Is your Organisation a Learning Organisation?

Honestly speaking, a Learning Organisation as a concept is very complex. However, if I were to put it simply, a learning organisation is one which continuously transforms itself through learning. So it is one where people in the organisation look forward to increasing their capability to gain better outcomes in order to achieve what they truly desire. It is therefore the process of overall development of the people, culture, processes and technology of an organisation and also it's ability to deal with the external environment.

For an organisation to be a learning organisation, it has to work as a team on a whole. It has to be one solid unit. Why as a team, because when you truly work as a team, you learn a lot from each other and develop at a much faster rate.

We all know the three pillars of a team right? Openness, inclusiveness and control. Since a learning organisation is made up of one big team, these pillars are also essential to a learning organisation.

A learning organization has to have an open environment where people are open with and to each other, open to suggestions, open to discussions and most importantly open to learning. It has to look at inclusiveness, which is about people feeling included, the feeling of belongingness. Lastly, it also needs to consider the control factor, which talks about trusting people to do what they have to without too much control, yet keeping enough to maintain the required order. It therefore believes in letting people work on their own by giving them the power to make decisions as and when required.

Typically which kind of organisations is this seen in more? Flat organisations where each person is responsible, teams are very well connected and everyone knows what’s happening, not just internally but also externally i.e. technologically, politically, socially, with competitors, etc. That is when an organisation truly learns and eventually develops itself.

Transforming from a Traditional to a Learning Organisation

Well, if you ask me, the best example of a learning organisation for me is ‘The Yellow Spot’ itself. At The Yellow Spot, we truly believe in practising what we preach. So when we go around telling our clients to build a learning organisation, we ensure ours is one too! So we have a flat structure with an open culture where employees are more like partners. We don't believe in hierarchies and work as a team; deal with & solve problems, discuss, suggest and learn together. All these are of prime importance to us and are the main reason for making us reach where we have. So every new programme we deliver, we learn something new from it and ensure we use the learning to take future programmes to the next level. Apart from this, we also spend time in reading, reflecting, experimenting, attending other sessions, etc. to ensure that we are updated and well versed to deal with the current needs of  our client organisations and their people. That is how we are a learning organisation ourselves.

Now coming back, why do learning organisations play such an important role? Primarily because they focus on both individual and organisational development, which are highly interrelated and cannot be treated separately. They focus on the total quality of the organisation by developing the individuals, teams, leaders and the company on the whole; to be able to sustain themselves in the ever changing environment and move ahead to create a difference.

They foster an environment of team learning which helps in thinking together to manage the complexities to take the business to the next level. They offer an open culture and emphasize on a readiness to unlearn things in order to learn new things and develop oneself. The people oriented approach they follow always pays off, as the human resource is the only resource that actually appreciates with time!

Learning in an organisation is a continuous process and when implemented appropriately, it positively reflects across levels and helps in managing change, creating a competitive advantage and developing and engaging all the stakeholders taking into consideration their collective aspirations. It thus brings in the feeling of togetherness in the organisation and builds a cohesive team which helps take it through to the next level.

Having realised the importance of a learning organisation, organisations today are investing heavily on their developmental activities. They are empowering their employees and giving them opportunities to develop and go to the next level. This in turn is increasing employee motivation, engagement and the feeling of ownership and loyalty that they have towards their company.

As one of the top corporate training companies in India, we help organisations step into such a learning environment and help them grow. Our developmental programs help organisations adapt to change and deal with challenges in the rapidly changing environment. We help them become self sufficient and capable of sustaining growth. Learning is an on-going process for transformation and learning encourages innovation, which further encourages sustainability in this highly competitive world. Hence learning and developing with time is important and essential.

So when are you planning to become a learning organisation? If you need help in your learning journey, you can always let us know. Visit our website http://www.theyellowspot.com/ and let us know how we can assist you.

Sales Training - To Sell or not to Sell

Sales Training is extremely important as the number one focus of any company post coming up with a unique product or service is to sell it.

If you can't sell your product you will perish.  The market either has a need for your product or else you have to create it.

When Steve jobs was about to introduce the touch pad phone in the market, he said something very interesting to his friend who said that this was not going to work in a market that was used to key pad phones.

Steve Jobs explaining...

Steve Jobs' answer was that the buyer does not know what he wants and he was going to put in every effort to make the buyer learn to adapt to it. We all know now what happened post that in the cell phone industry with Apple being a pioneer in the touch pad technology and being followed by so many others!

The same funda applies to sales.

You either fulfil an existing need or you create something so radical that your buyers have no option but to get hooked to it and get so used to using it that that it actually turns from being a want to a need!

So what are some of the rules of successful selling? The number one rule of successful sales is that the point of focus is the customer. The number two rule is, well, that you focus on the number one rule!

Most of the companies inadvertently focus on their product and services and then try to match it with the customer needs. However this is where they fail or they struggle.

Successful companies always focus on the customer and their needs and then check out if the product or the service matches this need. An interesting question that arises then, is if their product is not fulfilling the need of the customer, can they come back without selling it to them? After all, leaving the sale for the good of the customer itself is an indirect sale. The same prospect will go and tell ten different people around him about how genuine your intentions were and it will automatically lead other customers towards you. This word of mouth will really give your sales a shot in the arm.

An effective sales training will always teach you this. Selling skills training is not about hooking the customer and getting him to buy your product. It is about how to be genuine, how to focus on customer needs, how to create an impact by fulfilling the promises given, how to establish a rapport and how to learn to let go and how to stay in touch with the customer even post your role being over.

If your sales team learns this and imbibes this in their daily behaviour, then success is bound to happen. However it must be remembered that this attitude cannot be imbibed into the sales team until the top management is also aligned to this philosophy as it is only possible as a top down approach. The management has to eat, drink, sleep and talk this at all points of time and any one not aligned to it has to be questioned.

Are you willing to take this stand !!!!

If you would like to know more about the Sales Training we conduct, please visit our website at http://www.theyellowspot.com/

Happy Selling:)

Making Corporate Training Successful

The Corporate Training Business has started booming in the country since 1991 and has reached new heights in the past decade. Not only have new international companies entered the market, the local ones have also strengthened their hold and offerings and new ones are cropping up regularly.

Apart from needing prior experience, there are no barriers faced as such when entering into this business.

While many players have entered the business, sustenance and growth only happen of those who add value to the client and fulfil their needs.

Corporate training companies in India have not restricted themselves to offering only training programs.

At The Yellow Spot, we also started as a corporate training company in Mumbai offering Soft and Behavioural skills training programs across the country and have gradually spread our wings across the country using a blended approach of offerings.

Corporate Training using the Experiential Learning Approach

We recruited trainers at strategic locations and also empanelled them at other locations. This helped create a robust team across 50 locations across the country.Later we decided to move into the Organization Development, E-learning, Content Design and Development, Leadership Development, Coaching and the Mentoring space.

This opened up various avenues for us as well as helped expand the services we could offer our clients.

Many training companies have also created and specialised in their own products, creating a niche market for themselves. They have also started marketing some products and services offered by international players who were looking at strategic partnerships in the country.

For the client however the single question prevails as to how these offerings will suffice their needs and benefit their employees.

The answer is simple. Whether a soft skills training company, a hard skills training company, an e-learning company or a leadership development company, one has to do thorough diagnostic of the client environment. One has to dig deep into the people and place to know what is prevailing. Unless you know the current environment you cannot build a bridge for the better. Another important point to consider is that the current environment in the organization has to be understood neutrally keeping the Consultants biases aside.

The second step is to co-create a learning road map along with the client.  Unless the client is fully involved, a fruitful intervention cannot be designed. That’s where most of the training companies in India or corporate training companies in Mumbai, corporate training companies in Pune, training companies in Delhi, corporate training companies in Chennai, corporate training companies in Bangalore, corporate training companies in Kolkata, etc.  miss out.

The temptation of suggesting the pill before finding the root cause of the problem can be very strong and it can actually lead the intervention to go astray. The trap is at times also created by the client assuming the consultant to be the expert and the consultant offering himself as the expert.

The fact is that most of the programs that are not co created usually don’t meet their expectations.

Another very important aspect is sustenance of the learning. This again is a co supported requirement. The post intervention aspect is very strongly required and the most neglected at times. Most learning interventions don’t yield results because they are looked at as one time interventions and not much effort is made to sustain the learning. Regular learning circles, follow ups, refreshers, action plans, transfer climate, projects and length of interventions actually help in sustaining the learning environment and eventually making the intervention a success.

If a corporate training company focuses on these elements then success is bound to be theirs. This also then raises the question that can they learn to refuse when they feel the requirements of conducting a successful  learning intervention are not being met by the client?

To learn more about how to make your learning interventions more successful, visit us at http://www.theyellowspot.com/

Management Development Programs for Change

Management Development Programs primarily focus on skills development training. However Most of the Management Development programs fail to bring out desired results as the concerned stakeholders have not been involved in the change process and thorough diagnosis is usually missing.

Every program needs a thorough understanding about the current situation in the organization which is called as the organizational climate. Detailed analysis of the current culture can happen through sensing, systemic understanding of the organizations functioning, interviews, surveys, group discussions, detailed analysis and observation of the business and various departments. This preparatory work helps in determining if the gaps can be plugged by training alone or other interventions have to be looked upon.

Diagnosing the Organisational Climate Together

Usually training as standalone solution is never effective however many a times training programs and interventions are used as scape goats with a thought that training is the final ultimate solution and that becomes the biggest reason why training interventions fail miserably.

What also typically happens with internal and external consultants is that they decide the pill before doing the diagnostic as they feel that the tools they know and have learnt are the best approaches for the given problem. This usually leads to disaster.

What may be required is a thorough fact finding and brainstorming post the diagnosis about more long term sustainable changes using the right leverage points along with training interventions.

Once it gets established that training is the solution via detailed diagnostics, the next required step is to look at a strong supportive environment also called as transfer climate which will help the participants practice the learning’s.

This has to be provided by the HR, top management and the bosses without which the training program can become ineffective.  In fact most successful interventions carried out so far have a strong buy in and involvement of the HR and the business.

Another aspect required is action planning with regular follow up and refreshers courses apart from individual and group coaching.

Follow up on the action planning by the HR and the Business Heads/Managers is important to ensure that there is seriousness in applying the learning once the training program is complete. It also helps participants in keeping and remembering to keep the learning ready with them so that they may action it as and when required.

Learning also looses its essence if not repeated as participants forget in some time what they learnt and the role of refreshers becomes important here. This is the reason why one-off managerial skills development programs never bring desired results.  It is only a measured systemic development which helps in bringing the desired change over a period of time and when an organization focuses on quick fixes and overnight change, the results are usually poor and fruitless.

At The Yellow Spot, we strongly feel that it is not only the participants but their seniors, customers, peers and support functions who should also be considered as a part of interventions as they are the ones who also facilitate change by providing a transfer climate.

Hence the focus of any management development program or managerial skills training should not be limited to only participants and respective stakeholders should also be included.

To get the most out of your Management Development Programs, come visit us at http://www.theyellowspot.com/

Daily Dose of Leadership Training

Leadership Training or for that matter leadership, is a very broad term and is applicable to everyone, whether it is the watchman of the office, the CEO of a big company, a father or a husband at home. However it is often misunderstood as a term that most people link to leadership positions they hold in the society or in organizations.

So let's understand leadership a little more in depth to be able to know what it actually means.

I would like to share a real life scenario where i experienced leadership capabilities in a fried fish seller recently.

There is a fried fish seller who operates from the road near our office and I eat fried fish every other day from him. His fried fish are fresh and very tasty.

 This particular time that i visited him, he had just come back from a long holiday of over 3 months and I was wondering where he had been. When i asked him, he said that he had taken a break as the fish market is closed for 3 months of the monsoon season. I asked what he was doing for those 3 months and he said he drove an auto riksha for around 8 hours a day during these months.

 The next question I asked him was how he managed his house expenses with this business of fish selling being a part time business, to which he answered that it was difficult and he was just about able to manage. He also said that he was quite happy as he did not want to slog and do additional work like other people in his locality.

The Happy Fisherman

 I wondered what could be the reason behind him not being interested in working harder and making more money for his family and finally landed up asking him. 

His answer was that he had 3 sons and spent a large part of the day in teaching them and ensuring that they get the best of education, love and nurturing. He said that as a part of his efforts his 2 sons were doing very well at school and he wanted them to grow and not be a fish seller like him. If he would have not spent time with his children then they would also have no future like him and would end up on the road. His wife was also at home and ensured she was available for the children and the husband all the time. The family was thus fully focused together in their goal of bringing up their children and giving them the best environment.

 I felt it was great to see the foresight of a father who was illiterate and had no formal education and I felt truly inspired. 

Now this was an example of pure leadership for me, where the father of the house had a larger vision for his family and children. He understood how not to get sucked into the daily routine of life and to keep his vision strong and worked on it day by day. He was also self aware and felt that earning loads of money was not as important as his children’s future.

If you look deeper into this story you can learn some valuable lessons like

• Managing self & time,
• Self sacrifice for others,
• Simplicity of life
• Decision making,
• Long term growth,
• Alignment of vision with actions,
• Team work.

Such examples are all around us at all points of time and there is a lot to learn from them and then experiment and imbibe into our routine life.  In fact it's easier to learn from the little things in life rather than trying to digest big theories!

We, at The Yellow Spot, feel that it all begins with starting to know the Self and learning how to manage the self. Managing the self requires insights into ones thoughts and feelings which leads to greater awareness  and what you get aware of can be more easily changed and most of the time even changes automatically!

It is said by the great mystics that "all change is only possible outside when you get in touch with your inside" and how true it is.

At The Yellow Spot, our leadership training programs focus on helping you to start observing yourself and the way you behave. We firmly believe that no leadership program can be successful unless it is able to bring change inside the individual and hence all our leadership skills training emphasize on the same.

Self Awareness is however also a process. It is not something that happens overnight and requires lots of patience and continuity. We deploy tools like the Gestalt Therapy, NLP, Transactional Analysis, Vipassana and Mindfulness as well as Human Process Labs to catalyse the process.

Our focus is on the whole individual rather than over one aspect of him. Once self awareness is developed, all other skills get easily imbibed. In fact we have to actually make individuals unlearn a lot to be able to start learning and practicing once again!

If you would like to be a part of our Leadership Training workshops, you can get in touch with us and visit our website page at http://www.theyellowspot.com/ for more details about our Leadership Training and other Soft Skills and Behavioural Training.

Appreciating diversity through Team Building Workshops

I read two very interesting theories yesterday which I could connect to our Team Building Workshops. The first one was on the learning cycle and the learning styles that we all have. As per the theory, commonly known as the Kolb’s Learning Cycle and Kolb’s Learning Styles respectively, we all have a typical learning cycle that we tend to follow and should follow for maximum learning. We go through a particular experience, we then like to observe what happened in the experience, reflect on it, draw our conclusions from it and then go ahead and test our conclusions.

So if I was to try to learn a skill at work, say how to handle irate customers how I would do it is:

1. Experience: I first interact with an irate customer to know what happens in such a case

2. Observation and Reflection: I recollect what happened in the interaction and try to reflect on various aspects like how the conversation went, what were the words and feelings exchanged, how I reacted or responded to what the customer said, etc.

3. Conceptualisation: I now start drawing my conclusions as to what I need to do to handle the irate customer well or better like take a deep breath and allow the customer to vent while he is angry instead of defending myself

4. Testing: I now go and try my conclusions on another irate customer to see if they are correct

The testing phase then gives rise to a new set of experiences and the cycle continues.

David Kolb goes on to say that although we all follow the same learning cycle, yet we all have different learning styles. So while somebody might prefer the observation and reflection part, others might learn more by testing and actually doing things.

The other theory I read was on how all of us use different areas of our brains for performing different functions. So although we all have similar faculties in the brain which can perform similar functions, the use of some come naturally to us whereas others just don’t. So while some of us may use our analytical areas more, others may use their intuitive faculties more. Now those using the analytical areas can also use the intuitive areas with practice, but it may be a strain as it’s not something that come naturally to them.

Another interesting thing that I found in this theory is that we like being around people who use similar brain parts to ourselves and normally become friends with such people. On the other hand, we are naturally attracted to those who use complementary brain parts to ours and choose such people as a mate as they tend to complete us as cover up our so called weaknesses.

So if you look at both theories, they give us great insights into teams. They both tell us that teams being made up of humans always have a common factor in them. They have similar ways of learning as well as similar brain functions. In that sense every team has a common thread running through it.

However, if you go a little deeper you will realise that teams also have diversity. They are made up of different people who differ in the way they like to learn and differ in the way that they make use of their brain functionalities.

Diversity in Teams

So then is the commonality good or is the diversity good for a team? Am sure you all have the answer to this one and you will tell me that it’s really a no brainer! Both are good, the common pieces keep us bonded together as a single unit and the diversity helps us in performing a variety of functions which each team member excels in. Right?

My question to you is that although we all know this and say it, is it really something that we believe and practice? Is it something that really comes from our core? Do we really appreciate diversity?

The fact is that most of us are unfortunately unable to appreciate it although we may try very hard too! Why, because of an innate need to be accepted. Have you ever thought of why we like people who are similar to us? It’s because when someone is similar, it somewhere confirms to us that we are also alright which in turn makes us feel more accepted.

If you look at it the other way also, you will realise that we don’t like things which are different from us. Most of the conflicts in the world occur because of this. So we don’t like people who are of a different religion or from a different country or city. The conflicts that we have in office are also mostly because of different opinions and different personalities.

So is there some way to appreciate these differences then? Join our team building workshops and we will happily show you the way to have a bonded yet diversity appreciating team.

Visit our website http://www.theyellowspot.com/ to learn what skills your team members have and how you can leverage them.

Time Management Training or Mind Training?

Is Time Management Training really a thing? Or should I say is time really a thing that can be managed and that’s something that we can train you on?

Time is a very peculiar commodity. It is constant yet it changes! We all have 24 hours in a day, so in that sense it is constant. Yet at the same time it is variable too. It varies from people to people and even amongst the same person! Weird isn’t it? The number of hours in a day for the Prime Minister would probably seem like less than 24 whereas those for a retired man would seem like a lot more. You can see it in an individual too. Time seems to be flying by when we are watching a good movie and 2 hours really feel like an hour whereas when we are studying a subject we are not exceptionally fond off, even 30 minutes can feel like 2 hours!

How does this happen? It’s actually all to do with our minds. Frankly there is no change in the actual time available or spent; the only difference is in the way we perceive it. Why the difference in perception? It’s due to our mind.

Now let me tell you a secret. There is actually no time. It’s just something that has been created by us to give ourselves a platform to measure events against; something relative, created to keep everyone on the same page. This can be understood by when we connect to the present moment or should I say the direct neural network in our nervous systems.

There are 3 aspects that an event can be broken down into. The past, present and future. The past is what has happened previously and is over. The present is what is happening at this very instant. The future is what will happen after this present moment has passed. So each moment is a future moment, then becomes a present moment and then becomes the past, all in 3 superfast moments! Confused? It’s a bit of a funny concept as we have not really spent much time dwelling on it although it is continuously happening.

In fact I can see it clearly while I am writing this article. I frankly have no clue as to what I am writing (I know I wasn’t supposed to tell you that!), it’s just flowing through me. I have not really thought about what I am writing or what I am going to write, it’s just that something is coming to me and I am writing it down. So I really don’t have a clue of the future moments as I have no idea of what I am going to write, I am writing what is coming to me in the present moment and as soon as I write it it becomes the past! Since I am so ‘in the present moment’, I have no sense of time and do not even have the urge to measure it! All I know is that I am thoroughly enjoying writing this article and am feeling very fulfilled in doing the same.

This is the direct neural network I was talking about. When you connect to this network, time loses its meaning. Am sure you will ask me how then can I manage time while being connected to this network as I have lost complete sense of time?

It’s quite unbelievable until you actually do it. What happens in the present moment is that you don’t waste time thinking as such. Yes your working mind is working, or the conscious mind as you may call it. That is the minimal amount of mind needed to perform a task, like me typing in this case. I need my mind to instruct my fingers which keys to press for typing. The rest of my mind is not really on. I know that sounds absurd but it’s true. I am currently not making use of my subconscious mind which is actually the one that takes up a lot of our time. When we are just connected to the conscious mind, it feels like things are happening through you and you cease to get tired even though frankly you are working at a superfast speed without feeling the strain of it. When you work through the subconscious mind, there is a lot of processing that goes into it which wastes a lot of energy and time which we conserve if we just stick to the conscious mind.

The next question will be then how do we do this, right? How do we switch from our normal tendency of staying in the past and the future, (which is staying in the subconscious mind or as we call it operating from the default network) to operating from the conscious mind or the direct network. It’s done by simply staying in the present moment. Well it’s not that simply frankly because we have lost all practice of it. We knew how to do it as kids but have slowly forgotten the art. Whenever you realise you are going into the past or future, you gently bring your mind back to the present and then starts the magic. You will never have to ever manage your time once you get the hang of it.

To relearn this beautiful technique, you can definitely attend one of our Time Management Training sessions and we would be happy to assist you get back what was once yours!

So that’s me signing off and as I look at the time I have really written this article in superb time:)

Visit us at http://www.theyellowspot.com/ to learn more about our Soft and Behavioural Skills offerings.

Inviting Corporate Trainers for Business Partner Program

I have been talking to a large number of soft skills trainers as of late. Actually soft skills trainers would be an incorrect tag, corporate trainers would be better. We have recently launched a Business Partner program wherein we work with trainers from different leagues of life across the globe, to give clients the best possible experience. Sounds interesting? The trainers we have spoken to found it too

So let me tell you a little about the program to give you a better idea. You know how we have been working with various expert vendors to provide our clients with a wider range of offerings in fields like E-Learning, Organisational Development, Executive Coaching, Project Management, Risk Management, IT, Computers, Finance, etc. Well we thought since this model is working so well, let’s come up with a model for Freelance Trainers where we tie up with them and further broaden our offerings.

Now you must be wondering how this really works and how it benefits everybody. Let me explain.

How it Works: The corporate trainers that we tie up with go out into the market and represent us as Business Partners. So they get business in our name and we get it delivered. Simple isn’t it?

Benefits to Clients:

1. They get greater variety in terms of offerings

2. They get the most skilled trainers delivering their sessions

3. They get to converse with trainers right from the start who understand their needs better and can offer them better solutions than Business Development Executives

4. They can have their needs fulfilled at any location across the globe

5. They can have a single company executing their PAN India assignments, giving them consistency and standardisation at all locations

6. They know they will receive the best as far as quality, integrity and transparency goes as The Yellow Spot ensures these values are maintained even by its Business Partners

7. They don’t need to worry about issues they may face with Freelancers like them falling sick and not turning up for the session as The Yellow Spot has around 80 to 100 consultants across the country and can easily arrange for a back-up

Benefits to Business Partners:

1. They find it easy to get business as they have the backing of an 8 year old company with more than a 150 clients

2. They can offer the client a session even if it is not something they are experts in or it is a PAN India assignment which they cannot deliver on their own

3. They get preference for delivering sessions in which they have expertise and have brought business in
4. They get support in business development and in content development, wherever required

5. They get the experience of being an entrepreneur with the support of an established organisation and the motivation of being part of a large team

6. They earn greater remuneration as they get a Business Development fee for every business they bring in and a Training Delivery fee for every session they deliver, besides being able to get a higher ticket value than they would have got as a freelancer

7. They can work at their own pace as The Yellow Spot believes in proactiveness and taking initiative rather than imposing targets

8. They can maintain their freedom as they can continue freelancing or running their own business

Benefits to The Yellow Spot:

1. We have a large motivated team reaching out to more and more clients

2. Our sales team has a good understanding of delivery and hence brings home a better understanding of the requirement

3. We have more expertise on our team and can offer our clients more

4. We get to help trainers who are really interested in learning more

5. We get to learn more through sharing

6. We can reach out and help more participants through the quality and passion that we offer

Well those are the points that I can currently think of, am sure there must be more that you can think of. I’m hoping you must have got an idea about this program and why we keen to promote it. It’s really a Win-Win-Win solution for the Client, Business Partner and Us. Isn’t that just great!

Visit us at http://www.theyellowspot.info/ to know more or call us on +91 9769733305. See you soon:)

Communication Skills Training using Body, Voice, Words

Communication skills training is the most essential form of training as communication is the most elementary skill required by humans since the inception of humanity, without which any contact between two beings would have been impossible. In fact it is not only restricted to humans but extends to all living creatures as they also use some form of communication, although we may be far from understanding it!

Communication has been around since a very very very long time. The only thing that has really changed in it is that it’s got a little refined as we moved down the time line, but otherwise the purpose remains pretty much the same.

From Cavemen to Common Day Men, nothing has really changed!!!

In the early hunter days, we used it more as a means to survive. We depended more on body language, gestures and making peculiar sounds to indicate to one another when there was danger or when there was food around. Language frankly took quite some time to evolve, which is probably why it still forms a very small percentage of our communication. Yes it’s true, words only form 7% of our face to face communication whereas body language and the way in which we speak the words form a whopping 93%. Shocked? I was too and we actually spend so much time trying to perfect our vocabulary, don’t we!

Communication has been the key in the social space as we evolved as species and it started playing a major role in our social as well as professional success. As languages evolved, communication started getting more and more sophisticated with more and more emphasis being laid on verbal and written communication. However, these continue to be impoverished modes of true contact with other individuals as that can only happen by putting those things in place that really matter, body language and voice. Let’s say it’s like a wedding cake with many layers of cake. Body Language forms the lower most layer, the solid foundation, while voice is the middle layer. The cake can be complete with just the base layer as is with body language, a powerful way of expressing, in fact one which is adept at expressing all by itself.  Voice provides the next layer, the base of the upper layers of word. Truly, words without the lower layer of voice are quite empty and can more often than not lead to gaps in understanding what we are really trying to say. Remember the last time you misunderstood the meaning of an ambiguous word because you either did not have access to the emotion behind it or were not too successful is deciphering it correctly? So are words important then? Let’s just say that they are the couple standing on the top of the cake. They add to the beauty of the cake and often mesmerize us and keep our attention fixed on them, often leading us to miss out the beauty of the lower and middle layers! Nonetheless, they make the cake more attractive and if we can remember to look at the entire cake in a balanced and non-partial manner then they can be quite a completing factor!

The current predominantly ‘word’ modes of communication we typically use are telephone, e-mail and how can we forget, social media. These make use of mostly verbal and written modes of communication and have done a pretty good job of bringing the world together and making it a smaller place. The question then is that have they really made it a smaller place? Are people really closer to each other than they were before?

Well they have definitely made it a lot easier for people to communicate. The Facebooks, LinkedIn, Whatsapp and Twitters have done wonders when it comes to making people a click or should I say a tap away. In fact they have eased communication for introverts like me who are more comfortable expressing their thoughts and emotions through the written word. However they have not done very well when it comes to bonding for many people. The virtual world has torn apart many relationships by reducing face to face interactions with our near and dear ones. We have started spending so much time in the virtual world that quality time with our family has really taken a back seat and will soon be a thing of the past! With less family time being spent, families are breaking apart and we have seen an unprecedented rise in the number of divorce cases as well as suicides being committed. While everything looks perfect and rosy in the unreal world, relations are becoming fragile and communication is deteriorating in the real world.

So does that mean this form of communication is bad? No. It just means that is being used in an unbalanced manner. As with all things in this world, balance is at the centre of everything. Everything ever created can have a positive and a negative side, depending on the way you use it. The same goes with communication. It has to be used in a moderate manner. Some things have to be spoken while others need not be expressed. Some need to be expressed using the body while others using words. Some need to be expressed in a specific way to ensure that they do not make the recipient uncomfortable.

We invite you to come and learn the art of communication through the communication skills training that we conduct. Whether it is better expression through the body, voice or words; our communication skills training will help you go to the next level using a range of different techniques that help us communicate better with you:)

Selling Skills Training Companies That Give It All

What do you think is really important when it comes to selling skills? I’m sure a lot of you would say product knowledge. Very true indeed, but do you think that that’s the only thing needed to sell well? What about communicating the product knowledge that we have? Do you think that we will be successful at selling a product if we know our product very well but are unable to talk about it? So what happens if we have our product knowledge and our basic communication skills in place but have no idea about the psychology of our buyers and what they want? Wont we waste a lot of time in trying to sell something that either they don’t want or land up selling in a way that does not exactly match their mental make-up!

So now let me ask you the question again. What is that soft skills training companies should equip their participants with in a selling skills training? Let’s look at the points one by one to get a deeper understanding:

1. Product Knowledge : This is undoubtedly the first point and without it a sales persons will really reach nowhere! He needs to be well trained in the product and have an in depth knowledge into its various segments. For this, the training needs to give him the knowledge and test him to find out how much he has retained. The trainee also needs to do his own research, which includes going on the internet and finding out more about the product as well as reading pamphlets, brochures, manuals and other paraphernalia that might be available. This will also help him feel more confident.

2. Attitude : Another essential. Whether it is having a helpful attitude and wanting to sell a product to a customer who would be useful to him / her or having a never-say-die attitude and motivating you to keep going, a good attitude tops the list of most haves. Resilience is a rare commodity, but who said it cannot be cultivated!

3. Communication Skills : Now this entails a large number of skills. It could have basic skills like questioning and listening to converse with the client and find out more about his / her needs or even more complex skills like negotiation skills. Whichever way, these skills are essential and will go far in transferring product knowledge to the client and in turn gaining an understanding of what the client wants.

4. Etiquette : This doubles up as a hygiene factor as well as a wow factor depending upon the expectation of the client. So while being well dressed and polite may be impressive for one client it may just be the bare essential for another. Either way, maintaining etiquette is of utmost importance. After all, you don’t want to lose out on selling a great product just because you didn’t shave in the morning or you had a sad tone while conversing with the client on the phone!

5. Customer Profiling : This is again important to understand the customer. Only once we understand a customer well can we actually figure out what he/she may want. Personality profiling is a great way to understand the different types of people ad what each of them would want. Understanding the customer’s needs also comes through by having good communication skills.

6. Objection Handling  : It is always good to learn from the mistakes of others rather than to have to invent the wheel every time and an objection list can really help do that. Have all the experienced executives pool in and come up with a list of objections they have faced in the past. Also ask them to come up with ways in which they handled the same successfully or they could have handled at that point of time. This can be a ready reckoner for new executives and can help them feel more confident by being more in tune with queries that customers are more likely to raise.

7. Competition Analysis  : Knowing what competitors are doing is good, not to put them down but to give you a good idea about your own Unique Selling Points and what different you can offer your client. However, trainees must be taught not to use this knowledge as a tool to pull other’s down as that can set a rather poor impression of the company!

8. Neuro Linguistic Programming  : This is a great way to get into the psyche of the customer without him/her even knowing it. Techniques like mirroring can be used successfully which directly influence the subconscious mind and may help you tilt the weighing scale in your favour. Now wouldn’t you want to learn that!