Category Archives: Professional Communications

Professional office and other business communication strategies

I’m in the Top 30 Global Gurus

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Well what a nice surprise! I’m excited and honoured to be included in the prestigious Global Gurus Top 30 2022 under the category of Communication Professional, ranked #13. Strict criteria for selection includes being a published author, sharing original thought leadership pieces, and the public vote. I’ve been at this since 2006, and I am happy to receive this recognition. Thank you very much to all of my mentors, readers, clients and supporters. You are the best. 🙂

The World’s Best Communication Speakers Trainers Thought Leaders
#13 2022 – Ric Phillips

TEDX Talk on ESL and Accents

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“How To Speak Bad English Perfectly” Interesting commentary on the business of ESL (English as a Second Language) including fixing ‘bad English’ grammar and pronunciation mistakes.  Native English speakers are greatly outnumbered in the world, yet many non-natives are striving for ‘perfect’ English skills. I’ve always believed we can help ESL speakers speak ‘through’ or ‘with’ their accent, not reduce it completely. I also believe learning business focused idioms and slang will help speed up a learners’ comfort at the office (in addition to learning industry-specific vocabulary of course). Heather does not really agree with that last idea.
What do you think of her assumptions and suggestions?

 

Communication Skills Part of YEDI Success

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As most of you know I am part of a team that trains entrepreneurs, both for-profit and not-for-profit, in Canada and abroad.  This year our organization YEDI (York Entrepreneurship Development Institute) which operates partnership programs with York University and Schulich Executive Education Centre was ranked the #1 University-linked accelerator in the world, by UBI Global.  I am proud to be on the YEDI team, where my primary role is to improve the business communication skills of our entrepreneurs in the areas of leadership, customer service, networking and pitching skills (from slides to body language!) and branding.   As an original co-founder of YEDI I can attest that having communication skills training was always part of the formula for YEDI, since a great idea will be wasted or shelved if the business owner cannot express it in a simple and impactful way to potential partners and investors, catching their attention and clearly understanding how they will benefit.  At the risk of sounding too self-serving, I wish YEDI continued success and exciting developments in the near future!

http://www.yedinstitute.org/yedi-ranked-1-in-the-world-by-ubi-global/

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

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Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from 3V Communications!  This holiday time is a perfect time to practice great verbal communications by wishing others season’s greetings, and also practice your non-verbal communication by hugging those you love! 🙂

Together let’s make 2018 a positively successful New Year!

 

NCCA Canada Toronto Event Press Release

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 9th 2017

CONTACT: Mr. Ric Phillips, Executive Director, [email protected], 647-478-8612

NCCA Canada Hosted Innovative Toronto Event Connecting Communication Coaches With Small Business Entrepreneurs to Help Improve Business Communications

Toronto City Hall, October 13th 2017 — The key to successfully starting and growing a business is effective communications.  An entrepreneur or small business owner may have a great idea, but will not get much interest from anyone if they cannot share their vision, persuasively pitch, and clearly explain their products and services. There are professional coaches and trainers who focus on helping people improve their business communication skills, and they need a place and an organization to meet each other.

NCCA Canada proudly partnered with YEDI (York Entrepreneurship Development Institute) and the City of Toronto to co-host a half-day professional development and networking event at Toronto City Hall where professionals from various industries learned how to develop these vital business communication skills. Jason Easton, MPP Jeff Leal’s Chief of Staff for the Small Business in Ontario portfolio gave opening remarks on the importance of honing professional communications before NCCA President, speaker extraordinaire and body language expert Mark Bowden delivered a truly memorable keynote on persuasive non-verbal communication. NCCA Executive Director Ric Phillips then led an interactive learning workshop on the art of the quick pitch. This led to lunch and mini-workshops hosted by Colleen Clarke on the topic of how networking is really “telling, not selling” and Dr. Marat Ressin on clarifying a business vision. The half-day ended with a panel discussion on the trends in the coaching and learning & development industries.

“This was a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs and small business owners to quickly learn and implement the same day specific and very useful business communication skills, and then network with other business people and communication coaches who teach these skills,” said Co-Founder and Executive Director of NCCA Canada Ric Phillips.

This event was open to everyone and received praise for it’s innovative model from coaches, trainers, vendors and entrepreneurs.

“It was invigorating. To finally be in a community of communicators, swapping stories and ideas about the work we do, and to listen to such accomplished, interesting speakers was great. Thank you for seeing the need and for building a high quality base for us” said Eleanor James, Communication Coach/Trainer.

About NCCA Canada

NCCA (National Communication Coaching Association) Canada is a nationally registered non-profit organization that acts as a home for communication skills coaches, trainers and enthusiasts, providing professional development, networking and designation opportunities for its members.  NCCA also provides communication coach/trainer and training company designation standards, peer review and official designation lists, used for professional credentialing. The primary mission of NCCA is to contribute to the growth of personal and professional communication skills, both here and abroad.

Improve Business Communication Skills at Toronto Event

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Professional Development and Networking Event: Key Communication Skills to Grow Your Business!

The key to successfully starting and growing a business is effective communications.  Your great idea will not get interest from anyone if you can’t share your vision, persuasively pitch your company to investors, and clearly market your products and services.

NCCA Canada is proudly partnering with YEDI and City of Toronto to co-host a half-day professional development and networking event at Toronto City Hall where you will learn how to develop these vital business communication skills. Our President, speaker extraordinaire and body language expert Mark Bowden will deliver a keynote not to be missed, which will be followed by your chance to join mini-workshops hosted by our industry professionals on the topics of pitching, networking, and clarifying your business vision.

This is an exciting and unique opportunity to meet coaches, trainers, learning and development professionals, entrepreneurs and business owners, gathering together to connect, share and learn. This event is open for everyone, but space is limited.  Please join us!

Toronto City Hall – Friday October 13th 2017, 10 – 2 pm
Cost: $20 (**free for NCCA Canada Members)

To Register with EventBrite: https://ncca2017.eventbrite.com

**Discount code will be emailed to NCCA Canada members.  If you didn’t get yours, please contact NCCA Admin and we will email it to you.  Hope to see you there!

Schedule:

In Main Chambers
10-10:45 – Welcome, Opening Remarks, Body Language Expert Mark Bowden’s keynote on how to use non-verbal communication to persuade, assist with selling and add credibility to the business individual

10:55-11:30 – Mini-Workshop 1 – The Art of the Quick Pitch

NCCA Executive Director and 3V Communication Coach Ric Phillips leads an interactive class on how to effectively pitch your business in a very short time, with or without a slide deck

In Member’s Lounge with Select Vendors

11:30-12:15 – Lunch and Networking

*Note – Member’s Lounge will be open to all for food and networking until 4 pm!

Mini-Workshops in Committee Room 3 (2nd Floor)

12:15-12:45 – Mini-Workshop 2 – Networking: It’s Telling Not Selling
Networking guru Colleen Clarke shares her top tips and formulas to make networking less painful and improve your elevator pitches – something every business person needs to help self-market better!

1-1:30 – Mini-Workshop 3 – Know Your Vision

YEDI President and successful serial entrepreneur Dr. Marat Ressin leads a dynamic seminar on understanding the importance of having a vision for the entrepreneur/coach/small business owner, and how to identify and communicate it to others. This skill is essential if you want to get buy-in, gain followers to your cause, or lead a team in business.

1:45-2:30 – Round Table – Coaching and Learning & Development Trends

Informal discussion on the coaching and learning and development industries, their trends and how they can help businesses and individuals grow. Hosted by Ric Phillips and L & D Consultant/NCCA Designated Trainer Lauren Waldman. Bring your questions!

Our half-day event is complete, but networking remains available in Committee Room 3 and the Member’s Lounge until 4 pm.

 

Register with EventBrite: https://ncca2017.eventbrite.com

Building From Bullying TEDx Talk

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I’d like to share Janson Chan’s TEDx Talk here.  I had the pleasure to meet Janson and work with him on his public speaking and pitching skills through my work with YEDI (York Entrepreneurship Development Institute) and LaunchYU.  Later when he was asked to speak at an Autism-focused TEDx conference, he reached out to me for additional coaching, and I was happy to help him with his talk.  Here is the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0WcwrQ3-r0), and here’s his gracious testimonial:

“Ric understands the point of view of the audience and the speaker. He coached me to empower my stories, emotions, and passion into an effective speech to an audience of experts that has delivered results. He was able to understand my strengths and weaknesses as a speaker and tailored his approach to give me the confidence needed to perform, wherever the setting, from large events to smaller team meetings.  Working with Ric I have been able to develop from a person who was terrified of public speaking to a person who delivered an effective TED talk to researchers and advocates. Ric has demonstrated the knowledge, expertise and persistence as an effective Communication Coach for any occasion.”  Janson Chan, Executive Director of Autism Teenage Partnership (ATP), TEDx Speaker: “Building from Bullying”

3V English Communication Assessment (ECA) Template

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I have been invited to speak at both TESL Canada and TESL Ontario on the topic of Business English Fundamentals, and how to teach them in the classroom or at the office.  Assessments are a key player in communication coaching and corporate training success.  Simply speaking, the formula is “Assessment = Training Program = ROI measurement.”  When choosing or designing your assessment, please consider the needs of the person/organization that hired you.  Ensure the assessment is Client AND/OR company needs-based, as sometimes you need to cover both needs in one assessment tool.  What does “writing” mean to them? Or ‘speaking’ or ‘communication’? We need to be clear and specific in the assessment so it’s accurate and effective!

Here is a partial sample of a 3V ECA, previously used in our corporate training programs:

Part One: Grammar – identify the spelling, grammar and/or punctuation mistake(s) and correct them (ten sentences)
1. I have study English for 7 years now, so far.
2. You need to working on your accent man. Its thick!
3. Did you know that the cats can see in the dark? A animal like that is great!
4. I board a plane last night at 3 in the a.m. And so, now, I’m so tired.
5. What is your area of expertize? Can you help me with this calculations?

Part Two: Everyday Idioms – what do these expressions mean? Please write short definitions. (fifteen)
1. The real McCoy
2. The cat’s out of the bag
3. We’re up the creek
4. He works like a dog
5. Bookworm

Part Three: Humour – explain why these jokes are funny. Short answers please. (three)
1. A horse walks into a bar. The bartender asks “why the long face?”

Part Four: Short story – Please write a short story explaining in detail what you do at work, and how communication plays a role. Minimum 3 paragraphs.

Part Five: Interview – short Q & A to evaluate comprehension, pronunciation, conciseness etc.

If you have any questions about designing or using assessments in your training, or if you are part of an organization that would benefit from communication skills assessments, do not hesitate to contact me!  🙂

Join Me at TESL Canada 2017 and Learn About Teaching Business English

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Fellow Business English/ESL teachers, tutors and coaches, are you going to TESL Canada’s Conference in Niagara Falls this weekend?  If so, let’s connect!  I’ll be giving a short lecture titled “Business English Fundamentals: How to Teach It in the Classroom or Office!”  My lecture is scheduled for Saturday, June 10th 2017 at 2:15 in the afternoon.  I will be giving practical tips on how to understand the needs of students and immigrants when they want to improve their business communication skills, and tips on how to create your own assessment tool to use with them.  I will also share with you the path from ESL teacher, to business English instructor, to self-employed Communication Coach!  Hope to see you there!

The TrumpShake Saga Continues with the Comey Shake-Hug

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Here’s another Maclean’s video interview where I am asked about the non-verbal communication of President Trump with others, including James Comey.  It’s a quick analysis of Trump’s ‘aggressive’ off-balancing TrumpShake, his open arm and head nod gesture (including chin thrust) to James Comey, and Comey’s initial hesitations, uncomfortable hand-wringing gesture and his seemingly strong desire to not show rapport with Trump, and escape the scene ASAP.  Enjoy!