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August 27, 2010

Dialogue: the Four Dialogic Principles For Successful Communication

Filed under: Business — Tags: , — bhagya66 @ 8:56 am

“But you don’t understand!” exclaimed the manager, “this new initiative is vital for our team. If it doesn’t work we could all be out of a job!”

“Uh-huh… Really… Explain to me again how this new initiative is so different from previous initiatives that were also going to cost me my job if they didn’t work” asked the long-term employee.

“Look; we have to do this. Can’t you see?”

“Why do we have to do this? No-one has explained to me yet ‘why’.”

And therein lies the fundamental problem of most management initiatives. They leave one small, seemingly insignificant cog unattended-letting the person at the ‘sharp end’ know why a new initiative has been launched and what their own personal role is expected to be.

Even those companies who do let the employees know the what and why very often fail to elicit anything other than tacit compliance and eventual failure of the initiative.

The reason is simple-the employees are given no part in the discussion about why a new initiative is needed, the business case for it, what shape the initiative should take to meet the business need, and what their individual role and responsibility is in order to bring the initiative to a successful conclusion.

At the heart of the issue lies communication:

successful communication is not a one-to-one or one-to-many transaction, but a dialogue between interested parties

and successful dialogues rely on four principles: Reality, Reaction, Co-ordination and Purposefulness.

1. Being real

“Do not say things. What you are stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary” Charles Darwin, 1859.

For employees (and customers, too!) ‘reality’ will be those things that most directly affect them. Yes, ‘reality’ is a perceptive subjectivity, but don’t expect someone to change their perception of ‘reality’ just because you have a different viewpoint.

Internal and external customers of your communication are extremely adapt at seeing ‘beyond the rhetoric’, at exploiting any gap between rhetoric and their ‘reality’.

If you are going to promise something, even just manage an expectation, ensure that what you are promising or managing is actually deliverable in the vast majority of instances.

2. React to what is said

How many managers or salespeople have we ourselves had to endure who listened politely to what you say, nodded their head and gave assuring “ah ha’s” even, yet completely and utterly fail to act on what you have said? How many times have such interactions left you feeling like you had just spoken to a smiling and amiable wall?

Dialogue is not dialogue if the other person or persons don’t react or show they actually understood what you said.

3. Co-ordinate your communication

Too often the communication is ‘lost’ on the recipients because the language used is jargon, or their are just too many implicit and explicit messages. Given a hundred different messages, which one should the recipient attend to first? Second? Last?

All communication should be in harmony to the strategic framework-that is, the vision and the support documentation-so that it responds to the vision, objectives and values; so that the links between the vision and the messages are clear; and so that the language used is common to all stakeholders.

4. Understanding the purpose of the message

Before even beginning a communication process, it is vital to understand what the customer or employee knows and feels about you and the ideas you represent. Knowing this helps you decide the purpose of the message.

Akin to Maslow’s psychological heirarchy, there are four levels of purpose, each of which pre-supposes and relies on the existence of the previous level. They are sequential and it is not possible to achieve an objective until all levels are completed, in order and fully.

The levels, in ascending order are:
Awareness > Understanding > Conviction > Action

4.1: Awareness
Let’s take as an example a company attempting to differentiate itself in the marketplace, with the end goal of bringing someone to make a purchase of their service.

Without bringing your existence to the attention of the prospective customer you cannot move on to the higher levels. Indeed, even internal communications often fall short on this point: they fail to restate the context of the communication, which is in effect ‘awareness’.

4.2: Understanding
Once a prospect has gained awareness, they are then ready to move on to understanding what it is that differentiates you from the ‘noise’ of your competitors. They will need to understand what specific qualities you bring to the marketplace.

This level is vital to internal communication: the biggest block I come across in assessing why an internal communication has failed is not that the staff don’t know what is going on, but that they don’t understand ‘why’ it is going on.

4.3: Conviction
Customers now have awareness and understanding; they now need convincing that your service is right for them.

Even more importantly, they must be convinced that you must be their supplier, because you have a distinctive competence that meets their specific needs.

4.4: Action
Finally, this conviction in you must be turned into action. It is up to you to decide what action they should ideally take-a phone call into a sales office, perhaps, or a request for a consultant to visit; even a request for further supporting literature.

In internal communication the primary level is all to obvious-action. Yet unless those who are to deliver the service are made aware, helped to understand and are convinced they will not deliver effectively or efficiently.

Conclusion

At the heart of all management lies communication, and successful communication is not a one-to-one or one-to-many transaction, but a dialogue between interested parties. Successful dialogues rely on four principles: Reality, Reaction, Co-ordination and Purposefulness.

Understanding what the other’s ‘reality’ is, giving and receiving appropriate reactions to feedback, co-ordinating coherent messages and understand the purpose of each message are the four key principles for successful communication.

When you match consumer psychology with effective communication styles you get a powerful combination. Lee Hopkins can show you how to communicate better for better business results. At Hopkins-Business-Communication-Training.com you can find the secrets to communication success.

August 26, 2010

Coaching Can Get The Boss In Shape

Filed under: Business — Tags: , — seaglassthings @ 11:55 pm

Who tells the boss that they can improve their management or leadership? How do they look at themselves objectively and identify what areas they can improve and the benefits of doing so?

These days many people have become more aware of the need to look after their bodies and their health. Not only do many join gyms or start participating in sports regularly ? a number are using personal trainers. Why do they choose to do this? Consider top performers in the sports world, or areas such as drama and classical music. What do they have in common? The majority have the equivalent of the personal trainer (or more than one!). These are the people at the top of their field and yet they choose to do this. Why?

Some bosses have had formal management and leadership training, and many have not. Regardless, it does not mean that they have not got some areas which would improve with some conditioning, or reconditioning! Yet, as the quotation below says, how many will:

a) admit to these things, and
b) do something about them?

"People will go to a lot of trouble to learn French or Physics or Scuba diving. They have the patience to learn to operate a car, but they won’t be bothered learning how to operate themselves" – Newman & Berkowitz

We all know the risks of not keeping ourselves in shape thanks to the media and countless reports and surveys. How aware are we of the risks to our organisations if we have too many bosses who are out of shape in terms of their own style or skills? The knock-on effect of them continuing to behave in the same "out of shape" way can bad for the people working around them and for the organisation’s health.

Many bosses, whatever their roles or levels, do not like attending training programmes to develop themselves or their skills. Sometimes there are genuine reasons and often there are a range of frequently used excuses. (Too busy being a frequent cop-out ? and is often a good symptom of the problems with their management style and capability.) Whether you are "a boss" who recognises this, or someone who is interested in ways to influence bosses to develop themselves, you might need to look at other options!

The last few years have seen a massive growth in "coaching", whether life-coaching, corporate coaching or executive coaching or other labels. This does tell us one thing, there is a market there for coaches! Also, that more people think that they can benefit from working with a coach. It is not only the likes of Tim Henman and Tiger Woods who think like this!

Within the corporate world, coaching is a very effective way of developing people. Although a significant amount of coaching occurs with board level executives, it is being used increasingly for other levels within the

organisation. There is a limited amount of data about the return on investment from coaching though it is growing. Early studies can demonstrate an ROI of 6 TIMES the investment ? and that is in the measurable outcomes, not the intangible gains to the organisation! This is for coaching used in isolation. One organisation measured improvements after training courses and found that they got around 22% improvement in productivity. When this was supported by coaching the improvement was 88%!! Yes, coaching pays dividends!

So, what can a coach do to help the boss get in shape? We believe that there are three key steps to effective coaching interactions and they have some similarities with signing up to the gym and a personal trainer. (These form a process we refer to as "Coherent Coaching" shown in Fig.1.)

First things first ? a diagnosis phase. This is critical to the overall success of the project. What is the reason for thinking that the boss needs to get in shape? (The fitness assessment?) The clearer you can be about the areas to be addressed, the existing situation and problems, the impact on others in the organisation, the easier it will be to generate specific aims. This stage can look at the boss in terms of the organisational context and why coaching is being considered, and their personal style and behaviours. Not that these have to be mutually exclusive!

Before dashing in to coaching sessions, review whether this is the best way forward. (Is going to the gym the only way to get in shape?) It could be that the boss will benefit from having a mentor rather than a coach, or having some formal training to learn some specific skills. Should coaching be the way ahead, the boss, the coach and any other stakeholders need to meet and agree the overall aims of the project and a number of other things to do with support and confidentiality. As part of this, the probable timescale can be discussed along with the actual method of working together.

The coaching phase will typically take place over several face to face sessions, probably supported by telephone and email. The key to this is to set really clear outcomes or objectives in the first session. These can be short-term (even for each session) and for the overall project. The boss is in control of this part in terms of setting their outcomes, although a good coach will push them.

The actual coaching sessions will keep the boss thinking about what they can do to move towards their outcomes and objectives. The coach will offer a combination of challenge and support to push the boss onwards. (Again, like the personal trainer will do!) They will provide encouragement and feedback where appropriate. One of the major pluses the coach brings, is that they can be direct and open with the boss when giving feedback. The boss generates ideas and chooses which ones they are committed to pursuing, with the coach helping if they get really stuck.

As with any plan to get in shape, we all like to know what progress we are making. This is why we think the third part of the process can be started alongside the coaching sessions ? the Personal Development Plan. Whatever the actual method is for writing up or keeping the plan, it can be developed throughout the project. As progress is noted, it gives added motivation for continuing and stretching still further.

The key for the sessions and the plan are for examples of improvement to be noticed and noted. They can be discussed and reviewed to explore why they have been achieved and what the payoffs are for the boss, the organisation and the others around them. Wherever possible, aim to quantify these ? still more of an incentive!!

As the boss is getting into better shape, they need to know that others are observing it too! (Well, friends and family would tell you if the personal trainer and exercise was making a difference!) How can they get evidence? The coach should encourage them to look for it. As with any plan to get into shape, there may be some times when things seem to plateau or go into reverse. Accept that this might happen, and use the coach to help you breakthrough.

Part way through any project it is often a good idea to have a mid-point review with all concerned stakeholders. Even if this is just the boss and the coach ? set up this session with no coaching activity on the agenda! Review what has been achieved, the benefits to all concerned, how does it feel for the boss, and agree if there is any need to change for the future sessions.

At the end of the overall project, there need to be some clearly identified deliverables. These should link back to the outcomes and objectives set at the beginning ? with any new ones added! The on-going personal development plan will feed into this too. The deliverables can be both for the organisation and for the individual and their development. Once these are made clear, the trick is to find ways to measure their impact or contribution to the organisation.

Having got in shape, the trick is to keep there! Going to the gym or maintaining the exercise routine is how we do it in that context. How does the boss keep their new shape? Without working at it, there is a severe risk that they will slip back. Maybe they need to get some on-going support, with occasional contact from the coach. Possibly, as a result of the coaching, they have better self-awareness and will assess themselves and encourage others to give them feedback. Whatever they do, it is better for everyone’s health if they stay in shape!!

Graham Yemm a founding partner of Solutions 4 Training Ltd.During his years as a consultant he has worked with a variety of major companies in the U.K., Europe, USA, the Middle East and Russia in Sales, People and Management Skills. He has had many years of experience tailoring programmes to address organisational issues around sales, account management, negotiations, sales management and customer service ? especially focusing on the communication and personal skills aspects.

Graham is a Master Practitioner of NLP and was involved with setting up and running "The Business Group", which promotes uses of NLP in organisations. He is an accredited trainer for the LAB profile programme ? "Words that Change Minds". His personal enjoyment comes from helping individuals to take more responsibility for their own actions? freeing them to feel they can make more choices about their lives.

Contact http://solutions4training.com or +1483 480656

August 24, 2010

Delegate or Die!

Filed under: Business — Tags: , — floriop @ 5:59 pm

You Can’t Do It All – Learning To Delegate

There is not a single management skill more critical to your personal and professional success as an entrepreneur than learning to delegate. But delegating successfully is much more than simply handing out assignments. It is more an exercise in understanding and accepting our own strengths and limitations.

In this fast paced world, we must choose what activities it makes sense for us to do ourselves, and what it makes sense to let go of. None of us can be an expert in everything – not because of any lack of intellectual ability, but more because we lack specific exposure or experience. We must learn to accept this fact and be OK with it.

How do you fill the gaps in your expertise?

Let’s consider a real life example. My own areas of expertise lie in business and operational management, understanding people and coaching. This is my business. When I wanted to create a single web-page to market a workshop I was developing I had to make a decision. I have (very) rudimentary skills in web page creation. While all of the software I need is at my fingertips, the question is “Do I really have time to learn it?”

I ask myself: “Should I spend several hours – probably a whole day if I’m being honest – learning to grasp the software and design my own web-page” Or should I spend some money and hire somebody who already knows the software?” Then all I need to do is supply the content.

I am tempted to go it alone – after all, I love technology and knowing how to use it (that’s my ego talking!). But at the end of the day, my time is better spent working on other aspects of the business. So I outsourced the job.

In making your own decisions, the key is in determining what you need to know, want to know, must know, and already know. And how your time would best be spent.

Find Experts and Build Partnerships

Jack of all trades, master of none. The old adage holds a lot of weight in today’s entrepreneurial environment. No one can possibly run a small business alone.

Anyone who has their own business will know that they could never have gotten it off the ground without the help of at least an accountant and a lawyer. Perhaps you also needed a graphic designer or administrative assistance.

It is important to surround yourself with competent experts who have complimentary areas of expertise. Choose carefully and wisely and be ready to compensate these individuals for a job well done. These people are your business partners – people who will give you the advice and information you need to make decisions. When you build excellent relationships with your partners, you may be able to arrange better terms. Payment need not always come in the form of dollars. With strong partner relationships you may be able to trade your expertise for theirs.

The Power of Delegating

It is quite liberating once you really do let go and put your trust in other people. So don’t ruin it by being a control freak! Remember – before delegating the job, you decided that this was not your area of expertise. You know what I mean – the feeling that nobody else could do it as well as you – even though you don’t know how to. If you know that you have controlling tendencies , you must learn to be a good client and give your partner all the information they need to do the job in line with your expectations.

For example, your accountant needs certain facts to achieve the task of budgeting and forecasting cash flow for your business. You need to supply him/her with the necessary information to get the job done. You must understand the process and know what you need the outcome to be. You must also communicate these objectives clearly and monitor their progress (but not so often that they wish they never met you). Set meeting times for updates and a time line for completion.

The key is to identify good people, enlist them in your cause or business, give them the ball, and then allow them to run with it.

How Much is too much?

Excessive delegating can lead to disaster. A complete hands-off approach is abdicating your business responsibility. Let’s take the example of your relationship with your accountant. Not being a CPA is no excuse for not understanding the budget of your company. You must understand how the budget works and be accountable for it. You must also be able to communicate this information to the relevant people in your business.

Most important, you must understand how the critical pieces of your business fit together to form the whole so you can make sound and effective business decisions. Should you not understand these processes, you run the risk of losing control.

One last note:

It is nice to want to do all the work yourself. For one thing, on the surface, it appears that it will save you money. However, time is also money and your time has a value. In today’s world, being a “Jack of all Trades” is more likely to mean that you do a lot of things averagely.

If you understand your individual strengths and establish strong trusting partnerships to complement these, then your business has experts working for it in all areas. And that knowledge is comforting.

Megan Tough is a published author, coach, facilitator and speaker. Her business, Action Plus, works with professionals to create sustainable and profitable income streams. Make more money and have less stress! To learn more and to sign up for more FREE tips and articles like these, visit http://www.megantough.com

August 23, 2010

Why Saying Well Done Works

Filed under: Business — Tags: , — koerporation @ 5:56 pm

Encouraged by the recognition, Sarah Lewsiton went home from work that day, full of self-belief and wonder that she had made the leap at last.

In her last job, she had always felt that she was unsuitable, in fact below par, for the place. On her very first day at this new job, it was different. On the very first day, her supervisor had recognised her in a way that no-one had done before.

At 17, she had gone into the workplace ready to conquer the world. A positive girl, she had never understood that her hard work, unstoppable enthusiasm and keen willingness might not be enough. At the last place, where she had worked for nearly two years, they had, subtly, yet consistently, knocked that out of her, through criticising, embarrassing and slighting her. So much so, that she had changed to be cynical, sceptical and sarcastic. In the end they had to part, badly, and it had taken a few weeks for Sarah to build the courage to go for another job.

Yet on the very first day in the new place, someone had made her day, just by saying two little words – ‘Well done’.

In life, especially in our busy workplaces, there is sometimes, no time, to say, ‘Well done’. Yet we all know how it feels when we are on the receiving end, just as Sarah did. It costs nothing, except a few moments and a bit of focus – but it makes the world of difference.

For Sarah Lewsiton, tomorrow would be another good day, because the culture was naturally supportive, encouraging and enlightened. And her place of work would come to benefit over the years she would stay. She would contribute more, become a great team player, work well when delegated to and have simple, yet constructive ideas about how to take the business forward.

Two little words – that’s all it takes.

Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com (Note to editors. This article may be edited for use in your publication or newsletter as long as a live link to the website is included)

…helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow…

August 22, 2010

Forget The Sandwich Technique

Filed under: Business — Tags: , — Addeell @ 11:58 pm

Do you remember being told to use the “sandwich” technique when you needed to reprimand someone? Let me give you an example:

“Fred, I’m really pleased with how you’ve been progressing since you joined us and you’re doing a great job. However you’re not getting your reports in on time and we’re missing deadlines. I’d like you to tighten up a bit on this. Anyway,thanks for all you’ve done so far and keep up the good work.”

Have you ever said something along these lines? You probably needed Fred to sort out his reporting but you didn’t want to upset or demoralise him. The only problem is that Fred may not get the message. The importance of it may be seriously diluted.

He may hear it as, “Fred, you’re doing a brilliant job, you just need to sort out the reporting bit but it’s not really that important.”

What happens then is, Fred continues to fail with his reports.

The “sandwich” technique doesn’t work, it lets you off the hook and it’s mealy mouthed. Be direct with your people and they’ll respect you more for it. You are also much more likely to get a change in behaviour.

If you are unhappy with some aspect of an employee’s performance then you need to tell them so. The skill is in doing it in a way that’s effective and doesn’t lower the morale of the individual.

Firstly, it’s not acceptable to speak to your people just when you’re unhappy about something. Tell them the good news as well. As Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson say in their book The One Minute Manager – “Catch people doing something right” and tell them about it.

Some managers and employers still have this daft notion that if people are doing things right then that’s what they’re paid for and they don’t need complimented. Ask almost any employee in Industries throughout the world and they’ll tell you that they don’t feel appreciated by their manager.

When you notice someone doing something you do like, tell them about it. When you notice them doing something you don’t like, tell them about it. Whether it’s good news or bad, the same rules apply.

Do it as soon as possible. Acknowledgement of a job well done is not much good six months later. Also, if you don’t immediately call someone’s attention to something you are not happy about, then they’ll assume it’s okay. Either that or they’ll think you didn’t notice or you don’t care. Do it in private. Why is it that some managers still feel it’s okay to reprimand someone in front of their colleagues? Even the mildest rebuke can have a negative effect on morale.

When you speak to the person use “I” messages. Say things like “I liked the way you did that” or “I think there is another way to do that.”

Avoid “You” messages such as “You’re doing great.” That can come across as patronising or insincere. “You’re doing that all wrong” may cause conflict, lower morale and may not sort the problem.

When your giving feedback, focus on one or two things. You’ll only confuse the person if you run off a whole list of attributes or misdemeanours.

Be specific about job behaviour, focus on what the person did or didn’t do, don’t make a personal attack. Allow time for the message to sink in and allow the person to respond. You can then seek agreement as to what will happen in the future. If the person does not agree to take corrective action then you need to move to another level. When they do agree to take corrective action then make sure that you monitor it and give encouraging feedback.

Being direct with your people is better for you, better for them and better for you business, so save your “sandwiches” for lunchtime.

Discover how you can generate more business by motivating your team!

Alan Fairweather is the author of “How to get More Sales by Motivating Your Team” This book is packed with practical things you can do to get the best out of your people . Click here now =>http://www.howtogetmoresales.com/Without%20Selling.htm

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