Welcome to Taking Control Communications

Our ability to communicate to nearly any part of the world in seconds or a minute or two is  extraordinary.  At the click of a mouse or the  press of a button on a mobile  we can see, hear and write to whom we wish. The technology is fantastic, however, is our ability to express ourselves  kept up?

From my experience helping people improve their communication in different situations depends on their ability to take control of themselves by using some basic techniques, skills, a little practise and listening to others speak.

Please enjoy the current and future articles, podcasts , online seminars and communication ‘clangers’ on Taking Control Communications.

Blog if the urge grabs you.

Cheers

Christian

The Four Types of Listeners has been held over.

As part of the torture process, the police of the Middle East country anally raped a man using a wooden pole. Using a mobile, videoed the torture and humiliation of the innocent man.  Sorry about the graphic description.

To intimidate his family, the police then sent the video to the mobile phones of the man’s family and friends.  Disgusting, horrific, brutal, but unfortunately torture and intimidation are part of the culture of some countries, including the good guys.

The police concerned denied their brutality until it appeared on My Space, an internet site.  My Space is a website where anyone can place messages, photos, and videos, quickly and simply.  My Space is a place frequented by millions of internet users.

The police media unit tried to deny the allegations of torture, but had not counted on the police video reaching the world, particularly main stream media.

The message here is that with the World Wide Web, ordinary citizens can easily get their messages out to counter act ‘spin’ doctors.  Now some of those citizens can be vexatious, as was the case in three aged care facilities in last year.

In one case the vexatious claims were made by a disgruntled employee and two residents who convinced a popular nightly TV program to air their ‘grievances’.  A website was also used by an ethnic organisation to spread the allegations, which were without foundation.

The World Wide Web is also  Citizen Journalists, people who aren’t formally trained as journalists, but have instant access through the Web to millions of potential readers, listeners and viewers.  They may report allegations without checking their sources’ motives and integrity.

For example, a number of leading American companies have suffered at the hands citizen journalists who have made un-informed claims that have damaged their business. In some cases the companies did deserve ‘outing’ for poor services and faulty products; however, others did not deserve the treatment they received.

And then there are internet Blogs, short for Web logs. A blog is a place on the website where you can log onto and write what you think, and what you believe you have seen or what a friend told you.

Reporters from the  media regularly monitor certain websites to pick up leads for a story,

So the message is that trying to spin a crisis is not possible as the facts and claims will be found out.

Before the World Wide Web, you could spin a story for a month or two, before the truth, or a version of the truth, surfaced in the media.  Today, the chance of spin being ‘un-spun’ is far greater and will be done in record time, sometimes in hours not days or months.

One of the steps to counter spin, whether true, partly true or false, is to use the communication keys for tough situations:

The keys are

• Regret,
  
• Responsibility,
  
• Remedial Action and
• Resonance

To learn how to use these keys check out Making Media Magic under the Communication Skills tag.

Next Friday,February 19 Publicity Magic.

Christian Peterson

When I talk with my clients the greatest challenge  they have is closing the communication gap with their clients business partners and colleagues and personal friends and family.  Here are a few observations that might be useful:

• The quality of your personal and professional communication will determine the quality of your life.
• What you communication to yourself is just as important  as what you communicate to others.
• If you never Network your glass will be empty.
• Network occasionally and your glass maybe half full.
• If Networking is a way of life you willneed many glasses.
• Understanding your communication environment is critical in business and relationships.

Communication Environments:

Another to understand how you can reduce the communication gap is to understand the various  communication environments in your life.  The Principles  of Communication remain  the same, however, how you apply them differs in each environments.  Here are few different communication environments you may encounter .

• Networking for Results
• Effective Questions meaningful Listening
• Business Elevator Statements
• Expanding your Elevator Statement with permissio
• After getting your hand on the door handle

• Presentations
• Corporate Story Telling
• Business Teams Communication

• News statements for TV and Radio
• Current Affairs for TV and Radio
• Talk back for tradio and TV
• Long electronic interviews
• Print interviews
• Columns that don’t Crumble

• Web impact writing
• Web Video
• Web Audio
• The Google Front Page
• Discovering result producing Keywords

And a lot more.

Shortly you will be able to  join our Taking Control Club to improve your communication success.