Communication Skills Thought of the Day “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you”

Objectives After studying this chapter you should be able to: –explain basic processes of effective communication –assess client’s needs - “total look” –conduct successful client consultation –handle delicate communication w/ you clients –build open communication w/ coworkers & salon managers

Why do I need to learn about communication skills? Today’s professionals thrive on the exchange of information Information acts as the fuel that keeps businesses going, moving and growing You must think of managing your career as a professional cosmetologist as that of managing your own business

Indeed, when you build and retain a loyal clientele, You are building a successful business. Therefore, you need to receive information in order to make decisions, develop strategies, and effectively interact with your clients. You need to send information if you want your decisions and strategies to be followed and accepted.

This exchange of information is called communication. Communication Basic –Defined The art of transmitting information, in the form of symbols, gestures, or behaviors, in order to express an idea or concept so that it is satisfactorily understood –Communicating Sending messages Receiving messages Establishing relationships

Communication Organizing your thoughts –1 st step is to collect your thoughts & feelings Sending messages –Symbols It’s all about using symbols. We’ve been using symbols throughout history to send messages –Smoke –Flags –Mirrors in the sun –Facial expressions –Gestures

Communication 2 nd step –Organize those thoughts into symbols that can be understood by others Photographs Drawings Color palettes Music preferences The kind of car we drive Style of clothes we wear Vocabulary used

Communication Interpreting messages –When dealing with clients, we must perform several functions Clarify –Make clear the client’s meaning. We may have to help them articulate, or clearly express, their wants and desires Eliminate clutter/distractions –Create an environment for the client consultation that is conducive to clear communication Seek out specifics –Ask, ask, ask!

Communication Get appropriate advice Restate and confirm –Repeat back to client, in your own words, what you think she is telling you. This is called reflective listening. You must make sure that you are on the same page.

Being on the same page Activity –It takes one to Know one –A stitch in time Saves nine –A penny saved is A penny earned –A bird in the hand Is worth two in the bush

Being on the same page God Bless America –Land that I love I pledge allegiance to –The flag of the United States of America This is called being on the same page

Read all the clues Observe the client’s gestures and facial expressions. –Is she at ease? –Is she uncomfortable? –Does she show concern with something you have said?

Address any remaining ?’s Why does he/she want this? You may have to lead the client with more specific questions even at this point in the consultation Whatever you do, don’t eliminate this part of the meeting, because the answers to these important questions are critical in getting to the heart of the client’s service request

Objectivity in Communication Handle client relationships tactfully and sensitively Don’t allow yourself to become a marriage counselor, career guide, parental sounding board, or motivational coach Your goal is to advise and service your clients in their beauty needs – nothing more!

Communication Communication is one of the most important words in any life or business If you can communicate, you and your career will move forward and most likely thrive If you can’t communicate effectively the road to success and accomplishment will become blocked with numerous obstacles,many of which can become to difficult to overcome

Communication One of the biggest mistakes we make each day of our lives is to under-estimate the power of communication We simply take for granted that communication really is a tool It’s a tool that can help “make” or help “break” us Our daily communication can dramatically propel us to new levels of success or even failure

Story This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it, Everybody got mad about this because it was Somebody’s job. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody asked Anybody. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.