Tag Archives: coaching & training

The Rule of 75%

I had a fantastic time training the wonderful, energetic group of participants over the last weekend, at our 3V communication course. The first day focused on interpersonal skills and the second more on professional skills and public speaking.

Anyway, unfortunately due to my over-zealousness to try to give the group all of my best information, the afternoon of the second day ended up seeming a bit rushed. I had packed too much information into the course and workbooks, and although they can read it at home as many times as they like to help digest it, it still felt bad to rush material and examples. Not something I wanted to do.

So it reminds me today of the 75% rule of public speaking and presentations. Only prepare for 75% of the time allotted. That way you have time to slow down, relax, field questions, and even digress a little if necessary. You know story-telling is a natural digression and can dramatically increase audience listening and participation too. Every one likes a good (and hopefully relevant) story!

So in closing today’s brief post I am reminded of a great Japanese saying: “Saru mo ki kara ochiru.” What is the translation? “Sometimes even monkeys fall out of trees!” (Hey I fell out of the tree, but I don’t think I broke anything!)

Until next time.

A Sandwich Needs Bread Too!

I am surprised by the number of emails I get where a new contact i.e. a stranger is emailing me for the first time and they just send me a one-liner, with no polite introduction or sign-off. For example:

Hi,

I need to improve my English – what should I do?

Or

Hello,

How can coaching help me? Please explain.

Now I can appreciate that, as the old idiom states, Time is Money. And I realize that in some busy offices or cultures there is little time for ‘fluff’ and people speak directly to each other. HOWEVER in international business communications, it is vital to learn how the other party expects to be communicated with and on what level of formality or politeness to use, especially for the first contact.

Don’t get me wrong – I am not angry or personally offended by these short emails. I can read between the lines and realize that these are people who genuinely are asking for my help, so that they can achieve greater success in their personal and professional lives. I appreciate that and am happy to respond. But my job is to teach communication skills, so today the message is this: Don’t forget the bread when making your sandwich!

When we eat a delicious sandwich we savour the meat or cheese or whatever garnishes are inside, but we need the bread to hold it together from top to bottom, right?

The same is true in polite, professional, positive communications, even emails.

The bread is the polite intro and ending. For example, let’s improve the above emails:

Hi Ric,

I am happy to receive your newsletters, and have learned some interesting communication tips from you. However as English is not my first language, I need to improve it. What should I do?

Any suggestions or resources would be appreciated.

Best regards,

XXXXXXX

Or

Hello Sir,

I am intrigued by your website and broadcasts, and am interested to improve my personal communications, however I am not really sure how coaching can really help me personally. I wonder, could you explain the coaching process in a bit more detail to me, or send me a resource to read?

Thank you very much,

XXXXXXXX

By using the sandwich analogy it serves as a quick reminder to be polite in the beginning and end of your communications, whether speaking or writing, especially when you are communicating with a new person. You want to set the right tone and make a winning first impression.

Thank you and have a good lunch!

The Best Way to Excel Communication Skills!

Effective Communication Skills Training Course:
Learn the Art of Excellent Communications for Business or Pleasure!

Communicate with more confidence and clarity. Increase personal and professional development. Take home a certificate!

Toronto Sheraton Hotel – June 7th and 8th

Day one focuses on advanced interpersonal skills, e.g. small talk, first impression management, NLP, building rapport, body language etc.

Day two focuses on professional communications, e.g. telephone and email etiquette, running great meetings, public speaking and presentations etc.

SUMMARY:

  • You get 2 days of fantastic, interactive and dynamic communication training for business and pleasure
  • You get loads of materials and books to take home
  • You get 20% off regular room rates at Sheraton Hotel, should you choose to stay there
  • You get a beautiful Certificate of Completion showing that you care about your personal and professional development, and have taken steps towards gaining excellent communications
  • You get a complimentary coaching session to get your personal communications assessed

What are you waiting for?

For more info and/or to register please visit http://www.CommunicationCoach.ca and take advantage of our current ‘early bird’ special rate – Must register before April 30th!

I look forward to meeting you and taking you to the next level of confident communications. Any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

(UPDATED NOTE:  we/3V used to offer public workshops but now focus on corporate team training workshops instead, FYI) – Ric April 2015

Introductions

Allow me to introduce myself. I am a certified Coach who specializes in Communications and Confidence. I have found that the two go hand-in-hand, and that the more confident you become, the better communicator you become, and vise versa.

I have a website and blog set up for communication coaching and training but this blog will also focus on the issue of what is confidence and how do we get it, as it’s an extremely important part of higher level communications.

My goal is to increase your confident levels, whether that is by you reading my blog posts, ebooks, and reports, or by doing interactive exercises like confidence evaluators, or by hiring me to help you achieve your confidence goals. Whatever works for you!

Also please note that anyone interested in becoming a Certified Confidence Coach should please contact me directly to discuss the training course.

All the best to you and your confidence!

Ric

Effective Communication Skills Certificate Training Course

The Art of Excellent Communication for Business or Pleasure

(June 7th & 8th, 2008 – Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel)

  • Are you lacking clarity and confidence in your communications?
  • Do you have trouble understanding people’s true meaning behind the words?
  • Does your true intended message get conveyed, or are people getting confused by what you say and write?

 

Raise both your personal and professional communication skills to the top 10% of the world – and that is where you will find the most successful people in business and in life. Want to join them?

If you really want to be successful in your personal and professional life, you need excellent communication skills. Nothing less will do, and there is no getting around that fact.


3V Communications is now offering a 2-day weekend certification course on the art of excellent communication for business or pleasure. Here is a short list of things greatly improved after completing this unique and powerful training course:

Interviews, promotions, team management, teaching, coaching, training others, networking, presentations and speeches, conflict management, forming new friendships, dating (on-line or in-person), charisma and raising your personal confidence to a brand new level. Take a look at our agenda:

Day One: (Inter)personal Communications

By the end of Saturday you will:

  • Use the 3V effect of communication to control your ‘vibe’
  • Understand the process of (mis-) communication
  • Generate small talk easily – know what to say to anyone
  • Create winning first impressions – every time
  • Sky-rocket charisma and leadership qualities
  • Have stress-free, enjoyable networking and social functions
  • Have real active listening skills with true empathy
  • Apply the fundamentals of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)
  • Understand someone else’s view of the world
  • Speak with the 3 language modalities – and use them to communicate with different types of people
  • Build rapport quickly on all communication levels
  • Have a body language and face-reading presentation and practice

 

Day Two: Professional Communications

By the end of Sunday you will:

  • Incorporate the 3Ps of effective communication
  • Use emails with efficiency and with proper email etiquette
  • Excel your telephone rapport
  • Re-think and manage conflict
  • Use the key fundamentals of sales psychology
  • Run smooth, productive and inclusive meetings
  • Give and receive negative feedback in a positive way
  • Advance your public speaking and presentations, including:
  • Deal with the fear of public speaking
  • Organize a winning presentation or speech
  • Use speaking techniques used by the pros
  • Understand the art of persuasion and influence
  • Avoid bad PowerPoint presentations
  • Be a CERTIFIED Excellent Communicator! (great for professional or personal development…)

 

Materials will be provided and you can count on a fun, informative and interactive course. This program is $800.00 (plus G.S.T.), but you can take advantage of our “early-bird” special now and only pay $649.00. This early-bird special will expire at the end of this month, April, so “get it while it’s hot!”

Registering now will also entitle you to one complimentary coaching session (one hour, in person or over the phone) after completion of the course. This too is a limited time offer, so go ahead and sign up below.

Registration is limited to the first 20 people who complete their payments. Registering online is safe and easy – use PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, or any other option offered. Please visit my website to register: http://www.CommunicationCoach.ca

 

Details: This certificate course will be held at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel (123 Queen St. W.) on June 7th and 8th.

I look forward to meeting you and taking you to the next level of confident communications. Any questions please do not hesitate to call or email me:

 

Ric Phillips, B.A.

President & Trainer

ric @ communicationcoach.ca

416.429.7935 (messages can be left)

(Ric Phillips has been training others in communications since 1997. He holds a degree is Sociology/Psychology, is a certified coach and NLP practitioner with the CCF – Certified Coaches Federation, and is a member of HRPAO – Human Resources Professionals Assoc. of Ontario. For more details of Ric, his media appearances and this company, please visit the ‘About Us’ page.)

Body Language & Face-Reading Resources

I recently presented an interactive seminar on body and face reading at a Toronto law firm. At the end I gave them some resources, just in case they wanted to learn more about this art/science. So then I thought I should also let you, my faithful readers, get in on this knowledge! For those interested, here is a starting list of some good resources that you may want to check out, if you are interested in improving your ability to read peoples emotions, character, attitudes and beliefs, and current intentions. Have fun!

Books:

How to Read a Person like a Book by Gerald I. Nierenberg and Henry Calero

How to Use Body Language by Drs. Sharon and Glenn Livingston

In Your Face by Bill Cordingley

Face Language 2000 by Jon E. and David E. Prescott

Online:

www.Bodylanguagebodylanguage.com

www.Bodylanguageexpert.co.uk

www.Kevinhogan.com

www.Facereader.com

www.Facereadingacademy.com

www.Facefrontiers.com

www.Counterbalanceconsulting.com 

What is the Key to Effective Communication?

What is the key to effective communication?

Confidence is the key to effective communication.

You may have an accent, you may not. You may be Hollywood-attractive, or just average. You may have studied a lot at school or in other courses, or you may be a hands-on type of learner.

None of these things are as influential as the ability to be a great communicator. Now for the cherry on top of the sundae – be a CONFIDENT great communicator.

Confidence builds competence, and competence builds confidence. Understanding what to say and how to say it will increase your self-esteem and ultimately your impact on the people around you at work or elsewhere. You do not want to look or sound meek and unsure, right? And I wouldn’t need to tell you how bad it could be if people thought you were too cocky, right? An appropriate balance must be projected so you can lead, succeed, manage and conquer your fears of having an average communication style.

Here is the good news. You have a last chance to attend the November 10 workshop. And here are the details, in case you or someone you know is interested in communicating with confidence inside and out.

Workshop – Communicate Your Confidence: Inside and Out

3V Communications is proud to be teaming up with The Image Factor to bring you this first time ever unique and exciting workshop Communicate Your Success: Inside and Out. If you have ever wanted to improve your confidence dramatically in one day, this is the workshop for you.

Part 1: 9:30-12:30. Ric leads you on a journey to discover how to build confidence, and how to project it with verbal, vocal and visual communication techniques.

Lunch break from 12:30-1:15.

Part 2: 1:15-4:15. Nadia helps you understand the importance of image, wardrobe, and first impression management. Learn to communicate your personal style and message.

For additional information or to register go to www.CommunicationCoach.ca.

Want to Read my Profile?

Recently I was interviewed for a local community newspaper, by a fresh new student reporter. I thought I would pass it on to you, in case you were curious to know more about me, my company, and how it all came to be. I think this is very well-written and I want to thank Elena once again for choosing me as her subject for this assignment, which was to profile a local business person. I have not edited it in any way. Enjoy!

Communicating with Confidence

Profile of Communication Coach Ric Phillips

By Elena Krasnova

He smiles as he opens the door and tells me to make myself at home. Following the advice, I choose the blue cushion rocking chair to settle in, as I get ready to interview Ric Phillips, the communication coaching expert. His office projects a vibe that’s almost too comfortable and informal, because his office also happens to be his home.

As I begin my questions, the phone rings. Ric apologizes and quickly answers it with a laconic greeting: “Ric Phillips…” From what I can make out, someone is calling about confidence coaching and Ric starts pitching one of his six-hour programs, as well as an upcoming workshop. So, it becomes clear that 34-year-old Ric Phillips is a one-man show and does everything himself: sales, marketing, advertising, and even IT, as he designs and manages his web site without any professional help. Operating out of his apartment, equipped with only a laptop and a towering bookshelf of communication resources, he is completely self-sufficient.

Yet although Ric’s company consists of only himself, it has a name –

3V Communications, which stands for three vital aspects of human communication: Visual, Vocal, and Verbal. This philosophy stems from a 1967 study conducted by Dr. Albert Mehrabian, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UCLA. Based on that initial small study, Ric’s theory states that communication is conveyed visually (through body language, gestures, and appearance), vocally (through stress, intonation, rhythm, and volume), and verbally (through words and phrases). The combination of these three “V’s” creates a fourth “V” – the Vibe we project to others. “Using the three “V’s” in synchronicity creates a positive vibe with no mixed messages,” Ric says.

Evidently, communication coaching is much more than just teaching people to express their thoughts effectively. In his five years as an entrepreneur and a specialist in this field, Ric has innovated the concept of communication coaching by offering a variety of services that pertain to different aspects of human relations. These services include confidence coaching, networking skills, public speaking and presentations, first impressions, and accent reduction. By conducting public workshops, on-site company training, and one-on-one coaching sessions, Ric has helped hundreds of people, ranging from new immigrants to top business executives. He has been hired by companies such as BizLaunch, YES (Youth Employment Services), Blaney McMurtry Barristers & Solicitors LLP, Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan, and various others.

There are numerous communication coaching companies operating throughout Canada and the U.S., but none of them covers the wide spectrum of services offered by 3V Communications. Ric says that no one can do exactly what he does, because all the experts in the industry have different strengths, styles, and knowledge. Therefore, Ric developed his programs based on his own skills and education, personal interests, as well as extensive market research.

The business was first registered in 2002 and it offered accent reduction/tutoring services and job search skills. The programs gradually developed through trial and error, and finally the company became 3V Communications in 2007. Originally Ric wanted to be a life coach but quickly realized that it’s impossible to run a business in a category so broad. “Every life coach needs to specialize,” he says, so he decided to specialize by playing to his strengths.

These strengths come mainly from Ric’s employment background, which is very diverse. For eight years he taught English as a Second Language in various schools around Toronto and performed the role of Academic Coordinator at some of them. He also spent two years in rural China from 1998 to 2000, where he taught English at a teachers’ college, essentially training the students to become English teachers. Moreover, Ric’s teaching experience includes self-defense and martial arts, which comprise a large part of his personal interests.

Before China, Ric worked as a Customer Service and Collections Agent. This experience, he says, was the most important contributing factor to his business success today. He also spent a number of years counseling and working with people with addictions and mental and physical disabilities.

In addition, Ric’s background includes a very entrepreneurial family. His father, uncle, older sister, and brother-in-law are all sole proprietors who followed their dreams, which partly influenced Ric to become his own boss as well. Most of Ric’s friends too are independent business owners who make a living on their own schedules.

Of course, with its perks of being your own boss and freedom of routine, entrepreneurship does come with certain challenges. Apart from the regular problems of not having a steady cash flow and working unpredictable hours, Ric’s business faces even tougher industry-related obstacles. First, it is not a well-known market. Most people still don’t know exactly what communication coaching is and how it can help them. This stems into a second major challenge – getting people to realize the value of these services in terms of upgrading their lives.

So, how does Ric cope with the ups and downs of being self-employed? “I always try to remember my successes instead of failures, and allow myself to be proud of myself,” he says. Having extensively researched the psychological, emotional, and physical aspects of confidence, Ric has no problem maintaining a positive attitude, no matter what life throws at him.

Besides, he loves what he does. “The most satisfying and fulfilling thing about it is helping people conquer their fears,” he says, “that’s priceless.” Here he gives me a perfect example of a client he recently helped. She is a Senior Financial Analyst at an organization that hired Ric to do on-site training. “She was very shy and needed to improve her confidence and communication skills,” he says. So, they did a total of 12 hours of coaching with two different programs: ‘Winning First Impressions’ and ‘Building Confidence – Building Success’. Within a short time the staff and management noticed considerable improvement in her confidence and comfort level. She actually started to speak up and give opinions in company meetings, which she had never done before. “I was very proud of her,” Ric says, “It was a huge step.”

As for his future plans, Ric eventually plans on training people to be coaches, just like him. He also plans to write more e-books about communication coaching, which he already sells over the internet. He currently uses Google AdWords to advertise, which, he says, is very effective, and in this way hopes to make his business more sustainable on the web. He wants to reduce his one-on-one sessions and transfer most of his material onto audio-visual media, eventually giving him international recognition.

For the immediate future, however, Ric will stick to joint ventures. “It’s the quickest way to expand without the legal hassle,” he says. Occasionally Ric teams up with other coaches to do combined public workshops. This November, 3V Communications will team up with The Image Factor for a workshop called “Communicate Your Confidence: Inside and Out.”

All of us could probably use at least one of the services Ric Phillips offers, but so few actually take charge and make a firm decision to invest in upgrading our soft skills. Yet these are the skills that matter most when it comes to being successful in the workplace and our personal lives. Will Ric be able to get this message across to more people and expand his market? The road ahead will show.

Communicate Your Confidence: Inside & Out

Are you self-conscious when in front of people, not sure if you are saying the right thing?

Do you worry that you are not being heard or respected enough at work or by peers?

When was the last time you assessed how you looked, talked, walked and presented yourself to the public?

These are tough questions that we all have to ask ourselves. It is important to look good and feel good at all times to ensure success not only in our work lives, but in our personal lives as well. Confidence is the key to projecting that winning first impression and making it last. Are you communicating with confidence?

3V Communications is proud to be teaming up with Nadia Baboo of The Image Factor to bring you this unique and exciting workshop:

Communicate Your Confidence: Inside and Out

If you have ever wanted to improve your confidence dramatically in one day, this is the workshop for you!

When? Saturday, November 10th 2007 from 9:30am to 4:15pm

Where? 268 Adelaide St W. (@ John St.), home of BizLaunch

Why? To dramatically improve your confidence, first impression and overall image.

Who? Anyone can join. Students, recent grads, entrepreneurs, managers, employees, new Canadians, singles, divorcees, fun people, shy people, anyone!

How much? $125.00 paid in full before November 6th.

How to register and pay: Just click the Buy Now icon to use secure online payment, using PayPal, Visa or MasterCard. You will be instantly registered!

Alternatively, you may issue a cheque to 3V Communications. Contact Ric to discuss delivery or mailing of cheque before November 6th at 416.429.7935.

BONUS: When you make the decision to enhance your confidence and image with us, you will not only get all the materials we provide at the workshop, you will also get a free one-hour assessment of your personal image and style with Nadia Baboo AND a free one-hour assessment of your personal communication style with Ric Phillips.

That’s 2 free hours of personal attention and evaluation! After a 6 hour workshop and then 2 hours of assessments, you will be a master of your image and confidence!

We look forward to meeting you and taking you to the next level of confident communications.

3V Communications

ric @CommunicationCoach.ca

Do you know a Confidence-Sapper?

The people who you have the most contact with and hang around will have either a positive or negative affect on your levels of self-esteem and confidence.

We all know those people who are positive, happy and joyful to be around.

How do they make you feel?

Yes, they make you feel the same! They can put zest into a boring atmosphere and can fill the room with positive, can-do vibes that have a ripple effect on everyone else.

We also know those people who could make great “Wendy Whiners” or “Debbie Downers” (characters from SNL – Saturday Night Live TV sketches!).

They say they never had the opportunities, they are always putting people down, they don’t like others to be successful, they are jealous and are negative thinkers – need I go on? They are like crabs in a bucket – pulling down anyone reaching for the top.

These people drain your energy and bring you down to their level, a million miles away from the level that YOU want to be operating on.

The interesting thing is, many of these confidence-sappers are not malicious. Many times they do not realize that they are so negative, and that they are annoying you. Some feel they are “realists”, but we tend to think they are clearly “pessimists.”

You have to ask yourself a big question – what happens to my level of confidence and optimism when I am inundated with their rainy cloud or critical attitude?

It will more than likely wear you down, and worse yet, you may even adopt their language, gestures and view. This scares me!

So what should you do to make sure that the people who you hang around with empower and support what you stand for rather than bring you down all of the time?

1 – You have the power to choose who you hang around with. Ideally you want happy, vibrant and positive people. Make sure they outweigh any party-poopers.

2 – If you have good friends who are negative constantly and yet you still want to hang around them, make a point of letting them know how you feel – if they are a true friend they will respect you for this. If they are negative from time to time just acknowledge that this is what they are like and block out the negativity. Some may appreciate you letting them know that they complain too much.

3 – The same can be said with family. Your more mature family members have behaviours that have been conditioned for years and years and from different eras. Appreciate where they have come from and as in number 2 above, elicit and select the information that filters through to your brain.

4 – Remember, that nothing has meaning in life except the meaning that you give it. You have the power to accept or not accept criticism, negativity and most comments directed at you. Do not allow yourself to feel like a ‘victim’ and instead be a person in-charge and in control. Filter everything around you, and choose carefully what you wish to believe, and always consider the source. Not just the person or persons, but the potential reasons why they would say or do such confidence-sapping things.

I feel so strongly about this issue of preserving your self-confidence that I run a unique coaching course on confidence-building. The focus is on communicating your confidence – inside and out – and will have you learning how to walk, talk, act and dress for confident success! We also sell the course workbook as an ebook on this site. 🙂  If you want to learn how to block out negativity, change your attitude and be more confident, take advantage of the training.