الوصايا العشر فى اساليب الإتصال المؤسسى

It is simply impossible to become a great leader without being a great communicator. I hope you noticed the previous sentence didn’t refer to being a great talker – big difference. The key to becoming a skillful communicator is rarely found in what has been taught in the world of academia. From our earliest days in the classroom we are trained to focus on enunciation, vocabulary, presence, delivery, grammar, syntax and the like. In other words, we are taught to focus on ourselves. While I don’t mean to belittle these things as they’re important to learn, it’s the more subtle elements of communication rarely taught in the classroom (the elements that focus on others), which leaders desperately need to learn. It is the ability to develop a keen external awareness that separates the truly great communicators from those who muddle through their interactions with others. In today’s column I’ll share a few of the communication traits, which if used consistently, will help you achieve better communication results.

I don’t believe it comes as any great surprise that most leaders spend the overwhelming majority of their time each day in some type of an interpersonal situation. I also don’t believe it comes as a great shock to find a large number of organizational problems occur as a result of poor communications. It is precisely this paradox that underscores the need for leaders to focus on becoming great communicators. Effective communication is an essential component of professional success whether it is at the interpersonal, intergroup, intragroup, organizational, or external level. While developing an understanding of great communication skills is easier than one might think, being able to appropriately draw upon said skills when the chips are down is not always as easy as one might hope for.

Skills acquired and/or knowledge gained are only valuable to the extent they can be practically applied when called for. The number one thing great communicators have in common is they possess a heightened sense of situational and contextual awareness. The best communicators are great listeners and astute in their observations. Great communicators are skilled a reading a person/group by sensing the moods, dynamics, attitudes, values and concerns of those being communicated with. Not only do they read they environment well, but they possess the uncanny ability to adapt their messaging to said environment without missing a beat. The message is not about the messenger; it has nothing to do with messenger; it is however 100% about meeting the needs and the expectations of those you’re communicating with.

So, how do you know when your skills have matured to the point that you’ve become an excellent communicator? The answer is you’ll have reached the point where your interactions with others consistently use the following ten principles:

1. Speak not with a forked tongue: In most cases, people just won’t open up those they don’t trust. When people have a sense a leader is worthy of their trust they will invest time and take risks in ways they would not if their leader had a reputation built upon poor character or lack of integrity. While you can attempt to demand trust, it rarely works. Trust is best created by earning it with right acting, thinking, and decisioning. Keep in mind that people will forgive many things where trust exists, but will rarely forgive anything where trust is absent.

2. Get personal: There is great truth in the axiom that states: “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Classic business theory tells leaders to stay at arms length. I say stay at arms length if you want to remain in the dark receiving only highly sanitized versions of the truth. If you don’t develop meaningful relationships with people you’ll never know what’s really on their mind until it’s too late to do anything about it.

3. Get specific: Specificity is better than Ambiguity 11 times out of 10: Learn to communicate with clarity. Simple and concise is always better than complicated and confusing. Time has never been a more precious commodity than it is in today’s marketplace. It is critical you know how to cut to the chase and hit the high points, and that you expect the same from others. Without understanding the value of brevity and clarity it is unlikely that you’ll ever be afforded the opportunity to get to the granular level as people will tune you out long before you ever get there. Your goal is to weed out the superfluous and to make your words count.

4. Focus on the leave-behinds not the take-aways: The best communicators are not only skilled at learning and gathering information while communicating, they are also adept at transferring ideas, aligning expectations, inspiring action, and spreading their vision. The key is to approach each interaction with a servant’s heart. When you truly focus on contributing more than receiving you will have accomplished the goal. Even though this may seem counter-intuitive, by intensely focusing on the other party’s wants, needs & desires, you’ll learn far more than you ever would by focusing on your agenda.

5. Have an open mind: I’ve often said that the rigidity of a closed mind is the single greatest limiting factor of new opportunities. A leader takes their game to a whole new level the minute they willingly seek out those who hold dissenting opinions and opposing positions with the goal not of convincing them to change their minds, but with the goal of understanding what’s on their mind. I’m always amazed at how many people are truly fearful of opposing views, when what they should be is genuinely curious and interested. Open dialogs with those who confront you, challenge you, stretch you, and develop you. Remember that it’s not the opinion that matters, but rather the willingness to discuss it with an open mind and learn.

6. Shut-up and listen: Great leaders know when to dial it up, dial it down, and dial it off (mostly down and off). Simply broadcasting your message ad nauseum will not have the same result as engaging in meaningful conversation, but this assumes that you understand that the greatest form of discourse takes place within a conversation, and not a lecture or a monologue. When you reach that point in your life where the light bulb goes off, and you begin to understand that knowledge is not gained by flapping your lips, but by removing your ear wax, you have taken the first step to becoming a skilled communicator.

7. Replace ego with empathy: I have long advised leaders not to let their ego write checks that their talent can’t cash. When candor is communicated with empathy & caring and not the prideful arrogance of an over inflated ego good things begin to happen. Empathetic communicators display a level of authenticity and transparency that is not present with those who choose to communicate behind the carefully crafted facade propped-up by a very fragile ego. Understanding the this communication principle is what helps turn anger into respect and doubt into trust.

8. Read between the lines: Take a moment and reflect back on any great leader that comes to mind… you’ll find they are very adept at reading between the lines. They have the uncanny ability to understand what is not said, witnessed, or heard. Being a leader should not be viewed as a license to increase the volume of rhetoric. Rather astute leaders know that there is far more to be gained by surrendering the floor than by filibustering. In this age of instant communication, everyone seems to be in such a rush to communicate what’s on their mind that they fail to realize everything to be gained from the minds of others. Keep your eyes & ears open and your mouth shut and you’ll be amazed at how your level or organizational awareness is raised.

9. When you speak, know what you’re talking about: Develop a technical command over your subject matter. If you don’t possess subject matter expertise, few people will give you the time of day. Most successful people have little interest in listening to those individuals who cannot add value to a situation or topic, but force themselves into a conversation just to hear themselves speak. The fake it until you make it days have long since passed, and for most people I know fast and slick equals not credible. You’ve all heard the saying “it’s not what you say, but how you say it that matters,” and while there is surely an element of truth in that statement, I’m here to tell you that it matters very much what you say. Good communicators address both the “what” and “how” aspects of messaging so they don’t fall prey to becoming the smooth talker who leaves people with the impression of form over substance.

10. Speak to groups as individuals: Leaders don’t always have the luxury of speaking to individuals in an intimate setting. Great communicators can tailor a message such that they can speak to 10 people in a conference room or 10,000 people in an auditorium and have them feel as if they were speaking directly to each one of them as an individual. Knowing how to work a room and establish credibility, trust, and rapport are keys to successful interactions.

11. Bonus – Be prepared to change the message if needed: Another component of communications strategy that is rarely discussed is how to prevent a message from going bad, and what to do when does. It’s called being prepared and developing a contingency plan. Again, you must keep in mind that for successful interactions to occur, your objective must be in alignment with those you are communicating with. If your expertise, empathy, clarity, etc. don’t have the desired effect, which by the way is very rare, you need to be able to make an impact by changing things up on the fly. Use great questions, humor, stories, analogies, relevant data, and where needed, bold statements to help connect and engender the confidence and trust that it takes for people to want to engage. While it is sometimes necessary to “Shock and Awe” this tactic should be reserved as a last resort.

Don’t assume someone is ready to have a particular conversation with you just because you’re ready to have the conversation with them. Spending time paving the way for a productive conversation is far better than coming off as the proverbial bull in a china shop. Furthermore, you cannot assume anyone knows where you’re coming from if you don’t tell them. I never ceased to be amazed at how many people assume everyone knows what they want to occur without ever finding it necessary to communicate their objective. If you fail to justify your message with knowledge, business logic, reason, empathy etc., you will find that said message will likely fall on deaf ears needing reinforcement or clarification afterward.

Bottom line – The leadership lesson here is whenever you have a message to communicate (either directly, or indirectly through a third party) make sure said message is true & correct, well reasoned, and substantiated by solid business logic that is specific, consistent, clear and accurate. Spending a little extra time on the front-end of the messaging curve will likely save you from considerable aggravation and brain damage on the back-end. Most importantly of all, keep in mind that communication is not about you, your opinions, your positions or your circumstances. It’s about helping others by meeting their needs, understanding their concerns, and adding value to their world. Do these things and you’ll drastically reduce the number of communications problems you’ll experience moving forward.

قواعد الأخلاق والإعلام

كان هتلر نموذجا للدكتاتور الإرهابى صاحب المطامع التى لاتتوقف عند حد والمؤمن بأن " الغاية تبرر الوسيلة " فلا يقف شيئ أمام جموحه وغاياته ، وكان عنصريا غايته أن يكسر إرادة الشعوب لكى يخضع دول العالم كله لحكم الشعب الوحيد الجدير من وجهة نظره بتقرير مصير العالم فى دولة واحدة عظمى برئاسته .. الجنس الآرى عنده هو الأحق بالحياة، وكل أجناس الأرض ينبغى أن تقوم على خدمته .. اعتمد هتلر فى خداعه لشعبه وتوريطه فى حرب عالمية ضد كل جيوش أوروبا التى كان ولابد أن تنتصر على أسطورة الجيش الذى لايقهر وترتب على ذلك تدمير كامل لألمانيا وتسويتها بالأرض على عنصرين هامين : آلة عسكرية جبارة كانت قمة فى حسن التدريب والإلتزام والولاء الأعمى لقادتها من رفاق هتلر الذين اختارهم بنفسه وكان الإعدام هو الجزاء الوحيد لمن يخالف أوامره، وآلة إعلامية يتولاها جوبلز لغسل عقول الشعب الألمانى كله وتنويمه وسلب إرادته لكى ينساق إلى كل مايريده هتلر .. جوبلز هذا هو صاحب المقولة المشهورة "حينما أسمع كلمة مثقف أتحسس مسدسى".. والنموذج الجوبلزى فى الإعلام الموجه يعتمد أساسا على ترسيخ صورة ذهنية للزعيم الملهم القوى الموثوق به الذى ينبغى طاعته بلا تردد وتصديق كل مايقول دون سؤال، واستخدام فن التواصل فى التأثير على مشاعر الناس "وسوقهم" إلى الإتجاه الذى يريده القائد، واستغلال الشائعات فى تهويل الأحداث أو التهوين من شأنها حسب الحاجة ، والإلحاح فى بث الرسائل الإعلامية وتكرارها حتى ترسخ فى أذهان الناس وتتحول إلى "حقائق" لاتقبل حتى الشك فيترتب عليها سلوك يبلغ درجة اليقين بأن مايفعلونه هو الصواب.

أكتب ذلك وأنا أتابع مايجرى على ساحة الإعلام المصرى من قبل بعض حملة الأقلام سواء من المحترفين الذين يمتهنون الكتابة، أو ممن يسمح لهم بالكتابة فى صفحات الرأى فيبثون سمومهم لخدمة تيارات أو تحالفات ليست بالضرورة تخدم أهداف أنبل وأنقى ثورة فى التاريخ يحاولون ركوبها وتوجيهها لتحقيق مكاسب حزبية أو شخصية أو خدمة عقائد يؤمن بها أصحابها ويستغلون الكتابة فى الترويج لها والتمهيد للإنقضاض على الثورة حين تجيئ الفرصة.. يستغلون حالة الإحباط التى يعانى منها الناس نتيجة لعدم وضوح الرؤية ويشعلون نيران الفرقة والبغض والتناحر بين التحالفات والحركات والإئتلافات التى اتخذت من ميدان التحرير منصة لطرح أفكارهم باعتبارها الحقيقة المطلقة التى ينبغى للكل أن يتبناها ومستغلين للسياسة التى لاأفهمها وينتهجها الثوار بعدم الإتفاق على قيادات تمثلهم وتتحدث باسمهم لتفويت الفرصة على من يركبون الموج فى إنحراف الثورة عن مسارها .. لم يعد خافيا أن أكثر من جهاز مخابرات يعمل فى ميدان التحرير، ولم يعد خافيا أن بعض القيادات التى تدعى البطولة وتختفى وراء شباب ثائر يسهل التأثير عليه واستقطابه من أجل تنفيذ أجندات خاصة تخدم من يدفعون لهم ، وطبعا لاأفهم لماذا لايواجهون بما لدى المجلس العسكرى من قرائن وأدلة يقدمون بها إلى المحاكمة ليقول فيهم قضاء مصر كلمته وتتضح الأمور وتعود الثورة لأصحابها ولمصر استقرارها وأمنها.. هؤلاء يتحسرون علنا وبلا خجل على عهد مبارك ويعددون "أفضاله" هو والعصابة التى كانت تحكمنا على شعب مصر، ويروجون "للإستقرار والأمن" المفتقدين بحماس العبيد الذين يدينون بالولاء للسيد الذى يطعمهم كما لو كانوا يتلذذون بالذلة والمهانة التى التى افتقدوها بزوال عصر مبارك.

أقارن بين مايبث فى بعض أجهزة إعلامنا التى تصول وتجول وتمرح فى مثل تلك البيئة المضطربة وتجد فيها مادة غنية وسبقا إعلاميا دون قياس العواقب الوخيمة على الوفاق الوطنى ومستقبل مصر ماداموا يحققون ذاتهم أو يسددون فاتورة ماقبضوه مقدما من أموال أو انتظارا لوعود تترتب على هدم كل ماحققته الثورة حتى الأن وهو كثير .. أقارن إعلامنا على مسطرة الأخلاق بما يحدث الآن فى انجلترا بسبب فضيحة التنصت على هواتف الناس وتسببت فى إغلاق إحدى صحف مملكة إمبراطور الصحافة روبرت ميردوخ وجلسات الإستماع لكل شهود الواقعة واستقالة رئيس اسكوتلاند يارد بسبب تورط بعض ضباطه فى الفضيحة، وأتابع مناقشات مجلس العموم والإنتقادات الحادة التى توجه لرئيس الوزراء نفسه واتهامه بالتستر على الفساد بتعيينه لآندى كولسون رئيس تحرير "نيوز أف ذى ورلد" مسئولا عن الإتصالات بما يهدد بإسقاط الحكومة كلها فى نهاية الأمر.. لذلك أشجع ثوار التحرير على أن يتفقوا على "لجنة إعلام" تكون مهمتها متابعة كل ماينشر فى الصحف أو يذاع مسموعا أو يعرض مرئيا ليس بغرض تخوين أو إقصاء أحد ولكن للرد على كل مايتناول مبادئ الثورة أو مطالبها أو أهدافها ويحاول أن يشوه صورتها أو يخدم أهدافا تضر بمصالح الشعب .. بعض مايكتب ويذاع يخلط السم بالعسل ويتخفى فى مسوح الرهبان ليخفى وجه الشيطان والطامعون فى الحكم معروفون ولكنهم يجيدون التنكر فى زى الثوار ويصرفون ببذخ من مصادر غير معلنة ويدافعون بضراوة عن مكاسب غير شرعية حصلوا عليها فى عهد مبارك ويخافون على مستقبل قد يهدد مصالحهم لو أصبحت مصر ديموقراطية يحكمها برلمان يختاره الشعب ورئيس منتخب يجمع عليه الشارع المصرى .. خفافيش الظلام يجيدون العمل تحت الأرض، يحيكون المؤامرات ويحترفون "التهييج" والدعايات السوداء التى تشوه سمعه الشرفاء، وبورتو طره هو معقل قادة هؤلاء ومخططى مؤامراتهم لأن الموجودين فى طره لم يفعلوا غير ذلك على امتداد ستين عاما من خدمة الأنظمة الثلاثة التى حكمت مصر وظهرت عبقريتهم واضحة فى آخر تلك الأنظمة لثلاثين عاما كاملة وآن الأوان لتنفيذ أول مطالب الثورة فى محاكمتهم ورئيسهم عما ارتكبوه فى حق مصر من تخريب لكل مواردها وانتهاك لكل قواعد الأخلاق ولكل شيئ جميل فيها.

Main Factors Influencing Our Perception

Perception: It is the process where by people select, organize and interpret sensory stimulations into meaningful information.
Perception lies at the base of every individual behavior. Perception is the process whereby people select, organize, and interpret sensory stimulations into meaningful information.
All of us do not have the same view of the world. We see the things differently. There is noticeable difference in the way people think and react to the world. For example, consider an equilateral triangle and insert or form equilateral triangles inside the large one exactly fitting. How many triangles are there?
A person who rushes through the figure would put the number at nine. Another visualizes as many as ten. An intelligent or close observer notices as many as thirteen triangles.
Research has shown that though individuals may look at the same thing, they may perceive it differently. Let us look at an example from the business world. There is an assistant who regularly takes several days to make an important decision. One manager may interpret that the assistant is slow, disorganized, and afraid of making decisions. Another manager may interpret the same assistant as thoughtful, thorough and deliberate. The first manager evaluates his assistant thoroughly negative, while the second manager appraises the same behavior only positively.
It is surprising that most people do not see the reality. They actually interpret what they see as reality. Most of our actions are primarily based on our perceptions.
Factors Influencing Perception:
The factors that influence perception are of two kinds – internal and external
Among the internal factors the needs and desires of individuals, individual personality, and the experience of people are included.
Needs and Desires>
The needs and desires of people play a vital role in perception. People at different levels of needs and desire perceive the same thing differently. Power seekers are more likely to notice power related stimuli. Socially oriented individuals pay attention to interpersonal stimuli. That is to say expectancy, motives or interest also affect people perception.
Personality>
Personality is another internal factor that influences the perception of an individual. It need not be mentioned here that optimistic beings perceive the things in favorable terms, whereas pessimistic individual view it in negative terms. Research on the effects of individual personally on perception reveals many facts.
1) Secured individuals tend to perceive others as warm and kind hearted.2) Persons who have faith in their individuality perceive things favorably.3) Elf accepted individuals perceive themselves as liked, wanted and accepted by others.
Experience:
Experience and knowledge have a constant bearing on perception. Successful experiences enhance and boost the perceptive abilities and lead to accuracy in perception of a person.
External factors:
Also known as exogenous factors, they also influence the perception of a person. Perception is affected by the characteristics of perceived object, an event or a person. These include size, intensity, frequency, status etc.
Size>
The bigger the size of the perceived stimulus, the higher is the probability that it will be noticed. Dominance is established by size and it overrides other things and thereby enhances perceptual selection. For example, a full page advertisement may induce more attention than a small advertisement in some corner of the newspaper.
Intensity>
While reading a passage, a person comes across a few lines printed in bold letters. He automatically pays more attention to these lines. Underlined sentences and so the ones in italics are generally more attentively read.
The principle that the higher the intensity of external stimulus, the more likely it will be perceived is not always valid. If intensity is so important, why a whisper by a student in a classroom is effective in getting attention by a teacher? Here, the answer lies in the fact that a whisper often contrasts with the rest of the noisy environment, and so gets noticed. Therefore, the intensity factor has to be considered in the light of the situation i.e. frame of reference.
Frequency>
Repeated external stimulus is more attention gaining than a single one, so states the frequency principle. Repetition is one of the most frequently used techniques in advertising and is the most common way of attracting the people’s attention. Frequency results in making people aware of the stimulus.
Status>
The status of the perceived person has also got influence on the perception. High status people can exert influence on perception of an employee than low status people. When introduced to two people of different ranks, we tend to remember the person holding the higher rank than the other one.
Contrast>
Stimuli that contrast with the surrounding environment are more likely to be selected for getting attention. A contrasting effect can be caused by color, or any unusual factor.

Crisis Communication: A Case Study

Crisis communication by a company in trouble can help it contain the damage if handled effectively. The Indian experiences can perhaps provide some pointers to the essentials of the exercise.
India’s corporate history is littered with crisis situations, when companies found themselves unprepared in terms of communication, to face their main audiences. The need for effective crisis communication (the description given to larger moments of un-preparedness in the communication phrase book) is an absolute necessity otherwise the crisis itself can, in terms of its perception blow out of proportion.
Disastrous to the company facing the crisis, the necessity then is to curb the negative fallout through effective and timely communication. Crises could arise out of a number of factors, industrial disasters, hostile takeover bids, founded or unfounded political, social, environmental or financial allegations, are the major ones.
Of the more prominent crises in India had been the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984, the Irish butter controversy in 1987-88, the Swaraj Paul Escorts imbroglio of the early eighties, the Asia Brown Boveri (ABB) locomotive deal of 1990, and the more recent Enron and the Thapar DuPont Limited (TDL) Nylon 6.6 controversies. How their communication was handled could provide interesting insights into the do’s and don’ts in crisis communication, albeit in a microcosm.
First the salient points of ‘must do’ while communicating in terms of crisis:
Fast, unruffled and mature response: a crisis more often than not has trigger effect. It sends management running-some for cover, pulling skimpy contingency plans around their needs: others retract into a shell; and still others go helter skelter in search of experts such as lawyers, or the crisis gurus. What needs to be done, instead is to layout the issues pertaining into the crisis, translating them into questions most likely to be raised in a hypothetical worst case scenario, and drafting answers to these questions. All this, even before the concerned public / media gets back to you.
Did TDL lay out the issues for its proposed Nylon 6.6 plant at Goa? TDL took the issues at Goa much too lightly. The project had resistance from the locals and environmental groups. The larger issue was of garnering local support. What TDL should have done was to have interacted with the locals, asked them about their concerns, and should have taken a participative approach towards local employment.
It was not to be, and as a result, the project had to be shifted out of Goa to Tamil Nadu. The cost brunt the company faced was around Rs 12 crores in land and the opportunity cost of delayed operations.
The hostile pressure groups / media are, even when their convictions are not colored by any commercial or political interests, might end up harming the company’s interest. What is needed is to quickly identify such elements, and preferable have a face to face communication to put up your side of the picture, all with an air of gentle humble and friendly aggression.
The Irish butter controversy provides an example in good light with this argument. In 1987, 1600 metric tones (MT) of butter was gifted to India by Ireland for reconstitution into milk. 200MT of this butter which was sent to the Greater Bombay Milk Scheme (GBMS) was alleged to be contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear fallout of April 1986. There was resistance to its sale and distribution to the extent of warning to have it destroyed.
The media debate still raged on, alleging fears about the butter’s bitterness, even if after the Bombay High court’s and the Supreme Court’s judgments pronouncing the butter completely safe for human consumption. The judgment was based in tests carried by the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) and the report of the expert committee appointed by the apex court.
Roger Pereira’s who handled the crisis communication exercise for National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the Government of India. The media was playing up just one side of the picture to the detriment of clients. To abate the media hostility, personnel visits were made to editors and senior correspondents with copies of both judgment and the relevant background information. Moreover, a symposium to clarify issues was organized to which the members of the media were invited.
The negative reports started to decline after that and to cap the issue once and for all a television program. Was the butter bitter? Taking up the pros and cons was aired on the National Network in August 1987 attempting to allay people’s fears. The butter was then reconstituted into milk and sold, with no resistance from co-consumers.–

Designing Organizational Communication

Drive communication, instead of being driven by it: once the issues have been identified and crystallized a carefully thought out plan should be charted, primarily to minimize the impact of the crisis on the organization at large. This call for absolute consistency, integrity and tenacity, because there will be moments of self exposure, admission of collective responsibility to the crisis and a lot of brick bats to face. A spokesperson has to be identified, who is going to interface with the different publics to ensure consistency and coherence in communication. A core team should be formed to deal exclusively with the crisis, thereby ensuring that the normal working of the organization is not hampered.
Though Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) did admit moral responsibility to the methly isocyanate leak at its Bhopal plant in December 1984, it delayed giving a direction to its communication program by as much as a year after the disaster. In fact, UCIL did not even have a public relations department in 1984. As a consequence, the house arrest of the spokespersons for the company, the chairman and the managing director for around ten days, threw all communication totally out of gear.
The company learnt its lesson. In 1985, UCIL had formed a core team to deal with the crisis, thereby ensuring a smooth functioning for the normal business of the company. This has undoubtedly held in good stead for the company, which despite the fallout of the crisis still carrying on fetched Union Corporation a handsome Rs 290 crores when it sold UCIL to Mcleod Russel.
Interface with industry / association / government: This kind of support is of immense help in times of crisis, as it can provide the right communication platforms and vehicles to reach the influences in bureaucracy of the government.
Remember the Swaraj Paul – Escorts scandal? When Paul in a hostile takeover bid, started buying over shares of escorts, major shareholders, the Nandas, fought back. What clinched things in their favor, apart from a well orchestrated communication exercise was their good offices with the powers that be in the bureaucracy, financial institutions and the government.
So much for the do’s in crisis communication. Now for the don’ts or the pitfalls:
Issues to crisis: Most crises start as smaller issues, which, unattended, snowball into major crises. The cardinal rule is to admit that there is a problem and to be proactive and nip the issue in the bud even before it can assume the proportion of a full blown crisis.
Probably the Tehri and the Sardar Sarovar dam issues would have never assumed crisis dimensions, had it not been for the callous attitude towards communication by the concerned government authorities.
Moment of silence: Make sure it is only a moment. At the time of the crisis, most organizations are too stunned by its magnanimity, losing vital time in even reaction to the crisis. Though the surprise is understandable, what the moment needs is to start thinking and acting on one’s feel even while comprehending the situation.
Had UCIL done that? Well, there was almost a year of near silence – barring some routine and uninspired media briefings before the corporation decided to come out and clarify its position and clear a host of negative perceptions from the media’s mind.
The Legal / guru rescue: Though the importance of the legal angle should be responsibly understood, its limitations should also be realized. The legal protection should not unduly hamper the communication efforts, which happens most of the time, to the company’s peril.
There is a common tendency on the part of most organizations facing crises to start taking things lying down, and this precisely acts as the final nail to their coffins. What is needed instead is the ability and willingness to be aggressive in one’s communication with those intended to harm your interest.
During the ABB crisis in 1992, wherein the company’s technology for rail engines was questioned and allegations of financial kick backs were made, written responses to negative stories were discreetly and quickly circulated to competing media to shame the hostiles in one media. The negative allegations were used to present the positive story to an interested media, according to Baig, who handled the ABB’s communication crisis. There is also a new school that lays emphasis on working out a crisis communication preparedness plan on a broader framework of what is how’s, why’s and who’s of crisis communication. Be that as it may, the first step would still be the willingness to communicate.

فن التواصل الجماهيرى : لقطات من خطاب "أوباما"

لن أتطرق إلى محتوى خطاب "أوباما" فقد تناوله قبلى العديد من الكتاب بين مؤيد ومعارض ومحايد، ولكنى سوف أقصر تحليلى للخطاب على علم وفن الإتصال واستغلالهما فى التأثير على الجماهير بالإستخادام الأمثل للأدوات التى تساعد على توصيل محتوى الرسالة ووضوحها والتأكد من فهمها ومن ثم تبنى الأفكار التى وردت بها. وأنا أفضل أن أقول "علم التواصل" بدلا من الإتصال للتأكيد على أننا بصدد عملية "تصنيع" لرسالة ما لابد وأن تصاغ فى شكل يجعل المتلقى يستوعب المعنى بدقة ، وأن تتحقق أهداف تلك الرسالة باستخدام وسائل التواصل المناسبة بمهارة وحرفية ، ثم يأتى دور الجاذبية الشخصية التى تطبع عملية التواصل بنمط الإتصال الذى يميز كل منا. تعالوا نتحدث عن عملية التواصل بين "أوباما" والعالم ونطبق بأمثلة من واقع الخطاب الفريد الذى ألقاه من القاهرة :
· عملية التواصل الناجحة تتطلب معرفة تامة بخلفية المتلقى وثقافته والقيم التى تحكم عقليته وتوقعاته ممن يلقى الخطاب ، ومن ثم تصاغ الرسالة لكى تخاطب هذا العقل وتؤثر فيه .. وكان التحدى الذى واجهه الرئيس الأمريكى هو تعدد ثقافات المتلقين واهتماماتهم وتوقعاتهم وارتباط تلك التوقعات " بصورة ذهنية " سلبية للدور الأمريكى فى المنطقة التى يتم التواصل معها والرغبة فى التأثير عليها لتغيير تلك الصورة .. لذلك كان لابد من الإستعانة بخبراء من المنطقة واستشاريين يفهمون جيدا تلك الأمور بما فى ذلك ثوابت الأديان الثلاثة والمشاكل السياسية المتفجرة ، وأن يشترك هؤلاء الخبراء مع فريق الكتاب الذين يتولون مهمة صياغة خطابات الرئيس .. وقد اتضح ذلك من استخدام ألفاظ لها مدلولات ثقافية إيجابية مستمدة من الأديان الثلاثة التى ارتبط نزولها بالمكان الذى سوف يلقى منه الخطاب وكذلك من ردود الفعل الإيجابية أثناء إلقاء الخطاب تصفيقا أو بعد الخطاب تحليلا .
· إختيار الوسيلة المناسبة والمكان المناسب لكى تصل الرسالة بأقصى قدر من الفعالية للمستهدفين من الخطاب والرمز الذى سوف يرتبط ذهنيا بالخطاب والمعانى التى وردت به .. كان هناك خيارات عدة ولكن الرأى استقر على أعرق جامعة فى المنطقة فيصبح المعنى هو الحيدة وعدم التحيز لعرق أو جنس أو دين لو تم اختيار مكان يعد رمزا لآى منها ، وساعد اختيار جامعة القاهرة أيضا فى الإيحاء المقصود بأن الخطاب للنخبة المثقفة وقادة الرأى واصحاب الفكر الليبرالى الحر بما يسمح للرئيس أن يقول مايريد بصراحة حتى لو اختلف فى رؤاه مع بعض منهم ، وعلى الرغم من ذلك صيغ الخطاب بلغة بسيطة سهلة وسعت دائرة المستهدفين لتشمل رجل الشارع فى مصر والعالم العربى كله وطبعا الغرب وأوروبا.
· التنوع فى أسلوب الإلقاء كان أداة حاسمة فى فعالية الرسالة وتأثيرها على المستمعين ممن حضروا الخطاب أو تابعوه فى أجهزة الإعلام المرئية ، فالرئيس يعلو صوته حين يريد أن يؤكد على تبنيه لموقف أو قضية ويخفت حين يتحدث عن الدين والسلام أو التحية وقاطع حاسم لأيصال رسالة تطمئن طرفا من الأطراف أن أمريكا لم ولن تغير موقفها .. ولنفس الأسباب نجد أن سرعة إلقاء الخطاب أيضا قد تفاوتت بين السرعة والتأنى بل والصمت لثوان أحيانا للتأكد من أن المعنى الذى يقصده قد وصل وأن رد الفعل أو التأثير أو الهدف مما قيل قد تحقق.
· يأتى بعد ذلك لغة الجسد والطريقة التى يقف بها المتحدث والألوان التى يرتديها فتوحى بالمعانى مثل لون ربطة العنق ذات اللون الأزرق والذى كان واضحا حسن تدريب واستيعاب "أوباما" لأهميتها نظرا للتدريب الجيد من كثرة الخطابات التى ألقاها منذ حملاته الإنتخابية المتعددة نائبا فى مجلس الشيوخ ثم رئيسا ، بالإضافة إلى كونه محاميا اعتاد على الإعداد الجيد لدفاعه ومواجهة المحكمة والمحلفين بدفوعاته وتوجيه انتباههم لمناطق تضمن له التأثير عليهم وعلى أحكامهم .. كان "أوباما" يتحرك بسهولة شديدة على المنبر الذى ألقى منه خطابه ، وحريصا على ألا ينظر فقط إلى الأمام مركزا على من يجلسون وسط القاعة وإنما يغطى بعينيه جانبى القاعة ولاينسى وهو يفعل ذلك النظر كل حين إلى أعلى حيث كان يجلس مجموعات من المدعوين لكى يؤكد أنه يخاطب الجميع وأنه لايخص أحدا بما يقول .
· وأخيرا يأتى دور التكنولوجيا التى اعتاد الرؤساء الأمريكيين كلهم على استغلالها لكى يظهروا كما لو كانوا يرتجلون خطاباتهم وهم فى الواقع يلتزمون بالنص المكتوب لهم التزاما تاما بعد مراجعته والتمرن عليه .. الشاشات الشفافة المثبتة أعلى كاميرات التصوير والتى لايراها سوى من يقف على المسرح تعرض الخطاب سطرا سطرا طبقا لسرعة الإلقاء وتتوقف حين يتوقف الكلام وتكون فى مستوى عين من يلقى الخطاب فلا يظهر أنه يقرأ وإنما يتحرك بصورة طبيعية مستعرضا بلاغته اللفظية وروح الفكاهة والتساؤل الذى يشرك به المستعمين فى رأى أو موضوع وكلها مكتوبة أمامه على شاشات "التلى سين".

Improving our Bodylanguage to Enhance Communication Effectiveness

When we’re in school or at work, we’re taught to improve our words. We learn to improve our language and words to impress. We learn to construct clever chains of words to gain an upper hand and to communicate more clearly. But when we grow up we learn very little beyond improving our words. A bit strange since…
1. …words are only 7 percent of your communication.The rest is your voice tonality (38 percent) and your body language at 55 percent. That’s according to research done by Albert Mehrabian, currently Professor Emeritus in psychology at UCLA. These numbers may vary depending upon the situation and what is communicated (for instance, talking over the phone is obviously different from talking face to face) but body language is a very important part of communication.2. Increase your attractivenessIt’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. A better posture, a more open body language, a more controlled and focused body language will make everyone more attractive. And not just in a sexual way but when talking to new friends or in job interviews and business meetings.
3. Emotions are linked to your body languageEmotions work backwards too. If you feel good you’ll smile. If you force yourself to smile you’ll feel good too. If you feel tired or down you might sit slumped down. If you sit slumped down you’ll feel more tired and negative. Just try to sit straight up for 5 minutes and feel the difference in energy from half-lying in your chair.4. Reduce mixed messagesIf you’re in a job interview and you talk with a steady voice and say all the confident things you should but your body language tells your maybe-employers that you are very nervous or guarded then you are incongruent (and perhaps without that job). What you want is be congruent, that is for your words, your voice and your body language to say the same thing.5. Improve your communication skillsIf you improve your body language you can get your thoughts across in a more effective way. You can create a connection to another person more easily. When using more powerful and appropriately balanced body language your communication skills become more focused and better.6. Better first impressionsEveryone stereotypes everyone on first impression, even if we are reluctant to do it. We all get a first impression of a new person that creates a mental image of his or her personality in our minds. That image of you often lasts. Having a better body language will consistently give people a more positive mental snapshot of you.

Based on the above, here is just a few of many pointers on how to improve your body language. Improving your body language can make a big difference in your people skills, attractiveness and general mood.
There is no specific advice on how to use your body language. What you do might be interpreted in several ways, depending on the setting and who you are talking to. You’ll probably want to use your body language differently when talking to your boss compared to when you talk to a girl/guy you’re interested in. These are some common interpretations of body language and often more effective ways to communicate with your body.
First, to change your body language you must be aware of your body language. Notice how you sit, how you stand, how you use you hands and legs, what you do while talking to someone.
You might want to practice in front of a mirror. Yeah, it might seem silly but no one is watching you. This will give you good feedback on how you look to other people and give you an opportunity to practise a bit before going out into the world.
Another tip is to close your eyes and visualize how you would stand and sit to feel confident, open and relaxed or whatever you want to communicate. See yourself move like that version of yourself. Then try it out.
You might also want observe friends, role models, movie stars or other people you think has good body language. Observe what they do and you don’t. Take bits and pieces you like from different people. Try using what you can learn from them.
Some of these tips might seem like you are faking something. But fake it til you make it is a useful way to learn something new. And remember, feelings work backwards too. If you smile a bit more you will feel happier. If you sit up straight you will feel more energetic and in control. If you slow down your movements you’ll feel calmer. Your feelings will actually reinforce your new behaviours and feelings of weirdness will dissipate.
In the beginning easy it’s to exaggerate your body language. You might sit with your legs almost ridiculously far apart or sit up straight in a tense pose all the time. That’s ok. And people aren’t looking as much as you think, they are worrying about their own problems. Just play around a bit, practice and monitor yourself to find a comfortable balance.
1. Don’t cross your arms or legs – You have probably already heard you shouldn’t cross your arms as it might make you seem defensive or guarded. This goes for your legs too. Keep your arms and legs open.
2. Have eye contact, but don’t stare – If there are several people you are talking to, give them all some eye contact to create a better connection and see if they are listening. Keeping too much eye-contact might creep people out. Giving no eye-contact might make you seem insecure. If you are not used to keeping eye-contact it might feel a little hard or scary in the beginning but keep working on it and you’ll get used to it.
3. Don’t be afraid to take up some space – Taking up space by for example sitting or standing with your legs apart a bit signals self-confidence and that you are comfortable in your own skin.
4. Relax your shoulders – When you feel tense it’s easily winds up as tension in your shoulders. They might move up and forward a bit. Try to relax. Try to loosen up by shaking the shoulders a bit and move them back slightly.
5. Nod when they are talking – nod once in a while to signal that you are listening. But don’t overdo it and peck like Woody Woodpecker.
6. Don’t slouch, sit up straight – but in a relaxed way, not in a too tense manner.
7. Lean, but not too much – If you want to show that you are interested in what someone is saying, lean toward the person talking. If you want to show that you’re confident in yourself and relaxed lean back a bit. But don’t lean in too much or you might seem needy and desperate for some approval. Or lean back too much or you might seem arrogant and distant.
8. Smile and laugh – lighten up, don’t take yourself too seriously. Relax a bit, smile and laugh when someone says something funny. People will be a lot more inclined to listen to you if you seem to be a positive person. But don’t be the first to laugh at your own jokes, it makes you seem nervous and needy. Smile when you are introduced to someone but don’t keep a smile plastered on your face, you’ll seem insincere.
9. Don’t touch your face – it might make you seem nervous and can be distracting for the listeners or the people in the conversation.
10. Keep you head up - Don’t keep your eyes on the ground, it might make you seem insecure and a bit lost. Keep your head up straight and your eyes towards the horizon.
11. Slow down a bit – this goes for many things. Walking slower not only makes you seem more calm and confident, it will also make you feel less stressed. If someone addresses you, don’t snap you’re neck in their direction, turn it a bit more slowly instead.
12. Don’t fidget – try to avoid, phase out or transform fidgety movement and nervous ticks such as shaking your leg or tapping your fingers against the table rapidly. You’ll seem nervous and fidgeting can be a distracting when you try to get something across. Declutter your movements if you are all over the place. Try to relax, slow down and focus your movements.
13. Use your hands more confidently – instead of fidgeting with your hands and scratching your face use them to communicate what you are trying to say. Use your hands to describe something or to add weight to a point you are trying to make. But don’t use them to much or it might become distracting. And don’t let your hands flail around, use them with some control.
14. Lower your drink – don’t hold your drink in front of your chest. In fact, don’t hold anything in front of your heart as it will make you seem guarded and distant. Lower it and hold it beside your leg instead.
15. Realise where you spine ends – many people (including me until recently) might sit or stand with a straight back in a good posture. However, they might think that the spine ends where the neck begins and therefore crane the neck forward . Your spine ends in the back of your head. Keep you whole spine straight and aligned for better posture.
16. Don’t stand too close –one of the things we learned from Seinfeld is that everybody gets weirded out by a close-talker. Let people have their personal space, don’t invade it.
17. Mirror - Often when you get along with a person, when the two of you get a good connection, you will start to mirror each other unconsciously. That means that you mirror the other person’s body language a bit. To make the connection better you can try a bit of proactive mirroring. If he leans forward, you might lean forward. If she holds her hands on her thighs, you might do the same. But don’t react instantly and don’t mirror every change in body language. Then weirdness will ensue.
18. Keep a good attitude – last but not least, keep a positive, open and relaxed attitude. How you feel will come through in your body language and can make a major difference. For information on how make yourself feel better read and for relaxation try. You can change your body language but as all new habits it takes a while. Especially things like keeping you head up might take time to correct if you have spent thousands of days looking at your feet. And if you try and change to many things at once it might become confusing and feel overwhelming.

Tips on Body-Language in Communication

Eye contact is one of the most important aspects of dealing with others, especially people we've just met. Maintaining good eye contact shows respect and interest in what they have to say. Here in the UK we tend to keep eye contact around 60-70% of the time. (However, there are wide cultural differences, so be careful in other countries) By doing this you won't make the other people feel self conscious, like they've got a bit of vegetable stuck between their teeth or a dew drop hanging from the nose. . Instead, it will give them a feeling of comfort and genuine warmth in your company, any more eye contact than this and you can be too intense, any less and you give off a signal that you are lacking interest in them or their conversation.Posture is the next thing to master, get your posture right and you'll automatically start feeling better, as it makes you feel good almost instantly. Next time you notice you're feeling a bit down, take a look at how your standing or sitting. Chances are you'll be slouched over with your shoulders drooping down and inward. This collapses the chest and inhibits good breathing, which in turn can help make you feel nervous or uncomfortable.Head position is a great one to play around with, with yourself and others. When you want to feel confident and self assured keep your head level both horizontally and vertically. You can also use this straight head position when you want to be authoritative and what you're saying to be taken seriously. Conversely, when you want to be friendly and in the listening, receptive mode, tilt your head just a little to one side or other. You can shift the tilt from left to right at different points in the conversation.Arms give away the clues as to how open and receptive we are to everyone we meet and interact with, so keep your arms out to the side of your body or behind your back. This shows you are not scared to take on whatever comes your way and you meet things "full frontal". In general terms the more outgoing you are as a person, the more you tend to use your arms with big movements. The quieter you are the less you move your arms away from your body. So, try to strike a natural balance and keep your arm movements midway. When you want to come across in the best possible light, crossing the arms is a no, no in front of others. Obviously if someone says something that gets your goat, then by all means show your disapproval by crossing them !Legs are the furthest point away from the brain, consequently they're the hardest bits of our bodies to consciously control. They tend move around a lot more than normal when we are nervous, stressed or being deceptive. So best to keep them as still as possible in most situations, especially at interviews or work meetings. Be careful too in the way you cross your legs. Do you cross at the knees, ankles or bring your leg up to rest on the knee of the other? This is more a question of comfort than anything else. Just be aware that the last position mentioned is known as the "Figure Four" and is generally perceived as the most defensive leg cross, especially if it happens as someone tells a you something that might be of a slightly dubious nature, or moments after. (As always, look for a sequence)Angle of the body in relation to others gives an indication of our attitudes and feelings towards them. We angle toward people we find attractive, friendly and interesting and angle ourselves away from those we don't, it's that simple! Angles includes leaning in or away from people, as we often just tilt from the pelvis and lean sideways to someone to share a bit of conversation. For example, we are not in complete control of our angle at the cinema because of the seating nor at a concert when we stand shoulder to shoulder and are packed in like sardines. In these situations we tend to lean over towards the other person.Hand gestures are so numerous it's hard to give a brief guide but here goes. Palms slightly up and outward is seen as open and friendly. Palm down gestures are generally seen as dominant, emphasizing and possibly aggressive, especially when there is no movement or bending between the wrist and the forearm. This palm up, palm down is very important when it comes to handshaking and where appropriate we suggest you always offer a handshake upright and vertical, which should convey equality.Distance from others is crucial if you want to give off the right signals. Stand too close and you'll be marked as "Pushy" or "In your face". Stand or sit too far away and you'll be "Keeping your distance" or "Stand offish". Neither are what we want, so observe if in a group situation how close are all the other people to each other. Also notice if you move closer to someone and they back away, you're probably just a tiny bit too much in their personal space, their comfort zone. "You've overstepped the mark" and should pull back a little.Ears, yes your ears play a vital role in communication with others, even though general terms most people can't move them much, if at all. However, you've got two ears and only one mouth, so try to use them in that order. If you listen twice as much as you talk you come across as a good communicator who knows how to strike up a balanced a conversation without being me, me, me or the wallflower.Mouth movements can give away all sorts of clues. We purse our lips and sometimes twist them to the side when we're thinking. Another occasion we might use this movement is to hold back an angry comment we don't wish to reveal. Nevertheless, it will probably be spotted by other people and although they may not know the comment, they will get a feeling you were not to pleased. There are also different types of smiles and each gives off a corresponding feeling to its recipient which we'll cover next time.