Category Archives: Communication

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Doctors: What Makes You The Go-To Expert?

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In most professional environments, becoming an expert doesn’t happen overnight. While on the one hand, you’re expected to build your portfolio and gather relevant experience on the workplace, it’s not enough to establish yourself as an expert. Becoming the best reference in your community requires additional training. In the business world, additional training is synonymous with dedicated degree or master courses, or any other kind of certification. For instance, in the digital marketing world, you need to pass Google Analytics and AdWords certifications, if you want to be taken seriously in your niche. To become a better leader within your company, you can register to a management school to learn some of the best tips.

But not all professions have the opportunity to boost their reputation through additional studies. Doctors, for instance, tend to change career when they pass a new degree, meaning that they constantly change niche. That’s precisely why this article is entirely dedicated to the medical body. What happens when you want to spread your expertise without changing function?

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You work closely with a mentor

The idea of getting a mentor is typically associated with landing your dream promotion. But, in essence, a mentor is someone you can trust with their experience. In the medical world, you don’t need to turn to the clinic manager to find support. An experienced doctor who has been in the field for several years can provide the sounding board you need to improve your medical opinion and know-how. Additionally, it’s a person who can actively introduce you to new network communities, making sure that your name and function are known to others. If you’re working in a small clinical capacity, you’ll find that a senior doctor looking to retire can also benefit from mentoring you, as they can ensure continuity for their patients.

You know the tools you need to serve your audience

Small medical practices often fail to retain patients, not because they lack knowledge, but because they lack equipment. As it happens, doctors are often forced to recommend external experts who can provide the ultrasound system necessary for a diagnostic, for example. But investing in the tech you need from the start can go a long way. From MRI machines to CT scanners as well as x-ray machines, a small practice that can offer friction-less diagnostic can ensure for itself the loyalty of the local community.

You share your knowledge with your target audience

Vlog about misunderstood symptoms

A good doctor is a doctor who helps patients to manage their health. Of course, you don’t want to share all your medical expertise with your audience. But publishing regular content to warn your community about seasonal diseases and risks can act as lead generation tool. You can encourage patients to get unusual symptoms checked with a powerful storytelling vlog, for instance. Similarly, you can use a blog to make people aware of the best preventive tips against the winter cold. The more you educate, the sooner people see you as the go-to expert.

Relationships are at the core of building your expert reputation as a doctor. From finding a mentor to ensuring you keep most of the patients’ journey in-house – by investing in diagnostic equipment –, you can become a doctor people trust. A doctor who, ultimately, can save more lives.

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Here’s a Dream App For You!

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It seems there’s an app for nearly everything these days. But one important app is missing. And it’s one I’m sure just about everyone would love, and, in fact, it could quite possibly end up being the most popular app ever! Unfortunately, I don’t have the skill needed to build a decent app, let alone the one I dream of. And, It may not be technically possible to build such an app today. But, I’m going to show you what this app would do if I could make it.

Phone on with home screen visible. 6/26/2018

What’s this dream app called? I would call it the “Call Guard App”.

And what would it do?

To summarize, it would accurately screen calls and block all unsolicited robocalls, scam calls, and spoofed number calls. And would pay you as well!

Like what you’ve read so far? Well, it may seem unbelievable, and you may be asking questions about some calls that you might want to receive, and of course, where would the money come from? So, let’s look at the details.

Recognizes wanted calls vs unwanted calls.

The app would screen all calls and would be able to tell the difference between unsolicited and solicited calls. So, if you have the pharmacy regularly give you a robocall to tell you your medicine is ready, the app will recognize that the number source is legitimate, and that you’ve done business with the pharmacy, even if you don’t have the pharmacy in your contact list! So you don’t have to worry about missing an important call from a number you haven’t dealt with before! It will also have the option of having the caller announced.

Recognizes spoofed numbers as such.

The app will be able to tell if a number has been spoofed. A spoofed number call will show you a number that is legitimate. But if you were to call that number back and talk to the person your caller id says the number belongs to, you will reach that person’s line, and maybe that person him or herself. However, they did not call you! The scammer simply “used” that person’s number so that you will think it’s a legitimate call and answer it! And, if you do answer it, you’ll not be talking to the person who actually owns that number, but the scammer! That’s why many people won’t answer any number they don’t recognize. This app will be able to recognize a spoofed number!

Keeps you from being bothered by unwanted calls in the least.

Perhaps the second best part? The app will block the unwanted call before it ever reaches your phone! So, it won’t ring, go to your voicemail, or register on your calls received list, and will never bother you at all! No more unwanted ringing when you’re at work or busy with something else!

It pays you!

And the best part? It pays you! I’d put the payment at $100 per call. Now, the app will be able to instantly locate the exact and true source number or unit making the scamming call as well as all related info regarding the source, and of course locate any accounts related to it. And it will automatically withdraw the money and put it into a special account that the app provides for you, with the ability to transfer the money to your own account of your choosing! The app will also make sure that no innocent accounts or people whose numbers have been spoofed or whose accounts have inadvertently been linked or attached to the scammer by the scammer, will be affected!

It can be tailored to your needs.

Options. It has a lot, enough so it can be easily tailored to your needs. And it will be very user friendly! Options include being able to add political campaigns’, companies’ and sales reps’ numbers to the list to block. They can be blocked by individual numbers or all numbers under a particular organization, such as “ABC Mortgage Refinance Partners”, or John Smith for Senate”. And they would be charged the $100 also, once they are added to the block list. They may not be scammers, and their numbers are legitimate, but they can still be relentless in their attempting to get you to answer their calls, often even after you already have!

The app can be used with older mobile phones, flip phones, and landlines.

It would have the ability to link with your landline and flip phone with a code you could enter that would block these unwanted calls as effectively as the app does on your smartphone!

The Call Guard app is free!

The app would be free! Funding would come from an extra $10, withdrawn from the unwanted calling source!

So, I’m sure this app would be extremely popular, and could end the ever-growing avalanche of robocalls, scam calls, and other unwanted calls that plague nearly everyone to some extent.

Of course, the revenue coming into your account would decrease over time as organizations of all kinds would start backing off as it would cost them millions, but boy, the peace of mind, knowing the calls you get are far more likely to be legitimate and you’ll be much more likely to answer them! And you’ll have much more control over your incoming calls!

But alas, I think we can only dream for now, unless I am completely wrong and there is such an app. For now, there are some that do block calls, like Mr Number, which I do find to be quite effective, however, my phone will still ring for a bit most of the time while the app assesses the number.

So, I say this: If there is such an app and you know about it, please tell the world. You will be greatly thanked to say the least!

And if there is no such app that you know about, and you have the skill to make one or at least try to, then please do it! If you succeed, you will be forever loved and respected and rich!

Here’s hoping!

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It’s The Small Things You Do That Will Motivate Your Employees

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Your employees are not mindless drones, turning up to work each day to keep your company running like clockwork. They are not just the means to an end to build your companies profits. If you treat them as such, they are going to stop caring about what it is they do. They are going to stop caring about your business. And they are going to stop caring about you! In short, they are going to lose motivation, and possibly damage your business as a consequence, through shoddy work and idle gossip about your attitude towards them.

Therefore, you need to be a better boss. You need to care for them more. And by doing so, you will motivate them into being a better employee for you. Now, you could do this by offering a raise in their pay packet or taking them out for expensive meals using your business profits, but such grand gestures are not always needed. You see, it’s the small things you do that will motivate your employees.

It’s about….

Treating them as individuals, remembering their names, and recognising their achievements. It’s about smiling at them and saying hello when they pass you in the corridor. It’s about saying ‘well done’ when they have done something worthwhile. It’s about saying ‘thank you’ to show you are happy with their service to your company. And it’s about letting them know that you see them, not as an ID number, but as a human being who is worthy of praise and recognition.

Inspiring them through your example, passing down your knowledge to your coworkers through the ethos presented by Steve Trautman. It’s about rolling up your sleeves to let your staff know that you aren’t afraid of getting your hands dirty. It’s about showing respect and kindness in the way you respond to your employees and with others. It’s about doing anything that will convince your employees that you are a good and worthy boss, with the respect they gain for you giving them the impetus to be better people themselves, in all aspects of their lives.

Having a sense of fun in the workplace, finding ways make your employees enjoy their day, rather than see it as a 9 to 5 grind. It’s about making time for banter around the drinks fountain. It’s about sending your staff the occasional funny email. It’s about improving their break room to help them let off steam. And it’s about showing your staff that you’re not always Mr. Serious Business, as you have a human (and funny) side too.

Showing you care for them, on a day-to-day basis. It’s about having conversations with them that go beyond work duties. It’s about knowing areas in which they are struggling and trying to help them. It’s about listening to them when they come to you with a problem or a suggestion. It’s about having an holistic approach to your employee’s wellbeing. It’s about being a good and kindly boss who has a heart of compassion, and not a heart of stone.

It’s the small things you do that will motivate your employees, and we have given you a snapshot of what you could be doing today. Let us know if you have any further ideas, through your experience as an employer or an employee. Take care, and thanks for reading!

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Big Mistakes to Avoid When Running Corporate Events

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Corporate events are important occasions for both your clients and customers. That is why you need to do everything that you can to ensure that they run smoothly. You want everyone to come away talking about the occasion for the right reasons. And while it is important to focus on the things that you can do well, in many ways, it is just as important to think about the possible things which could go wrong. Here, we will be talking about a few of the most common.

Not Setting Goals

There is no point in hosting an event unless you have an idea of what you hope to achieve from it. For example, you may be trying to improve public perception of your business, introduce a new product to the market or simply makes some new contacts and widen your client base. Your goals should be both measurable and achievable. This way, you can sit down after the event to assess how well you have done and what could be improved next time.

Failing to Plan Well Enough

A business event needs to run like clockwork, and without proper planning, it is very unlikely that this is going to happen. So, you need to map out your event as best you can. Take a look at these 62 Projection Mapping Ideas by Industry for some inspiration. You should have a time plan for what you want to happen and when. And you also need to communicate well with all of your different partners including entertainment, caterers, venue etc.

Poor Budgeting

You need to have a clear budget in mind before you host your event. Otherwise, it is very easy for costs to start spiralling out of control. Good cost management is one of the best ways of ensuring that your budget stretches further. You need to conduct this task thoroughly so that you are not hit by hidden costs which you never accounted for properly.

Being Dull

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An event needs to be memorable to have maximum impact on your guests. And since your clients may attend a lot of corporate events, you need to offer them something a little different. But all of this needs to relate back to the central purpose which we discussed earlier on. So, if you are going to be launching a new product, you need to think of an innovative way that you are going to reveal it. If the purpose of your event is networking, you could think up some games for people to play which help to get them talking.

Even the colors you choose to represent yourself at the event should be lively. For example, if you decide to use a custom tablecloth with your logo to advertise yourself, ensure that it is printed with high quality and attractive enough. This will ensure you leave a lasting impression in your audience’s mind even after they leave. This may seem like a small detail, but these seemingly little things might make an impact on your outcomes.

Choosing the Wrong Venue

The impression that you send from your even will largely come back to the venue that you choose for it. Make sure that it gives the right impression of your business, as well as being practically suitable to host an occasion like the one that you have planned.

Avoiding these five common mistakes will go a long way towards ensuring that you host the type of business event which lives long in the memory.  

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Don’t Let The Line Go Dead With This Advice

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“Hello, sir. I was just wondering… hello. Is there anyone there?”

All you can hear is the sound of a dead phone line and it’s because of a missed deadline. As soon as the business makes a promise and doesn’t deliver, the clients bounce quicker than you can blink. They aren’t prepared to put their reputation on the line; plus, there are dozens of businesses that will provide a similar service.

They can afford a mistake, but you can’t which is why you should never let your aim err. If you find this a difficult target to hit, then below are a handful of tips which will help.

Create Alerts

It sounds simple, and it is in the grand scheme of things. But, nothing is straightforward when the human ego is involved. Believe it or not, some bosses don’t create alerts or write things down because they trust their memory implicitly. It’s a source of pride, yet it costs them thousands in revenue when it fails. If this sounds familiar, take the ego out of the situation with a Google apps integration system. An experienced hand such as ClearFuze Networks will install the service and keep you up to date. Set them a couple of days in advance to keep your finger on the pulse.

Add Liability

People are productive when they know they will get blamed for a failure. Because no one wants to be the reason the company suffers, they’ll work extra hard. Yes, it’s a little exploitative yet it’s basic psychology anyone can use to their advantage. You can do this by including a tracker in the team’s everyday work, and Teamweek has five of the best. Not only does this tell everyone the time frames, but it shows them their job. So, if there is a break in the chain, you and the whole office can apportion blame. Leaders prefer the carrot but the stick works too.

Have A Contingency Plan

The truth is that things will happen and they will set you back but the clock will keep ticking. In these scenarios, it’s essential to have a plan B, C, D and E all the way through to Z to give yourself some breathing space. Then, you can limit the damage and still produce a quality product or service on time. There are lots of options, but the easiest one is not to promise the world. If you can complete a job in two days, say it takes three. The client will be impressed when you deliver early.

Define Definitions

A specific date isn’t a clear enough definition. You should also set out what you expect from your employees on a daily basis from an output perspective. By doing this, nothing will get lost in translation when there is an important deadline to hit. Put it in writing and post the document on the website so that they can refer back to it. Also, check in with them to make sure they’re not getting behind. Asking them to reply to an email is a simple yet effective to know they have read the T’s & C’s.

Can you use this advice to deal with one deadline at a time?

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Getting to Grips with Digital Advertising

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Traditionally, advertising has been relatively tangible, with companies investing money into marketing campaigns focused around billboards, posters, leaflets, and other similar advertising methods. However, we are now living in the digital age and increasing numbers of small businesses are focusing their ads where the majority of people’s attention is placed – online. So, in order to get the most out of your campaigns, it’s time to start considering digital advertising. Here are a couple of areas to familiarise yourself with!

Header Bidding

Now, relatively few people tend to have heard of header bidding, but it is something that any savvy small business owner should be aware of and understand. Header bidding (otherwise known as advance bidding or pre-bidding) is a method that ad publishers are making more revenue out of their ad inventory. It is a programmatic technique that allows ad publishers to offer their inventory out to multiple ad exchanges at once. People who want to use their ad space will then bid on it, with the individual or company who make the highest bid taking the ad space. As you can imagine, different ad spaces are worth different sums of cash. Ad spaces that will be seen by higher numbers of people (ads on high traffic websites or blogs, ads on popular Youtube videos, and ads on television) are going to come with a much higher price tag than ads that will be seen by more niche audiences. However, header bidding can see you grab a bargain. If others aren’t paying attention, you could get a decent bid in before the deadline and bag a prime spot for a low price. You just have to be vigilant! You can learn more about header bidding at https://www.mopub.com/2018/02/05/header-bidding-insights-sega.

Crafting a Presence on Social Media

Chances are that you are familiar with social media. Now, while we may automatically associate social media with the younger generations and think of it as a mere pastime, the truth is that nowadays social media is proving popular with older generations too. Just take a look at how many people are active on different platforms at any given time – most people you know will have a Facebook profile, an Instagram account, and a Twitter account. Well, in order to make profit, you should pay attention to the platforms that the masses are engaging with. Adding an instagram followers app can be a good place to start. Social media could provide you with significant exposure. It’s a place where you can showcase what you have to offer and make a name for yourself. What’s more? It’s free!

These are just two different aspects of digital advertising that you should focus on as a small business owner! It really is time to take to digital platforms in order to benefit your brand as much as possible.

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Pardon? How To Deal With Hearing Loss Without Becoming Anti-Social

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Losing your hearing can be a horrible thing at any age. You suddenly can’t listen to your favourite music anymore and you can struggle to hear what your friends and family are saying to you. It can be easy to become antisocial when you are hard of hearing, however this can be damaging to your friendships and relationships with people as a whole. Here are some ways to make sure that you don’t struggle with your social skills when you are hard of hearing.

Use technology

You can use lots of helpful technology such as a hearing aid to make sure you can still listen and join in with conversations with the people you love. You can use adjusting hearing aids to make sure that you can always stay part of the conversation and that you are never left out of anything.

Use visual aids

When you can’t hear as well as you would like to, you might need to start using visual cues to make deciphering what others are saying a little bit easier. Even if you don’t lose your hearing completely it can be helpful to learn sign language for watching your favourite TV programs, and you can learn how to read lips so that you always know what people are trying to talk to you about even if you can hear small fragments of it already. Visual cues can be a lifesaver for those who cannot hear every well so make sure that you take the time to learn some of them.

Network with similar people

If you are hard of hearing and you are struggling to cope with it all, you can actually help make a difference by networking with other people who are also hard of hearing. You will find that you make some great new friends by attending different events and meeting with other people who struggle with hearing and you will also likely be able to gain some tips and tricks to make your life easier in the future.

Stay online

If you struggle with your hearing it might be much easier for you to stay online and use things such as social media to stay in touch with you family and your friends. It can be a great tool to use because you can still talk to people without having to make phone calls and it will make it easier for you to stay in the loop with your family and things which are going on in other people’s lives.

It’s okay to be independent

If hearing loss makes you be more solitary and independent, there isn’t anything with that. The loss of your hearing might force you to be more independent as a person and this might actually make you feel so much more strong as a result. You don’t have to rely on the help of others, however you should at least make sure that you stay connected with your friends and your family for the best possible life.

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Decrypting The Emotional Arguments In Each Transaction

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It doesn’t matter how often you’ve heard that business and emotions don’t mix. In truth, they do. Emotions are a crucial part of each business transaction for the excellent reason that you can’t buy without creating a trust bond. In the Chinese culture, for instance, there can be no business discussion with new partners or clients without first establishing a personal relationship between parties. For many who are not used to working with China-based companies, the approach appears like a waste of time, but ultimately there is a real need for buyers and sellers to understand how emotions affect a transaction. Indeed, the correlation between emotional engagement and finances is often used as a joke – don’t we all know the story of a shopaholic who responds to crisis with a trip down the shopping mall – but the better you understand the principles of emotional purchase, the better you can control financially unhealthy urges – or encourage them if you’re a seller.

Shopping frenzy  

The ‘OMG I need this so much right now’ shopping: All emotions, no financial sense

According to Ryan Howell, PhD at Psychology Today, emotional and compulsive shoppers shop in response to negative emotions, whether it’s stress, anger, low self-esteem or even anxiety. Ina society where the consumerist message conveys that shopping equals happiness, it’s easy for individuals to internalize the message in their everyday lives. As a result, feelings such as instant gratification, escapism and social competition dictate a lot of purchases. But more importantly, they can also create significant debts and financial stress, which can lead to further emotional shopping. The good news is that you can get a handle on emotional spending through budget strategy and digital detox.

Surprisingly, cars are the least emotionally involved purchase

We love cars. In fact, for a lot of people, the car is an extension of your personality. As a result, it’s natural to think that buying a car is an emotional decision. In reality, most buyers narrow down their research through finance-based criteria from price with Bob Ford inventory priced to sell to age – we all know that old vehicles have high maintenance needs. From the selection that matches their requirements, the last choice is often an emotional one, namely defining which car they prefer out of a carefully selected list of vehicles.

You buy a house with all your heart and all your brain

Buying a house is both a financial and emotional investment. It’s not only, for most homeowners, the place that ties them up to a mortgage, but it’s also the place where they can watch their family grow. In other words, if you’re selling your house, you need to understand how to address financial and emotional arguments best. For instance, a lot of buyers can pass on an otherwise fantastic property because they dislike the seller’s attitude. Similarly, bringing too many personal decor touches in display can discourage buyers to imagine what the house would be like if it were theirs. The secret is to manage the balance between a well-maintained property and a cozy but not overwhelming home feeling.

Home sweet home

In short, shopping is a rollercoaster of emotions. From stress relief to feeling at home, your emotions guide your decisions. But don’t let them get hold of your credit card!

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How You Should Communicate In A B2B Relationship

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The main concern for any business is to keep a lock-on on the consumers. Public opinion, feeling and directional attitudes are something that continually change. It’s almost too much to keep up with at first because you’re trying to constantly read what the industry and customer moods are. But just as important as communicating with consumers is, so to must you be adept at conveying your message to other businesses. Companies that are especially in your industry will have a culture that is not beholden to any other. Certain semantics and industry jargon will need to be used in your email and phone calls as to get straight to a point. However, there are certain issues that small businesses run up against. Entrepreneurs that want to give off an image of them running a smooth ship should follow some standards of communication when it comes to B2B. These techniques will help you to look and sound more professional which in turn elevates your image and trustworthiness.

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The chain of importance

There’s a mixture of things that require communication with other businesses. Some of these issues will be important for the upper management, other things will be delegated to the lesser staff. For the sake of the things that are important such as contracts, deals, shipping orders and meetings you should have a chain of important. For example, if you’re communicating with a business about a potential partnership deal, any emails and phone calls will of course first be sent to your reception desk. The relevant senior staff that are involved in the final say about the deal, must be CC’d in the emails before you send them out so when the receptionist gets a reply, you’re already in the message. All that’s needed is it to be brought to your attention. The same thing with phone calls. If the receptionist gets a phone call from a business partner, it should be patched straight through to the department that it concerns. The manager should be sort after so that he or she can deal with it. If they cannot then it goes further up the chain of importance to you as the owner.

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Maintaining a consistent image

As an entrepreneur, it’s a daily battle to stand out from the crowd. You have happily taken on much larger businesses than yourself but that’s the thrill of it. But things change, business logos and addresses change. If you don’t update all of your staff on these changes they will inevitably confuse the businesses they communicate with on a daily business. Say you are talking with a distributor such as a supermarket in order to sell a cheese product. If you send two different emails with two different logos at the top, they may not reply or get lost in the confusion. That’s why maintaining a consistent image is crucial to maintaining good B2B relationships. Using something like https://www.templafy.com/brand-management-software/ allows you to update all your offices with the latest logos, company addresses and overall public image. Since everything you update is stored on their cloud system, the updated templates used for emails and formal letters are just a few clicks away.

A close working relationship with companies that are vital to your growth is just as important as the public persona with your customers. Without each other, you will be trying to do everything yourself. Make a good chain of importance communication line and keep your professional look consistent in all online contact.

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Things You Should Never Say to a Deaf Person

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Communicating with someone who has hearing loss can be difficult. The key is to speak clearly so that the individual can lip-read you. While it may be tempting to shout, this rarely makes a difference; it is all about being clear and talking at a slightly slower pace so that it is easy for the other person to follow your lips if they cannot actually hear you. Aside from this, you will obviously want to make sure that you do not offend the person with hearing difficulties. Of course, you would never intend to hurt their feelings, but it can be hard to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. With that in mind, read on to discover some of the things that you should never say to a deaf person or someone with any hearing problems…

Don’t speak to them like they are unintelligent – We have all been there. You are conversing with someone who comes from another country, and you start talking to him or her like they are from Mars, or like he or she is a young child that has only started to speak. People often have a tendency to do this when they are speaking to someone with hearing problems too. Yes, it is a good idea to speak slightly slower so that you make it easier for the other person to lip-read you. However, try to avoid speaking to them like they are stupid. You probably don’t realise you are doing it, but there is a difference between talking slow and dumbing things down.

What’s your friend’s name? – Talking about someone with hearing loss in front of him or her is incredibly rude. Just because they may not be able to hear you does not mean that they won’t feel uncomfortable, even if what you are saying is completely innocent and harmless. Rather than asking someone else about his or her friend, ask the person. If you then struggle to converse with one and other, you can always ask the interpreter, but make sure you try first.

HI, HOW ARE YOU TODAY? – Okay, so you can actually ask that question, but the point is that you shouldn’t shout! You do realise that speaking louder does not make a difference! For most people with hearing problems, it’s not the volume that is the issue. Speak clear and pronounce your words properly, and this will make a much bigger difference.

Never mind, I will tell you later – Don’t give up. Yes, it can be frustrating for both of you, but giving up on the conversation is the worst thing you can do. The other person will really appreciate it if you keep going and tell them what you were going to say.

Have you tried a hearing aid? – Yes, you are trying to be helpful. But if a hearing aid was going to make a difference, don’t you think your friend or loved one would have tried this already? It may be that the person already has a hearing aid, and so you decide to question whether it is working effectively. Again, this is something you should not do. You can learn more about hearing aids and their effectiveness here. While hearing aids can be extremely beneficial for some people, for others they aren’t helpful at all, and then for some people they can help in certain situations but not all. It all depends on the degree of hearing loss, the environment, and a number of other issues. Think about it; if you had a disability or an illness of any sort, and someone asked you an obvious question that implied you hadn’t made any effort to help yourself, you would be pretty irritated, right?

Turn your hearing aid up – This goes back to the volume thing; making something louder is not a cure for hearing loss. Not only this, but this impatient attitude can make a deaf person feel incredibly uncomfortable.

So there you have it: some of the things that you should never say to someone with hearing problems. Don’t worry if you have said any of the above phrases or sentences before, or even if you accidentally say them in the future. After all, this is a learning curve for you as well as the person who has hearing problems. Simply apologise and move forward. And, never give up on a conversation! Don’t assume that the other person is frustrated because they cannot understand you, and so it would be better for you to give up altogether. In fact, this is likely to cause more upset, as the person will be disappointed that you cannot communicate with one and other.

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