People skills: What you need to know

Communication skills

Communication is both the giving and receiving of information, and we do that in two ways – verbally and visually.

Verbal messages: People, whether they are team members or customers, can be influenced by how you say something, more than by the words that you are actually saying.

Visual messages: Visual messages can be influenced by how you look, your body language, your hair and dress style etc. It only takes three to seven seconds for someone to form an opinion about you.

REMEMBER: People will believe what they see before they believe what they hear!

So if your marketing message and your team members are saying your salon is friendly, professional and approachable, when a new customer decides to visit your salon, they will base their opinion of your salon on what they see, not what they have heard or read. So, remember:

• * Good communication skills are vital when dealing with a customer during a consultation or when doing a 1:1 meeting with a team member.
  * Listening skills are essential to receive relevant information about your customer or team member’s concerns, needs and emotions. This information is vital to ensure you are effectively dealing with people.
  * Questioning skills are also a very important part of communication to make sure you understand the customer or team member’s needs and concerns.