March 28, 2008
Training
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The majority of office employees use software applications from the Microsoft Office suite. Although they use such programs as Excel, Word and PowerPoint regularly it is common to find that they will have undertaken no formal training in their use. Due to the differing nature of each individual business, the way in which these applications are used may have become very company specific.
An increasing number of training companies offer consultancy services in addition to training courses based on the topics of standard course syllabus outlines. There are a number of pros and cons to these alternative approaches which need to be considered when identifying which type of Microsoft training is right for you.
Training Course Pros
Attending a training course offers an inexpensive solution to providing training. A training course provided by an authorised Microsoft training company provides a structured approach and ensures all the main elements of a particular program are adequately covered. The courses are easy to organise with fully networked, modern specification IT being provided by the training company.
Training can be undertaken on a public schedule course or on-site at your offices, with leading Microsoft training companies in the UK offering daily public schedule courses for popular programs such as Microsoft Excel. This means there is ample scope for employees to attend a training course at a time and location that is convenient for them without necessarily removing all users from the work environment at the same time.
Training Course Cons
As a training course provides a set syllabus to a number of trainees who may have vastly differing previous knowledge of the application, time may not be used efficiently with some delegates being taught techniques they are already familiar with or that do not apply to their situation.
The dates for such courses will not be as flexible as those available with consultancy, however, with many Microsoft training companies offering courses on each program as often as twice a week, finding a suitable date is unlikely to be a significant issue.
Consultancy Pros
Bringing in a consultant means that specific problem areas can be targeted without the feeling that time is being wasted going over unnecessary ground. It also allows company specific procedures to be adequately addressed and perhaps also updated and improved. This type of approach is ideal if the main requirement is to build onto an existing application e.g. spreadsheet redesign or development.
Consultancy Cons
If those employees being trained have very limited experience with the application then employing a consultant is likely to be a more expensive solution to provide the basic training than attendance at a standard training course.
Conclusions
Which of the two options provides the best solution to a company’s training needs varies depending on specific circumstances. If very standard, basic knowledge is required across the board then training courses are likely to provide the best solution. If more specific requirements or problems exist using consultancy services may be more appropriate.
In many situations it may be that a combination of the two provides the most effective solution. Employees can develop the basic skills through training courses and then use a consultancy agreement to build on these skills and deal with company specific issues and requirements.
Author is a trainer with a Microsoft training company, the market leader in its industry. For more information on training courses and consultancy, visit www.microsofttraining.net
March 28, 2008
Training
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When you are trying to grow your business during those first few years, the ability to turn prospects into customers and to keep customers satisfied with your products and services is MISSION CRITICAL.
However, some entreprenurs and small business owners may have a common misconception thinking their inside sales professionals and the customer service staffs also possess the same abilities and desires in keeping the business running and growing
Every sales trainer has heard the: “not in the budget” “we are not big enough for training and coaching” and “I am the sales manager-trainer” answers before and that type of response only makes me more committed to help them see the importance of investing some monetary resources into turning their operation into a successful and cohesive sales and service organization.
I have first-hand experience not thinking it was a necessary investment. As a result of a major business crisis for my sales organization in the mid-90s, I became convinced that sales and customer service training was needed to save the company. After finding that I needed to retool and retrain my staffs in order to weather the storm of losing our largest vendor, I had no alternative but to make a necessary monetary investment in trying to recover from this loss. In looking back at the results before and after the training, I see that I had made a HUGE mistake and probably lost significant revenues by not taking that step 5-8 years earlier.
The sales training that I chose was not appropriate for my team of “inside sales” account managers, but it was all I could find at the time. Without the convenience of the internet and websites, I had to rely on a referral from a business associate who gave me the name of the trainer and the program. The trainer tried to modify the program to address the needs of my company and ultimately it did help me to retool the entire sales and customer service team.
It was at that time that I decided that there was a lack of assessment and training programs that were targeted to the small inside sales team and small customer service staff — but these companies need that type of process training and coaching more than the Fortune 100 organizations.
As a small business owner, investigate the overview of training and coaching systems. Make sure they meet your appropriate needs and offer the following services: A comprehensive Assessment and Sales Training System for smaller inside sales organizations (2 - 20 Inside Sales Executives), an Assessment and Training for Inside Sales Managers and a complimentary coaching system for Customer Service Departments (3-10 CSRs).
Several training organizations have developed programs like these and they can be the best investment you make in your own company.
Some of the most well-known training programs demand months of training and high-ticket pricing. That is overkill for most businesses. The training should have elements of onsite training, follow up, and offer teleclass and teleseminars on an ongoing basis for brush up and advanced skills. Any program you choose should be able to assess if the sales and service teams to assure they are well-suited for their jobs. If they are - the training will be completed in less than 3 months with a minimum of disruption in the company.
Results are almost immediate. Proper assessment, training and ongoing coaching provide a way to set goals, develop a process, overcome fear of cold calling, a method of improving their vocal skill to make a greater first impression on those critical calls. Training organizatins should have additional modules as needed for more advanced training. The basis of successful programs are very simple: If you have a passion for sales, or the emotional empathy to be a great customer service representative, then any program you choose must provide the training and coaching to make your employees excel. For Business Owners, it is an opportunity to insure results and growth in revenue and satisfaction with customer service and support.
Melissa Vokoun - From 1983 to 2005 she was COO and VP of Sales and Marketing for a telecom distributor. Her passion for recruiting, training and managing these staffs was instrumental to the company. To learn more about the NuVo Partners Programs please visit the website at: http://www.nuvopartners.com or call 847-392-6886.
March 27, 2008
Training
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There are twelve blocks to listening. You will find that some are old favorites that you use over and over. Others are held in reserve for certain types of people or situations. Everyone uses listening blocks, so you should not worry if a lot of blocks are familiar. This is an opportunity to become more aware of your blocks at the time you actually use them.
1. Comparing
Comparing makes it hard to listen because you are always trying to assess who is smarter, more competent, and more emotionally healthy, whether it is you or the other person. Some people focus on who has suffered more, who is a bigger victim. While someone is talking, you think to yourself: Could I do it that well? Hey, my kids are so much brighter. You cannot let much in because you are too busy seeing if you measure up.
2. Mind Reading
The mind reader does not pay much attention to what people say. In fact, he often distrusts it. He is trying to figure out what the other person is really thinking and feeling. She says she wants to go to the show, but I will bet she is tired and wants to relax. She might be resentful if I pushed her when she does not want to go. The mind reader pays less attention to words than to intonations and subtle cues in an effort to see through to the truth.
If you are a mind reader, you probably make assumptions about how people react to you.
I bet he is looking at my lousy skin … She thinks I am stupid … She is turned off by my shyness. These notions are born of intuition, hunches, and vague misgivings, but have little to do with what the person actually says to you.
3. Rehearsing
You do not have time to listen when you are rehearsing what to say. Your whole attention is on the preparation and crafting of your next comment. You have to look interested, but your mind is going a mile a minute because you have got a story to tell, or a point to make. Some people rehearse whole chains of responses: First I will say, then he will say, then I will say, and so on.
4. Filtering
When you filter, you listen to some things and not to others. You pay only enough attention to see if somebody is angry, or unhappy, or if you are in emotional danger. Once assured that the communication contains none of those things, you let your mind wander. One woman listens just enough to her son to learn whether he is fighting again at school. Relieved to hear he is not, she begins thinking about her shopping list. A young man quickly ascertains what kind of mood his girlfriend is in. If she seems happy as she describes her day, his thoughts begin wandering.
Another way people filter is simply to avoid hearing certain things–particularly anything
threatening, negative, critical, or unpleasant. It is as if the words were never said: You simply have no memory of them.
5. Judging
Negative labels have enormous power. If you prejudge someone as stupid or nuts or unqualified, you do not pay much attention to what they say. You have already written them off. Hastily judging a statement as immoral, hypocritical, fascist, or crazy means you have ceased to listen and have begun a knee-jerk reaction. A basic rule of listening is that judgments should only be made after you have heard and evaluated the content of the message.
6. Dreaming
You are half listening, and something the person says suddenly triggers a chain of private
associations. Your neighbor says she has been laid off, and in a flash you are back to the scene where you got fired for playing hearts on those long coffee breaks. Hearts is a great game, and there have been many great nights of playing the game. And you are gone, only to return a few minutes later as your neighbor says, I knew you would understand, but please do no tell my husband.
You are more prone to dreaming when you feel bored or anxious. Everyone dreams - and you sometimes need to make Herculean efforts to stay tuned in. But if you dream a lot with certain people, it may indicate a lack of commitment to knowing or appreciating them. At the very least, it is a statement that you do not value what they have to say very much.
7. Identifying
In this block, you take everything a person tells you and refer it back to your own experience. They want to tell you about a toothache, but that reminds you of the time you had oral surgery for receding gums. You launch into your story before they can finish theirs.
Everything you hear reminds you of something that you have felt, done, or suffered. You are so busy with these exciting tales of your life that there is no time to really hear or get to know the other person.
8. Advising
You are the great problem solver, ready with help and suggestions. You do not have to hear more than a few sentences before you begin searching for the right advice. However, while you are cooking up suggestions and convincing someone to just try it, you may miss what is most important. You did not hear the feelings, and you did not acknowledge the persons pain. He or she still feels basically alone because you could not listen and just be there.
9. Sparring
This block has you arguing and debating with people. The other person never feels heard
because you are so quick to disagree. In fact, a lot of your focus is on finding things to disagree with. You take strong stands, are very clear about your beliefs and preferences. The way to avoid sparring is to repeat back and acknowledge what you have heard. Look for one thing you might agree with.
One subtype of sparring is the put-down. You use acerbic or sarcastic remarks to dismiss the other persons point of view. For example, sally starts telling Joe about her problems in an English class. Joe says: When are you going to be smart enough to drop that class? Jake is feeling overwhelmed with the noise from the TV. When he tells Rebecca, she says, Oh please, not the TV routine again. The put-down is the standard block to listening in many marriages. It quickly pushes the communication into stereotyped patterns where each person repeats a familiar hostile litany.
A second type of sparring is discounting. Discounting is for people who cannot stand compliments. Oh, I did not do anything…What do you mean, I was totally lame… It is nice of you to say, but it is really a very poor attempt. The basic technique of discounting is to run yourself down when you get a compliment. The other person never feels satisfied that you really heard his appreciation. And he is right, you did not.
10. Being Right
Being right means you will go to any lengths (twist the facts, start shouting, make excuses or accusations, call up past sins) to avoid being wrong. You cannot listen to criticism, you cannot be corrected, and you cannot take suggestions to change. Your convictions are unshakable. And since you will not acknowledge that your mistakes are mistakes, you just keep making them.
11. Derailing
This listening block is accomplished by suddenly changing the subject. You derail the train of conversation when you get bored or uncomfortable with a topic. Another way of derailing is by joking it off. This means that you continually respond to whatever is said with a joke or quip in order to avoid the discomfort or anxiety in seriously listening to the other person.
12. Placating
Right, Right … Absolutely … I know … Of course, you are … Incredible … Yes … Really? You want to be nice, pleasant, and supportive. You want people to like you - so you agree with everything. You may half-listen just enough to get the drift, but you are not really involved. You are placating rather than tuning in and examining what is actually being said.
Pj Germain
Holistic Aromatherapy
Chinese Acupunture
Top Domain Search Resources
March 26, 2008
Training
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Who couldn’t use some great ad copy tips once in awhile?! Here are secrets shared by ad pros to use in your promotions online and off.
1. DIGITAL IMAGES - Add images with your ad copy. Rule of thumb here is NOT “the more the merrier.” So choose one or two of your best images. Don’t have a camera or not great with it yet? Don’t worry. Surf the Internet or check software packages for images that grant you permission for use. Simply type “free images to use” into your favorite search engine. Or check places like Amazon.com or Ebay.com for affordable image packages that fit your industry needs.
2. PRICE - List your price and don’t irritate people by playing games and hiding it or leaving it out. People are bombarded with sales commercials, postal mail, email, radio and television ads, etc. They don’t and won’t waste time on hunting for your price. Plus whenever you offer rewards or free bonus items in your ad copy, make sure to include the dollar value beside each so that people know they’re getting a god deal and your package holds more value overall.
3. TESTIMONIALS - Continually gather testimonials of all lengths from your clients and sprinkle them throughout your ad copy. Group some inside a yellow or blue (or other color that coordinates with your marketing piece) box. List some in individual boxes along with a photo of the person sharing comments and his or her company name to add credibility. No need to be book-length comments, either.
“Those 1-liners stand out and pull readers!”
4. HAND WRITTEN NOTE - Include a hand written notation or actual letter with your ad copy. Write the note on the edge of the ad so that it stands out, or write it on a small different colored sheet of paper. For online use, scan it and publish it on the web page or visit your favorite search engine and find a third party solution under “website handwritten notes” for companies like 3M Worldwide at www.3m.com .
The addition of a personal touch can always help increase sales. Note: If your handwriting is difficult to decipher, maybe ask a friend or colleague to re-write your copy first before it going to press.
When you’re finished, with your ad copy, go back and check for areas of improvement. Even tiny changes can make huge differences in response rates.
Dr. John E. Neyman, Jr.is a Pastor, Author
Internet Marketing Coach and Relationship
Coach. You may visit Dr. John’s website at
http://LeadersExcel.com Or e-mail him
at drjohnneyman@gmail.com
March 26, 2008
Training
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There are increasingly two schools of thought (we’re sure there are probably 2002): one for and one against Appraisals. And in both, the bottom line still is that they will cost your company money if not handled well. As we know, in vast numbers of cases they aren’t.
Although the appraisal format may be key, the best procedures in the world won’t really be effective if the person running the appraisal isn’t handling it efficiently, professionally and with long-term care involved.
Performance appraisals are almost always a one or two-times a year process rather than something that is a daily part of a manager’s job. They usually become ‘tick the box’ exercises that cause a great deal of anxiety on both ’sides’ and once they’re competed they aren’t looked at again till the next time.
Difficult feedback gets postponed or sugar-coated, or even worse, lied about on the Appraisal form. A lot of managers don’t want to put down in black and white that someone’s performance has been under par and therefore they (the manager) will be responsible for that person not getting a pay increase or promotion.
In turn, appraisals can also lack objectivity and, therefore, have more personal rather than professional views included which could be detrimental.
In addition, if everything is focused on the appraisal process then you run the risk of creating anxiety during the build-up and a lack of motivation and productivity as people anticipate the results. In other words, there should be no surprises during an appraisal.
Supposedly only 5% of organisations say they have satisfactory appraisal processes, but we got that information off the Internet, so I’d take it with a pinch of salt!
A truly good Appraisal is actually an agreed summary of what has been happening on an on-going basis between appraisals. If it is left to review twice a year, or quarterly, all the opportunities to support and guide the employee to improve get missed. People need to be engaged in the idea that managing people - and being managed - is constant.
Fear, uncertainty, collusion, duplicity, embarrassment, laziness, guilt and sheer incompetence are among the reasons why appraisals are often not worth the paper they are written on.
One of our clients told us that rather than completely redoing their appraisal process they decided to ‘mark down’ their performance related pay levels: in other words if someone had been scored a 4 (out of 5 levels) they were lowered to a 3. This was because they discovered that most managers scored people higher than their performance merited. It was an exercise in trying to get rid of the ‘invisible incompetence’ that the process colluded in.
A great appraisal needs to be fair, objective, two-way, realistic, clear, on-going and specific.
It also needs to be positioned well.
It’s easy to shoot yourself in the foot if you place too much emphasis on the actual appraisal process and not on the on-going performance management. People will focus on the process rather than the objective, which is to help people develop in to more effective, better managed members of staff.
Jo Ellen and Robin run Impact Factory who provide Performance Appraisals and Performance Management Training, Presentation Skills, Communications Training, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching for Individuals.
March 26, 2008
Training
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Why executive coaching services are expanding and how best to use an executive coach.
Why use an executive coach?
Nothing to be ashamed of
Unfortunately, for years, the idea of using an executive coach was looked on as a weakness. Somehow, the higher up people got in a company, the more responsibilities they were supposed to handle without any outward sign that they weren’t superman or superwoman.
It wasn’t even supposed to be the image of the swan - serene and calm on the outside, but paddling like hell underneath. No, people were supposed to look serene and paddle serene as well!
Fortunately, these days things have moved on a lot. It’s not considered a weakness to seek support. At least in some companies. There will always be those that think the stiff upper lip is better than admitting that not only people can’t do it alone, but it’s a whole lot better if they don’t.
All the ‘big people’ have their own coaches, mentors, ‘gurus’, counsellors or wise person. Indeed, having an executive coach is nothing to be ashamed of.
Pressure ‘they’ put on you
You are a key member of your company. People rely on your leadership, interpersonal skills, judgements and decisions and expect you to continually ‘come up with the goods’.
As a matter of course, you are called upon to give keynote speeches, chair crucial meetings, develop strategy and people, focus on succession planning, handle crises and deal with the internal and external pressures that go with your position.
Part of the deal is that others do expect you to handle all that and more with grace, professionalism, energy and enthusiasm. And then there’s the rest of your life, too: all that work-life balance stuff.
Pressure you put on yourself
Not only that, staying under duvet may seem very inviting, especially if you, too, set high (if not impossible) expectations for yourself. Unfortunately, staying under the duvet is not an option most of the time.
Putting additional pressure on yourself is not uncommon. Somehow, the more responsibility people are given, the stronger their sense of obligation. Now, that’s not a bad thing. It’s good to be really committed and responsible.
However, the downside is that people give themselves a really hard time when they don’t live up to the expectations they’ve set themselves. And those expectations are usually way higher than any their companies set. They really get to a point where they can’t see the wood for all the trees they themselves planted.
Good executive coaching should put all these pressures into perspective and give you tools and additional skills to cope more effectively with everything that’s thrown at you.
Benefits of using an executive coach
It’s a place to offload
When you use an executive coach, it’s a wonderful opportunity to offload your concerns, issues and complaints without fear of making a career-limiting move.
Your coach offers confidentiality and objectivity
These are qualities everyone could use in their life. You want to know that what you discuss with your coach stays between the two of you. At the same time, getting an objective perspective on your situation is invaluable.
You will feel more motivated and enthused
When someone is totally on your side and guiding you through some of the rockier times in your working life, energy and enthusiasm are released. It’s very reassuring knowing someone is there.
They will give you unbiased practical support
Without an axe to grind, your executive coach won’t be biased, won’t have the same prejudices and expectations others within your company may have. They will also be able to offer you practical suggestions and options because they may perhaps see your issues more clearly than you are able to.
They bring outside expertise
A good executive coach should have an array of expertise and skills that you may not have. You can expect to have your own knowledge and skill base developed the more you use a coach.
They aren’t part of your company
This is key. An executive coach who isn’t part of your company won’t be caught up in the politics, intrigues, pettiness or even just the day-to-day routines.
They bring an outside perspective
Following on from the above point, the fact that they aren’t part of the company means that they will see everything with ‘untainted’ eyes. In turn, they simply won’t see the things the way you do and will be able to offer you fresh perspectives to help you tackle problems more creatively.
Your confidence will increase
With someone providing unconditional support, fresh perspectives and who is there just for you, your confidence can only increase. Having an executive coach is like having your own private cheering squad (even if a discreet one!).
You’ll get better at what you already do well
A good coach should help you develop what you’re good at. By giving you a variety of skills and techniques, your qualities and talents will grow exponentially.
Leadership and executive coaching
Leadership vacuums
We definitely hear this a lot from our various clients, how there is a big leadership void, how they don’t make leaders like they used to, how things would be better if they only had good strong leadership within their organisations.
We’ve written quite a bit on leadership (link here to leadership docs?), but it’s important to look at leadership in the context of executive coaching.
We agree. There are leadership voids in many organisations. There isn’t however, a lack of people who could fill those leadership voids. The issue seems to be more about how people’s leadership skills and potential are perceived.
Owning up
We think this is one of the best indicators of a good leader: owning up to mistakes and showing vulnerability.
It really is all right to make mistakes. You can’t and won’t know it all and you will screw up every once in a while - everyone does. When you do, try not to make excuses, point the finger of blame at someone else, sweep it under the carpet and hope it will resolve itself on all its own or justify your own behaviour.
Humility and maturity go hand in hand. When something goes awry, take responsibility for what went wrong and use your executive coach to debrief. The more you can let your coach know what has been going on for you, the better able they will be to give you relevant, practical suggestions to ease you through the rocky times.
Then you’ll be exhibiting true leadership behaviour.
Being a role model
People need role models
Great, even good leaders need to be role models for the people around them. Others look to you for guidance, wisdom, surety and confidence. They rely on your dependability. They want to know you’re handling it all.
So what if you aren’t? Can you still be a role model?
Of course you can.
How executive coaching can help
This is exactly where executive coaching is most needed. In these kinds of situations you can display true leadership behaviour just by having an executive coach.
First, you’ll be demonstrating that you, too, need support, which in turn gives permission to the people around you to acknowledge they might need support as well.
Second, you’ll be letting others know that you aren’t invincible. The knock on effect of that could be that people will be more aware of just how much you have to cope with.
In turn, if chosen well, your executive coach can be one of your role models. Because we can guarantee that your executive coach isn’t invincible either!
Role models aren’t indestructible. And if you want to be a great role model, let other people know it.
Choosing an executive coach
Who’s right for me?
The spectrum of executive coaches and executive consulting services is enormous. The executive coaching services on offer are seemingly endless. Different people offer different skills and it’s really important for you to be clear about what you want from an executive coach.
If you aren’t clear what you want when you start, then that’s one good way to find out if you’ll be able to work with someone: by talking with you even for a brief time, a good executive coach will be able to help you pinpoint exactly what they could do to support you.
But there are some essentials no matter who you use.
Your executive coach has to:
Be trustworthy
Be hugely experienced in dealing with a variety of people and issues
Have your best interests at heart
Be empathetic
Have really good counselling skills; be direct and clear
Get to the point and give practical suggestions
And most important:
You do have to like them
Whatever anyone says, if you or your company are paying for executive coaching support, you absolutely must get on with this person.
Some companies may have a group of executive coaches they know and use. If you don’t like any of them, find your own!
Having an executive coach could be a major relationship in your life. You may use them only once or decide that you want them supporting you in an on-going role. You may decide to have a ‘check up’ or ‘MOT’ once a year.
At Impact Factory, those of us who do executive coaching have all kinds of coaching relationships:
people we see once who have an intensive, powerful and in-depth session
people we see regularly who like to know someone is out there just for them
people with whom we have a less formal arrangement - they use us as and when things arise and they need an outside eye to help them
However and whoever you use, executive coaching could make a significant difference to how you feel and what you do.
Jo Ellen and Robin run Impact Factory who provide Executive Coaching for Individuals, Public Speaking Presentation Skills, Communications Training and Leadership Development.
March 26, 2008
Training
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Good Communication Skills are essential
Being an effective communicator takes real skill. Communication skills have to be developed, honed and added to on an on-going basis. They are the heart of interpersonal skills and the greater your awareness of how it all works, the more effective your communication will be.
To be effective in business, you have to communicate well. To be a good manager, you have to communicate exceptionally well.
Here we look at basic communication dynamics, learning skills to improve your communication, using effective communication to improve and promote interpersonal relationships, creating an effective communication strategy.
We could write a book about the importance of communication key skills, but for now you can content yourself with some essentials for becoming a more effective communicator.
Communication Core Skills - The Essentials
Communication is Individual
We’re Not All The Same
When you look at communication, presentation skills are not all there is to it. Far from it. Everyone communicates differently and sees the world differently. The greatest skill you can have in order to instantly and significantly improve you communications skills is to understand the other person’s point view and how they see the world. Then you can adjust your own communication to take that into account.
Change Yourself to Change Others
Alongside this has to be the knowledge that the only person you can be sure of changing in any communication is you. Therefore, the most effective way to be in charge of what happens in any communication dynamic is changing what you do. When you can do this you are well on the way to promoting better relationships.
You are the Only One of You
There’s never one right way to communicate. Authentic effective communication always happens when we reply on those things we know to be true about or for ourselves. Remember your personal style probably says more for you that all the words you use can.
What’s Already Working?
Most people tend to look at what’s wrong with themselves and other people rather than focusing on what already works. Remember, something (more than one thing, of course) has to be working well for you to have got this far already!
How Communication Happens
Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication
Interpersonal skills. Everything communicates. Remember! If you aren’t clear about what you mean and what your intention is, the other person (or people) could easily (and sometimes deliberately), misinterpret what you mean.
What you do matters as much as what you say. It’s now accepted that the words account for only 7-11% of a communication. Your behaviour will ‘read’ unconsciously to other people and you can certainly be more in charge of the reading matter!
Language is one of the most powerful reflections of how we think and feel about ourselves and others. You need to be aware of the padding, justifications and excuses you use and whether they are appropriate. You can make a big impact simply by changing some of your language and developing your verbal skills, This way you can significantly improve your communication skills.
Communication Cycle
There is a neat communication cycle we’ve come across that can help you understand how to make communication work better. It means that you can take responsibility for every stage on the Communication Cycle:
Spoken - Heard - Understood - Agreed To - Acted On - Implemented.
Be aware of where you or others tend to fall off the cycle.
What can get in the way of Effective Communication
Here are some Common Barriers to Effective Communication.
We all make Too Many Assumptions
Be aware of the assumptions you make, especially making something up and then acting as though what you made up was true. Notice if you alter your behaviour with certain people because of the assumptions you make about them. Also be aware of the assumptions you think other people make about you.
Assumptions aren’t necessarily ‘bad’. Sometimes it’s important to let people keep their assumptions (or some of them at least!) about you.
One effective way to deal with assumptions is to say to the other person, ‘I’ve assumed such and such. ‘Is that true?’ or ‘I’m making an assumption here about… Do you agree?’
Good communication in the workplace is often sabotaged by too many unconfirmed assumptions.
Patterns/Reverting to Type
We are pattern-making beings, which is good. However, sometimes we get so used to behaving and responding in certain ways that it’s hard to see that there’s any other way of doing things. When the pressure is on or we are under stress, even our best intentions may go out the window as we revert to type.
Habits, patterns, routine ways of thinking and behaving are difficult to change. Noticing your patterns at least gets you aware of them! One way to practise this is to see how many communication habits and patterns have crept into your workplace. Try not to judge them. You can always decide if you want to change them or not.
Needing to Be Right
This is one area we all know about - the need to be right and in turn for the other person to be wrong. One skill that does need practise is to let go of needing to be right. Think of it as presenting information or a point of view rather than having to bludgeon someone else with your arguments.
If you want to promote effective relationships, this is one of the greatest communication key skills you can have is to be able to change what you want from a communication. You may have started out wanting the other person to agree with you, but by giving that up you can change your want to letting them know you understand their point of view.
Conflict Resolution
Conflict
One of the purposes of conflict is to arrive at a resolution, so if you avoid conflict, the problem usually (though not always) gets worse. The earlier you can identify that there is a problem and intervene, the better it will be. Good communication skills require you to be able to resolve conflict.
Agreement
Find something (anything will do) in the other person’s argument which you can genuinely agree with. This is a great way to take the wind out of someone’s sails and ensure you don’t get drawn into an insoluble argument. People usually won’t listen until they feel heard.
Bridge Building
Really listen to what the other person is saying - they usually give a lot of information without realising it. Building bridges by making an offer can help enormously, as can changing what you want.
‘I’ not ‘You’
Use ‘I’ statements, not ‘You’ statements to avoid blaming. This also means that you take responsibility for how you feel, rather than making the other person responsible for making things all right for you.
Improving Communication Skills
Be a Good Influence
Attitude
You can change the direction of a communication if you change your attitude. There is no one attitude that’s the ‘right’ one to have, though being direct and clear certainly helps.
Effective Listening and Responding
You can have tremendous influence on a communication as the listener and the responder. When we get little or no response from the listener, we often project our assumptions onto them about what they are thinking (and usually we assume they aren’t thinking good things about us!).
Be Positive
Use affirmation and encouragement to get the best out of people. Notice when others do things well (even if it’s part of their daily routine). This shows you’re being attentive; most people respond well when they know that others are aware of what they do.
Quite simply, the workplace can be a far better place to be if you consciously sprinkle your communication with positive feedback.
The Importance of Basic Communication Skills
What’s most important is that you don’t leave the business of communication to chance. Raise your awareness, develop your skills and you’ll be a role model for effective communication.
Jo Ellen and Robin run Impact Factory who provide Communications Training, Public Speaking Presentation Skills, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching for Individuals.
March 26, 2008
Training
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Organisations are turning more and more to external training companies to develop the ’soft’ skills of their staff. With so much expertise available what do people need to look for to get the best from the training they buy in?
At Impact Factory we have evolved a way of working with our clients which produces truly effective training programmes that take into account different and changing needs all the way from the briefing process right through to the delivery of the training itself, and beyond.
There are three stages that go into the creation and delivery of effective training: it has to be specific to an organisation, the group of people to whom the training is available and most importantly the group to whom the training is delivered.
Here’s how we see these three objectives broken down
There must be a good initial briefing reflected back to the client in order to ensure that the objectives are understood.
The more detail the better, so that everyone is clear how the training will fit into the goals of the company. Companies who go to the trouble of providing well-detailed briefs, should be presented with something better than ‘off the shelf’ courses by the training provider.
There should be a period of consultation with the client and prospective participants whilst the training is being designed.
This is to ensure that there are a number of different perspectives heard, which can be taken into account when creating the training. Input from a variety of people helps present a broad picture.
Now most really good training companies achieve these first two objectives.
It’s the third objective, however, that truly sets excellent training apart from the good.
It is the function of the trainer in the room when the training is delivered. In the same way that training companies can provide off the shelf programmes, so trainers can deliver courses in a proscriptive and inflexible way.
In other words, they may be good trainers, but they follow their training manuals step-by-step even when something unplanned would be more appropriate.
Every Impact Factory training ever designed has a clear set of objectives and a manual which will include a series of processes, exercises and games to fulfil those objectives. Beyond that, however, Impact Factory trainers are rigorously trained to be able to create, develop and modify these processes to fit the needs of the people on the day.
For instance, after a series of tried and true communication exercises there might be a session given in the manual only as “An hour on Added Value”.
The processes for this session would be developed by the trainer based on the dynamic of the group of people in the room and what would most benefit them.
That level of flexibility keeps every training session we run alive and relevant.
Here’s an example
We ran a Team Event for a group of 18 software support and customer service staff.
There were eighteen people who were giving up their Saturday just before Christmas. We had created a one-day programme for them to include ‘team building’, creativity and a look at how the future of this department might develop.
They clearly said at the beginning of the day that they wanted ‘fun’, but didn’t want any ‘role play’, but they also clearly demonstrated during the day a desire and ability to play hard and well.
This resulted in a process where three natural teams, or groups, within the department created a tongue in cheek political manifesto for running the department. It was then followed by a party political gathering where each group electioneered, made promises, bargained and generally tried to get the others to vote for them.
It was tremendous fun, helped people deal with serious issues of agreements between the groups, but most important of all, suited this group of people down to the ground.
This approach may look dangerous and cavalier at first glance. Indeed, if attempted by untrained people it can easily turn into a disaster. However, when run by experts it is very safe, very effective and produces comments like “this is the best training I have ever done”.
Impact Factory trainers work hard to give participants a relevant experience as opposed to just delivering a training well.
Our skill is in providing the appropriate training to fit the group of people who are there at the time. When you think about it, if we took this training, which was developed on-the-spot for these software people, and made a reluctant, non-playful group go through the same process it would not produce the same result.
The experience is what is important. When you look at the reason that role-play is so universally disliked it’s because people have had, or fear they will have, a difficult or humiliating experience.
Impact Factory trainers and trainings don’t use set piece role-plays or inflict role-plays on unwilling people. We look for ways to introduce ‘real life re-enactments’ using situations or examples brought in by participants. They may well end up ‘playing them out’, but are likely to say afterwards things like ‘How did they get us to do that?’.
This way of working is entirely dependant on the ability of the trainer in the room being able to assess the people, create the processes and ‘bounce’ the participants into willingly taking part.
Our trainers will always deal with the experience that people are having rather than trying to give people the experience the manual says they are supposed to have. This is how Impact Factory creates effective training.
Jo Ellen and Robin run Impact Factory a training company who provide Public Speaking, Presentation Skills, Communications Training, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching for Individuals.
March 26, 2008
Training
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People development has long been recognised as a primary need for any growing and developing organisation. However there seems to be little agreement as to what people development really is. What tends to happen is that companies, once they do decide that something is needed (through annual appraisals, personal development reviews, performance management reviews, change programmes, etc), put out a call for training, without really understanding the difference between it and development.
Then they get saddled with programmes that ‘train’ people on the ‘right’ way to do things (communication, presentation, assertiveness, etc.) and find that things don’t seem to change much. For instance, we often hear of presentation training designed to get everyone giving a consistent message. So people get trained in the right way to deliver the company message, rather than having their individual capacity developed to present in their unique style.
One company we spoke to had put an entire department of 400 people through a ‘training’ programme (prestigious and expensive!) and plaintively asked why nothing had changed a few months down the line. It wasn’t even that the training was bad; it simply had a different, more proscriptive perspective on the issue at hand (indeed, the outcome was one of conformity) and the organisation ended up not getting what it needed.
It’s not called sheep-dip training for nothing!
Impact Factory has been at the cutting edge in the field of people development for over ten years and we think we know what we’re talking about.
To start with, it’s not training. Training presupposes that the people involved need to acquire some new skill. They need to become good at doing something that the organisation needs. This may be part of someone’s development but it isn’t all there is by a long shot.
Real people development should be driven by the person being “developed”. Think of it as learning to use new words within a language rather than learning a new language. In hard skill terms it is rather like a good computer programmer developing his ability to write better programmes. He doesn’t need to learn to programme, he’s already a long way down that road.
In just the same way, people development issues such as influencing, negotiating, assertiveness, presenting, time management, etc, begin with people who already have a good foundation of skill in the area. For instance, an organisation may identify that a group of managers need to communicate better and therefore look for programmes to address that. But the reality is that these managers already do communication or they wouldn’t have their jobs in the first place. Therefore trying to get them ‘trained’ in communication won’t do it. There has to be respect and regard for what people already have.
Here’s a good example of how we see the difference between training and development. Let’s take appraisals. If managers get any appraisal training at all, it tends to be along the line of: how do appraisals work and what procedures you need to follow. From a development perspective, we’d be far more interested developing a manager’s skills so they could handle a difficult appraisal well.
One issue we’ve encountered a lot is one of time management: “We need this person to become better at managing their time. What can you do to fix that?” Well, we can’t, and here’s why. If, after a whole life of managing their time (however it is that they do it), someone is still unable to work to a time table, it is highly unlikely they will ‘develop’ into a well-regimented, routine-driven person, no matter how much ‘training’ they are given.
Unfortunately, what can happen is that they are sent on time-management training courses that end up making them feel bad. First they learn all about clear-desk policies, the right way to be organised, keeping an up-to-date filofax and making ‘to-do’ lists, and might possibly go away inspired with this new routine - for about a week. Then, their real and true personality asserts itself and they revert to type by doing exactly what they’ve always done. Except now they have the added burden of not having done it the right way, and the ‘time-management’ problem still exists.
That’s tackling the situation from a training perspective: this is the problem; give me the solution.
A people development perspective is completely different: it looks at what people actually do, rather than at what companies wish they would do.
So with our time management ‘problem’ person, the aim would be to identify what they can do, not what they can’t. With this approach we would turn things on their head. Perhaps this person works best under pressure and their best skill lies in not missing deadlines. Someone who does work well under pressure tends to leave things to the last minute and appears disorganised and chaotic, which makes colleagues very uneasy.
This person could now be developed into someone who is skilled at allaying the concerns of colleagues and has a reputation for calm in the midst of chaos. Far easier than trying to get them to start projects earlier or to miraculously become organised. We can’t fix any of that.
All effective people development starts with an assessment of what each individual already does well. And more importantly avoids any reference to weaknesses or things that need ‘fixing’. At first look this may seem wrong, and against a lot of current management thinking: surely you should look at strengths and weaknesses. We don’t think so. A sure-fire way to undermine someone’s confidence is to tell them what they’re weak at.
You can also look at turning a perceived weakness into something the person can use. For example, if someone is quite young and inexperienced there is often the desire to get them to have more authority. Whereas if you turn it around you can develop this person’s sense of pride in their youthfulness, energy and fresh outlook.
This is because any soft skill that a person is bad at is one that they will never excel at. You can put a lot of training effort into getting someone from bad at something to competent at it. Whereas with just a little development effort you can get that same person from good at something to excellent at it. And what is more, you will have a happy person on your hands as opposed to a weary one.
At Impact Factory we are passionate about peopling feeling more in charge of whatever arena they are working in. That’s why we say our work is ‘more than just training’.
Jo Ellen and Robin run Impact Factory a training company who provide People Development, Public Speaking, Presentation Skills, Communications Training, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching for Individuals.
March 26, 2008
Training
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There is a lot of talk about “change” - how important it is, how we should alter the way we do to things at work and in our personal lives in order to be more effective. Sometimes we even hear how it is essential to change even if just for change’s sake.
At Impact Factory, we too think that change is important. However we are more interested in the process of change and what the implications of change actually are.
We exist within contradiction. On the one hand, we need stability and perform well when we feel secure and established in our working and home lives. On the other hand we can become stagnant, complacent and uncreative when we shy away from change or when we find we simply cannot cope with it.
How can we bring these two ideas together so that we can rest easier and deal better with change?
One way is to look at how limiting beliefs, patterns and bad habits get in the way of our being able to incorporate change into our lives when it happens.
We cannot usually predict when change will happen, but we can be better equipped to deal with it when it does.
We can look at the limitations we all put on ourselves and how they hold us back from being open to change.
We can start to understand how patterns occur and what we can do to begin altering limiting habits and patterns. And we can look at the various kinds of changes there are and some effective ways of approaching them.
So What Types of Change are there?
Some change is easy; often it is more difficult; and sometimes it can seem downright impossible.
From our point of view there are five kinds of changes:
Straightforward change, like changing your car or changing your hairstyle.
Changing something you already do and relearning a new way, like changing your golf swing.
Changing something that obviously needs changing, but you either don’t want to or you can’t quite see how it could be done. This kind of change usually involves a habit - for instance, smoking - You know you shouldn’t, but you can’t seem to stop.
Changing something you absolutely, positively know you can’t change. This kind of change is about beliefs.
Change that’s imposed upon you, and over which you appear to have no control.
The first three we grapple with every day of our lives. We change in little ways all the time. We may struggle a bit with this kind of change. We may never give up smoking, but they are the kind of things we are conscious of. We can choose relatively easily how we will deal with this kind of change.
Yes, I may struggle over whether to change my hairstyle or not and I may get some comments for a few days, but it is unlikely that a change in hairstyle is going to fundamentally change my life. A lot of other things would have to happen alongside that.
It is the fourth and fifth types of change that can be the more difficult and therefore more challenging and confrontational. Both these types come right up against beliefs that we’ve created that underpin our whole lives.
The fourth type of change asks us to change a point of view, adopt a way of seeing the world that is at odds with the way we are used to seeing it. This experience can easily tap into our insecurity. We can develop a feeling of unsureness, a sense of not quite knowing what’s the ‘right’ thing to do. There is no longer a predictable, reliable pattern to follow.
The fifth type, imposed change, can often feel like suffering. If we have no say in the matter we can feel like it is being done to us. We can feel cheated or hoodwinked. Often, even those who instigate it will disown this type of change. “We have no choice. The market has changed and we must change with it.”
When change is imposed or brings us up against our beliefs we can easily feel disempowered by the experience.
On the other hand, it is also true that some people thrive on change. They can’t stay in one job, in one relationship, in one country for very long. They need to shake up their own status quo. They sometimes create change just for the sake of it.
Why Is Change So Hard Sometimes?
We are pattern-making mechanisms. In general, our systems are more comfortable with pattern and routine than with change. Once a pattern is established, our left-brains will quite happily keep marching along that path.
Most patterns get set very quickly; so think what resistance we have when we try to change patterns that have been part of lives for years.
Some patterns are as simple and straightforward as the route we take into work every day. Some patterns are as complex as the way we feel about ourselves.
For instance, the fourth type of change: something I don’t believe can change. A limiting belief.
Restricting or limiting patterns that people have are often to do with low self-esteem. These can be the hardest patterns to break. The reason is that a belief system, the pattern, is stronger than the contradictory evidence: it’s been around longer.
If, as I’m growing up, I hear over and over again what’s wrong with me and what I need to do to in order to improve myself, then I will have a well entrenched belief system established. Even when I no longer have my parents and or teachers to reinforce it, the pattern will persist. Now they are gone I speak to myself with that same punitive voice. So even in the face of evidence that I have done a job well, there will be this voice telling me how it could have gone better.
For me to change that voice I first have to become conscious that it’s there. “Oh look, I just told myself off again.” Then I have to do a good deal of what you might call reprogramming. I have to talk to myself or with other people about how well I’ve done. I have to create an opposing voice of acknowledgement and praise to counterbalance the punitive voice.
Paradoxically imposed change can sometimes be easier to deal with. The trick is getting past the - “I don’t want to.” “It’s not fair.” “Why me?”
Our dissatisfaction and helplessness about this type of change comes about because we didn’t buy into the agreement, we were never consulted.
The only way through this type of change is through negotiation with yourself and other people affected. Relief from the stress and upset caused by imposed change comes about when people choose to accept and commit to the change, to stop fighting or feeling resentful. If this doesn’t happen then people leave, move away, get divorced, start sectarian underground movements.
Change is inevitable; and mostly change is for the good. No one lives a life free of change, but sometimes we are afflicted by more change or demands for change than we can cope with. When this happens it helps to look at what change is going to get your attention and effort.
Look for the smallest change that will achieve what is needed and be wary of wholesale change and change for change’s sake.
Look also at the fourth type of change, yours and other people’s beliefs or ways of seeing things. Changing in this area may be harder work but the end result of people changing their attitude to something can be dramatic.
Jo Ellen and Robin run Impact Factory a training company who provide Dealing with Change and Change Management, Public Speaking’ Presentation Skills, Communications Training, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching for Individuals.
March 26, 2008
Training
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“What You Tolerate Becomes Your Standards.” This is a critical management philosophy that will assist you in driving high performance. When your employees are not performing, here are the steps to take to analyze why that performance is lower than the standard and suggestions for imbedding this philosophy into your organization’s culture.
1. Do you have clearly defined standards? When employees are not performing, the first place to look is to your definition of what you would like for them to do. Too many job descriptions are vague or contain perceptions instead of clear behaviors. Do your job descriptions include standards like, “Responds to Customers in a courteous manner”, “Dresses professionally”, or “Responds immediately to Customer concerns”? If any of these statements sound familiar, the first reason why you may be experiencing low performance is due to the lack of clarity of your standards. Define “professional” “courteous” and “immediately” and then your employees will have a clearer understanding of what you expect them to do.
2. Do your Managers hold your employees accountable for following the standard? If you look around your workplace and find that people are not dressed professionally, are eating in the work environment or are communicating in ways that do not meet your expectations; look to your Supervisors for answers. When someone does not follow the dress code, is this communicated to the employee? If Supervisors are not holding employees accountable for following the standard, then the employees will do as much as they think they can get away with. People’s performance only rises to the highest level of tolerance of your standards, not to the standards themselves. Teach your Supervisors how to effectively communicate the standards and how to convey messages that could be perceived as negative. When you have to tell employees that they are not following the standard, it can be an uncomfortable situation. But it doesn’t have to be. Teach your Supervisors how to use “I statements”, clearly stated facts and how to avoid accusatory language and their exchange of ideas will be more positively received.
3. Do you instill consequences for lack of performance? Once you create clearly defined standards and you teach your Supervisors how to communicate the desired level of performance, you must ensure that you instill the consequences for lack of performance. If your attendance policy states that after the 4th absence, there is a verbal warning given- be sure that this consequence is administered. Employees need to trust that you will do what you say you are going to do. If they know the policy and you do not follow through on the consequences, employees will lose respect for your organization. Employees need to trust that you will do what you say you are going to do- both positive and negative things. If employees observe you following the policies with some employees but not others, they will feel that you treat them unfairly. If they perceive a level of unfairness, they will become irritated and disgruntled. Then this can lead to unnecessary time being spent on HR related issues. Follow through and adhere to the consequences that you have in place and you will create a fair and respected environment.
By following these three general rules of standards, you will increase your levels of performance, increase your productivity, increase your morale and create a more WOW place to work for everyone.
With 23 years of call center experience, national speaker and author, Kimberly King, helps clients create WOW customer experiences. Contact her at http://www.interweavecorp.com or 877-969-3283. You will be WOWed by her passion and knowledge.