Professional Documents
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Subtopic 6 - Tools of Communication
Subtopic 6 - Tools of Communication
Communication
Non-verbal
Verbal
Volume Posture
prematurely!
01.11.2011 Slide 3 Mercedes-Benz Global Training
Functions of body language
•Signaling function
Source: http://www.kassenarzt.de/w3.php?nodeId=7078
• surprise
• anger
• sadness
• happiness
• fear
… provides quick feedback about the effect of the spoken word on the conversation partner - so observe
carefully.
Eye contact…
Posture …
• Folded arms do not necessarily indicate that your customer has a closed and negative attitude - perhaps
they are straining to listen to you.
• A change in posture is often a signal of "inner change" in the customer (e.g. he leans forward and is
ready to sign the order).
1.50 m to
3.00 m
0.50 m to
1.50 m
Up to 0.50 m
Intimate distance
Personal distance
Social distance
Public distance
... to use your own body language as a means for positive conversation:
• Establish a pleasant conversational atmosphere
• Reflect to the customer that I am really interested in their issue
Avoid body language signals which could have a negative effect on your customer:
Communication
Non-verbal
Verbal
Language Body
language
Written Spoken Distance
Volume Posture
Holding a conversation
Conversational climate
1. Chain of arguments
Pros
Cons
Conclusion:
"After weighing up all advantages and disadvantages
I recommend that you …"
Closed
Open questions
questions
•
Opening the conversation
Background information
("How often …?")
Prompt to talk
('"...how do you see that?")
? •
•
Make a decision
("Should I order you a ...?")
Bring conversation to a focus
("Has it been rattling for a long
time?")
• Convert purchase signals
("Are you ready to sign?")
Tactical
questions
•Alternative question
("Will you be paying with cash or by card?")
• Suggestive question
("Now I'm sure you'll agree that...?")
•When listening, our "map" meets the "map" of our conversation partner
•Each conversation partner tries to "defend" his or her "map" with appropriate arguments
and evaluates, consciously or unconsciously, the "map" of the other person ("correct" or
"incorrect", "good" or "bad")
•Each conversation partner identifies very closely with their own "map" and thus they find it
difficult to be interested in the "map" of the other person
•However, it is exactly this interest which forms the basis for true conversations - otherwise
a monologue between two people results, possibly with an internal "struggle" against the
other's point of view
Brain capacity
350-400 WpM
Speaking speed
120-140 WpM
Passive listening
• e.g. listening to a presentation, the radio
Active listening
• Verbal indications of attentiveness (yeah..., sure...)
• Eye contact and turning towards conversation partner
• Commands (First have a good look at your vehicle before you order something from us!)
• Playing things down (... These things can happen ...)
• Pigeonholing (… That is normal for this model series ...)
• Evaluating (... You shouldn't see it like that ...)
• Talking about yourself (... That's interesting, but here we recently had ...)
• Persuading (I wouldn't think about it for too long if I were you, the time is right!)
• Threatening (How about you say that to the boss!)
• Worldly wisdom (Well, appearances can be deceiving!)
• Irony (Well, it looks like you drove just a tad too quickly there…)
Do NOT think about the Eiffel Tower now - it's not possible!!
Instead of: "Because of the ... I am sure you won't break down in the next two years."
Preferably: "You can drive without worry for the next two years.""
• Paraphrasing
• Summing up
• Clarifying/"getting to the point"
• Repetition to narrow things down
• Putting things in context
• Asking questions