Ability To Effectively Communicate Orally With People From Varied Backgrounds And Levels Of Understanding And Ability To Effectively Communicate In Writing. Can You Help?
Yes, try speaking in nouns and verbs and in short coherent sentences. Try to keep your speech simple and to the point. Do not use excessive adjectives or adverbs. Keep eye contact with the person or persons with whom you are trying to communicate. If they get a glazed over expression then ask them if they understand what you are saying. Sometimes you have to have them say what they think your point is. "Do your understand what I am trying to tell you?" "Tell me how your feel about this." If they can't answer then you have not effectively communicated. Collect your thoughts, organize your main points and start over.
In my current position in Pharmaceutical sales, I spend most of my business time on the road, talking with pharmacists, hospital personnel, physicians, patient advocacy groups, and even retirement homes. I regularly attend meetings where contact with purchasing professionals is rich, such as an association of pharmacists or a convention of hospital administrators. Education is the norm in this field; learning about my company’s product line is like taking an advanced course in pharmacology (which I have taken during my first years in the industry). I have to be able to show my familiarity with data, statistics, and issues in the health community to be able to communicate successfully with businesspeople and doctors. These communications must be thorough yet concise. Differences in meaning of ideas can occur between the salesman and the customer, and I am the primary person to see these differences and ask for definitions of what a request might mean. I have contacted customers directly over the phone, or through e-mail, as well as in planning sessions with doctors and hospital staff. I spend most of my time informing the health care practitioners about our products, benefits, risks associated with new drugs or a competitor's drug. I often use different methods of communication for our various audiences. These methods include: Using a network of physicians members who help in distributing our products; leaving materials in hospitals, and doctor offices; using an informative company web site where our customers are invited to submit questions via e- mail; maintaining good relationships with my clients; and mailing newsletters to all clients several times a year, especially at budget time. I have found throughout the years that some means of communication are particularly effective. I use a key communicator database of e-mail addresses to inform the health care practitioners in my region about various events and developments. Practitioners can join my e-mail list of key communicators by clicking on an address posted on our company Web site. The number of health care practitioners in this database continues to grow every day and the feedback from it has been wonderful. My company has recently implemented teleconferencing as a new method of communication between us, the sales reps and our clients. Teleconferencing allows multiple users to connect through a specific phone number to a common ‘meeting room.’ This meeting room allows us to hear and be heard by each member of the group, without having to leave our respective offices. This method of communication has reduced our office budget. I am often selected as the moderator for the teleconferences in my region. I am responsible for maintaining clear communication by directing each speaker as to when it is their turn to speak. I am typically the person who is delivering the main point of the meeting and decide on the subject. I also arrange for a date and time of the meeting. Right at the start of these teleconferences I welcome and introduce all of the physicians present. I have found that this is an effective method of introducing professionals in my community.
