Communication Skills

Few companies realise how many of their customers have poor literacy skills and struggle with reading, writing, speaking or listening?

According to the National Literacy Trust, a staggering one in six people in the UK struggle with literacy and their skills are below the level expected of an eleven year old. This may be is a shocking statistic, but how does it impact on your business?
The problem is bigger than this though as it’s not only reading and writing that people struggle with - speaking and listening can also be an issue. This doesn’t mean that someone with poor literacy skills can’t speak, but it does mean that he/she might struggle to communicate clearly in certain situations.

Not everyone will struggle to this degree, as it depends on each individual’s level of literacy, but any literacy problem is going to make everyday life more difficult.

Now let’s go back to your customers. Most businesses send out hundreds of messages in different forms – e-mails, letters, posters, fliers, phone calls, face-to-face communication etc – without thinking about how the messages will be understood by ALL of their customers.

Until you can put yourself in your customers’ shoes, it’s difficult to realise how your messages are coming across to anyone who has poor literacy skills. The National Literacy Trust launched a new campaign last November to highlight the difficulties people face on a daily basis if they have poor literacy skills. The Director of the National Literacy Trust, Jonathan Douglas, spent a whole day without speaking to highlight how important all literacy skills are, including speaking and listening, in order to communicate effectively.

I remember when I got my first time management job; I was so happy that I danced around my lounge with my husband.  I didn’t even mind too much when my dog who wanted to join in the fun, jumped up and bit me on the bottom, tearing my best trousers in the process. 

The euphoria I felt on finding that I had got my first management job, probably lasted into the second week, when I was holding a staff meeting and I suddenly realised the scale of the task in front of me.  I had no previous experience of management, no training and as the post was completely new – no one to ask how to do it.

Of course, I made lots of mistakes,  but I like to think that I made fewer than I might have because I did a lot of listening to other managers, my team and other staff,  and I never stopped listening and learning.

Listed below is a list of the 10 worst mistakes that first time managers make:

1.    Wanting to show who’s boss – As a first time manager it’s normal to want to make it clear that you’re in charge, particularly if there’s some resentment about your appointment. Be clear, fair and firm – but do not be superior or belittle your staff.

2.    Failing to communicate effectively – There are many communication pitfalls for a first time manager but one of the worst ones is not agreeing with your team about how you will communicate and how regularly – e.g. team meetings, emails, phone calls , 1 to 1 meetings

3.    Making change for changes sake – First time managers are often under pressure to make quick changes to working procedures. Try and resist the pressure to act hastily and observe what is currently being done, and make sure you listen to other views.


4.    Failing to listen – By not listening, the first time manager often falls into the trap of introducing a new process or procedure and unwittingly reinventing the wheel. Listen to other people.

5.    Always being the expert- Most first time managers are appointed because they were good at their previous job.  However, you should avoid always being the ‘expert’.  Let other people in your team/area share their knowledge and expertise.

6.    Ignoring different communication and working styles – First time manages need to be aware that some of their staff will have very different communication and working styles. Familiarise yourself with these different styles in order to engage with your staff.  If it works effectively don’t try and change it.

7.    ‘Doing’ the job instead of managing – First time managers can be tempted to almost fall over themselves to be seen doing the job well, which can lead to them ‘doing’ instead of ‘managing’.

8.    Not saying no – It can be very hard to say ‘no’ as a first time manager – particularly if you don’t think you should.  However, it is one of the key skills to adopt when first appointed, as you will need to be able to say no if you are being asked to do too much.

9.    Working too many hours – working late, taking work home and skipping lunch hours are bad habits that first time managers often adopt.  Don’t. There’ll always be more work if you look for it.  You are entitled to a home life and skipping your lunch break is unhealthy.

10.    Not asking for help – As a manager, it is easy to think that you should be able to do everything. If you need help in any area of your work, then don’t be ashamed to ask.

Last week the news was dominated by the big freeze across the UK and the difficulties that some people had getting to their final destinations. In Kent there were people stuck on trains for 9hrs  r more feeling cold and hungry.  Listening to some of the passengers being interviewed on the news, there was a common complaint.  No one had told them what was going on. It’s hardly the first time that customers have expressed their anger at not being kept in the picture and it certainly won’t be the last.  Some of the train companies appear to rely on the fact that however badly they treat their customers many of them will continue to travel by train because they have no choice.

Contrast  the train companies attitude to customers to that of Thames Water. Water leaks are an ongoing problem for water companies, but they become worse in winter as drains get blocked, pipes freeze and crack and roads buckle.  Thames Water have always had a freephone number that the public can use and tell them about leaks but now they  asked the public to photograph water leaks and tweet them the pictures saying where they are.  There may be a few detractors grumbling that the public are being asked to do the companies work for them, but it’s a good policy.  It’s a simple way to be able to report a leak and as the company rightly points out, they can’t be expected to know where all the leaks are. As this policy has only just been announced, it will be interesting to see how quickly the company respond to the customers and if they have thought of how they will let customers know when they will be completed.

The train companies are obviously in a slightly different position, but they can learn a few things from Thames Water. With a train driver and presumably a guard on trains, it seems ludicrous that they were not frequent public announcements.  Perhaps the staff had been instructed to say nothing to avoid the customers getting angry, but why didn’t take to twitter and tweet what was going on?  Some of the customers would have been able to pick it up and pass it on to other people.  People cry out for information in these circumstances.  Companies should:

1.    Tell customers what’s happening
2.    Provide regular updates
3.    Inform customers about immediate necessities (food, drink, heat, toilets etc)
4.    Apologise

It’s not exactly revolutionary, but time and time again companies ignore these basic points. Effective communication is key to the success of any organisation.


In similar circumstances, how would you communicate with your customers?

The recent announcement that A-Levels and GCSEs are going to be 'toughened up' with pupils losing marks for poor spelling has caused a great deal of debate. Some teachers agree and others think that it doesn't really matter and it is the content that is more important.

As an examiner for one of the major examining boards in the UK, I recently had an interesting conversation about this with a fellow examiner.  We were talking about what mark should be assigned to someone who had made 8 spelling errors in an assignment of 300 words.  My colleague argued that 8 errors was a very small amount as a percentage and the majority of the work was good.

Of course he was right.  As a percentage, 8 errors represent 2.6% of the total amount written which is small and under the criteria we were marking the majority of the work was good. In the context of which we were marking I had to agree with my colleague, however, with my non-examining hat on I have a very different view. 

Whatever pupils learn at school and later at college or university they are being prepared for ultimately getting a job and being a success in the world of work. If they're applying for a job, would 8 errors on the application form be acceptable? It may depend on who's judging it, but in a competitive market place a poorly spelt form may mean that they don't even get short-listed. Eight errors would suddenly look very different if it was shown to damage someone's job prospects.

Successful companies such as Tesco have complained about the literacy levels of school leavers and graduates so it clearly matters to many employers.  No one doubts that times have changed and many people have a more relaxed view towards grammar and spelling, but surely everything should be done to ensure that schools leavers asre equipped with an acceptable standard of literacy skills and an understanding of any areas they need to improve. What do you think?

According to a recent article in People Management, employers are having to turn to migrant workers to fill skills gaps – this includes EU and non-EU migrant workers. As the UK economy starts to recover, this is becoming even more of a necessity as it’s hard to fill certain vacancies with UK workers. Out of the 600 employers who completed the CIPD/KPMG Labour Market Outlook survey, almost half said they had vacancies which were hard to fill, particularly in IT, accountancy, finance and engineering.


The proposed introduction of a 'migration cap' by the government has been worrying a number of employers for some time, so today’s news is not going to be welcomed by all. This could impact considerably on the ability of some companies to recover from the economic downturn. Even though the number of UK graduates struggling to find work is on the increase, many employers are still finding it difficult to fill skilled vacancies.

Back in September this year, Vince Cable, Business Secretary, stated that if some employers are unable to fill vacancies they may be forced to move some of their operations overseas. According to Cable, any immigration cap that is introduced needs to be flexible enough to, 'meet companies’ skills requirements and the economy’s growth needs.' I’m sure lots of business leaders will be questioning just how ‘flexible’ today’s news is for the UK.

If the UK wants to address these skills shortages then something has got to be done to ensure that people are coming out of universities and colleges with the skills that are needed. This is not a new problem, yet not enough seems to have been done to ensure that businesses and the education sector are working collaboratively.


Should UK businesses be putting more pressure on the government to review immigration policies?

If they don’t put the phone down at this point, I ask who’s calling, which they are always reluctant to tell me. I find this very strange as they are either calling to speak to my partner because he’s one of their customers, or they are hoping he’ll be a potential customer – either way it surely makes sense to give the company’s name!

After insisting that they tell me who’s calling for a few seconds longer, the call always ends with them putting the phone down on me. Now I admit that I am winding these callers up slightly, but I can’t believe that it’s part of any company’s customer service plan to put the phone down on customers.

I’ve also noticed that once I start asking questions that seem to deviate from the script the caller is following, he/she is unable to continue with the conversation.

If companies decide to relocate their call centres and customer service centres overseas, why oh why don’t they provide better training for the staff working in these centres? I’ve worked with students and clients from many different countries for the last 16 years and I understand that it’s difficult to teach someone how to act in a different cultural setting, but it certainly isn’t impossible.

If you are going to base your call centres overseas, train your staff properly!


Now where’s that number to block cold calls…?

• Smoking - (irritates the vocal cords)
• Alcohol  - (dehydrates)
• Caffeine -  (dehydrates and is also a diuretic)
• Spicy food -  (can increase acid production)

• Get plenty of sleep the night before –  being tired can affect the voice.
• Relax – Try and meditate for ten minutes before you have to present. Drop shoulders and practise breathing deeply and calmly.
• Keep hydrated – drink water before and during your presentation
• Breathe deeply – Use the diaphragm to breathe deeply and supply your voice with lots of air. Your voice will be clearer.

Do some of your customers have poor literacy skills and struggle with reading, writing, speaking or listening?

Well, if you have always found reading and writing easy, then it’s probably hard to imagine the daily struggle that people experience if they have literacy problems. Can you imagine trying to buy food in the supermarket if you can’t read what’s on the labels? How do you know which aisle to go to if you can’t read the signs?

The problem is bigger than this though as it’s not only reading and writing that people struggle with - speaking and listening can also be an issue. This doesn’t mean that someone with poor literacy skills can’t speak, but it does mean that he/she might struggle to communicate clearly in certain situations.

Not everyone will struggle to this degree, as it depends on each individual’s level of literacy, but any literacy problem is going to make everyday life more difficult.

Now let’s go back to your customers. Most businesses send out hundreds of messages in different forms – e-mails, letters, posters, fliers, phone calls, face-to-face communication etc – without thinking about how the messages will be understood by ALL of their customers.


Until you can put yourself in your customers’ shoes, it’s difficult to realise how your messages are coming across to anyone who has poor literacy skills. To launch a new campaign, the Director of the National Literacy Trust, Jonathan Douglas, is going to try and get through the whole day on 5 November without speaking. The aim is to highlight how important all literacy skills are, including speaking and listening, in order to communicate effectively.

Learn more about how to reach more customers by following out Top Tips on Twitter

I've been reading and listening to lots of advice recently about how important it is to use social media to promote and market your business.  As someone who is fairly new to using social media websites, I have found most of the tips and advice extremely useful and can totally see how using these sites can be beneficial for my business. However, there is something crucial missing for me as nobody talks about how to actually use social media sites!

I went to a Business Link seminar a few months ago to learn about Twitter. There were lots of people at the event, and from the comments in the room, I believe that most people were new or newish to using social media. Whilst the speaker was very engaging and encouraged us all to go away and start using Twitter, which I did, I didn't really understand what I was doing. I signed up for Twitter and half-heartedly attempted to use it, but I can't say it really grabbed me as I didn't know what I was doing.

I continued hearing about the great benefits to be had from using social media but this didn't mirror my experiences, so I must admit I wasn't convinced by the whole social media 'thing'. This seems to be the case for a lot of SMEs according to a recent report carried out by a UK non-profit organisation for SMEs. Apparently, more than 50% of SMEs in the UK are unsure of the benefits they can get from social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Linked In, so are not committed to using them to promote their business.

I am convinced that this is down to not understanding how to use these social media sites and not understanding what benefits they can bring to your business. This is understandable - I was in the same position a few months ago. I then decided to invest in some training, which was money well spent.
I now understand how to use social media sites, what I need to be doing and how often. As with everything in life, there is always more to be learnt, but I least I no longer feel as though I'm stumbling around in the dark

My advice to anyone about to start using Twitter, Facebook, Linked In etc is don't waste time - find out how to use them properly from the start!

Is your company taking advantage of social media to promote your business?



You can’t avoid hearing and reading about how important it is to use social media to promote and market your business. Even if you haven’t got involved with social media yet, you will probably be aware that everyone is talking about it, so maybe you should start looking into it.


But where do you start? Look on the Internet and you’ll find lots of information, tips and advice, but do you really understand what you can get out of using Twitter, Facebook, and Linked In etc? Which of these sites are going to reach the right customer base for your product or service?


If you are going to spend time using social media sites as a marketing tool, you need to invest in some training to find out how to use them effectively. Take a look at our top tips below to get you thinking about what you need to find out before you get started.


5 Top Tips
1) Find out which social media sites are out there

2) Look into which ones will work best for your business

3) Decide how much time you are going to invest in building up your profile on these sites

4) Decide who is going to be responsible for managing your social media sites/profile

5) Remember these sites are about building up relationships with existing, and potential, customers and clients, so you need to engage



My advice to anyone about to start using Twitter, Facebook, and Linked In etc is to find out how to use them properly at the start - it will be money well spent and save you a lot of wasted time!

Are some of your customers from other countries? Do some of your customers use English as a second language?

The answer to this question is yes for the majority of businesses in the UK, yet very few organisations think about how the language they use will impact on their customers and clients. Organisations are seriously limiting the number of customers they can  reach by not reviewing their communication strategy.


Let’s consider the first question again: Are some of your customers and potential customers from other countries? The answer is yes they are. According to the Office for National Statistics, ‘The number of people from overseas living in the UK reached a record high of 6.7 million.’

So, the chances are pretty high that a large percentage of your customers and clients use English as a second language. Communicating with someone who isn’t a native English speaker isn’t a problem though, is it? The majority of us have come into contact with people from other countries around the world in our everyday lives or when we go on a foreign holiday. Most of us have some experience of communicating with people from other countries.

Stop and think for a moment. Have you always been able to get your message across? How do you know if the other person has really understood? Often we assume that we’ve explained ourselves clearly, but have we really? Being a native English speaker and using English everyday doesn’t mean we naturally know how to adapt our language to different situation and for different people.

In business, thinking you’ve got your message across isn’t good enough. In order to retain existing customers and attract new ones it’s vital to be certain that you’ve put your message across clearly and concisely.
Learn more about how to get you message across to a wider customer base by following our ‘Top Tips’ on Twitter.

A friend recently told me about an incident she had with her manager. IT equipment in her department had been either unreliable or out of order for a number of weeks, which was stopping her from doing her job properly and so adding to her stress levels.

She put up with the situation for a number of weeks before finally going to see her line manager, but was taken aback by the response she got. My friend explained how frustrated she was with the situation and how stressed it was making her feel and all her line manager said was, "Are you having a bad day?". So she walked out of the meeting feeling more stressed than when she went in and totally unsupported by her line manager!

This manager, who is new to the post and new to management, is working in a busy department with a heavy workload, and is probably under immense pressure herself. She may be finding it difficult to cope with the stresses of her job which then makes it difficult to take on, and deal with the problems staff in her team are experiencing.

According to Ruth Spellman, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, "Britain is suffering because our managers and leaders are simply not up to scratch.......Without investment in effective management and leadership in the UK , we are in danger of lurching from crisis to crisis".

In November 2009, the CMI published research findings that showed that almost 50 per cent of the UK workforce have left a job due to bad management, while a similar amount said they would take a pay cut to work with a better manager.

Isn't it about time that UK companies started investing more in managers, particularly new managers. Provide new managers with training and support when they are starting out and they will be able to take your company forward, build strong teams and become the leaders of tomorrow.

How many UK companies have put strategies in place to deal with the changes to employment law that have come into force from today, 1 October 2010? Very often Equality & Diversity training in organisations is seen as a tick box activity with few managers and employees fully understanding the implications of the legislation and how it impacts on them as an individual and on the organisation.


Below are just a few of the changes that organisations need to consider:

Equality Act 2010

Why do we need new legislation in this area when there are existing laws in place? Well, the existing laws were complex and too many people were still being discriminated against in one way or another, so the Equality Act 2010 aims to simplify the legislation and make it more widely accessible.

Most of the Equality Act 2010 (90%) comes into effect today, and although the act brings together a lot of the existing anti-discrimination legislation, there are some keys areas that could have a major impact on organisations:

• If an employee is harassed by a customer, client or supplier on the grounds of race, sex, religion etc, the employer will now be liable.

• How and when employers can use pre-employment questionnaires will be restricted.

• The introduction of ‘Discrimination arising from Disability’ – greater protection for disabled people.

• Organisations employing 250 people or more must report on any differences in pay between male and female employees.

More detailed information is available from the Equalities Office, and guidance is available from Equality and Human Rights Commission. A ‘quick start’ guide on how the Act changes existing discrimination law is available from ACAS.
Now think about how this is going to impact on your organisation. What training do you need? Do you need to train all your staff? Can you disseminate the information throughout your organisation by adopting a ‘Train-the-Trainer’ approach? How about on-line training modules that employees can complete in their own time?

Whichever approach you decide to take, don’t leave it too late or you may be caught on the wrong side of the new legislation!