If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Why would my staff need to be taught to communicate? They have lots of experience, and in any case, we have our own training department. What makes you think you can teach them anything new?
I’m sure your staff do a good job but they they have not been taught a specific technique for communication. Which is why most of us make the following mistakes. These are more obvious when we are nervous or under pressure. How many of them do you recognise?
- Talking too fast. It’s obvious that when someone speaks too quickly, it’s difficult for you to assimilate and analyse the information they’re sharing.
- Not knowing the three vital things you must do at the end of a sentence (and I don’t include ‘stop and breathe’). This results in running one sentence into the next with no differential. Leaving sentences open reflects a lack of knowledge or indecision. Tony Blair was guilty of this.
- Emphasising the wrong words. Newsreaders and TV commercial voiceovers are guilty of emphasising ‘is’, ‘and’, ‘are’, ‘you’, ‘your’ and ‘we’. They have failed to recognise and emphasise the words that really matter.
- Not enough energy in the delivery of the speech. Even people with a dynamic personality often become nervous when faced with a microphone, camera, shareholders, customers or the press. Natural energy and enthusiasm easily diminish in these circumstances.
- Most people are afraid of silence. Silence can be a presenter’s best friend, allowing him or her to organise thoughts before moving on to the next piece of the presentation. Silence allows the space for the audience to appreciate and assimilate the presenter’s expertise.’
Many corporate training websites and advertisements claim they will improve our communication skills. How are you different from other trainers?
‘Interesting point; but the fact is that none of these companies has a communication technique. Some training companies give good advice, but they are relying on the trainees’ instincts. Some people confuse “technique” with “advice”. Both are essential, but technique comes first.
‘First of all, let’s define the word “technique”. Imagine you want to learn to play golf. You go to a trainer and he tells you which clubs to buy, the best club to join and what shoes to wear. That would be very good advice, but it is not a technique.
Dictionary:
‘advice’:
[ad-vahys]
Recommendation.
‘technique’:
[tek-neek]
A set of specific rules which determine the degree of excellence. The degree of skill or command of fundamentals exhibited in any performance.
‘The Hudson Voice Technique™ is a set of rules which are written out in black and white. Whether you are giving a sales presentation (on the phone or face to face), making a speech or simply socialising, the Hudson Voice Technique™ gives you the rules for speaking more confidently and persuasively.’
We have been using a well-established training company for years and are quite satisfied. Why should we even consider changing?
‘That’s excellent, but that company does not teach a communication technique because there is only one. Without a technique, your staff have to rely on their instincts.
Dictionary:
Instinct: [in’stingkt’]
the innate aspect of behaviour that is unlearned.
‘In other words, using instinct means we are making up the rules as we go along. We’re guessing!’
Are you suggesting that we should train all our staff?
‘No, just the ones you train in product knowledge because they are generally the ones responsible for persuading your potential customer to buy your product or service.
Our directors have to give regular presentations – some of us still get nervous. Can you guarantee an improvement?
‘The Hudson Voice Technique™ is a life skill and therefore guaranteed for life because, once you have completed the training (and practiced), your staff are always welcome to contact me for any help or guidance. The Hudson Voice Technique™ is a technique, just like learning to read music. Once you know how, it’s there for life!
‘The Hudson Voice Technique™ empowers the speaker. This is necessary because most of us speak out of tune. The Royal Family have the ‘best’ trainers at their disposal, but I think most of the public would agree that they are not the most effective of speakers.’
Some of our call centre employees sound bored because they read the script straight from the screen. Can the Hudson Voice Technique™ eliminate this problem?
‘First of all, let’s be fair to the call centre operators. They do a difficult and sometimes boring job. The main problem is that they are not trained to read a script or to memorise one and make it sound natural. The Hudson Voice Technique™ was specifically designed for this purpose.’
In the current financial climate, it is essential to keep call centre costs down, which is why we locate them in India, the Philippines, Glasgow and Northern Ireland. Any more training would increase our overheads, so how can we justify any extra expense?
‘Frankly, I don’t think companies have a choice, because call centres have a very poor reputation. You would probably save money because you would only need the Hudson Voice Technique™. It is the only verbal communication technique in the world and is gMost importantly, your staff would sound more confident and represent your company in a warmer and more positive way.
Political correctness is all very well, but some accents are so strong that it’s difficult to understand what is being said. This defeats the object – to say nothing of irritating your potential customers! Your staff are the front line of your business and need to be professionally trained in a technique so they make the best impression possible.’
What experience do you have in Asia?
‘Voice Master trains companies all over the world. Recently, we were asked to train at the Singapore Media Academy. We have a partnership with Indian-Voice-Overs who trains companies and individuals.’ We have training centres in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and soon in New Delhi.
We are in the process of licensing ‘The Voice Guild’ in Kuala Lumpur.
Do you train in the USA?
‘Yes, but at the moment it is mostly done with our Home Study Course and via video conferencing. In fact, we are currently looking for a suitable partner in America.’
We have recently purchased a new on-hold phone system, but we’ve had a few complaints about the voices used. Can you help?
‘This problem is universal. Companies selling you this type of system use untrained voiceovers, quite often their own staff. This saves money, but it’s unprofessional. Some of them claim to be experienced because they have recorded a few voiceovers; but in this case experience doesn’t equal expertise: they are not trained!
‘Voice Master recently conducted a survey about on-hold systems. The reaction was not surprising. The voices sounded bored and were unnecessarily repetitious. The “music” was frequently aggravating and top of the bill was: “Your call is important to us.” No, it’s not; I’ve been hanging on for ages!
The problem is that these companies may be experts on telephone systems, but know little about the value of a professional voiceover (if they do appreciate the value of a trained voiceover, then they are deliberately ripping you off!).
Please feel free to give me a call and I will be happy to sort it out for you.
Click here to download the Voicemaster Corporate Information Pack in PDF format
