Thursday night is our Sanctuary Choir rehearsal. The 150 members, who are either music educators, music artists, former ministers of music, or members of the Los Angeles Opera Chorus, and a few, like me, ordinary singers, sang their hearts out as they learned 10 songs, from classics to Oratorio, from old hymns to contemporaries, and from English to German and Spanish.
You're asking for my qualifications for joining this group of professionals? Well, let me put it this way. I and a few others are the thorns in the bush. hehehe... Unfortunately, with my height, I have been assigned in the first center row...so conspicuous to thousands of church goers even with the presence of the church symphony orchestra; hence, I have to fake sometimes. When there's a grave at the very end of our song and I already run out of gas, I would just open my mouth as wide and beautiful, shape as precise as possible to the sound of the word, voiceless, just waiting for that kettle drum to be struck, so that I could change the placement of my lips to produce the last phone.
I actually know how to "sight read"; I know all those musical notations. Besides of my mom's guidance, while I still have runny nose, I attended a Bible College in the Philippines for a year, where I formally learned how to sing well. Now don't ask for more; otherwise, I would be telling you that I am a videoke addict and the neighbors' "grammy awardee". Honestly, I am just waiting for some rocks to rain over our rooftop. Those rocks would indicate that my neighbors are bestowing that laurel to another competing neighbor in our ghetto. hahaha..
Anyways, during rehearsals, the music director always reminds us on basic things so that we can effectively convey God's message through our songs.
Last week, our music director reminded us that an expert singer must have the following:
1) Clear diction
2) Beautiful Tone
3) Good Posture
4) Markings on his musical scores
5) Watches the conductor's directives
He reminded us that as singers, we are setting a tone, conveying a message, and expressing a feeling that would prepare the hearts and minds of the congregation to listen to the Word of God.
Now, what's this got to do with effective communication in a regular setting?
I just would like to emphasize that, if in a choir a clear diction, beautiful tone, and paying attention are very essential, it is far more important to apply these daily at our workplace.
The message, when talking over the phone, may be misconstrued if we don't have a clear diction. We have to pronounce those letters well, so as not to be misunderstood. Most of our church choir members are native English speakers and music professionals, and yet our music director cannot just have enough to pound our head to enunciate the words clearly. This Sunday, our song has a phrase, "All Christ is, He is within us". We were reminded, time and again, to produce the sound of /t/ final in "Christ", because we don't want to convey the message that "All cries is He is within us". See the difference? Omitting the /t/ final would completely send a wrong message. With a 50-man symphony orchestra providing the accompaniment, we have to produce /t/ as loud as we could. In fact, I am a little nervous on Sundays. I'm afraid that my denture would fall off and it would hit either one of the violinists or the pianist who are sitting and playing right in front of me. It would be a disaster. hehehe.
Beautiful tone must be emphasized even in our daily conversation. Definitely, the tone has something to do with ones culture. That's why we hear some people commenting that 'he/she talks like a chirping bird', or 'he/she talks like a drum'. Others are turn off immediately even before someone opens his/her mouth, because the tone of his/her voice doesn't appeal to them. We sometimes say that a person is mad, even if he/she is really not, just because he/she drops his/her words like a bomb, or he/she shouts every time he/she talks. Honestly, I often times have to remind myself to tone down my voice when talking. Sorry, it is cultural for me to talk loud. Consequently, I sometimes forget that in some societies, the tone will either give a "green or red signal". Am I a good person? Absolutely; however, those who are not used to my culture would think otherwise.
I know... I know...it's a little difficult to polish the manner of speaking that has been ingrained in our psyche since birth, but constant practice has been a big help to me. Why not try it? You would see the difference.
P.S
For those who already have bought my gift book, PRAISING ALL SEASONS LONG: Haiku Verses, I thank you very much.
Also, I found out that Barnes & Noble has posted that they're now out of stock. I believe you could still place a pre-order with them. However, if you would like to have your copy very soon, you could place your order on Amazon.com, Target.com, and to the publisher, Comfort Publishing online store. Those who are considering to get their copy, I thank you very much. "PRAISING..." is only $9.99, "KOILAWAN" is $ 13.99, but you can get a discounted price in some online outlets.
Showing posts with label effective communication. Show all posts
Showing posts with label effective communication. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
On Call Centers and Effective English Communication:
Yesterday, I was surfing again hoping to find more websites and blogs with the song,"Bukidnon, My Home". While doing so, I happened to see a blog on the need for more call center employees. With economic crunch and company downsizing, posting of job is what our society needs.
I scrolled down to read some of the feedback and comments. Instead of comments, I saw resume, request for the agency's address, and messages with an intention to apply. I sympathized with those who left messages, because I read desperation. I also felt sad, because I saw proofs why those who were needing the job would never be hired.
Communication is getting one's idea across verbally or non-verbally. We communicate not only through a spoken language, but also through body stance, gesture, and tone of voice. All these have to be taken into serious consideration if we wanted to communicate effectively, especially to strangers.
One component of communication effectiveness is cognition. Cognition involves the manner in which we process and disseminate information and the knowledge we have about the stranger's culture. Therefore, cognitive process involves description, interpretation, and evaluation. And to effectively describe, interpret, and evaluate is to learn the language and the culture of the person that we are communicating with.
In a call center, body stance and gesture are not necessary; however, the spoken language ( in most cases, the English language) and the tone of voice, plus the knowledge of the client's culture, are a must. So, if somebody would like to work as a call center agent, he or she should try his/her very best to impress the would-be employer that he/she could execute the job very well.
Definitely, a call center is looking for workers who have good command of the English language. Applicants need not have a perfect English, because there is no such thing as perfect English. In the U.S.of A., many are using double negatives. For example, " I am not doing that, no more." Also, subject-verb disagreement is very common. For example, "They was here a minute ago." Accented English is very common, too. Accent of Texans is different from the Californians; accent of Tennesseans is different from Texans. However, once an American moves to another state, he/she tries to adapt the accent of his/her host. How? They try his/her best to reduce the nuances of his/her accent. This certainly is for the purpose of effective communication. Let me emphasize, though, that there is what we call informal and formal English; street or schooled English, and native-born and foreign-accented English. So, which one would you think is best for a call center agent? The answer, most definitely, is a good command of formal and educated English, with reduced traces of foreign accents.
I was disappointed that almost all those messages posted on that call center blog did not meet the requirements.
Here are some pieces of advice:
1) I encourage non-native English speakers to read, read, and read English books and magazines. Put away vernacular books and magazines for some time (Bisaya, Liwayway, etc.) and read more English books. Reading books is a big help to minimize subject-verb disagreements, dangling sentences, etc.
2) I also encourage them to tune in to TV channels with native English speakers or radio programs (Voice of America or BBC, for example)and, while they listen to that native English speaker, they should try to mimic and emulate the accent or the tone of that speaker's voice. Be keen when listening to and producing those diphthongs (long e's, short e's, oi, the schwa sound, etc.). For consonants, please pay attention particularly the beginning and final. Like vowels, consonants can be produced properly by the placement of your lips and tongue. For example, /b/ which is bilabial plosive can be produced properly by having your lower and upper lips touch each other before you let out that booming sound. Phonic /v/ can be produced by having your upper teeth touch your lower lip before you let out the sound. Produce the sound /t/ by placing the tip of your tongue at the back of your teeth before you say the letter.
3) English teachers must emphasize the importance of teeth, lips, tongue, palate, and glottis when teaching phonics to their students.
4) And students or parents, you should demand a good English teacher from the school administrator. This does not mean a charismatic or likable teacher. I mean a teacher, who knows the craft. English teachers with good command of the language, both in grammar, phonics, and accent reduction, are not only a must in college, they are a must in elementary grades, because that's where the language learning has to start.
Remember, it is not only a good command of grammar that a call center needs; a good pronunciation is also very much needed. Once you have the confidence in your grammar and phonics, reduction of foreign diction and accent will be as easy as eating an apple pie.
5) PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. EXAGGERATE, EXAGGERATE, EXAGGERATE. Twist, stretch, and curl that tongue to the max.
6) AND PLEASE LEARN TO ELIMINATE CODE-SWITCHING, when speaking. Using English as your initial phrase and completing the sentence in vernacular, or vice versa (code-switching), will not do you any good. It would become your habit; it would prevent you from speaking English fluently; it surely would be a dead-end in getting that job in any call center.
I scrolled down to read some of the feedback and comments. Instead of comments, I saw resume, request for the agency's address, and messages with an intention to apply. I sympathized with those who left messages, because I read desperation. I also felt sad, because I saw proofs why those who were needing the job would never be hired.
Communication is getting one's idea across verbally or non-verbally. We communicate not only through a spoken language, but also through body stance, gesture, and tone of voice. All these have to be taken into serious consideration if we wanted to communicate effectively, especially to strangers.
One component of communication effectiveness is cognition. Cognition involves the manner in which we process and disseminate information and the knowledge we have about the stranger's culture. Therefore, cognitive process involves description, interpretation, and evaluation. And to effectively describe, interpret, and evaluate is to learn the language and the culture of the person that we are communicating with.
In a call center, body stance and gesture are not necessary; however, the spoken language ( in most cases, the English language) and the tone of voice, plus the knowledge of the client's culture, are a must. So, if somebody would like to work as a call center agent, he or she should try his/her very best to impress the would-be employer that he/she could execute the job very well.
Definitely, a call center is looking for workers who have good command of the English language. Applicants need not have a perfect English, because there is no such thing as perfect English. In the U.S.of A., many are using double negatives. For example, " I am not doing that, no more." Also, subject-verb disagreement is very common. For example, "They was here a minute ago." Accented English is very common, too. Accent of Texans is different from the Californians; accent of Tennesseans is different from Texans. However, once an American moves to another state, he/she tries to adapt the accent of his/her host. How? They try his/her best to reduce the nuances of his/her accent. This certainly is for the purpose of effective communication. Let me emphasize, though, that there is what we call informal and formal English; street or schooled English, and native-born and foreign-accented English. So, which one would you think is best for a call center agent? The answer, most definitely, is a good command of formal and educated English, with reduced traces of foreign accents.
I was disappointed that almost all those messages posted on that call center blog did not meet the requirements.
Here are some pieces of advice:
1) I encourage non-native English speakers to read, read, and read English books and magazines. Put away vernacular books and magazines for some time (Bisaya, Liwayway, etc.) and read more English books. Reading books is a big help to minimize subject-verb disagreements, dangling sentences, etc.
2) I also encourage them to tune in to TV channels with native English speakers or radio programs (Voice of America or BBC, for example)and, while they listen to that native English speaker, they should try to mimic and emulate the accent or the tone of that speaker's voice. Be keen when listening to and producing those diphthongs (long e's, short e's, oi, the schwa sound, etc.). For consonants, please pay attention particularly the beginning and final. Like vowels, consonants can be produced properly by the placement of your lips and tongue. For example, /b/ which is bilabial plosive can be produced properly by having your lower and upper lips touch each other before you let out that booming sound. Phonic /v/ can be produced by having your upper teeth touch your lower lip before you let out the sound. Produce the sound /t/ by placing the tip of your tongue at the back of your teeth before you say the letter.
3) English teachers must emphasize the importance of teeth, lips, tongue, palate, and glottis when teaching phonics to their students.
4) And students or parents, you should demand a good English teacher from the school administrator. This does not mean a charismatic or likable teacher. I mean a teacher, who knows the craft. English teachers with good command of the language, both in grammar, phonics, and accent reduction, are not only a must in college, they are a must in elementary grades, because that's where the language learning has to start.
Remember, it is not only a good command of grammar that a call center needs; a good pronunciation is also very much needed. Once you have the confidence in your grammar and phonics, reduction of foreign diction and accent will be as easy as eating an apple pie.
5) PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. EXAGGERATE, EXAGGERATE, EXAGGERATE. Twist, stretch, and curl that tongue to the max.
6) AND PLEASE LEARN TO ELIMINATE CODE-SWITCHING, when speaking. Using English as your initial phrase and completing the sentence in vernacular, or vice versa (code-switching), will not do you any good. It would become your habit; it would prevent you from speaking English fluently; it surely would be a dead-end in getting that job in any call center.
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