Talk to the screen coz the faces ain’t listenin’…
I watched a man die on stage the other day. Not literally. Just in terms of audience reaction. At first I wondered if someone had played a hideous April Fool’s trick on him; told him the audience was illiterate or something. Why else would he have spent 20 minutes stoically reading PowerPoint slides to us, never once looking up to see if we were still there?
Executive Coaching
Santa Claus isn’t real. He’s a bloke called Keith.
I know. I was as surprised as you are. I would have mentioned it sooner but my sister has only just posted a picture of him on Facebook (she’s not that organised) so I’ve only just found out myself.
Effective Communication Skills
BAN INTER-DEPARTMENT EMAIL NOW!!!
Without speaking to any of the people concerned last week, I learned that:
• My brother had lost his last 35,000 bhats in an ill-judged midnight swim in Kho Samui
• My cousin had eaten bran flakes for breakfast all week
• My friend had given birth to a baby grill
This is all well and good.
• I mean, I was delighted to know that Billy had chosen me to bail him out (or ‘Birry’ as he now refers to himself on Facebook, on account of being in Thailand);
• I’m glad my cousin is getting some daily fibre, it’s important;
• And although I suspect my friend’s husband might have meant girl, I’ll take her some steak when I visit, just on the off chance… more…
Good Sales Skills
Marks out of 10 for Rob Trainee at PC World: 11
Went shopping at the weekend, in preparation for a holiday I have just booked. Suncream? Shades? Sandals? No, what I wanted was ….a netbook.
It could be argued that I don’t need any more computers in my life but my iMac won’t fit in my suitcase (I’ve tried) and a girl needs to know what’s going on back home when she is away. Even if it is only for a week. Besides…they’re really dinky, they do them in all sorts of lovely colours these days and you can get cute little bags to put them in. I know. I am such a techie! more…
Staff Motivation
Thought for the week: Moods are contagious.
If you don’t believe me, try locking yourself in a room with a load of miserable people for a few hours. See if this prompts a burning desire to skip, whoop with joy and / or turn cartwheels. I’m guessing…no.
If you’re a manager, staff motivation is not hard to achieve, but it starts with you – not them.
Some people radiate natural positive energy; just standing next to them makes you feel warm and sunny. Others seem to exist solely to drain the life out of you (you know who they are). more…
Effective Communication Skills
Last week, I did some training with a group of schoolteachers… on the terminology used in financial services.
As well as knowing your subject, good Communication Skills are paramount when you are training, developing or coaching others. There are many aspects to this, but here is one simple example.
When I asked which terminology they particularly wanted to discuss, a lady put up her hand and said that she couldn’t quite see how ‘Market Value Reductions’ worked. (There is something strangely satisfying about having teachers put up their hands to ask you a question….but I digress.) more…
Myers-Briggs®
Last week, I was on urban safari. In the manner of David Attenborough, I have been observing the behaviours of a fledgling ENFP in its natural habitat as it prepares to migrate to sunnier climes for the summer.
Ok… so I’ve just been to stay with my little brother in London for a few days, before he goes off travelling, but it got me thinking…
ENFP is one of sixteen personality types used in the renowned Myers-Briggs® personality type model. All 16 personality types have their own unique preferences and blind-spots. This explains, to some extent, why we get on so well with some people, while others infuriate or baffle us. more…
Conflict Management
A friend returned to work after a week’s holiday on Monday, to find some of her staff staging a mini rebellion. They gave her a list of demands. I gave her some tips on conflict management.
“Give and take”, I said.
“But they’re the conflict. And I’m the management!”, she wailed.
Coaching Skills
I found myself giving an impromptu coaching session this week, to a usually top performing salesman who had temporarily misplaced his mojo. (Hey, I ‘m down with the kids, what can I say). more…
Myers-Briggs®
This week, I have mostly been discussing Myers-Briggs®.
First, in a training session with 2 senior managers – to help them better understand the impact they have on their teams and how they can adjust their approaches for individual staff members, to get better results.
Next, in a discussion with an IT manager about how to improve his communication with the company’s executive team by making a few simple changes to the language he used. more…
Performance Management
When something like the snow gets in the way, it’s easy to use this as an excuse to fall behind with targets. In Financial Services, for example, successful salesmen and women will use such situations to their advantage. They might not be able to get out to see prospective clients but they can phone them. They can even use the snow as a conversational ice breaker (see what I did there?) to build an instant rapport.
Not everyone has the same level of drive, initiative or know-how though. It’s not that they deliberately come to work, hoping to fail. Usually people fail to deliver when they don’t know what to do or they lack confidence. This is where good team performance management comes in.
Team Morale
The Big Freeze is upon us. It fascinates me how different people react to situations like this. Some, like my brother in Kent, seized the opportunity to build a pink igloo (as you do) and convert various pieces of furniture into sledges. Others chose to add this turn of events to their list of post Christmas grumbles. more…
Self Motivation
Why is it that people are generally so much happier as Christmas approaches? Supermarket cashiers smile and stop making you feel like an evil planet destroyer for forgetting to bring your own carrier bags. Motorists give way on roads with a friendly wave. more…