Author Archives: Coach Ric

About Coach Ric

Communication Coach and Corporate Trainer. Founder and President of 3V Communications. Program Advisor and Instructor at YEDI - the York Entrepreneurship Development Institute. York U instructor. NCCA Canada Director. Background in sociology, psychology, NLP, body language analysis and TESL. MBA. BJJ Purple belt. Forever Star Trek fan. Toronto-based but not bound.

Medical Daily: Facebook Damages Relationships for People With Low Self-Esteem

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Medical Daily: Facebook Damages Relationships for People With Low Self-Esteem

Facebook Damages Relationships for People With Low Self-Esteem

By Christine Hsu

Facebook may seem like the perfect virtual world for people with low self-esteem to maximize and improve their social relationships because it reduces the need for uncomfortable face-to-face sharing. Wrong.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo said that sharing is essential for improving friendships, but people with low self-esteem seem to behave “counter-productively” by “bombarding their friends with negative tidbits about their lives and making themselves less likeable,” according to a statement released on Wednesday.

“We had this idea that Facebook could be a really fantastic place for people to strengthen their relationships,” said co-author Amanda Forest in a statement.

Forest and Joanne Wood studied the effects of self-esteem on the kinds of emotions people express, as well as how people with low self esteem perceive Facebook.

Researchers found that people with confidence issues are significantly more likely to think that Facebook provided a safe haven that reduces the risk of awkward social situations and as a place of greater opportunity to make social connections.

(To continue reading please visit original article by clicking link above or http://www.medicaldaily.com/news/20120202/9033/facebook-social-network-virtual-self-esteem-judgement-stranger-positive-negative-status-upda.htm )

A Great Post on Defining A Business English Program

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Author Paul Emmerson reflects on in-work and pre-experience Business English.

What is Business English? A naïve question to be sure, but a good one to step back and ask from time to time.
Below, in blue, is a nine-point answer to that question that I wrote along with my colleague Nick Hamilton back in 2000. It was going to be the Introduction to Five Minute Activities for Business English (CUP) but never made it into the book.

  1. You start with a Needs Analysis.
  2. The Needs Analysis leads on to a negotiated syllabus. There is no ‘main’ coursebook, although a selection of coursebook and other material may be used. The classroom tasks and texts are personalized, based around the interests and needs of those particular students.
  3. The syllabus is designed around communication skills (telephoning, meetings, presentations etc.) and business topics (management, marketing, finance etc.), not the English verb tense system.
  4. Language work is more lexical, including collocation and functional language, and less grammatical than General English. Pronunciation is another important area, especially the ability to break up speech into appropriate phrases (phonological chunking) and to use stress to highlight key information.
  5. Teaching methodology includes much use of tasks, role-plays, discussions, presentations, case studies and simulated real-life business situations. Approaches and materials are mixed and matched, but there is unlikely to be a high proportion of conventional Present-Practice lessons where one grammar point provides the main thread of a lesson.
  6. Much language work is done diagnostically following speaking activities. Feedback slots are used for checking, correcting and developing language (Output->Reformulate rather than Input->Practice).
  7. There is use of a range of authentic and business material (magazine articles, off-air video, company documents).
  8. Delivery of the course is different: the students are ‘clients’ with high expectations, the teachers are professional ‘trainers’ (or perhaps even Language Consultants). Teachers and students sit together round a table like in a meeting rather than in the classic GE ‘U’ shape with the teacher at the front. Conversation across the table may develop its own dynamic far removed from the teacher’s lesson plan.
  9. While teachers are expected to be competent as Language Consultants, classroom managers etc. they are usually not expected to be business experts. This is a language course after all, not an MBA. However teachers are expected to have an interest in business, ask intelligent questions, and slowly develop their knowledge of the business world.                                       
  10.  – To continue reading this awesome article and discussion, please visit the original link here:  http://bebcblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/what-is-business-english-2/

CBC Marketplace Looks at Canada’s Worst Customer Service

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Long checkout lines, difficult-to-find salespeople, and unfriendly customer service rank among Canadians’ biggest pet peeves when it comes to retail service, according to a poll done for CBC Marketplace.
The show, which begins its new season on Jan. 6 with a one-hour special, asked Canadians about their experiences — both positive and negative — with customer service in national retail chain stores, including: department and big box general merchandise stores; electronic stores; major fashion stores; furniture and furnishing stores; health and beauty/drug stores; and home improvement stores.
The poll didn’t survey people on their attitude towards banks, cable companies, cell phone/internet service, airlines, utilities, grocery/food services, restaurants, or automotive dealers/service.
Canadians’ biggest pet peeves in terms of bad customer service in the store include (figures indicate percentage of times each answer was among respondents’ top three):

  • Long lineups at checkout (42%).
  • Difficulty finding salespeople in the store (39%).
  • Rude/unfriendly salespeople (33%).
  • Salespeople who ignore you (24%).
  • Difficulty finding out how much products cost (23%).

Canadians also had some main gripes when it came to their post-purchase customer service experience. Those complaints included having to fight too hard to resolve issues, which was a top-three complaint for 51 per cent of respondents. A return policy that was limited to in-store credits — no cash refund — was a top-three complaint for 49 per cent of respondents, while a return policy with hidden limitations was cited by 47 per cent in their top three.
Asked to rank their top three most-important elements of in-store customer service, 54 per cent said clearly priced products, while 48 per cent said having advertised products in stock. Almost half — 48 per cent — said fast service at checkout lines was among their top three.
The results are based on an online survey conducted by Leger Marketing between July 19 and July 24, 2011. A total of 1,025 Canadians answered the survey.
View original CBC Marketplace link here:  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/01/05/customer-service-pet-peeves-marketplace.html?cmp=rss 

A Little Thoughtfulness Goes a Long Way for a Hockey Fan

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I’ve got a quick story to tell you about some really nice, thoughtful customer service.
I was having lunch today at one of my favourite spots, The Pilot, in Toronto.  If you don’t know this place, it’s one of the oldest pubs in Toronto, opening in 1944, although in a different location.  It honours the WW2 air force pilots. 
I like it because this place always seems to have a great atmosphere to it, and the food is better than your average pub fare for sure, which is important to me.  BTW have you tried their fries?  Outstanding!
Anyway so I’m sitting in the upper dining area by myself, watching boxing on TV while I wait for my burger and fries.  (Don’t worry, I did have my beer already!)  After a quick TKO I think to myself  “Is Canada playing today in the World Juniors (IIHF)?” 
I make a mental note to myself to ask to waitress when she comes back. 
I didn’t get the chance because my food was brought out to me by a guy from the kitchen.  So since I had already NLP-programmed myself to ask my question, I did, even though he was not my server.  He said he wasn’t sure if Team Canada was playing but he would check for me and if it was, change the channel on ‘my’ TV. 
I felt a little guilty after he left because I was sure he had other responsibilities to handle, and after all, he wasn’t my server.  I also told myself not to be upset if he indeed does not come back.
Imagine my pleasant surprise when he came back and informed me that Team Canada wasn’t playing until 8pm in the evening.  I thought that was great he came back, and thanked him.
Then 2 minutes later he returns and says “The other Team Canada is playing, the international league – do you want me to put that on the TV for ya?”  I understood he was referring to the Spengler Cup tourney and immediately said “Sure!”
So I had the pleasure of watching the first period of the game while I ate and relaxed.  I thought that was really considerate and cool of him to come back twice, and it showed empathy and a care for his work environment.  No wonder it is a really popular pub!  Little things make the difference, and little things go a long way in customer satisfaction and loyalty.  I will be going back, of course!
Last thought on this:  Go Team Canada Go!  Both of you!

The 20 Most Controversial Rules in the Grammar World | Online College Tips – Online Colleges

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The 20 Most Controversial Rules in the Grammar World | Online College Tips – Online Colleges

Like anything else involving stringent rules and regulations, grammar harbors a hefty share of obsessive fanboys and fangirls who enjoy debating its ins, outs, and other various quirks. So of course controversies break out in academia, the media, and even intimate conversations between friends. Here are a few of the ones that churn stomachs and angry up the blood, in no particular order.

The Oxford Comma
Debates regarding whether the Oxford comma should keep on being used are comparable to those about the death penalty and/or abortion. Seriously. Most grammarians have an opinion on the subject, and their opinion is always right and never wrong ever and also they will use and insistent voice when relaying it.


The pronunciation of “controversial”

Go figure. Americans stand divided over whether to pronounce it “con-truh-VUR-see-yul” or “con-truh-VUR-shal.” You don’t even have to hop a plane across the pond to take part in the battle. Funny enough, Merriam-Webster‘s and The American Heritage Dictionary acknowledge both pronunciations. So now that a definitive answer exists, it’s time to get back to arguing about whether to call it soda, pop, or coke.


Double negatives

Although grammatically correct, debates regarding the permissibility of double negatives keep flaring up from time to time. Talks apparently originated when linguists pondered acceptance of the often controversial African-American Vernacular English, within which the grammar tweak is quite common. Unsurprisingly, these debates inherently come saddled with some rather unfortunate overtones.

(Hit the link above to see the original blog post and examples for each. I am just re-posting this as per their request. Enjoy!)

Toronto Hotel Blames Guest for Bad Internet

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Last week I was honoured to have a client fly in to Toronto all the way from Paris, France to do a week of intensive communication coaching with me. It was her first time in Toronto and so I was more than happy to recommend some places to see, some restaurants to go and a few great hotels near my office.
I’m not going to mention the name of the hotel she chose in this post, simply because this story is technically ‘hearsay’ as I did not witness the conversations myself. Needless to say it is a very recognizable name and in a very popular area. I want to share with you her story to use as a learning lesson for those of you who are managers, customer service trainers, or leaders in your company, especially if you work in the hotel or guest services industry.

Quick Background: My client is a calm, mature, friendly and polite woman. She is very optimistic and enjoys her work and world travel. Her job frequently takes her to Washington 3 times a year, as well as to other US cities.

She came in to our session on the second morning and said “Okay – today I can feel that I’m in Canada and not the US”.
“Why is that?” I inquired.
“Because I called the front desk to tell them that my internet access that I paid for is not working properly, and she (the young lady at the front desk) said “well all of our other guest rooms are working properly. Maybe it’s your computer!”
“So I said it is not my computer. I do international business travel all the time and there is nothing wrong with my computer. I’ll even bring it down to you and show you.”
“So I brought my computer down to the front lobby to show them that the internet works perfectly there. They had no choice but to agree.”
“Finally they upgraded my room to a much bigger room now, for 2 people, and the internet works fine. I couldn’t believe it. In the US, you would never have had that conversation. Right from the beginning it would have been an apology and an attempt to fix the problem immediately or a move to a new room without the 30-minute discussion that wasted my time.”

In the end she was overall very happy with her first time in Toronto, and with her coaching as well.  🙂  But this short story is a reminder to those in customer service to be careful how you challenge guests, even accidentally, and to watch your word choice and tone of voice.

English Language Pronunciation Class Description

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Here is a good description of what is involved in a typical English pronunciation (or accent reduction) class or coaching program.  Things are usually tailored to the particular English level, industry or work etc. but the main idea is explained clearly here:

English language pronunciation includes all the mechanical functions and skills of language sound production and the specific word pronunciation patterns of the English language in context.
The mechanical functions and skills include placement of the lips, tongue, use of teeth, glottis, expanding or contracting the mouth cavity, use of nasal passages and soft palate, vocal folds, controlling the intake and outflow of air, devoicing, breathing and timing.

English language pronunciation class skills and exercises include initial consonant and vowel pronunciation, syllable pronunciation, individual syllable stress patterns, diphthongs and consonant clusters, initial word pronunciation, syllable stress patterns in words, intonation and timing for words, phrases, clauses, complete sentences, expressions and interjections.

English language pronunciation class can take the form of individual drills or group drills by listening and repeating the correct English language pronunciation exercises.

English language pronunciation class can take the form of reading and speaking. Students are expected to read and speak aloud correctly pronouncing each of the words or passages.

Advanced English language pronunciation classes can include accent reduction. Accent reduction can be ‘un-learning’ incorrect pronunciation and re-learning correct English pronunciation. Accent reduction can also be the initial establishment or correction of pronunciation patterns, speed, timing, stress and intonation.

From the original site  http://www.eslincanada.com

Effective Business Networking

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Hello fellow professionals out there!

Today’s topic is on effective business networking.

Last week I attended an H.R. (Human Resources)-related networking function here in Toronto, as the guest speaker was the author of a book I had first read a few years ago and I really enjoyed the positive message about living life to the fullest, and having great communication skills (at least that’s what I got out of it).  The book is called Tapping the Iceberg by Tim Cork, and I highly recommend it.  Anyway, I went to this networking function to see if I could get my book signed (which I did) and maybe meet some HR professionals who might be interested in learning more about how communication coaching could benefit their company executives and managers, or how a group workshop can be both cost-effective and beneficial to their staff training.

I met as many people as I could without rushing conversations, and I asked for introductions to others whom I had not met.  I politely interrupted some people (with a smile) to include myself in their conversations, and I spent time with them in deep, meaningful learning exchanges, complete with a swapping of cards.

While I was there I noticed that some people seemed to be a bit shy starting conversations with people they had not met yet (i.e. “strangers”), even though we had name-tags on.

Now I understand that it can be difficult for some people to make small talk with strangers.  That is why I have a course on how to overcome that social challenge.  However the interesting thing to me is that this particular event was specifically set up to network, and even focused on one industry (HR) – which one might assume would increase the level of comfort in the room even among strangers. Not so I guess.  There were still those who were wallflowers and who were just talking to their friends and only engaged with others if approached first.

The lesson I want to share with you is to remember that at networking events you have a choice:  be a Guest or be The Host.  A guest sits waiting for others to take care of them, and a host pro-actively ensures others are having a good time and meets and greets constantly.  The host is remembered and the guest is often not, especially at a large event.  You are there for a short time and with a mission – to find and build connections.  There is no reason to be shy with starting conversations with a smile and no reason why you don’t have the right to pursue career advancement by networking.  Networking at a networking event is like shooting fish in a barrel – as long as you are not shy with the trigger.

Be The Host.

Happy hunting,

Coach Ric
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