Ferguson's Communication Skills

Just now i completed reading Ferguson's Communication Skills

Nice book indeed written.

I wanted to share few important points i found from this book.

1) Pyramid style is an approach to writing in which the most important information is placed at the beginning .

2) We need effective, persuasive communication skills for career advancement.”

3) HOW WE SPEND OUR COMMUNICATION TIME

Writing	9%
Reading	16%
Talking	30%
Listening	45%

According to one study,we hear only one quarter of what’s being said. The rest of the time we’re daydreaming or just tuned out completely.

4) A study by one university estimated that $37 billion is lost annually through unproductive meetings.

5) THE 4 Cs OF SUCCESSFUL WRITING

All good writing starts by defining your purpose and knowing your reader. But that’s only the beginning.
There are four other elements that you should keep in mind. They are known as the 4 Cs:

a. Concise
b. Compelling
c. Clear
d. Correct

6) SURF THE WEB: RESUMES

10 Minute Resume
http://www.10minuteresume.com
Career-Resumes.com
http://www.career-resumes.com
College Grad.com
http://www.collegegrad.com/resumes
Monster Resume Center
http://resume.monster.com
Proven Resumes
http://www.provenresumes.com
Resume.com
http://www.resume.com
Resume Net
http://www.resumenet.com
The Resume Place, Inc.
http://www.resume-place.com

7) THE 10 COMMANDMENTS OF GOOD WRITING

a. I realize that all good writing must have a clear purpose.

b. I recognize that less is more—too many words can bore my reader.

c. I understand that the most important information belongs at the beginning of my document.

d. I avoid all mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

e. I think about what my readers want before beginning to write.

f. I make an impact on my readers by making my writing powerful.

g. I don’t use complex words when I can use simple ones.

h. I leave out all information that does not relate to my main purpose.

i. I use descriptive words to bring my writing to life.

j. I never assume that my readers know more than they do.

8) THE 3 Ts

One of the best ways of organizing any presentation is also the simplest. It’s called the 3 Ts, which are as
follows:

a. Tell the audience what you’re going to say at the beginning of the talk.

b. Tell the audience what you’re going to say to them in the body of the talk.

c. Tell the audience what you told them in the conclusion.

9) SURF THE WEB: JOB INTERVIEWS

Ask the Interview Coach
http://www.asktheinterviewcoach.com

Interview Mastery
http://www.interviewmastery.com

Job-Interview.net
http://www.job-interview.net

Job Interview Tips and Tricks
http://www.jobsontheweb.com/tips.htm

Job Interview Questions
http://www.job-interview-questions.com


10) DONOT BE AFRAID OR TOO PROUD TO ASK FOR HELP.

11) Effective communication is important not only with other people inside your organization but with people
from the outside as well.

12) How do we communicate a message? Only 7 percent of our message comes through the words we use, 38 percent comes through our tone of voice, and 55 percent comes through our body language.

13) There are five rules to effective listening:

a. Don’t interrupt.
b. Don’t jump to conclusions.
c. Don’t judge the messenger.
d. Don’t be selfish.
e. Don’t tune out.

Hope you enjoy reading this book.