We Communicate
Pair Exercise:
z Introduce yourself to person sitting
next to you.
z Each of you has one minute to share
as much information as you can about
yourself.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
How We Communicate - Verbal
z Carefully think out message before you speak.
z Carefully choose the words you want to use.
z Use simple, everyday language.
z Be direct and concise.
z Clarity, focus and repetition of message will help
build listener retention.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
How We Communicate - Verbal
z Grammatical errors
z Colloquialisms (words and phrases used informally)
z Cliché’ (expression that has lost originality)
z Euphemism (polite expression)
z Slang (a specialized group who share common interest)
z Profanity (disrespectful)
z Jargon (technical language developed by group)
z Regionalism (words and phrases from particular area)
z Sexist, racist, and heterosexist
(excludes based on gender, because of ethnicity, or assumed
that everyone is heterosexual)
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
How We Communicate - NonNon-Verbal
Group Exercise
In your teams come up with all the
positive & negative characteristics you
need to be concerned with when
communicating with others. Identify
actions in both body language and
paralanguage.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
How We Communicate - NonNon-Verbal
Negative
Positive
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
Nod head
Open relaxed position
Sitting forward in chair
Make eye contact
Smile
Stay focused on person
Show genuine concern
Open arms and gestures
Raised eyebrows
Crossed arms
Rocking back in chair
Look away or roll eyes
Frown
Get distracted/answer
phone
z Pretending you are
listening
z Read e-mail, answer
phone or continue doing
work
z Sighing
z
z
z
z
z
z
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Quote of the Moment
“Etiquette is what you are
doing and saying when people
are looking and listening. What
you are thinking is your
business.”
--- Virginia Cary Hudson
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Business Etiquette
z Etiquette is forms, manners, and
ceremonies established by convention as
acceptable or required in a social construct.
z Is the way professional people conduct
themselves around others.
z Relies on traditions, social expectations,
and behavior standards.
z Based on competencies of understanding,
kindness, courtesy, efficiency, and common
sense.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Business Etiquette
“A company becomes a company you
want to do business with because of
the people who work in it, so business
etiquette has a very definite
relationship to the bottom line.”
--- Letitia Baldrige
(Author “Complete Guide to the new Manners in the ’90s” and
director of staff for Jacqueline Kennedy in the White House.)
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Business Etiquette
Exercise:
Think of a person who you perceive as
being very professional.
What makes them appear professional?
What attributes do they possess?
What do they avoid doing?
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Business Etiquette: Work Behavior
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Appearance
Continuous learning
Honor work hours
Good work ethic
Follow through
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Business Etiquette: Work Behavior
6. Be friendly
7. Remain positive
8. Keep an open mind
9. Keep personal information to yourself
10. Solve your own problems
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Business Etiquette: Work Behavior
11. Communicate
12. Listen
13. Be assertive, not aggressive
14. Don’t be too much in a hurry to
advance
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Quote of the Moment
“It is often wonderful how
putting down on paper a clear
statement of a case helps one
to see, not perhaps the way out,
but the way in.”
---A.C. Benson
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Where We Communicate
z Channels are means by which
messages get sent.
z The most skilled communicators
use all channels to deliver key
messages.
z Skilled communicators choose
most appropriate form for type of
message being sent.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Where We Communicate
Face
Audio
Print
z Cultivating
relationships
z Sharing info
z Performance
reviews
z Persuading
z Problem
solving
z Motivating
z Resolving
conflict
z Sales
presentations
z Training
z Cultivate
relationships
z Conferring with
various
audiences,
multiple locations
z Coordinating
z Eliciting info
z Scheduling
z Sharing info
z Telesales
z Convey brief,
instant,
breaking news
z Conveying
company-wide
info
z Detailed, nonconfidential
z Requesting info
z Identity building
z Sharing info
z Explaining goals
and mission
z Sharing results
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Where We Communicate
Channel Usage Exercise
What bad manners have you been
exposed to when it comes to
telephone skills?
In groups, identify best practices for
telephone etiquette.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel -Telephone
z Sit up straight and smile.
z Be ready to take notes.
z Answer by second ring.
z Identify who you are.
z Be courteous, friendly and
professional.
z Pay attention.
z Use “Conference Transfer” instead of
“cold” transfer.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel - Telephone
z Transfer calls when appropriate.
z When you leave the line, explain why
and return promptly.
z React to what the other person is
saying.
z End the call on a positive note.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel - Telephone
z Distracted: When they talk to others
when they are talking to you.
z Unfocused: When there is no point.
z Long winded: They don’t stop to
breathe.
z Ramblers: When they run on and on.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel - Telephone
z Never tell a caller anything personal.
z Avoid phrases like “She’s not in yet or
She’s gone for the day.” Offer
assistance.
z Get appropriate information.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel - Telephone
z Make your own calls.
z Return phone calls in accordance with
company standards.
z Call with good reason.
z Plan calls carefully.
z Be courteous when your call is being
screened.
z Be polite and identify yourself and why you
are calling.
z Be brief and to the point.
z Hang up gently.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel - Voice Mail
z Message is clear.
z Voice is pleasant.
z Change if you will be out of office for
an extended period of time.
z Leave name and extension of
someone else for immediate
assistance.
z Check regularly throughout the day.
z Get back to those that left a message.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel - Voice Mail
z State name and
reason for calling.
z Leave name and
number twice.
z Spell your name.
z Indicate topics up
front.
z Leave a brief
message.
z Be specific.
z Provide key
information first.
z Talk slowly.
z Enunciate.
z Don’t leave
repeated messages.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel - E-mail
Use e-mail when…
Do not use e-mail…
z Sending brief messages
z Sharing info
z Setting up and confirming
meetings
z Distributing documents
z Providing project updates
z Providing specific answers to
questions
z Documenting conversations
and info that need a paper trail
z Congratulating or
complimenting someone
z To address a conflict
z To challenge an idea or coworker
z To discipline
z To share chain letters, jokes
or stories
z To deliver bad news
z To communicate with
someone who sits right next
to you
z When it is extremely
confidential
z When it is extremely
important
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel - E-mail
z To, From, Subject line complete.
Make sure you give details in subject
line.
z If third party sender, provide header
on e-mail page that includes To,
From, Subj., and Date.
z Use same techniques for a hard copy
format – intro, body, conclusion.
z Who is your audience, what do you
want them to do, know, feel.
z Make sure you have a goal/purpose.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel - E-mail
z If it is a long document, type it in word and
send as an attachment.
z If attachment is enclosed, make sure you
indicate to the reader what is attached,
key points, what you would like them to
do, and include contact information on email page.
z Always check grammar – be clear, be
concise, be correct. Use Spell Check.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel - E-mail
1. Use a standard Ariel or Times Roman
font.
2. Use a or font and be consistent.
3. Do not send a message ALL IN CAPS.
4. Use black or blue ink.
5. Never use red or yellow.
6. Use color to highlight.
7. Use bullets and lists to accentuate
pertinent information.
8. Don’t use e-mail acronyms.
10
12
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel - E-mail
z Never send an e-mail when it should
be face-to-face.
z Be aware of security and
confidentiality issues when you send
any e-mail.
z Only send company related
information.
z Be aware of your company’s
electronic communication policy.
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel -E-mail
Be aware of hazards…
z Reply all
z Trailing messages
z Viruses
z The forward feature
z The “To” Field
z Forward/Reply
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel -E-mail
z
z
z
z
z
Check e-mail at intervals but don’t let it dictate
your day.
Use “High Priority” only when necessary.
Use e-mail auto signature that includes name,
company name, numbers, and addresses.
Activate auto reply when you are unable to reply
for an extended period.
Message should say:
"Thank you for your e-mail. I am out of the
office today but will return on (MM/DD/YY). I will
respond to your e-mail at that time.
If you require immediate assistance, please call
our office at ______ and ask to speak to
("NAME“). (Or, you may send him/her an e-mail
directly at Company name).
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
Channel -E-mail
Don’t let messages linger:
Remember five Ds.
„Do it – reply in a timely manner
„Delegate it – Forward to someone else
„Delay it – Set aside to think through
„Dump it – Delete all that you don’t
need
„Detour it – Move to appropriate folder
for future use
Developing Professionals
Professional Excellence:
When We Communicate
Do you consider what is
best for you or other
person?
Developing Professionals
Quote of the Moment
"I've learned that no matter what happens,
or how bad it seems today, life does go on,
and it will be better tomorrow.
I've learned that you can tell a lot about a
person by the way he/she handles these
three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and
tangled Christmas tree lights.
I've learned that regardless of your
relationship with your parents, you'll miss
them when they're gone from your life.
Developing Professionals
Quote of the Moment
I've learned that making a "living" is not
the same thing as making a life. I've
learned that life sometimes gives you a
second chance.
I've learned that you shouldn't go through
life with a catcher's mitt on both hands;
you need to be able to throw some things
back.
I've learned that whenever I decide
something with an open heart, I usually
make the right decision. I've learned that
even when I have pains, I don't have to be
one.
Developing Professionals
Quote of the Moment
I've learned that every day you should
reach out and touch someone. People love
a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the
back.
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
I've learned that people will forget what you
said, people will forget what you did, but
people will never forget how you made
them feel.”
- -- Maya Angelou
Developing Professionals