Bacteria the yin and yang of dandruff, says study
PARIS — Dandruff is not caused by a fungus, as many believe, but by an imbalance between two competing bacteria that naturally colonize the human scalp, according to a study released last week.
PARIS — Dandruff is not caused by a fungus, as many believe, but by an imbalance between two competing bacteria that naturally colonize the human scalp, according to a study released last week.
Getting The Edge In Professional Selling
Terence A. Hockenhull
I’M GOING to get of the topic of sales slightly this week by talking about communication, both verbal and written. What has prompted me to write this article are my dealings with one of my less-than-stellar employees who, despite being a well-educated and seemingly well-motivated individual, fails consistently to provide accurate, timely, and comprehensible information.
I’ve actually spent hours trying to figure out whether his lack of communication skills relates to his difficulty in communicating in English. However, this is certainly not the case. He speaks in sentences that are grammatically correct; they just don’t make sense.
Let me give an example of the frustrations of dealing with this guy. I happened to ask him if a purchase order received by my sales team had been booked on last week’s or this week’s sales figures.
“Sir, we received the PO (purchase order) on Friday.”
“Yes”, I replied, “But was it booked in last week’s sales figures or this week’s?”
“Actually sir, I believe the proposal came in on Friday morning!”
“So, it was booked last week?”
“No, sir”.
“So, this week then?”
“No, sir, we received the PO last week!”
Actually, I think in his own mind, he is quite clear about the information he wants to convey. However, he leaves half of the conversation in his head, and the other half comes out of his mouth. Consequently, as the recipient of the information, one has to try to fill in the blanks — a seemingly impossible task!
He is by no means the only (or indeed the worst) communicator. But, it is a matter of concern to me that this is a guy who makes his living in sales. One has to wonder how customers feel when they ask a seeming simple question and cannot get a straight answer. Is he trying to hide information? Is he being obtuse?
I’ve always though the simplest way of communicating well is to take a few seconds to think about what you would like to hear. I ask myself these simple questions:
• If I was the customer, what would really excite me about the product?
• What would be important for me to know?
• What would I like to hear?
Looking at a conversation from a customer’s perspective ensures that you relay the right information. It also allows you to formulate your conversation around questions that will similarly realize important information for you.
The Philippines has never been a country where significant amounts of time are spent on written communications. Nonetheless, being a competent business writer will pay dividends. It will allow you to convey ideas, concepts, plans, suggestions, and directions in a format that is readily recoverable.
“Did I tell my customer that our purchase terms are 30% down with 15 days to pay?” The verbal conversation may be easily forgotten; the letter, proposal, or e-mail can easily be found and reviewed.
Just like verbal communication skills, there are a few things one should strive to achieve in written communication. The truth is that much business correspondence remains unread because it is poorly written and badly structured. Reports and proposals are often written without regard for the impression they give or the impact they make.
I might have been writing for BusinessWorld and other publications for many years; nonetheless, I would not claim to be a highly skilled or articulate writer. I try where possible to follow the same rules in writing as I do in speech — in other words, asking what readers would like to know: What information do they want, in what form, and with how much detail?
I enjoy reading well-crafted prose; I get irritated when I find grammatical and spelling mistakes in correspondence. For heaven’s sake, our computers do most of the hard work or weeding out blunders in punctuation and spelling. It should only take a single read-through of a document (from the eye of a reader) to find the few typos that may have slipped past the spell-checker!
Buzzwords, acronyms, and abbreviations are only acceptable to a point. If I never see “win-win”, “synergy” and Blue Ocean Strategy again, it will be too soon!
Similarly, long words and elaborate phrases are a turn-off! Clear and concise prose gets a message across. There is no need for complex sentences, obscure vocabulary, and convoluted sentence construction.
Document formatting can make a significant visual impact. Where possible, a simple font should be used (you won’t go far wrong with Times New Roman or Arial), and paragraphs — whether indented or otherwise — should have a minimum of half a line space between them.
Larger companies have a corporate standardizations manual for a very good reason. It helps present a consistent brand and image.
A well-written document is a business tool influencing decisions, winning new business, and building a solid brand and reputation. Take a bit of time to plan and double-check your work. The impression you leave, whether verbally or in writing, may make a difference between winning or losing business.
Terence A. Hockenhull is a long-term resident of the Philippines. He is an accomplished sales consultant who currently holds an executive sales position with an Italian geotechnical company.
terry@charteris-inc.com
EXHIBITS
In celebration of National Heritage Month, the Filipino Heritage Festival, Inc. presents Metamorphosis of the Filipino Barong, Terno at Saya until May 22 at the Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City.
The first Retrospective Exhibition of Antonio Austria is on view until July 10 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Bulwagang Juan Luna and Pasilyo Guillermo Tolentino. The exhibit features Austria’s paintings as well as drawings and memorabilia. For details call 832-1125 local 1504/1505, e-mail ccp.exhibits@gmail.com, or visit www.culturalcenter.gov.ph.
The Yuchengco Museum presents Light in the Darkness, a collection of paintings and drawings by painter Danilo Angeles Arriola, Jr., from his first collector and patron, architect Dan Lichauco. It is a part of the museum’s “Choices: Collection of the Personal” exhibit series. For details, visit yuchengcomuseum.org.
Blanc Art Space is running three exhibits until June 4: Jared Yorkte’s Bark Infinitum, featuring his works in epoxy, sawdust, and oil on wood; Julius Redillas’ People You May Know, a collection of the artist’s portraits; and Mark Arcamo’s Static Individual, a suite of portraits depicting the lives we lead on different media. For more details, e-mail info@blanc.ph, or visit blanc.ph and facebook.com/blancgallery.
The touring exhibition of Badong: Salvador Bernal Designs the Stage is on view at the Ateneo Art Gallery, Old Rizal Library Bldg., Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan Ave., Quezon City, until July 2. It honors the late National Artist for Theater Design Salvador “Badong” F. Bernal, featuring his design projects in ballet, opera, theater, and film from the 1970s to 2011. Admission is P30 per head. For details the Curatorial Office at 426-6488.
Nursery of Curiosities: A Solo Exhibit by Nasser Lubay runs until May 31 at the Arte Pintura Gallery, Kitaro Bldg., Shaw Blvd. cor. Wack Wack Rd., Mandaluyong City. For details, visit www.nasserlubay.com, or Artist Playground’s page, www.artistplayground.ph; or call 0915-561-0987.
The Museum of Contemporary Art and Design has extended the Michael Lin: Locomotion exhibit until May 29. Meanwhile, Esther Lu of the Taipei Contemporary Art Center will give a talk at MCAD on May 24 titled “Multifunctionality in Taiwan’s Independent Art Space.” For details e-mail mcad@benilde.edu.ph, or call 230-5100. MCAD, located inside the College of Saint Benilde on Vito Cruz, Manila, is open on Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Kohler Bold. Art. Asia Exhibition is ongoing until May 24 at The Gallery in Greenbelt 5. Kohler brings 12 art pieces by artists from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
PERFORMANCES
THE 3rd Philippine Steinway Youth Piano Competition where young pianists aged 17 and below gather in an evening of music, will be held on May 21, 6 p.m., at the BDO Francisco Santiago Hall, BDO Corporate Center, South Tower, 7899 Makati Ave., Makati City. Tickets are available at Steinway Boutique Manila, 6750 Ayala Avenue, Makati City. For inquiries, call 892-7508 or e-mail info@steinway-boutique.com.ph.
FILM
The Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) will now also include a Sunday schedule for film screenings. Palo Alto, an American drama written and directed by Gia Coppola, will be screened on May 20 (noon and 3 p.m.) and May 22 (3 p.m.) at the MCAD Multimedia Room. Admission is free and open to the public.
EVENTS
“Exploring Escolta: A Benildean Experience” is a day-long extravaganza of art in this historically lively and spirited region of old downtown district of Binondo, Manila. It will be held on May 21, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For inquiries, contact Gilbernardo Novales at 0916-311-0657 or e-mail exploringescolta2016@gmail.com.
RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network presents its 2016 Summer Fair on May 21 and 22 at the Eastwood Mall Open Park in Quezon City.
JUST LIKE its tasty tuna which has tickled the world’s palate, South Cotabato’s Sarangani Bay will sizzle once more with the SarBay Festival, the country’s biggest beach party and sports and wellness event, set on June 3-5 in Gumasa Beach in Glan.
By Giles Hewitt Hwang Sung-Hee
SEOUL — South Korean writer Han Kang’s Booker prize marks a major victory for a decade-long effort to drag one of Asia’s oldest but, until recently, least-known literary traditions into the global market.
OIL AND gas activities may have caused nearly nine in 10 of the earthquakes Texas has experienced in the past 40 years, and the quakes have become more frequent as oilfield activity has picked up in the past decade, according to a forthcoming study.
NEW YORK — Captain America and Iron Man may be the stars of Marvel’s latest comic-book blockbuster, but Black Panther — making his big-screen debut — is most definitely the superhero of the moment.