1.
Best
Practices
Standards of Excellence
We spend a great deal of time interacting with external and internal
clients and partners in a variety of situations. One thing is certain -
every interaction represents an opportunity to establish, build or
reinforce a relationship.

2.
Face-to-Face
Our Most Familiar Form of Interaction
Every day we meet and talk with people from Some Things To Keep In Mind:
sun up until sun down. Some of out
• Plan And Prepare
conversations are no more than greetings;
some are quick up dates about personal or - have an objective/goal
professional topics; others can be of a more - organize thoughts into 2-3 main ideas
serious nature.
- focus on desired outcomes
In business situations, informal face-to-face
encounters can turn into opportunities to • Know Your Audience
exchange vital information, enable a relaxed
- understand their key concerns and
recap of an important issue or gain hard to
learn feedback. expectations
- anticipate questions and objections
Even more formal types of face-to-face
situations can represent an excellent time for
• Keep Listener(s) Engaged
building comfort levels with challenging ideas
and innovative approaches. - spend more time interacting versus
Effective face-to-face interactions can facilitate talking
consultative discussions and useful solutions. - ask questions/probe/check-in regularly
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3.
Email &
Instant
Messaging
Interacting at Warp Speed
Probably the biggest driver of the 21st Century • Re-read documents multiple times before hitting
send. The more important the document, the
information age is the advent of the Internet. This slower the move towards the send button
resource allows us to communicate information to • Proof read for accuracy, errors, and correct
spelling, especially with people’s names
any part of the world in a dazzling short period of
• Restrict the distribution list to only those who are
time. most affected by the communication
There is no doubt that it is definitely a good • Include specific subject lines always
thing to be able to respond to inquiries and • Commend in public; condemn in private
needs as quickly as possible. By the same token, • Seek others reactions, especially when dealing
with controversial topics
because the Internet is so invasive, it is important
• Organize emails for quick reading; include
for writers to move slowly in hitting the send detailed information in attachments
button. • Use a neutral tone when writing about highly
charged topics
Errors, miscommunications and wrong • Pick up the phone sometimes to break long email
“chains”
information can get to people very rapidly and
• Limit the use of modicums or other
can leave a poor impression in readers’ minds.
punctuation marks such as exclamation marks
Once you are certain of your purpose and what • Respect your reader’s time by avoiding the
overuse of instant messaging
outcome you are looking to achieve, at right are
• Be understanding when you don’t receive instant
some tips to remember when preparing email or replies to your instant messages
instant messaging correspondence. • Avoid using jargon or abridged expressions,
especially if the correspondence could be
forwarded to another person unbeknown to
the original writer
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4.
Telephone
Interactions
For over a century, the staple for keeping people connected
A whole industry was born as soon as Alexander THINGS TO CONSIDER:
Graham Bell uttered those famous words in 1876,
General
“ Mr. Watson, come here, I want you.
• Speak with confidence in all telephone
Since then , we have perfected multiple ways to
conversations
reach people via the phone. As a result, any of us
can fall into habits that can prevent us from making • Greet people personally-speak with a smile
the best impression possible and lead to missing an
• Think dialogue – engage frequently, call on people
opportunity to start a new or build an existing
relationship. Conference Calls
With such a premium placed on time and expense • Set goals and send out agenda in advance
containment, businesses have been using the phone
to conduct meetings and share information that at • Limit agendas to a few important points –
one time was relegated to face-to-face interactions. “less = more”
Because of these changes it is important to evaluate • Select appropriate audience
our telephone manner and approach to interacting,
especially in group situations, where the mute • Summarize periodically–who, what, where, when
button is always an option.
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5.
Virtual
Meetings
Technology allows us to connect with
associates using both voice and sight.
Videoconferencing, webinars, virtual
meetings make it possible for people
to participate in gatherings from
anywhere they can connect and
receive/send a signal.
Keeping an audience engaged is the
critical challenge.
Tips for effective virtual meetings:
• Set meeting goals, expectations
and access to technology in
advance
• Start and end meeting on time
• Solicit feedback regularly -
electronically or verbally
• Use rhetorical questions
• Provide examples in terms of the
listeners’ perspective
• Recap next steps and
responsibilities periodically
• Use good vocal tone and inflection
• Avoid acronyms or unfamiliar
terms, especially when interacting
with multi-cultural audiences
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