In many professions, the idea of full-scope, sophisticated positioning has been foreign up until now. Business development has occurred primarily by accident or through market demand.

Because of economic realities and the increased numbers of firms providing comparable services, the notion of business development is now a necessity, rather than a luxury.

The Business Tree: Growth Strategies and Tactics for Surviving and Thriving by Hank Moore Any company or organization is like a tree. It seemingly looks the same each day but sheds leaves, lets its limbs rot and applies “band-aid surgery” to its branches late in life. Therefore, it does not fully grow and bloom. Often, it withers and dies an early death. The Business Tree™ has 7 major parts… 5 primary branches, a trunk (6) and the base (7): The business you’re in Running the business Financial People Business development Body of Knowledge The Big Picture No single branch (business component) constitutes a healthy tree. None of the limbs and twigs on each branch (staff-consultants) provide all nourishment required to breed a healthy tree (company). Each branch has its proper responsibility and should learn to interface with the others. The Business Tree™ will not stand without a trunk and the base. These keep the branches, limbs and twigs (divisions, consultants and vendors) on a growth curve. Trees with thicker bases and deeper roots will sprout greener (be profitable), shed less often (fewer corporate flaws) and live longer (dominate its industry). Learn more about Hank Moore and The Business Tree™ by visiting his website, www.HankMoore.com.

Competition for customers-clients is sharpening. The professions are no longer held on a pedestal… a condition which mandates them to portray or enhance public images.

As companies adjust comfort levels and acquire confidence in the arena of business development, there is a direct relationship to billings, client mix diversity, market share, competitive advantage, stock price and levels of business which enable other planned growth.

Public perceptions are called credence goods by economists. Every organization must educate outside publics about what they do… and how they do it.

This holds for corporate operating units and departments. You must always educate corporate opinion makers on how you function… and the skill with which you operate.

Gaining confidence is crucial… as business relationships with professionals are established to be long-term in duration.

Each organization or should determine and craft its own character and personality… seeking to differentiate from others. That appeals to professionals within your own staff, those professionals whom your firm would like to attract and clients.

Top management must endorse corporate imaging and other forms of practice development, if your company is to grow and prosper. Few companies can even sustain present levels of sales without some degree of business development.

Some people in your organization will devote much time to promotions, public relations, marketing and advertising. This quality should be recognized and rewarded… since professionals with a sense of business direction play an important part in company growth.

Be it a ‘necessary evil’ or not, corporate imaging activity can be accomplished with skill and success…provided that organizations follow the advice of professional communicators.

Companies must maintain a delicate balance between seeking new business, replacing lost clients and nurturing client relationships. Operating units and departments must schedule and follow a program to market their worth to their companies.

No matter what time allocation basis is selected by the organization, it is vital that some basis exists in writing and in execution.

Guidelines and Customs to be Observed in Corporate Communications

The professional organization that evokes a caring image – and backs it up with service – will prosper in today’s marketplace.

In image building, the following ideas should be considered:

• Your company and profession fill essential needs of society.
• Each key staff member represents a learned profession.
• Qualities that denote your company include skill, expertise, objectivity and independence.
• Work and abilities of your employees are diverse and creative.
• Your key management team is dynamic, in terms of business issues.
• The marketplace is rapidly expanding and is an excellent career choice for young people.
• Your team encompasses multi-dimensional professionals…concerned with much more than the immediate responsibilities of the work at hand.
• Recognize the role of professional communicators. Seek qualified counsel.

Corporate Communications Program – Essential Ingredients

Strategic Plan

• Mission statement.
• Visioning document.
• Goals and objectives.
• Tactics.
• Timeline for implementation.
• Benchmarks for measurement.

Policies and Procedures

Investor Relations Program

Public Relations Program

• Complete generic press kits.
• Guidelines on working with the media.
• Pointers on training staff and volunteers as media spokespersons.
• Company collateral literature system.
• Guidelines on arranging speeches, seminars and town hall meetings.
• Ways to improve local community and government relations.
• Opinion pieces and bylined articles on key topics, suitable for placing in newspapers under local bylines.
• Formula press releases and features, which can be locally customized.
• Other components of a program which can and should be customized.

Marketing Program

• Internet.
• Sales support.
• Business development.
• Direct marketing.
• Indirect marketing.
• Advertising.
• Business-to-business promotions.
• Industry and professional marketing.
• Point-of-purchase materials.
• Collateral materials.

Job Descriptions (Position Results Oriented Descriptions)

Staff Training Program

Corporate Communications Manual

• Overall Philosophy and Writing Style.
• Statements to Make Publicly.
• Letters.
• Forms.
• Statements.
• Customer Comment Cards.
• Customer Service Correspondence.
• Sales Manual.
• Graphics Standards.

Crisis Plan

• Risk management team.
• Preparedness.
• Contact numbers.
• Plan for emergencies.
• Case studies.
• Company profiles.
• Preventive programs to keep crises from occurring.
• Training and testing.
• Timeline for implementation.
• Benchmarks for measurement.

Compensation, Benefits and Other Financial Plans

Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable Plans

Continuous Quality Improvement Program

Ethics Statement

Literature and Audio Visual Programs Which Portray Company Image

Special Financial Publics Program

Internal Auditing and Assessment Program

Government Relations Program

Community Relations Program

Staff Development and Professional Enhancement Program

Conflict Resolution and Arbitration Plans

Corporate Philanthropy Program

Contingency Program for Specified and Unplanned Emergencies

About the Author

Hank Moore has advised 5,000+ client organizations worldwide (including 100 of the Fortune 500, public sector agencies, small businesses and non-profit organizations). He has advised two U.S. Presidents and spoke at five Economic Summits. He guides companies through growth strategies, visioning, strategic planning, executive leadership development, Futurism and Big Picture issues which profoundly affect the business climate. He conducts company evaluations, creates the big ideas and anchors the enterprise to its next tier. The Business Tree™ is his trademarked approach to growing, strengthening and evolving business, while mastering change. To read Hank’s complete biography, click here.

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At the heart of every employee is talent. Your associates are the voice and the face of your business. By developing their talent – their uniquely human ability to communicate – your organization will flourish in the digital age. Since 1969, Communispond has helped over 600,000 client associates – including CEOs, board chairs, sales leaders, sports, media, and political figures – to achieve business goals by communicating with clarity and power. With knowledge and practice, associates gain confidence. With confidence, they become passionate performers. Communispond can help you grow your leaders, increase your sales, and build communication expertise throughout your organization. We offer: Expert individual communication coaching for professional development or critical public events World-renowned communication programs – standard or custom, delivered by us or licensed to you – as well as public seminars Comprehensive reinforcement, so new knowledge and skills enter the fabric of your organization By leveraging the expertise and dynamic solutions of Communispond, you can successfully influence your audience and drive business results. Visit www.Communispond.com for free access to numerous articles, audiocasts, videocasts and e-newsletter subscriptions. Also listed are the free webinars Communispond sponsors and a schedule of upcoming public seminars.

Begin with a Bang

Begin the presentation by seizing everyone’s attention with what we at Communispond call ‘the grabber’. Wake them up. Shake them up. Involve them. Create an opening that makes the audience members put away their hand-held gizmos and focus on what you’re saying.

Among the most compelling of grabbers is a dramatic story. That’s because everyone loves a story. We’ve loved them from early childhood, since mankind’s early beginnings and they’re loved across all cultures. Telling a story does much more than command the audience’s attention, though. It helps you make an emotional connection with everyone.

With any audience, whether it’s one person or many, you have to appeal to both the head and the heart to be persuasive. You’ll find your path to the heart with your story. Every successful communicator is a great storyteller. Among today’s business leaders, GE’s Jeff Immelt and Zappos’ Tony Hsieh are widely known for their ability to connect with audiences by telling stories.

An executive in a power company who was presenting to an important sales prospect opened his talk with a story about a company employee who cut short his vacation and drove 300 miles to help restore power after a hurricane. The executive used the story to illustrate that the company prides itself on serving its customers. The story painted word pictures – the howling wind, the fallen trees that blocked roadways – to involve the prospect in the drama.

As you plan the story that opens your presentation think of how the great authors and moviemakers tell their stories. They portray heroes, battles against adversity and colorful settings. Let yours do the same. Keep the stories simple, though, and make them link directly to the major point your presentation makes.

Your story can be real or hypothetical. It can deal with history or what’s current. It also can be a personal experience. A personal story can let you project warmth and human fallibility if you begin by saying, for example, “Did I ever tell you about the time I fell flat on my face?”

Another very effective grabber is a question. It gets the audience members involved because it prompts them to think of an answer. You have to make the question relevant to the interests and needs of the audience, of course. And, as with stories, the question should lead into your presentation’s key message.

Addressing a managers meeting, Brian Halla, CEO of National Semiconductor Corp., began his presentation by asking, “Do you know what keeps me up at night?” Listening with their full attention, the audience members heard Mr. Halla talk about his concern about the economy, then lead to the need for managers to look for near-term opportunities for growth.

You can ask many different kinds of questions. You can appeal to the imagination: “What would happen if ….” Or to the audience’s self-interest: “Does everybody here know how to make a million dollars?” You can make them think, wow, what’s he going to say next if you begin with: “You know what makes me want to kill?” You can pose a problem and ask for solutions to it. You also can ask a series of questions that ask for a show of hands. Doing this will generate audience involvement – and let you tailor your presentation to meet the group’s particular needs.

Yet another good grabber is the startling fact. It can be inside information about the company or its industry or something that might be unrelated but leads to the point you want to make. Check out the search engines for ‘little known facts about …’ or ‘trivia about …’ for ideas. (Check the fact for accuracy, though, because you can’t trust everything you see on the Internet.) State your startling fact, and pause for dramatic effect before you continue.

Should you use humor for your grabber? You shouldn’t unless you’re very, very good at it. We’ve all seen presenters use humor that falls flat and immediately loses the audience. Begin with a story, a question or a fact instead. Whatever way you begin, though, be sure your opening makes it clear that what follows is important.

Finish with a Flourish

Plan your presentation’s close so it meets your objective, whatever its purpose. Perhaps you want to impart information – at a senior management briefing or a staff training session, for example. Alternately, you may want to motivate the audience to take action – to support a policy change or maybe provide extraordinary effort to meet a new challenge. Presentations with different purposes need different endings

For presentations that provide information you have to reinforce your main points with a clear and concise summary of the talk’s content. This isn’t the time to enumerate all the features of the product you’ve been describing – and especially to introduce any new information.

As you sum up, you can reinforce the points you made by continuing the story from your introduction. If you asked a question, reiterate the answer. If you presented an unusual fact, expand on its implications.

You can help the audience remember your main points with short catchy phrases. For example, the instructors in Communispond’s presentations skills training classes use the term ‘Turn, Touch, Talk’ to help the learners remember the sequence of physical actions for using a flipchart. You can create original mnemonic devices with acronyms and rhymes. The ABC song helped generations of children memorize the alphabet and ROY G. BIV remains an internal presence in physics.

To close a presentation that’s intended to move an audience to take action, you have to make it clear exactly what you want everyone to do. Spell it out, step-by-step. Point out the personal payoffs they’ll get by supporting your plan.

To get them excited about the plan, you have to show them you’re excited. Use a higher level of energy than you used in the earlier parts of the presentation. Move across the front of the room in long, confident strides. Emphasize your major points with movement of your arms and hands, head turns and changing facial expressions.

Continue the story you began in your introduction – and give it a really dramatic ending. Let it lead to an acronym or other mnemonic device that sums up what you want the audience to do. Once the audience is solidly behind your plan, ask them to shout back the acronym to you.

For whatever kind of close you use, be sure you keep a fast pace. Audiences tend to tire at a presentation’s end. Attention spans keep getting shorter and people’s work gets more demanding. You’ll earn points for keeping your presentation short.

And Remember the Basics

For your beginning with a bang and your finish with a flourish – and at all points in between – remember some of the basics of making an effective presentation:

• Maintain strong and steady eye contact with one person in the audience at a time for as long as it takes to say a phrase, then move to another face; avoid scanning the room because this would give your brain too much information to process and increase whatever anxiety you may be feeling.
• Don’t let your visuals dominate the presentation; it’s you who’s the star of the show.
• Watch your posture; maintain an erect yet comfortable stance throughout the presentation.
• Avoid non-words like ‘um’ and ‘ah’.
• Rehearse the presentation so well that you can toss the script and speak as if you’re unscripted.

About the Author

Bill Rosenthal is the Chief Executive Officer of Communispond Inc., an organization that has taught business communications skills to more than 600,000 persons. Bill is responsible all aspects of the business including sales, marketing, content development, and the delivery of Communispond courses by certified faculty. Prior to joining Communispond, Bill was CEO of Digi-Block Inc., a K-12 education publisher focusing on mathematics. He also served as President of Kaplan College, a division of Kaplan Inc., the well-known test preparation company, where he developed and launched the online college that offers Associates and Bachelors degrees and certificates in Business, Information Technology, Nursing, and Law. In a previous role as President of Ziff-Davis Education (now called Element K), Bill oversaw the leading supplier of computer training products worldwide and supervised the operations of ZD University, the leading web-based computer skills site.

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But no is probably the wrong answer. An organization can very often improve performance and get its employees bought into it’s mission and purpose simply by sharing financial results with the employees.

Finance Without Fear: A Guide to Creating and Managing a Profitable Business by William S. Hettinger and John Dolan-Heitlinger Finance Without Fear should be read by anyone starting or managing a business. The easy-to-read style helps remove the fear of finance for the entrepreneur, the small business owner, and the manager. Finance does not need to be mysterious and intimidating. Basic business finance is not hard to understand, and the business owner or manager who understands finance has a leg up on the competition. Finance Without Fear explains the key financial statements the cash flow statement, profit and loss statement, and balance sheet and provides the tools to analyze these financial statements. Genuine case studies of small businesses a retail shop, small manufacturing business, and medical office – are used throughout, so you can compare the way your business works to the case studies, and to industry norms. In the short amount of time it will take to read Finance Without Fear, you will learn the basics of finance, and the keys to creating and managing a profitable business.

Let’s take a look at why you’ll want to change that no to a yes.

The goal of any business is to make money. Employees at all levels of an organization make many business decisions everyday that can affect profits.

If you’re managing a business and trying to make that business as profitable as possible, you want your employees to make decisions that help maximize those profits. The catch is your employees can’t help if they don’t understand basic financial statements or understand how the business makes money?

Let’s take a look at how sharing financials can help improve the performance of the business.

The first step is to make sure that all your employees know how to read basic financial statements. They don’t have to be experts, but everybody should have a basic understanding of the structure of financials statements and information that the statements convey.

The next step is to share the financial results of your business with your employees. Let the employees review the profit loss statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, and budgets for the company and for their division, branch, or department.

When you share the financials, you accomplish two things: the employees can see how the business is doing; and they can see how their actions can affect profits. Once they understand where the profits are coming from and understand that they can affect profits, you have provided the tools and created the mindset so they can think about profits when making decisions.

Let’s look at some examples of how this might work in practice.

If you show employees profit loss statements for division or product line, you can also point out which products are most profitable and which products or least profitable. If you’re a salesperson and now know that one product is more profitable than another, it’s a simple step to focus your sales effort on the more profitable product.

If you understand that every time the business incurs an expense, this reduces the profits of the business, you might think twice before incurring an expense. For instance, if you know there’s a cost to the profits when you take a training class, perhaps you’ll think twice before signing up for that class. If you know the costs of adding staff, perhaps you’ll look for alternatives before adding that additional person.

If you share your financials with your employees, and you teach those employees how to read the financials, you can create a situation where the employees not only understand how the business makes money, but also where they continually think about profits when making day-to-day decisions.

About the Author

Bill Hettinger, Ph.D. is an internationally known consultant, educator, and thought leader who has trained numerous students, business owners, and managers in finance, entrepreneurship and small-business creation.

His latest book is Finance Without Fear: A Guide to Creating and Managing a Profitable Business. Finance Without Fear is an easy to understand guide to finance that not only explains the key concepts of finance, but also explains what the numbers mean and how finance can be used to create a business with a competitive advantage. He can be contacted at billh@financewithoutfear.com. To read Bill’s complete biography, click here.

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By viewing from others’ viewpoints on life, we find real nuggets of gold with which to redefine organizations.

The Business Tree: Growth Strategies and Tactics for Surviving and Thriving by Hank Moore Any company or organization is like a tree. It seemingly looks the same each day but sheds leaves, lets its limbs rot and applies “band-aid surgery” to its branches late in life. Therefore, it does not fully grow and bloom. Often, it withers and dies an early death. The Business Tree™ has 7 major parts… 5 primary branches, a trunk (6) and the base (7): The business you’re in Running the business Financial People Business development Body of Knowledge The Big Picture No single branch (business component) constitutes a healthy tree. None of the limbs and twigs on each branch (staff-consultants) provide all nourishment required to breed a healthy tree (company). Each branch has its proper responsibility and should learn to interface with the others. The Business Tree™ will not stand without a trunk and the base. These keep the branches, limbs and twigs (divisions, consultants and vendors) on a growth curve. Trees with thicker bases and deeper roots will sprout greener (be profitable), shed less often (fewer corporate flaws) and live longer (dominate its industry). Learn more about Hank Moore and The Business Tree™ by visiting his website, www.HankMoore.com.

Companies that adopt new viewpoints and defy their conventional definitions will create new opportunities, organizational effectiveness, marketplaces and relationships.

As a Big Picture business strategist, I encourage clients toward adopting new ways of thinking about old processes, including those which brought past and enduring successes. Symbolic are these phrase definitions which I have created for familiar business words. I have created new acronyms for well-known business terms, in order to help us visualize opportunities differently.

My acronym for BUSINESS:
Big-picture
Understanding
Symbiosis
In
Nomenclature,
Economics,
Systems, and
Services

WORK:
Windows of
Opportunity,
Requiring
Know-how

My acronym for GOALS:
Getting
Organized
Allowing
Lifeblood
Systems

Growth
Opportunities
And
Legacy
Support

THINK:
To
Have
Ideas,
New
Keys

FAILURE:
Finding
Answers
In
Life,
Utilizing
Retrospective
Enlightenment

SETBACK:
See
Experiences
in Terms of
Business
Accomplishments,
Commending
Knowledge

SUCCESS:
Sophisticated
Utilizing of
Conditions,
Contributions,
Energies,
Strengths and
Synergies

My acronyms for FEAR:
Find
Excellence
After
Reflection

Formulating
Energies
Actions and
Responsibilities

TECHNOLOGY
Teaching
Excellence
Can
Have
Numerous
Outcomes on the
Life
Of the
Global
You

WEB:
Worthwhile
Economical
Business

EMAIL:
Enlightening
Marketplaces
And
Initiating
Links

PAST:
Perspectives
And
Systematic
Thoughts

FUTURISM
Fully
Utilized
Thinking
Underscoring
Retrospective
Insights
Synergizing
Methodologies

QUALITY:
Quintessential
Understanding of
Actions,
Linkages, and
Information
Taught to
You

AWARD:
Amazing
Wins
Are
Really
Deserved

PLANNING:
Process to
Learn
Alternatives,
Narratives,
Notations, and
Insights
Necessary for
Growth

TEAM:
Training and
Education…
Always
Meaningful

My acronyms for VISION:
Valuable
Intelligence
Search
In
Organizational
Networks

Viewing
Ideas,
Systems,
Insights and
Occasional
Newness

STAR:
Super
Talent,
Acting
Responsibly

DECISION
Duty for
Executives to
Communicate
Issues,
Symbolisms, and
Important
Organizational
Necessities

SPEECH:
Sophisticated
Presentation
Equates
Enlightenment,
Communication and
Harmony

ETHICS
Enlightened
Thinking…
Holding
Ideologies,
Commitments,
Sensitivities

The purpose of any business is not just to make money. It is to be just:

• Committed to customers.
• Respectful of employees.
• Successful enough to grow, pay its dues and continue growing.
• Upholding standards of quality and commitment.
• Focused through everything else we back to our customers.

Too often, one hears about what goes wrong in business relationships. From our viewpoint, if business is conducted honorably and professionally, then profitability and success flow from doing the right things… not from pursuing false goals.

The best successes are earned and learned. We should not take good fortune for granted. Business track records are garnered by going the distance, reading the trends and continually changing. As the years go by, one continues paying dues. Learning, experiencing and evaluating is the best process to achieve lasting success. The best dues yield nuggets of wisdom that couldn’t have been earned any other way.

The smartest person is the one who knows what he-she does not know. With maturity comes the quest to learn more, understand the factors and apply newly acquired insights to higher purposes. The person who commits to a path of professional development never stops achieving… and profitably impacts his-her business relationships.

Language is food for the mind. Browse a dictionary, and you create new ideas. Words are fun and connect your business to tomorrow. Technology cannot take the place of human communication… only may add to it. Every opportunity should be taken to enhance literacy skills of employees and entire organization. The language of success is initially found in a dictionary.

My acronyms for EDUCATION:
Standpoint of students:
Earning
Distinction
Usually
Capitalizes
After
Training and
Instruction
Optimize
Net-rewards

Standpoint of teachers:
Each
Day
Unleash
Creativity
After
Teaching and
Inspiration
Occur
Noticeably

MUSIC:
Masterfully
Utilizing
Symbiosis,
Imagination and
Congruence

HEALTH:
Honoring
Excellence
Allows
Leadership
Toward
Humanity

FINANCE
Formulating
Information,
Notations
And
Newly
Changing
Efficiencies

RESEARCH:
Reasoned
Enlightenment,
Seeking
Education
And
Responsibly
Connecting
Hypotheses

TRUTH:
Teach
Realities
Uniformly
Through
Harmony

COMMUNITY
Citizens
Offering
Missions,
Methodologies,
Unification,
Needs and
Interconnections
To
You

MEETING:
Minds
Excercising
Effectiveness
Through
Ideas,
Negotiating
Goals

MONEY:
Mounting
Organizational
Necessities
Equal
Yields

BROKER:
Business
Resource for
Opportunities and
Keywords for
Economic
Rewards

SELL:
Skillfully
Explaining
Linking
Language

Seeking
Enlightenment…
Listening and
Learning

CHANGE:
Continually
Having dedicated
A
Natural
Guidepost
Effect

DIVERSITY:
Different
Ideas,
Visions,
Energies,
Realities,
Symbolisms and
Insights
Throughout
Yourself

LEARNING:
Legacy
Encompasses
All
Resource
Narratives
Introducing
Noticeable
Galvanization

KNOWLEDGE
Kaleidescopic
Nucleus
Of
Weighed
Learning
Embracing
Development,
Growth and
Effervescence

WISDOM
We
Influence
Society
Due to
Our
Mastery

REWARDS
Reap
Expectations
With
A
Resilient,
Durable
System

RESPECT
Responsibilities
Epitomize
Sophisticated
Perspectives,
Earning
Commensurate
Truths

TRAINING
Teaching
Radiant
And
Innovative
Nourishment
Inspires
Natural
Growth

LISTEN
Language
In
Studying
The
Evident
Networks

PROBLEM
Polarizing
Routine
Obstacles
By
Letting
Elegance
Materialize

SERVICE
Securing
Excellence
Requires
Visualizing
Innovating
Customer
Effectiveness

PROGRESS
Pursuing
Royal
Objective
Gauges…
Rewarding
Empowered
Super
Service

FORTUNE
Future
Operations
Require
Teams
Understanding
Needs and
Expectations

INNOVATE
Imagining
Niches and
Norms,
Optimizing
Valuable
Alliances,
Training and
Experiences

Every business, company or organization goes through cycles in its evolution. At any point, each program or business unit is in a different phase from others. The astute organization assesses the status of each branch on its Business Tree™ and orients its management and team members to meet constant changes and fluctuations. Going ‘outside the box’ to shift perceptions enables any company to think, plan and operate in productive new ways.

Characteristics of Creative Business Definitions… thus, Company Philosophy…

• Focus upon the customer.
• Honor the employees.
• Show business life as a continuous quality process (not a quick fix or rapid gain).
• Portray their company as a contributor (not a savior).
• Clearly define their niche (not trying to be all things).
• Say things that inspire you to think.
• Compatible with other company activities and behaviors.
• Remain consistent with their products, services and track record.

About the Author

Hank Moore has advised 5,000+ client organizations worldwide (including 100 of the Fortune 500, public sector agencies, small businesses and non-profit organizations). He has advised two U.S. Presidents and spoke at five Economic Summits. He guides companies through growth strategies, visioning, strategic planning, executive leadership development, Futurism and Big Picture issues which profoundly affect the business climate. He conducts company evaluations, creates the big ideas and anchors the enterprise to its next tier. The Business Tree™ is his trademarked approach to growing, strengthening and evolving business, while mastering change. To read Hank’s complete biography, click here.

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1. The Big Picture of Business – Setting, Meeting, and Benefiting from Goals
2. The Big Picture of Business – Planning and Budgeting in Downsized Times
3. The Big Picture of Business – Think Tanks to Strategize
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5. The Big Picture of Business: Leadership for the New Order of Business Part 1

While critically important to every organization’s success, variations between individual knowledge, experience, and motivation, creates differences in perception that makes all communications difficult. Similarly, differences between the organization’s computer applications and hardware systems employed challenge the smooth, unaltered passage of data and information.

Focus of the Communications Topic

Articles within the communications topic area focus on those principles and best practices implemented at leading organizations to ensure consistent, fluid transfer of information between individuals. The following articles, podcasts, documents, and resources cover those topics critical to an exceptional internal and external organizational communications.

Articles

Principles

• Common Language    [StrategyDriven Premium Content]

Best Practices

• Best Practice – Open, Honest, Timely Communications During Times of Uncertainty    [StrategyDriven Premium Content]
• Best Practice – Communicate 7 Times, 7 Different Ways    [StrategyDriven Premium Content]

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor Articles

• Becoming a More Effective Speaker by Lucas Ives
• Leading a Discussion and The Art of Asking Questions by Lucas Ives
• Managing Your Virtual Team by Elmer Thomas
• Make Technology Work for You by Lucas Ives
• Can You Hear Me Now? Top Tips To Make Sure Your Communication Isn’t Breaking Up by Stacey Hanke
• Creating a Visual Company: What it means and why productivity hinges upon it by Paul Stannard
• Loud and Clear: Six Tips for Communicating in a Way That Truly Resonates by Nancy Duarte
• Here’s Why Successful Presentations Planning Must Begin with an Analysis of the Audience by Bill Rosenthal
• Conquer Your Nerves with Eye-Brain Control To Make a Strong, Fearless Presentation by Bill Rosenthal
• Minding Your Manners Online: Eight Lessons in Netiquette That Will Help You Succeed in Social Media Charm School by Barry Libert
• Manage Yourself Smart: Ten Guidelines for Making Smart Choices in the World of Social Media by Barry Libert
• The Big Picture of Business – Sayings, Meanings and Interpretations by Hank Moore
• How to Give a Briefing that Impresses the Boss by Bill Rosenthal
• The Exchange: Four Tips for Having Conflict-Busting Conversations in the Workplace by Steven P. Dinkin, Barbara Filner, and Lisa Maxwell

StrategyDriven Podcasts

StrategyDriven Podcast – Special Edition

• An Interview with Susan Scott, author of Fierce Leadership
• An Interview with Stacey Hanke, author of Yes You Can!, part 1 of 2
• An Interview with Stacey Hanke, author of Yes You Can!, part 2 of 2

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5. Communications – Make Technology Work for You

Jolt!: Get the Jump on a World That’s Constantly Changing by Phil Cooke In a world where change happens at light speed, discovering and mastering the power of change can transform your business and your life. Stop feeling overwhelmed with changing technology, culture, business, trends, and values, and regain the confidence that can give you a real advantage. Stability, once a mainstay of American life, is now a pipe dream. For most people, this creates major anxiety, worry, and confusion. In Jolt!, Phil Cooke, television producer, media guru, and cultural commentator, will help you discover how you can navigate the whirlwind of change and actually use it to your advantage. After spending three decades helping organizations master the art of change, he realized that changing a company or changing your life, are both based on virtually the same key principles. In this accessible and relevant guidebook meant to anchor and empower every reader, Cooke unveils 25 ‘jolts’ anyone can leverage to establish a new direction, maximize potential, overcome insecurity, safeguard the heart and mind, reinforce values, and create an amazing future and lasting legacy. Whether your goal is to revitalize your organization, or transform the direction of your life, he reveals the secrets to becoming a game changer in readers’ lives, opening up new possibilities, confidence, and impact. Like the ‘Reset’ button on a computer, Jolt! can revolutionize your thinking and shake up your life!

Add that to another recent study released by the Knight Ridder news service that Americans are reporting fewer and fewer close friends. In 1985, pollsters noted that the average person reported having three close friends, but today, it’s only two. And the number who say they have no one to discuss important matters with has doubled to one in four. The social implications are significant, from no friends to visit people in the hospital, weakened bonds during crisis, fewer watchdogs to deter neighborhood crime, and a lack of community.

While writing my new book, Jolt!: Get the Jump on a World That’s Constantly Changing, it became obvious that technology has brought wonderful changes into our lives. Through computers, mobile devices, and more, it’s made a dramatic difference in our business and personal lives. But at the same time, we need to be aware of how the digital universe is impacting our relationships. Thanks to the news media, we’re already aware of online predators who directly target minors for sex, Internet scams that prey on seniors, and the explosion of online pornography.

But one my biggest concerns is how it effects our behavior.

I used to enjoy the radio or CD player when driving, but now I feel compelled to do business on my cell phone whenever I’m behind the wheel. Likewise, in London recently, I met businessmen who couldn’t even use the toilet without checking their e-mail (at the same time!).

So what’s to be done? The advance of technology isn’t stopping, so are we destined to live our lives in isolation? Although the situation is certainly getting worse, here’s what we can do to get our lives back:

First, take a media fast. I love movies, television, and the Internet, but from time to time it’s important to take a break. When you get that urge to check your e-mail during a funeral or text message the person in the next cubicle, it might be time for a media fast. Take a day or two off and see what happens. Recently, an e-mail glitch deleted about 30 messages in my inbox. I was horrified, but guess what? Nothing happened. I didn’t lose any clients, no projects missed a deadline, and no one else even noticed. Learn to turn it off!

Second, be more aggressive about developing personal relationships. In a world where few people have close friends, expand your community and get to know people. In a world of radically disruptive change, more than ever, we desperately need supportive relationships. Enlarge your network of really close, intimate friends.

Third, encourage community building. Through your neighborhood, business, or local church spend time developing ‘community.’ Be proactive in creating more ‘face to face’ activities that encourage friendships and develop deeper relationships among friends and associates to accomplish the greater good. Remember that it was community relationships, not necessarily political action committees or non-profits that created the worlds greatest movements for civil rights, education, humanitarian work, and more.

Where are we as a culture going if our digital life replaces our real life? In our quest to become the most connected generation in history, we must carefully guard against becoming the loneliest. The lure of technology means that we must be active in developing personal relationships. Remember – social media is a wonderful tool, but ultimately, real community happens face to face.

About the Author

Phil Cooke is a television producer and media consultant at Cooke Pictures in Burbank, California. His new book is ‘Jolt! Get the Jump on a World That’s Constantly Changing.‘. Find out more at philcooke.com.

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The Exchange: A Bold and Proven Approach to Resolving Workplace Conflict by Steven Dinkin, Barbara Filner, and Lisa Maxwell The Exchange supplies readers with proven tools for resolving emotionally charged disputes. The Exchange itself is a four-stage, structured process specifically designed to encourage discussion of all the issues in a dispute – even the intense, emotional issues – in ways that are more productive than a gripe session. It derives from the conflict resolution model used successfully by National Conflict Resolution Center mediators for more than 25 years and includes constructive techniques to use in face-to-face meetings with disputing or disruptive employees. You can use this process to break down barriers – and to create changes that have a positive effect on your whole workforce. It’s important to note that The Exchange was designed by mediators for managers. Managers learn a structure and skills similar to those mediators know and use, but it also takes into account managers’ responsibilities, both to their companies and their employees. A key difference between managers and mediators is that managers are not expected to be neutral. They have the responsibility of reinforcing the interests of the department and the company for which they work. The Exchange teaches managers the right combination of skills and structure, as well as the finesse, to express the needs of the company. The Exchange begins with you – the manager – and ends with employees meeting with the manager to develop effective solutions. Like most managers, you probably did not set out to be a conflict resolver. And you probably find it more than a little frustrating to be your company’s resident fire chief. The Exchange teaches you to resist the temptation to simply tell people what to do. Actively engaging your employees in problem solving helps them take responsibility for the problem and for the solution. When you know how to address workplace conflicts properly, these challenging situations can lead to creative resolutions that re-energize the workplace and bring new ideas to old problems.

Disagreements, disputes, and honest differences are normal in any workplace. When these normal occurrences are treated as opportunities for exploring new ideas about projects, they can become catalysts for increased energy and productivity. Getting to that place starts with an honest discussion.

The following tips – excerpted from The Exchange – will teach you how to turn your next meeting with conflicting employees into a productive conversation.

Start with an icebreaker. Most people will be ready to complain, debate, or argue at the beginning of any conflict-based conversation. They have marshaled their most compelling arguments and are ready for battle. If you go straight to the topic of controversy, most people will quickly get stuck in defending their positions and attacking their opponents.

That’s why you need to do something different. The Exchange teaches that you should begin with an icebreaker. This is not just a light introductory activity. It is a way to non-confrontationally initiate a conversation about difficult issues. An ideal icebreaker asks for a person’s own take on something that’s both work-related and positive. For example, if the conflict involves two employees involved in the same project, you might break the ice by asking each of them how they became involved in the project and what they hoped to achieve.

Listen. Conflict resolution is tricky because too many managers ignore the fact that sometimes what they aren’t saying is more important than what they are saying. Often the best resolutions come from listening carefully to what the other person has to say. Being an active listener sends the message that you are genuinely concerned about him or her and the dispute. Put plain and simply, it’s the best way to get good information.

Ask an open-ended question. It can be as simple as, “So, tell me, what’s going on?” Then listen carefully to that person’s side of the story. You’ll know it’s time to insert yourself into the conversation when the discussion turns negative.

You can acknowledge someone’s emotions without seeming like you are taking his or her side. Especially at the beginning of talking about a conflict, you’re building rapport, even if it’s with an employee you’ve spoken with millions of times before. When there’s a conflict, you’re treading on new ground, and showing that person you are willing to see his or her side of the story is how you will set the foundation for working toward a solution.

Use and encourage positive language. This one might seem like a no-brainer, but any frustrated manager knows how easy it can be to slip into negativity after a conflict has affected a workgroup. Always think before you speak. Use positive, easy-to-understand language. Don’t fall into repeating, verbatim, paragraphs from your company’s HR manual.

Remember, you’re having a conversation, not a trial. If you keep the language positive, whoever you’re addressing will likely mirror what you’re doing. Even referring to the department’s needs can be stated in very positive terms, which will lead to a more collaborative (rather than punitive) tone in the discussion. For example, if the manager says, “This has increasingly affected the entire team, and we need to address it so we can get everyone focused back on the project goals and having a comfortable working environment. I am looking forward to establishing a good working relationship between the two of you and improving morale for everyone on the team,” it will set a constructive atmosphere. When you keep things positive, you can work toward great solutions efficiently and effectively.

Work toward SMART solutions. Sustainable solutions are SMART solutions. That means they’re:

• Specific: Be clear about who will do what, when, where, and how.
• Measurable: Be clear about how you will all be able to tell that something has been done, achieved, or completed.
• Achievable: Make sure that whatever solution you agree on fits the situation; that it complies with both the law and organizational policy; that everyone involved has the ability and opportunity to do what is required of them. Don’t set up anyone to fail.
• Realistic: Check calendar dates for holidays and vacations; look at past performance to predict future actions; allow extra time for glitches and delays; don’t assume that the best-case scenarios will come true.
• Timed: Create reasonable deadlines or target dates; include a few ideas about what to do if something unexpected occurs; be willing to set new dates if necessary.

Once you have your SMART solutions in place, immediately put them in writing. Putting solutions in writing is very important, and not just for legal reasons (and for covering your back). It’s a way to honor the work that you and your employees have accomplished. It’s also a way to keep people’s memories from diverging from the agreed-upon solutions. Verbal agreements have a way of being remembered very differently by different people—and then becoming the subject of another conflict. It’s safer and easier for everyone to have the solutions written down, in order to be able to easily verify them later.

Disputes, full of emotional complexities and interpersonal histories, are the headaches of the workplace. They’re always going to pop up, even in the most cordial of workplace environments. The good news is that when you’re armed with the tools you need to work toward productive resolutions, you and your employees can use them to strengthen your organization rather than harm it.

About the Authors

Steven P. Dinkin is president of NCRC. He received his law degree from George Washington University, where he taught a mediation clinic as an adjunct law professor. He has also taught mediation courses in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. For several years with the Center for Dispute Settlement in Washington, D.C., Steve served as an employment and workplace mediator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other federal agencies. In 2003, he moved to San Diego to lead NCRC. His experience managing a talented and opinionated staff has contributed to the realism of this book. To read Steven Dinkin’s complete biography, click here.

Barbara Filner was the director of training for NCRC from 1984-2010. She currently works as a consultant for NCRC. Barbara has a master’s degree in teaching from Indiana University and has worked as a teacher, a labor union official, and an analyst in local and state government. She has designed and conducted workshops on mediation and conflict resolution in the workplace in both the United States and Europe. She has lived in Pakistan, India, and Egypt, and thus brings a multicultural perspective to this book. She has also co-written two books about culture and conflict, Conflict Resolution Across Cultures and Mediation Across Cultures. To read Barbara Filner’s complete biography, click here.

Lisa Maxwell is currently the director of the training institute at NCRC. She has traveled all over the world as a trainer for NCRC for almost 20 years. Lisa has a master’s degree in education from San Diego State University and has developed curricula and taught courses at the high school and university levels. Mrs. Maxwell developed and is the lead trainer in The Exchange Training. Lisa has worked with businesses, with the military, and with nonprofit organizations on finding creative, effective ways to manage conflicts. To read Lisa Maxwell’s complete biography, click here.

To learn more about the NCRC, or to attend one of its upcoming training sessions, visit its Web site, www.ncrconline.com.

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At the heart of every employee is talent. Your associates are the voice and the face of your business. By developing their talent – their uniquely human ability to communicate – your organization will flourish in the digital age. Since 1969, Communispond has helped over 600,000 client associates – including CEOs, board chairs, sales leaders, sports, media, and political figures – to achieve business goals by communicating with clarity and power. With knowledge and practice, associates gain confidence. With confidence, they become passionate performers. Communispond can help you grow your leaders, increase your sales, and build communication expertise throughout your organization. We offer: Expert individual communication coaching for professional development or critical public events World-renowned communication programs – standard or custom, delivered by us or licensed to you – as well as public seminars Comprehensive reinforcement, so new knowledge and skills enter the fabric of your organization By leveraging the expertise and dynamic solutions of Communispond, you can successfully influence your audience and drive business results. Visit www.Communispond.com for free access to numerous articles, audiocasts, videocasts and e-newsletter subscriptions. Also listed are the free webinars Communispond sponsors and a schedule of upcoming public seminars.

Step 1: Give the big picture
Don’t begin by describing what you’re doing toward completion of the project. Start instead by giving a concise picture of the project’s status – a realistic one, of course. If the boss isn’t clear on the project’s purpose, describe its goal. It might be a good idea to reference a previous discussion to help the boss connect quickly. You may want to quote the boss’s own words about the project’s goals.

Step 2: Report the headlines

Net out what’s important. Resist the temptation to tell the boss every little detail to show you’re ready for all possible glitches that could delay the project. Nobody wants a data dump, especially a busy boss. Give an overview, in the context of the exact request the boss made. Describe the next step to be taken and its target date. The headlines may be all that’s wanted.

Step 3: Ask for Feedback

Ask the boss’s opinion about what you’ve reported. You might get some thoughtful advice about what to do next. Even if you don’t need an opinion, you’ll show polite deference by asking the boss’s thoughts. If you absolutely need to know what the boss thinks, on the other hand, you should ask whatever questions you have during the ‘Report the Headlines’ stage of the briefing.

Step 4: Add some critical details

Any additional information you give should relate to the headlines. After all, this is a briefing, not a tutorial. If more information is wanted, the boss will ask. If you don’t know the answer to a question, admit it and promise to get back with the data.

Your critical details can include evidence that support your solutions about the project’s status. The evidence can include facts and figures, data on the results similar projects produced, or an evaluation made by someone the boss respects.

Step 5: Be ready to answer questions

You probably can anticipate the questions the boss might ask. They’ll probably center on cost and anticipated outcomes for the project. Prepare concise answers to them. As you answer questions, keep your answers brief. Don’t get defensive if the boss’s question sounds impatient. It may be due to time pressures. Answer with assurance. It’s all right to give some background before you answer, but don’t overdo it or you’ll appear evasive.

What should you do if it’s necessary to present bad news? Don’t wait for a request for a briefing to present it. Report what’s happening as soon as you realize there’s a problem and be candid about its scope. You’ll get credit for taking the initiative and you’ll get the needed help.

Other Uses of the Process

You also can use this five-step formula for project updates with your staff or with interdisciplinary teams. Be certain the audience knows why you’re conducting the briefing. Some of the people there might not have been told its purpose. If action by the audience is called for, be certain you’re clear about what’s to be done.

It’s important that you speak with the audience’s level of expertise in mind. Nothing is more off-putting than talking down to an audience. Nothing will confuse an audience more than talking over their heads – with acronyms they may not understand or examples that aren’t in their frame of reference.

Everybody loves straight talk delivered clearly and with a respect for the listener’s time. Follow this five-step process and you’ll bring across the information that’s wanted – and demonstrate that you’re an excellent communicator.

About the Author

Bill Rosenthal is the Chief Executive Officer of Communispond Inc., an organization that has taught business communications skills to more than 600,000 persons. Bill is responsible all aspects of the business including sales, marketing, content development, and the delivery of Communispond courses by certified faculty. Prior to joining Communispond, Bill was CEO of Digi-Block Inc., a K-12 education publisher focusing on mathematics. He also served as President of Kaplan College, a division of Kaplan Inc., the well-known test preparation company, where he developed and launched the online college that offers Associates and Bachelors degrees and certificates in Business, Information Technology, Nursing, and Law. In a previous role as President of Ziff-Davis Education (now called Element K), Bill oversaw the leading supplier of computer training products worldwide and supervised the operations of ZD University, the leading web-based computer skills site.

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Times of crisis and economic downturn get people thinking differently about the conduct of business. Organizations say that they need to re-evaluate and get back to basics, that nothing is guaranteed. They realize that the old ways of doing business will no longer work. They seek to better themselves as professionals and to rethink the business models. Changing times require new perspectives.

The Business Tree: Growth Strategies and Tactics for Surviving and Thriving by Hank Moore Any company or organization is like a tree. It seemingly looks the same each day but sheds leaves, lets its limbs rot and applies “band-aid surgery” to its branches late in life. Therefore, it does not fully grow and bloom. Often, it withers and dies an early death. The Business Tree™ has 7 major parts… 5 primary branches, a trunk (6) and the base (7): The business you’re in Running the business Financial People Business development Body of Knowledge The Big Picture No single branch (business component) constitutes a healthy tree. None of the limbs and twigs on each branch (staff-consultants) provide all nourishment required to breed a healthy tree (company). Each branch has its proper responsibility and should learn to interface with the others. The Business Tree will not stand without a trunk and the base. These keep the branches, limbs and twigs (divisions, consultants and vendors) on a growth curve. Trees with thicker bases and deeper roots will sprout greener (be profitable), shed less often (fewer corporate flaws) and live longer (dominate its industry). Learn more about Hank Moore and The Business Tree™ by visiting his website, www.HankMoore.com.

For some, these are stark new approaches. This is the reality in which the small business and entrepreneurial worlds have always experienced. Welcome to the paradigms that many of us have operated under for some time.

Accepting change as a positive guiding principle, one then seeks to find, analyze and apply fresh approaches toward addressing the old problems. For many, times of crisis mandate that they think boldly and get used to doing business that way henceforth.

This essay is an exploration into the creativity, the opportunities and the potential rewards of reflecting differently upon business. Our intention and the experiences of many companies who have followed the model presented here is that organizations must now learn how to paint their own ‘big pictures’ of business, rather than focusing upon certain niches. They benefit from change, while the non-change stagnates become additional casualties.

Punctuation changed the meaning of this telegram to a business associate:
Have discovered oil on your property. Nothing but good luck to you.
Have discovered oil. On your property, nothing. But, good luck to you.

Fish is one of those rare multi-purpose words that is used as a noun, verb, adjective and adverb.

• Let’s have fish for dinner.
• Are you fishing for an answer?
• This has a fishy taste.
• Something smells fishy.

Bar has numerous meanings and is used as a noun, verb, adjective, adverb and preposition.

• Raise the bar. (increased standards of quality, measurement)
• Stand by the bar. (piece of furniture, a counter)
• Visit the bar. (place of business where alcohol is served, nightclub)
• Pass the bar exam. (qualification to practice in the legal profession)
• Bar someone from doing something. (ban, prohibit, exclude or prevent)
• Bar coding. (price verification, inventory control)
• Bar none. (unlike any other, unsurpassed)
• Bar in the courtroom. (railing that encloses the judge)
• Bar bells. (weights for physical training)
• Bars as accent materials. (used in construction)
• Bars of music. (contents of notes and accents)
• Barring elements together. (fasting, joining)
• Put someone behind bars. (sentenced to jail)
• Bars on a uniform. (metal strips, connoting military service)
• Bars on the windows. (metal pipes, for safety and protection from intruders)

 
Concepts which have changed names over the years…

• Peep show | film arcade | silent films | talkies | movies | cinema | video
• Mexican | Chicano | Mexican-American | Hispanic
• Soda | fountain drink | ‘coke’ | pop | soft drink | mixer | diet drink
• Janitor | custodian | sanitation engineer
• Washroom attendant | maid | domestic | steward
• Housewife | homemaker | domestic engineer
• Sheriff | marshal | constable | bobby | COP | law enforcer | peace officer
• Militia | rangers | soldiers | battalions | regiments | army | military forces | peace keeping forces

Categories of Words and Terms

• Anomaly – Something different, irregular, of uncertain nature, peculiar or not easily classified.
• Contronyms – Words that have opposite meanings, depending upon usage.
• Heteronyms – Words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently.
• Oxymorons – Combination of contradictory or incongruous words…pointedly foolish.
• Paradox – A tenet that is contrary to expectation or received opinion. Self-contradictory statement that at first seems true. Something with seemingly contradictory qualities or phrases.
• Pleonasms – Two concepts (usually two words) that are redundant….needless repetition of an idea in a different word, phrase, or sentence.
• Homonyms – Words pronounced alike but different in meanings, connotations or significance.
• Synonyms – Words with the same or nearly the same meanings.
• Antonymns – Words with opposite meanings.
• Homograph – One of two or more words spelled alike but different in meaning or pronunciation (as the bow of a ship, a bow and arrow)

Sound similar…but different meanings…

• Arthur – Author
• Gorilla – Guerilla
• Mussel – Muscle

Spelled the same…but different meanings…

The word “set” has more definitions than any other word in the English language.

Homonyms – Words pronounced alike but different in meanings, connotations or significance.

• Ant is an insect. Your aunt is a relative
• Bat is sports equipment in baseball. A bat flies around in the dark
• Chips are units of snack food (potato, corn). Chips are components of computers

Business Meanings Via the Perspectives of Words…..

• To most people, the milkman brings bottles of milk products to your door. (At least, they did in the old days.) On the farms, the milkman is the one who takes cans of milk away to the dairy.
• Marketing can be either inward or outward. Companies undergo marketing campaigns to promote products and services to potential customers. Those same consumers do their own marketing when they shop at grocery stores.
• People define music according to their personal tastes, experiences and backgrounds. What may be entertainment to one person may be noise or objectionable content to another. Music to one’s ears is defined as what they want to hear or choose to acknowledge.
• Service is a term that constitutes more hype than actual practice. Companies say they pride themselves on customer service. In reality, they see service as a sales vehicle or an add-on product. When customers ask for non-paid service (politeness, consideration, follow-up, manners), that’s a totally different situation, and they are often disappointed. Sadly, customer service in business is poor, declining or nonexistent, per company.
• Change is a wonderful phenomenon that people hate and fight to their detriments. Research shows that change is 90% positive and that people and organizations change at the rate of 71% per year. Yet, out of fear, they fight, resist and are combative toward change and to those who are change agents. It is inevitable, and one should benefit from change, rather than become a victim of it.
• When some people hear the term consultant, they run. Research shows that only 2% of all consultants are really veteran business advisors. Most consultants are vendors who sell packages of products and services, displaced executives, computer vendors or people in transition. There really is an art to quality consulting, which requires years of experience, finesse, discipline and talent to amass…few have it.
• Futurism is seen as an esoteric term. Some say they have no control over their destiny. In reality, thoughtful planning for future eventualities enables one to prevent tragedies 85% of the time. Futurism is a series of thinking and reasoning skills, backed by planning. To deny, ignore or fight the future is foolhardy. To prepare for it means steady growth and success.
• Diversity is a concept that encompasses ideas, cultures, philosophies and behaviors. Sadly, some people see diversity as a punishment, when associated with training. To the contrary, it is a gift because all of us are living examples of diversity.
• Technology is a tool of the trade, not an ideology or a mantra. Some people mistakenly believe that technology creates the future, or they are willing to abdicate control of their own destinies to outside forces. Such an extreme position is not fair to technology because it sets up mechanical processes to get blamed later for thinking not done today. Thought processes need many avenues in which to be successful. Thereafter, tools of the trade (including technology) may be applied.
• Food is a means of survival for some…a base source of nutrition, sustenance and nourishment. Food becomes a creative expression of artistry for gourmets. For many people, food equates to a reward system. Mealtimes are prime business development and networking events. Social occasions have quality food and beverage components.
• Transportation is necessary to get people from here to there. Transportation is a vital component of the economy…conveying goods throughout intricate networks to marketplaces. Transportation is a status symbol to some people.
• Business is a livelihood for some. It is a cut-throat game for others. It is a creative expression for still others. For most people, the team becomes an extended family. Business is really a grouping of wants, needs, objectives, outcomes and much more. The way in which priorities and stresses are juggled depends upon how successful the business becomes.
• Communication is something that all of us utilize, yet is one of the most misdirected concepts. Many people see communication is a one-way process…it is only effective if it is two-way and continually refined. Many businesses put out messages that they want to be heard, yet do not test for effectiveness of messages received. Many organizations seek out response from audiences, and many others set roadblocks to dissenting messages getting within earshot. Communication is the barrier that causes misunderstanding, strife, unrest and productive shutdown in organizations. Depending entirely upon the mindset of human beings in charge, communication can also be the “breath of fresh air” or information source that widens opportunities for understanding, action, support and interactive participation.

About the Author

Hank Moore has advised 5,000+ client organizations worldwide (including 100 of the Fortune 500, public sector agencies, small businesses and non-profit organizations). He has advised two U.S. Presidents and spoke at five Economic Summits. He guides companies through growth strategies, visioning, strategic planning, executive leadership development, Futurism and Big Picture issues which profoundly affect the business climate. He conducts company evaluations, creates the big ideas and anchors the enterprise to its next tier. The Business Tree™ is his trademarked approach to growing, strengthening and evolving business, while mastering change. To read Hank’s complete biography, click here.

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Social Nation: How to Harness the Power of Social Media to Attract Customers, Motivate Employees, and Grow Your Business by Barry Libert   It’s time to join Social Nation and prosper! This book will show you, as an employee, customer or partner, how to use new social technologies, make yourself heard, and produce better products and services. As a leader and manager, you’ll learn how to use these tools to harness social interactions to improve your business and to create your own social nation. The book provides a social assessment for leaders, managers and employees to scientifically evaluate your individual social skills and competencies. Leveraging case studies, Social Nation illustrates the principles and strategies that will help you to: Integrate social skills into existing leadership practices Overcome common objections cited as obstacles to becoming a social enterprise Adopt new forms of social leadership across your organization Attain social intelligence by listening and measuring outcomes Realize tangible economic benefits and ROI from business initiatives & offerings

Operate with integrity. Just as you would in your office, when you’re online make sure to hold yourself accountable. Own your mistakes and always tell the truth – no exceptions. Sure, it can be easier to ‘hide’ and ignore unpleasant situations online, but behaving in this manner will reflect negatively on you.

Inspire and motivate. Whether through blog posts, comments, posted videos, or other methods, it’s easy – and prudent – to use social media to give others an extra positive push. Think about the needs of others – don’t just promote yourself, your accomplishments, or your organization. Listen to, and do your best to inspire, others with whom you’re interacting.

Recognize the accomplishments and efforts of others. It’s almost too easy to take a few moments to acknowledge the good things others have done in a public online forum. Whether you’re praising employees, customers, or partners, compliments can be just as well received – and effective – online as they are in person.

Be accessible and responsive. If you’re going to take the time to build a social media presence, make sure you have appropriate follow-through. Don’t ignore messages or wait weeks to respond to them.

Foster teamwork. The word ‘social’ in ‘social media’ kind of says it all, huh? This isn’t something you do by yourself, so don’t be an online isolationist. For example, adopt new methods to share information, and use tools like discussions and wikis to communicate and collaborate.

Say please and thank you. Manners are manners, no matter the forum, and they always say good things about your character!

Collaborate with your team to be more productive. Even if you’re in charge of your organization’s Social Nation, ask colleagues for help and input. After all, the smart social networker realizes that two heads (or three, or ten) are better than one.

Share and learn from one another. One of the hallmarks of social media is that ideas and processes are shared and improved upon by many people. Don’t feel that you have to keep these things to yourself until the finish line is crossed. Be sure to include others in your network by letting them in on your progress. The end result will be better for it!

Contribute value, not noise. Just because you can post something new every five minutes doesn’t mean you should. If you wait until you have something useful to contribute, you’ll garner more respect and attention that way.

Take an active role in the content you create. If your name – or your company’s name – is going to be on something, make sure it is truly reflective of you and what your company wants to convey.

About the Author

Barry Libert is the author of Social Nation: How to Harness the Power of Social Media to Attract Customers, Motivate Employees, and Grow Your Business. He is Chairman and CEO of Mzinga^®, the leading provider of social software, services, and analytics that improve business performance. Barry has published five books on the value of social and information networks. He is a regularly featured keynote speaker at industry associations and for leading companies on the power of social media. He has been published in Newsweek, Smart Money, Barron’s, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, and he has appeared on CNN, CNBC, and NPR. Barry currently serves on the Board of Directors at Innocentive and The SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. To learn more about Barry, click here.

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Social Nation: How to Harness the Power of Social Media to Attract Customers, Motivate Employees, and Grow Your Business by Barry Libert   It’s time to join Social Nation and prosper! This book will show you, as an employee, customer or partner, how to use new social technologies, make yourself heard, and produce better products and services. As a leader and manager, you’ll learn how to use these tools to harness social interactions to improve your business and to create your own social nation. The book provides a social assessment for leaders, managers and employees to scientifically evaluate your individual social skills and competencies. Leveraging case studies, Social Nation illustrates the principles and strategies that will help you to: Integrate social skills into existing leadership practices Overcome common objections cited as obstacles to becoming a social enterprise Adopt new forms of social leadership across your organization Attain social intelligence by listening and measuring outcomes Realize tangible economic benefits and ROI from business initiatives & offerings

The Internet is a big, limitless place where the rules of everyday life don’t always apply. You can be whomever you want to be and say whatever you want to say…right? Well actually, no, you can’t – or at least, you shouldn’t. Especially if your online presence is connected to your professional image. The fact of the matter is, just as there is proper etiquette in the ‘real’ world, there’s a right way and a wrong way to behave in the online world, too. In fact, how you choose to communicate can have a very real impact on your relationships with employees, customers, and partners.

For some reason, many people seem to think that using social media gives them a pass to leave manners and etiquette behind. They don’t realize that social media can actually be a critical vehicle by which to engage customers and inspire employees.

As the chairman and CEO of Mzinga^®, a company that provides social software to businesses, quite literally, it’s my job to be social media savvy.

Chances are, you know I’m right – there is online protocol that should be followed. However, it might surprise you to hear that ‘Netiquette,’ as online etiquette has been dubbed, is a serious enough topic to warrant several books by Peter Post, great-grandson of the legendary manners arbiter Emily Post. It might surprise you even more to learn that the basic rules of etiquette – even on a computer screen – have changed little since the original Post reigned supreme.

It’s true: being considerate, respectful, and honest are crucial if you want today’s ‘Social Nation’ to work for you and your business. But there’s a little more to Netiquette than that. Increasingly, the line between our personal and professional lives is becoming blurred, and information posted online can easily make the jump from one to the other even if you don’t intend for it to. When used wisely, social media really can help you build high-quality professional relationships that will pay off for both parties offline.

Essentially, social media in a business context should be used to attract and foster ongoing relationships with loyal followers. And that means that everyone in your company who’s socially networking must be well-mannered, engaging, and emotionally attuned to others.

Ready to begin building your own company’s online presence? Then read on for eight etiquette lessons—rules that will help you successfully develop a community of supporters who will help your business relationships prosper:

Pretend you’re offline. It’s pretty simple: if you wouldn’t say it offline, don’t say it online. It really doesn’t matter if you’re tweeting, blogging, chatting, or otherwise. Many people behave as though what’s said online won’t have the same ramifications as it would in “real time.” If you believe that’s true, just talk to someone who’s been fired for a post on Facebook or because of an inappropriate blog post. Yes, it has happened, and it can easily happen to you.

A basic rule of thumb to follow is this: If you wouldn’t say it at work or at the gym or in the middle of a dinner party, don’t do it online. This doesn’t mean you have to hide all of your feelings, opinions, or observations, though. That’s what is so amazing about social culture: it encourages people to share, to have a voice, and to express themselves.

Remember, it’s not all about you. It’s time to face facts: while your family and close friends might be interested in just about every opinion and perspective you have to offer, the general public might not be. Remember that by and large, folks can quickly become bored. It’s important to engage others by providing information, ideas, and products they’ll find helpful.

It’s easy to whine, brag, and gloat online. Choose to talk about something meaningful, informative, and/or helpful – something that adds value. People want to read about topics that will enhance their lives, their businesses, and their knowledge, so provide your clients with information, tools, and tips on subjects that are of interest to them.

Don’t ignore spelling and grammar. srsly, uv seen sentences like this b4, but do u rly find them impresisve? In a professional context, you should strive to use correct punctuation and spelling, watch your grammar, be decent, and remember who will be reading what you write. Contrary to increasingly popular opinion, your communications to your boss and colleagues shouldn’t resemble texts to your best friend.

Always bear in mind that what you write and how you write it is a reflection of who you are and what you care about. Think about it: why would a potential employer want to hire someone who couldn’t be bothered to check spelling and punctuation in his or her resume? Similarly, if a business demonstrates carelessness when communicating online, it could very well lead potential clients to wonder if that’s the level of sophistication and attention to detail the company demonstrates in all of its work.

Don’t hide behind social media. Unless you’re living in a computer-less time warp, you’ve probably been guilty of using email to send a message you didn’t want to deliver in person. The thing is, though, words still matter as much online as they do in real time – and they stick around longer. When possible, avoid using social media as an easy out when you’re facing a tough conversation or want to spout off an annoyance.

Repeat after me: there is no such thing as ‘behind someone’s back’ in the world of social media. It’s all out there, virtually forever, so don’t fool yourself. If you have something to say – and criticism is allowed and may even be warranted at times – say it with respect; and before you send it, be sure it’s something you will be willing to stand by in a week. On the flip side, don’t worry that one nasty online comment from a disgruntled customer will ruin your business. How you handle it may make all the difference.

Leave the sensational to someone else. ATTENTION: This never-before-shared piece of advice will change the way you do business and catapult your company into a Fortune 500 slot. Sounds good, right? Of course it does! But the thing is, it’s not a claim that can be guaranteed. When it comes to social media, it’s best to be honest and stick to the truth.

The fact is, rumors and sensational posts may send readers flocking to you at first, but dishonesty and irresponsible behavior will ultimately come back to haunt you. Yes, in the heat of the moment, that sensational comment might seem like a good idea…but you might regret clicking “send” before all is said and done. It’s better to wait an hour – or maybe even a day – before launching your message into the public domain.

Take control of yourself. Ultimately, you – not your boss, your spouse, or your mom – are responsible for your choices and behavior. When it comes to social media, that means actively choosing to infuse your communications with positivity, tell the truth, give credit where credit is due, and be polite – to name just a few possibilities.

Whether you are a manager or not, managing yourself smarter is important to your career as well as to your personal life. Everyone is tempted to cut corners or to gratuitously vent from time to time, but when you choose not to do those things online, you’re setting a good example for others from within your organization – and you’re doing good things for your own career growth. Remember that if you do choose to post an ill-advised update, for example, you’ll be the one taking the rap for it.

Consider yourself a brand, and act accordingly. Sure, you might be one of a dozen, 100, or even 100,000 employees, but you’re more than that. Especially considering the far-reaching, viral potential of information that’s shared online, your thoughts and opinions can be seen by just about anyone. Remember that how you act is reflective of who you are and, in the case of business, of your brand as well.

It really isn’t far-fetched to say that what you do online can impact your company’s brand, so bear in mind how you want others to perceive you and your organization – and let that influence your online presence. Remember that sharing can be your most powerful tool since it gives people something to relate to and comment on, but sharing too much or sharing inappropriately can be equally destructive.

Blog, but mind your manners. By simply setting up a blog, any individual – or company – can become a ‘published’ author and gather a crowd of loyal readers. Yes, blogs are fun to read and to write – and they can also be used to grow your business, engage business partners, and establish thought-leadership.

It’s a heady feeling to have your voice heard by scores of virtual blog visitors, but make sure you’re writing smart. Don’t get too big for your britches! There are things to watch out for with blogs that aren’t really dangers with status updates and shorter information posts. Foremost among those is plagiarism – be very careful that you aren’t using someone else’s words or images without proper acknowledgment. Also, pay attention to the input you’re getting from your readers’ comments – sometimes longer blog posts spark more in-depth discussions than shorter updates. Oh – and don’t forget to have fun!

By following these basic rules of etiquette, you’ll be one step closer to generating the results you seek: a more positive work environment, attaining and providing real value to your customers as they follow your daily actions, and a better brand for your company and yourself.

Remember, though, that manners, good online etiquette, and respect for relationships are only one portion of the equation.

About the Author

Barry Libert is the author of Social Nation: How to Harness the Power of Social Media to Attract Customers, Motivate Employees, and Grow Your Business. He is Chairman and CEO of Mzinga^®, the leading provider of social software, services, and analytics that improve business performance. Barry has published five books on the value of social and information networks. He is a regularly featured keynote speaker at industry associations and for leading companies on the power of social media. He has been published in Newsweek, Smart Money, Barron’s, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, and he has appeared on CNN, CNBC, and NPR. Barry currently serves on the Board of Directors at Innocentive and The SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. To learn more about Barry, click here.

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At the heart of every employee is talent. Your associates are the voice and the face of your business. By developing their talent – their uniquely human ability to communicate – your organization will flourish in the digital age. Since 1969, Communispond has helped over 600,000 client associates – including CEOs, board chairs, sales leaders, sports, media, and political figures – to achieve business goals by communicating with clarity and power. With knowledge and practice, associates gain confidence. With confidence, they become passionate performers. Communispond can help you grow your leaders, increase your sales, and build communication expertise throughout your organization. We offer: Expert individual communication coaching for professional development or critical public events World-renowned communication programs – standard or custom, delivered by us or licensed to you – as well as public seminars Comprehensive reinforcement, so new knowledge and skills enter the fabric of your organization By leveraging the expertise and dynamic solutions of Communispond, you can successfully influence your audience and drive business results. Visit www.Communispond.com for free access to numerous articles, audiocasts, videocasts and e-newsletter subscriptions. Also listed are the free webinars Communispond sponsors and a schedule of upcoming public seminars.

We’re going to share a technique that will help you control your nerves, connect better with your listeners, and even gauge your audience’s reactions to what you’re saying. The technique is called Eye-Brain-Control.

When most of us stand in front of an audience – whether it’s a large or small one – we tend to scan the room. We either move our eyes rapidly from side to side or glance with random darting motions from point to point. This tendency comes from a nervous, almost primal, instinct to see everything and everyone all at once.

But when you scan an audience you take in an overwhelming amount of information – colors, shapes, facial expressions, movement by audience members, etc. The information is actually irrelevant to you but it bombards your brain as you’re trying to remember what to say. The faster you scan, the more information your brain receives, and the more nervous you become. You’ve created information overload for your brain. This makes it harder and harder to remember what to say. And in the worst case you might just draw a complete blank.

It’s frightening, isn’t it? But the solution is really fairly simple: Talk to one person at a time. Actually, lock eyes with one listener and deliver one complete thought and then lock eyes with another listener for another thought. We call this technique Eye-Brain Control, because you’re actually using your eyes to control and lessen the amount of input to your brain.

What happens when you practice Eye-Brain Control? The one person with whom you lock eyes will be in clear focus. No blurring. And, therefore, the amount of stimulus to your brain goes way down, leaving your brain free to concentrate on the message you’re delivering. And with fewer stimuli to the brain you’ll feel far less nervous. This is a simple straightforward technique, but it does take a bit of practice because our instincts push us in the opposite direction.

Here are some tips for practicing Eye-Brain Control: If you’re alone in your office or at home, pick out or place a couple of objects around the room. You can use the mirror on the wall across from you or the flowers on the table. If you happen to have photographs of people place them around the room so you can look right into their faces. Now pick a subject that you know very well. It could be a hobby, or your kids, or what you do at work. Look at one of your selected objects and start talking. Complete a thought while looking directly at the object. If you catch yourself glancing elsewhere, look back and start again. After a complete thought, which should be approximately five seconds, move your eyes to the next object and deliver the next thought.

This will feel funny at first. Remember, though, that it’s just because it isn’t a habit yet. Keep at it. Practice will make a huge difference. And, of course, you don’t have to wait until you’re delivering your next formal presentation. You can try Eye-Brain Control in your next discussion with a group of people. You’ll find that this technique works just as well in small informal settings as it does in larger more formal ones. Keep practicing the Eye-Brain Control technique at home and in any group setting and you’ll be ready to make a strong, fearless presentation.

Additional Information

This is the second of a series of articles, developed exclusively for StrategyDriven, that highlights the breadth and depth of Communispond’s LearnTO Library. This on-line, on-demand library includes an ever-growing set of modules that provide concise, easy-listening instructions for meeting a wide range of business communications challenges. LearnTO Library materials come in a wide range of formats and are available for organization-wide access on an annual subscription basis. Click here to learn more about Communispond’s LearnTo Library.

Bill Rosenthal is the Chief Executive Officer of Communispond Inc., an organization that has taught business communications skills to more than 600,000 persons. Bill is responsible all aspects of the business including sales, marketing, content development, and the delivery of Communispond courses by certified faculty. Prior to joining Communispond, Bill was CEO of Digi-Block Inc., a K-12 education publisher focusing on mathematics. He also served as President of Kaplan College, a division of Kaplan Inc., the well-known test preparation company, where he developed and launched the online college that offers Associates and Bachelors degrees and certificates in Business, Information Technology, Nursing, and Law. In a previous role as President of Ziff-Davis Education (now called Element K), Bill oversaw the leading supplier of computer training products worldwide and supervised the operations of ZD University, the leading web-based computer skills site.

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At the heart of every employee is talent. Your associates are the voice and the face of your business. By developing their talent – their uniquely human ability to communicate – your organization will flourish in the digital age. Since 1969, Communispond has helped over 600,000 client associates – including CEOs, board chairs, sales leaders, sports, media, and political figures – to achieve business goals by communicating with clarity and power. With knowledge and practice, associates gain confidence. With confidence, they become passionate performers. Communispond can help you grow your leaders, increase your sales, and build communication expertise throughout your organization. We offer: Expert individual communication coaching for professional development or critical public events World-renowned communication programs – standard or custom, delivered by us or licensed to you – as well as public seminars Comprehensive reinforcement, so new knowledge and skills enter the fabric of your organization By leveraging the expertise and dynamic solutions of Communispond, you can successfully influence your audience and drive business results. Visit www.Communispond.com for free access to numerous articles, audiocasts, videocasts and e-newsletter subscriptions. Also listed are the free webinars Communispond sponsors and a schedule of upcoming public seminars.

To motivate, persuade, sell, get buy-in, receive feedback, insure understanding, or impact an audience in any way, you need their attention. And you can’t get it without understanding something about who they are, what they need, and how they might react to the message. The more you know about them, the more effectively you can position your information. Don’t make the common mistake of presenting your information the way you’d like to receive it if you were the audience.

The audience characteristics that might impact your presentation include age, gender, cultural background, language – the demographics of your group. They’ll help you determine the different examples or different words you might choose for the presentation. For example, you might speak differently to senior citizens than to a group of teenagers. For business presentations, level in the organization, decision-making authority, prior knowledge of the topic, and anything you know or can find out about your audience’s attention span can be critical.

For example, let’s say you’re making a presentation to your senior executives to get funding for a project. Do your key decision makers want you to net it out, give the big picture, and then give the details? Or would they prefer that you build your case, starting with specifics, and then give the conclusion? Sometimes you can infer the way someone will process the information based on his or her job function. A group of HR professionals will likely view most subjects differently than a group of accountants will. The thought process of HR professionals often will focus on people, while the accountants may focus more on quantitative information – the what, as opposed to the who.

If you know that the person you’re presenting to has a short attention span, you want to get to your point as soon as possible. If you know that your audience has prior knowledge of the topic, you want to avoid rehashing that information and risk losing their attention. Remember, you’re looking for anything that will give you insight into how the audience may think about your message. That insight will help you structure your information for maximum impact.

How do you get the needed information? Start with what you know about the audience members and write it down. What prior interactions have you had with the members? If so, what’s their communication style? The smaller your group the more information you should be able to get.

If you know your audience well enough, you can get very accurate information by simply asking them. If you don’t know them personally, do a little research. If they are within your organization or in client companies, can you gain any insights from someone else who knows them? Once you know what’s most critical to them about your topic, you can really target your information to what they need and what it is they want to know.

If you’re presenting to a group of strangers, there’s still a lot you can learn. Why are they coming together? Whom do you know who can give you any information? Let’s say you’re presenting to a professional association or other type of large gathering. Can the organizers of the meeting give you some insight into the group? The most important thing is to actively think about your audience as you start planning your presentation.

Now that you have all this great information about your audience, how do you use it? The information you gather can and should be used in several different ways.

It can help you organize your topics and determine in what order you should cover your points. You can plan your strategy around what the audience knows and how they think. You can use what you learn to grab the audience’s attention by opening with something that you know is critical to them or will startle them, or something that reflects their viewpoint in some way.

Every aspect of your message should target your audience. Analyzing your audience and then using that information to target your message is your key to making your presentation memorable.

Additional Information

This is the first of a series of articles, developed exclusively for StrategyDriven, that highlights the breadth and depth of Communispond’s LearnTO Library. This on-line, on-demand library includes an ever-growing set of modules that provide concise, easy-listening instructions for meeting a wide range of business communications challenges. LearnTO Library materials come in a wide range of formats and are available for organization-wide access on an annual subscription basis. Click here to learn more about Communispond’s LearnTo Library.

Bill Rosenthal is the Chief Executive Officer of Communispond Inc., an organization that has taught business communications skills to more than 600,000 persons. Bill is responsible all aspects of the business including sales, marketing, content development, and the delivery of Communispond courses by certified faculty. Prior to joining Communispond, Bill was CEO of Digi-Block Inc., a K-12 education publisher focusing on mathematics. He also served as President of Kaplan College, a division of Kaplan Inc., the well-known test preparation company, where he developed and launched the online college that offers Associates and Bachelors degrees and certificates in Business, Information Technology, Nursing, and Law. In a previous role as President of Ziff-Davis Education (now called Element K), Bill oversaw the leading supplier of computer training products worldwide and supervised the operations of ZD University, the leading web-based computer skills site.

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resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences by Nancy Duarte   Resonance Causes Change By leveraging techniques normally reserved for cinema and literature, resonate reveals how to transform any presentation into an engaging journey. You will discover how to understand your audience, create persuasive content, and elicit a groundswell response. With resonate, you’ll learn to: Connect with your audience empathetically Craft ideas that get repeated Rely on story structures inherent in great communication Create captivating content Inspire enthusiasm and support for your vision “Few things excite me more than a great communicator—something I’ve wanted to be ever since I ran for president of the seventh grade. While I think I’ve come a long way on that journey, I never fully understood what it takes to be a world-class communicator until I read Nancy Duarte’s Resonate. Read this book, absorb this book, practice what it preaches, and you’ll be on your way to being a great communicator. Thanks, Nancy!” Ken Blanchard Co-author of The One Minute Manager and Golden Gavel Award recipient “Finally! Someone has incorporated the power of story into presentations!” Damon Lindelof Co-creator of LOST

Today we are overwhelmed with messages. Some are just 140 characters long. Others are much longer, but they are constantly bombarding us – trying to lure us to acquire and consume information (then repeat the process over and over). Technology – social media specifically – allows for constant communication, but easy communication doesn’t necessarily translate to messages that are received, understood, and capable of driving action.

At a time when people are tweeting, blogging, emailing, and more 24/7, the best way to genuinely connect and create change is via truly human, in-person presentations. Everyone in every company should know how to present and communicate that company’s messages with clarity and passion.

Great presentations are like magic.

It takes a lot of work to breathe life into an idea. Spending energy to understand the audience and carefully crafting a message that resonates with them means committing time and discipline to the process. Think about it this way: You likely spend countless hours collaborating and innovating to put forth really good ideas. You should spend just as much energy ensuring they are delivered in a way that is impactful. The payoff is that learning how to present in a captivating way – be it at a formal event or to a client across the conference room table – can be your competitive edge in a business environment where too many companies are confusing communication with noise.

So how can you make sure you present information in a way that truly resonates?

If people can easily recall, repeat, and transfer your message, you did a great job conveying it. To achieve this, you should have a handful of succinct, clear, and repeatable sound bites planted in your presentation that people can effortlessly remember. A thoroughly considered sound bite can create a Something They’ll Always Remember (S.T.A.R.) moment – not only for the people present in the audience but also for the ones who will encounter your presentation through broadcast or social media channels.

To help you get started creating presentations that really stick with your audiences, here are a few tips on how you can incorporate repeatable sound bites:

Create crisp messages. Picture each person you speak to as a little radio tower empowered to repeat your key concepts over and over. Some of the most innocent-looking people have fifty thousand followers in their social networks. When one sound bite is sent to their followers, it can get re-sent hundreds of thousands of times.

Craft a rally cry. Your rally cry will be a small, repeatable phrase that can become the slogan and rallying cry of the masses trying to promote your idea. President Obama’s campaign slogan, “Yes We Can,” originated from a speech during the primary elections.

Coordinate key phrases with the same language in your press materials. For presentations where the press is present, be sure to repeat critical messages verbatim from your press materials. Doing so ensures that the press will pick up the right sound bites. The same is true for any camera crews who might be filming your presentation. Make sure you have at least a fifteen- to thirty-second message that is so salient it will be obvious to reporters that it should be featured in the broadcasts.

Use catchy words. Take time to carefully craft a few messages with catchy words. For example, Neil Armstrong used the six hours and forty minutes between his moon landing and first step to craft his historic statement. Phrases that have historical significance or become headlines don’t just magically appear in the moment. They are mindfully planned.

Make them remember. Once you’ve crafted the message, there are three ways to ensure the audience remembers it: First, repeating the phrase more than once. Second, punctuating it with a pause that gives the audience time to write down exactly what you said. And finally, projecting the words on a slide so they receive the message visually as well as aurally.

Imitate a famous phrase. Everyone knows the Golden Rule. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Well, an imitation of that famous phrase might be “Never give a presentation you wouldn’t want to sit through yourself.”

The future isn’t just a place you’ll go. It’s a place you will invent. Your ability to shape your future depends on how well you communicate where you want to be when you get there. When ideas are communicated effectively, people follow and change. Words that are carefully framed and spoken are the most powerful means of communication there is.

About the Author

Nancy Duarte, author of resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences, is CEO of Duarte Design in Silicon Valley, one of the few agencies in the world focused solely on presentations, whether delivered in person, online, or via mobile device. Nancy’s firm has worked with the top brands and thought leaders in the world helping them develop their presentations. She has over twenty years of experience working with global companies and thought leaders and has influenced the perception of some of the world’s most valuable brands and many of humanity’s common causes.

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SmartDraw.com is the creator of SmartDraw, software that helps companies work smarter by communicating visually. Everyone understands that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” SmartDraw makes it possible to communicate visually by enabling creation of presentation-quality visuals in minutes. It’s comprehensive, supporting every kind of visual including flowcharts, timelines, org charts, mind maps, floor plans, and marketing charts. It’s integrated, working seamlessly with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. SmartDraw’s web site serves as a valuable resource with in-depth information on how to create and use visuals to boost profits and increase productivity.

We live in exponential times. It’s estimated that more unique information will be generated this year alone than in the previous five thousand years combined!

We’ve all heard the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Visuals let you condense information into a form that is both quickly digestible and shows connections and relationships. In a fast changing world, using visuals helps solve the information overload problem. I believe that within five to ten years, all companies will be visual companies.

Studies show that communicating with visuals is up to six times more effective than communicating with words alone. When you look at information presented visually, you can immediately see the key ideas and the relationships between them, instead of having to take the time to read a lengthy report.

In a global company with many different languages, visuals provide a common way to summarize and effectively communicate key ideas. Mind maps, organization charts, flowcharts, project charts, graphs, plans and blueprints are all very effective at communicating information clearly and quickly, within diverse groups and distributed organizations. Yet today less than three percent of business communication includes visuals. This is because, until the development of visual processor software in 2010, creating a visual was more trouble than it was worth.

Before the visual processor, visuals had to be created manually with complex graphics software, usually by an expert. Even for experts, producing a visual like a flowchart was time consuming and the results were often not presentation-quality.

But now, just as anyone can use a word processor to quickly create professional-looking written documentation, anyone can use a visual processor to just as quickly create professional-looking visuals.

With a visual processor, a typical computer user can create presentation-quality visuals in minutes. The visual processor makes the promise of the Visual Company a reality.
 

Why Become a Visual Company?

Visual Companies grow faster, operate at lower costs and are more profitable than other companies.

• A Visual Company is agile because it communicates new initiatives quickly and effectively.
• It operates efficiently with low costs because everyone understands the priorities and follows the same processes.
• It is flexible: knowledge is easily shared between people because it is documented and accessible.

In a Visual Company, processes are defined and documented with process flowcharts.

Projects are planned with mind maps and managed with Gantt charts and timelines that are automatically generated from the mind mapped plan.

There are clear assignments of responsibility that are documented with an organization chart.

Visual Companies formulate and communicate their strategy and operating plans visually. They summarize key issues using a mind map so these things can be easily communicated and understood.

Visual Companies illustrate their generic strategy with a matrix. They validate their strategy with a SWOT diagram.

And Visual Companies create their operating plans with a project chart.

Summary

A Visual Company uses visuals to summarize and quickly communicate key information. Its organizational structure, goals, plans, processes and expertise are documented and easily accessible, and all of its employees have a visual processor on their desktop, just as they have a word processor today. This allows the company to operate efficiently and to react quickly in order to take advantage of new opportunities.

Visual Companies grow faster, operate with lower costs and are more profitable than traditional companies . In the next decade all companies that survive and prosper will have to become visual companies.

Paul Stannard is the founder and CEO of SmartDraw.com. A self-taught software developer, Paul began his career in the PC industry in 1980, founding a software company that developed software for Apple computers. Since that time, he has written more than a dozen published software applications, primarily graphics software. Paul, himself, wrote the first version of SmartDraw, and continues to play a key role in developing the company’s software products. To read Paul’s complete biography, click here.

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Special Edition 31b – An Interview with Stacey Hanke, author of Yes You Can!, part 2 of 2 explores the internal and external communications factors that help us positively influence those around us to take the actions we desire. During our discussion, Stacey Hanke, author of Yes You Can!: Everything You Need From A to Z to Influence Others to Take Action and President of 1^st Impressions Consulting, shares with us her insights and illustrative examples regarding:

• key actions that make meetings more effective, including:
• the purpose for holding a meeting versus other forms of mass or group communication
• when meetings should be scheduled and agendas provided
• rules of thumb for determining who to invite to a meeting
• how to overcome one’s fear and deliver great presentations
• presentation bad habits and why they should be avoided

Additional Information

In addition to the outstanding insights Stacey shares in Yes You Can! and this special edition podcast are the resources accessible from her website, www.1stImpressionConsulting.com.   Stacey’s book, Yes You Can!, can be purchased by clicking here.

Final Request…

The strength of our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider voting for us on Podcast Alley by clicking here. Casting your vote for the StrategyDriven Podcast improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community. Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast!

Stacey Hanke is founder of 1^st Impression Consulting, and author of Yes You Can!: Everything You Need From A to Z to Influence Others to Take Action. Her client list is vast; including Coca-Cola, Kohl’s, United States Army, Navy and Air Force, Leo Burnett and the FDA. She has been featured by SmartMoney magazine, Business Week, Chicago WGN and WLS-AM. To read Stacey’s complete biography, click here.

FREE StrategyDriven Trial Membership Start your FREE trial membership* and receive: FULL ACCESS to StrategyDriven’s premium content for 14 days FREE COPY of a StrategyDriven Expert Contributor book† EVALUATE how StrategyDriven gives you a competitive advantage

* Free 14 day trial included with a monthly membership registration. A monthly recurring subscription of $9.95 will begin after the initial 14 day trial period. Memberships can be cancelled at any time. Premium Member access will continue until the free/paid subscription expires.

† Available only to those living within the United States after the first monthly membership payment is received. Name and address information required. Books typically valued from $14.95 – $29.95 USD. Book value is not guaranteed.

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Special Edition 31a – An Interview with Stacey Hanke, author of Yes You Can!, part 1 of 2 explores the internal and external communications factors that help us positively influence those around us to take the actions we desire. During our discussion, Stacey Hanke, author of Yes You Can!: Everything You Need From A to Z to Influence Others to Take Action and President of 1^st Impressions Consulting, shares with us her insights and illustrative examples regarding:

• what it means to ‘communicate with influence’
• Attitude, Authenticity, and Audience – the three most essential skills to communicating with influence
• why consistency in communication is important to communicating with influence and building trust

Additional Information

In addition to the outstanding insights Stacey shares in Yes You Can! and this special edition podcast are the resources accessible from her website, www.1stImpressionConsulting.com.   Stacey’s book, Yes You Can!, can be purchased by clicking here.

Final Request…

The strength of our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider voting for us on Podcast Alley by clicking here. Casting your vote for the StrategyDriven Podcast improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community. Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast!

Stacey Hanke is founder of 1^st Impression Consulting, and author of Yes You Can!: Everything You Need From A to Z to Influence Others to Take Action. Her client list is vast; including Coca-Cola, Kohl’s, United States Army, Navy and Air Force, Leo Burnett and the FDA. She has been featured by SmartMoney magazine, Business Week, Chicago WGN and WLS-AM. To read Stacey’s complete biography, click here.

FREE StrategyDriven Trial Membership Start your FREE trial membership* and receive: FULL ACCESS to StrategyDriven’s premium content for 14 days FREE COPY of a StrategyDriven Expert Contributor book† EVALUATE how StrategyDriven gives you a competitive advantage

* Free 14 day trial included with a monthly membership registration. A monthly recurring subscription of $9.95 will begin after the initial 14 day trial period. Memberships can be cancelled at any time. Premium Member access will continue until the free/paid subscription expires.

† Available only to those living within the United States after the first monthly membership payment is received. Name and address information required. Books typically valued from $14.95 – $29.95 USD. Book value is not guaranteed.

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Yes You Can!: Everything You Need From A to Z to Influence Others to Take Action by Stacey Hanke and Mary Steinberg   Everything You Need from A to Z to Influence Others to Take Action Do you want to consistently get what you ask for? Do you want to completely eliminate the possibility of misinterpretations? This book will give you practical and immediate skills and techniques for all face-to-face communication. Communicating with influence takes work and requires constant attention. Throughout the book we offer our own suggestions for practicing techniques under the heading of Yes You Can! following each chapter. You will learn how to: Consistently influence others to take action See yourself as others see you Change your behavior to communicate at your best Focus on what is important to your audience Practice to make any changes permanent This book will work for you not because of the ideas we give you but because of what you do with them. The proven skills and techniques in this book have given thousands the ability to be at their personal best. What are you waiting for?

As a leader, you must be able to clearly communicate your purpose and value. Most of us are under the blurred assumption, “If I communicate a message it’s heard.” In reality, your message may not have been heard at all.

Lindsay Edmonds Wickman, Associate Editor for the Chief Learning Officer magazine, states: “…we are are good at analyzing business situations and making decisions, but what we aren’t as good at is communicating with others.”

How do you know if your communication is breaking up? When what you say isn’t consistent with how you say it. For example, when someone tells you “I’m so excited to have this opportunity to work with you,” and they communicate this statement in a monotone and boring voice. Their facial expressions are lifeless. They never look you in the eye and they’re fidgeting with a pen. You’d question their credibility and knowledge, and not take action on what they have to say. To guarantee your message is heard so that you’re communicating with impact and influence, make sure you’re always following these five tips.

1. Pause

Um, what perception, like, do you create, you know, when you hear, um, your peer is using, uh, words that clutter, you know, their language? Knowledgeable, credible and confident probably don’t come to mind.

The number one challenge we need to overcome if we want to communicate with influence, is the ability to replace our non-words with a pause. We use non-words to buy ourselves time to think about what we want to say. These words become distracting and your peers and clients misinterpret your message. Instead, give them time to hear and understand your message.

Give yourself permission to think on your feet by replacing your non-words with pauses. Speak in shorter thoughts or sentences.

Benefits

• Get to the point and avoid rambling.
• Hold your listener’s attention.
• Gain control over your message and how you communicate your message.
• Give your listener time to hear, understand and act on what you say.

2. Eye Connection

Last week when I met a new client to help him enhance his ability to influence others, I asked him; “What do you feel are your communication strengths?” He responded, “Eye contact.” As he responded his eyes were darting everywhere! Most individuals don’t lock their eyes with an individual long enough to create a relationship.

When you forget what to say, you will look at the ceiling, floor, your notes or anywhere away from your listeners. When you disconnect you’ll say “uh”, “um”, “so”, “and”, etc. You communicate to your listeners you don’t know what you’re saying and you jeopardize their trust in you.

When speaking to more than two individuals, connect with one individual for a complete sentence or thought. Only speak when you see your client’s eyes and pause when you look away to build trust.

3. Vocal Projection

If you want to be perceived as confident you must speak at a volume level to be heard. This applies to your work over the phone and face-to-face with clients.

On a scale from one to ten, with one being inaudible and ten too loud, when speaking to a group of fifteen or more your voice needs to be at a seven to eight. When speaking over the phone or to a small group, speak at a four to five level.

Vocal projection is the realization you need to use different volume levels so your voice reaches everyone in the room. No one should have to strain to hear you.

Benefits

• Hold your listener’s attention.
• Bring out the importance of your message.
• Convey confidence.

4. Gestures

Most individuals I work with fidget with their fingers, clothing, pen and the list goes on. If they don’t fidget then they unconsciously talk with their hands. There is also the individual who goes to the extreme. They’ve been told they talk with their hands so they hold their hands and do nothing.

Confident professionals use their gestures to add emphasis to their words. To gesture with purpose, expand your gestures from your sides and let your hands emphasize and describe your message.

Add variety to your gestures by relaxing your arms back to your sides after you complete a gesture. If you’re constantly using gestures you’re not able to think on your feet and you’re creating static.

Benefits

• You’re the visual. When you use purposeful gestures, your listener will remember more of your message.
• Add emphasis to your message and grab attention.
• Add energy and inflection to your voice and channel your energy.

Ask for constructive feedback from friends, family and peers: “When I gesture do I look like I’m talking with my hands?” “Do I use gestures too often or not enough?”

5. Get to the Point

The more you say that’s unnecessary, the greater the risk your listener will either miss or misinterpret your point. What can help you get to the point?

• Stay focused. When you find yourself going down the path of saying too much and you begin to feel like a train about to derail, put the brakes on and get yourself back on track…PAUSE!
• Keep your objective in mind. Think in terms of what your listener needs to know about your topic.
• Focus your message on no more than the three most significant points. It’s easier for you to get to the point and for your listener to remember your message.
• Pay attention to your listener. Are they hanging on your every word or are they dazed? Are they attentive or fidgeting?

Stacey Hanke is founder of 1st Impression Consulting, Inc. and co-author of Yes You Can! Everything You Need From A to Z To Influence Others To Take Action. Her client list is vast from Coca-Cola, Kohl’s, United States Army, Navy and Air Force, Leo Burnett and the FDA. She has been featured with: SmartMoney magazine, Business Week, Chicago WGN and WLS-AM.
Visit Stacey at: www.1stimpressionconsulting.com.

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Special Edition 23 – An Interview with Susan Scott, author of Fierce Leadership explores how how executives and managers can transform their organizations through candid, meaningful dialogue with each other, their employees, and their customers. During our discussion, Susan Scott, author of Fierce Leadership: A Bold Alternative to the Worst “Best” Practices of Business Today and Founder and CEO of Fierce, Inc., shares with us her insights and illustrative examples regarding:

• what Fierce Leadership is
• developing and using ‘squid eye‘ to recognize business practices that challenge individual and organizational success
• engaging in ‘mineral rights‘ deep dive converations to gain full understanding of a situation including one’s personal contributions and impacts
• the six worst ‘best’ business practices and their Fierce Leadership alternatives
• how to promote Fierce Leadership and Fierce Converstations throughout one’s organization

Additional Information

In addition to the outstanding insights Susan shares in Fierce Leadership and this special edition podcast are the additional resources accessible from her organization’s website at www.FierceInc.com and her books’ websites at www.FierceLeadership.com and www.FierceConversations.com. Susan’s book, Fierce Leadership, can be purchased by clicking here.

Complimenting Fierce Leadership, is Susan’s book, Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time. Fierce Conversations can be purchased by clicking here.

Final Request…

The strength of our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider voting for us on Podcast Alley by clicking here. Casting your vote for the StrategyDriven Podcast improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community. Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast!

Susan Scott, author of Fierce Leadership, is Founder and CEO of the global training company Fierce, Inc.. For over two decades, Susan has helped executives at companies such as Microsoft, Coke, Starbucks, Cisco, and Google transform their companies by teaching them how to engage in more vibrant dialogue with one another, their employees, and their customers. She is a globally recognized thought leader, the bestselling author of Fierce Conversations, and recipient of the 2008 Stevie award for Entrepreneur of the Year. To read Susan’s full biography, click here.

FREE StrategyDriven Trial Membership Start your FREE trial membership* and receive: FULL ACCESS to StrategyDriven’s premium content for 14 days FREE COPY of a StrategyDriven Expert Contributor book† EVALUATE how StrategyDriven gives you a competitive advantage

* Free 14 day trial included with a monthly membership registration. A monthly recurring subscription of $9.95 will begin after the initial 14 day trial period. Memberships can be cancelled at any time. Premium Member access will continue until the free/paid subscription expires.

† Available only to those living within the United States after the first monthly membership payment is received. Name and address information required. Books typically valued from $14.95 – $29.95 USD. Book value is not guaranteed.

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We saw last year how social networking sights like Facebook and MySpace helped, then Candidate Obama, build a grassroots movement and win an election. We’ve seen news agencies such as CNN, Fox, or MSNBC use blogs to deliver information and gather viewer opinions. They even rely on pictures and videos from viewers’ cell phones to report information. And recently, the world has been following the social unrest in Iran, through YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

These various technologies can be used for very practical business purposes, even though they were originally intended for other purposes. So the question is “How will you use technology to strengthen your business?”

The answer will vary based on your type of business, but I have a few suggestions listed below:

1. Create an online ‘social’ network within your company.

An online network will help your employees communicate across various departments and locations. They can post best practices to share with fellow employees or ask questions on the network to which others can respond. They can even post pictures of work-related events to boost moral. If your network has audio or video, you can post recordings of staff meetings in addition to meeting notes.

2. Send alerts to your team via Text Messaging.

Text messaging can be a quick and easy way to let your employees know that a staff meeting has been rescheduled or that the CEO is making a surprise visit to the office.

3. Create a series of YouTube videos demonstrating the use of your product.

This will provide instruction for those who already own your product and it may also generate interest among those who happen to stumble upon your video. Which leads to my next point…

4. Use the Internet to promote your product.

Tools such as stumbleupon.com or digg.com are great resources to promote your product. They scan the Internet and present users with recommended websites based on their interests. If a user finds your website interesting, they may recommend it to others. With millions of users each, stumbleupon.com and digg.com reach a lot of potential customers.

5. Use the Internet to promote yourself.

LinkedIn is an online networking service that allows members to connect with colleagues, classmates and friends. It is focused on professionals and provides access to professional communities and alumni associations. It is also a great way to list your accomplishments and promote yourself.

Almost any technology can provide a great advantage, even if it seems geared to personal use. Like me, you may not see it at first, but I’m sure that once you’ve tried Twitter to enhance your meetings or created an inner-office social network, you’ll be sold.

Final Thought

I’ve included hyperlinks to the various resources discussed above. I encourage you to click on a few and explore them for yourself. Chances are that you will find one or two that will help make your company more StrategyDriven.

Reference

1. Johnson, Steve. “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live.” Time. 5 June 2009. 20 June 2009

Lucas D. Ives is a training consultant at Verizon Wireless and a StrategyDriven contributor. A dynamic facilitator, he excels at creating and delivering captivating training focused on the business professional. To read Lucas’s complete biography, click here.

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The main problem with online collaboration is that your staff, by definition, must have a reliable access to the Internet. Aka “The Infinite Distraction Engine.” Administering employees online can be like herding cats, except the cats are all in different countries, and invisible. The cats also have access to YouTube. How can you remotely manage them?

1. Set a strict schedule – for yourself

Task management is tricky, but you can’t let your workers know. The very first time you write “Did you get that, um, thing?” (a week after it was needed) is the time they decide that responding to you is optional. As a virtual project manager you can’t afford that, and neither can your company.

Get some proper task management software and upload everything into it – digging through your inbox’s search filter every time you need information is a great way to get distracted. Set a schedule for contacting, reviewing, compiling updates and administering problems each day, and stick to it outside of the direst emergency. Dropping everything because of one problem is a great way to create twenty more.

2. Use the right contact method for the right job

Web based task management is all about the results, not the hours. If you’re sending 8am emails just to check if people are at their desks, congratulations – you’re not a manager, you’re a first grade teacher! If you’re ever looking at the “time sent” instead of the email content, you’re literally missing the point.

The key to communication in project management is using the right tool for the right job. It’s tempting to play with the whole range of communications strategies – e-mail, AIM, Skype , phone, even a project-based Twitter – but that’s exactly what it is: play. If you’re going to work, you need to use each option right.

E-mail: This should be your regular communications system. For setting schedules and assigning tasks, because you can attach all the relevant information and make sure everyone involved gets the same package. Your first inquiry after any non-urgent work should also be by email. Better yet, use a web based project management system that keeps all conversations relevant to the project in one place.

Phone/Skype: This should be your problem resolution option (set up Skype if you can, it’s an entirely sensible cost-cutter with no downside). It might seem “cyber” to talk by messenger, but hashing out problems works better with voice in many cases. You can exchange information faster, you can pick up on mood and tone, and information won’t be throttled by whoever has the slowest typing speed.

Messenger/AIM/Skype: You can use this instead of phone if you’re swapping a lot of files back and forth (just make sure you’ve got a service and clients which can carry those). As online project manager, you MUST resist the temptation to drop in a “Hi how’re things going!” every time you see an employee online. It breaks their concentration, it’s the slowest and least precise of the virtual management options, and if you don’t have a definite reason for talking you’re telling your workers “Hey, just break off and talk to whoever you want, whenever you want! I do!”

3. Keep track of it all

Get ready to have your mind blown: as a virtual project manager, you have to manage the virtual project. Astonishing stuff, we know, but there’s more to it than you might think: you have to keep track of your own online contacts as well as the project progress.

What’s the status of the online interface? When was the last time you talked to the graphic design team? Whose tasks are due now, and who’s already updated you with reasons for delays? It’s flattering to think you can hold all that in your head, but that head evolved to avoid tigers and find mates – don’t kid yourself. Two pounds of grey sludge is not a filing system.

Proper online management tools are keys to success, or even to competence. Yellow stickies are useful for EXACTLY ten seconds after the call – either enter the data you scribbled with the phone on your shoulder somewhere more permanent, or get ready for that awful cold feeling when a task is two weeks behind because you simply never told them to start. Those yellow notes have their uses, but permanent recording isn’t one of them.

Real team software can record your contacts as well as your updates, so you don’t phone the same guy one day later demanding his next weekly update. The instant they think you aren’t on top of things is the instant you aren’t.

Check your team management software before every call – as task manager you have to be the central front, the master computron brain that’s on top of it all. Even if it’s really your desktop who knows what’s what, you’re the one who’ll get paid for it.

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In need of more inspiration? Company leaders should also look into classes and programs offered through the Guide to Online Schools for themselves and their subordinates alike. Online college psychology courses have proven profitable for leaders who seek to better understand how to more effectively motivate their employees.

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Author Unknown

Teaching via the Socratic Method

The best way for someone to learn something and to retain it, is for the individual to figure it out on their own. This is the concept behind the Socratic Method. As the teacher leads the conversation, the student observes, participates, and eventually understands. This method is most often used in law school, to the dismay and embarrassment of many law school students. Often the legal professor is ruthless when cutting down student ideas, asking what universe they live in because their version of the law certainly does not exist in this one. This tactic has the effect of ensuring students study.

While the insults and embarrassment law students live with would certainly not be acceptable in the business world, the constructive application of the Socratic Method can provide a great deal of benefit to businesses and employees alike.

The idea behind this method is to guide a conversation using questions and accepted facts; keeping the conversation on its proper course. As participants discuss their views and essentially think out loud, others will learn from what is being said. A good teacher will ask a participant to justify their response and the audience learns as a unit why the response is correct or incorrect.

It may sound simple but remember, a discussion is, at a minimum, a two-way event. You need to get a point across, and because others will be speaking as well, you will essentially be using their voice. In other words, you must direct the conversation to your desired conclusion.

Choose Your Setting

The best way to lead a discussion is to be at eye level with your audience. By standing behind a podium or in front of a classroom you are portraying the image of an orator or teacher. Your goal should be to draw ideas and information out of your audience. While you may be teaching or training this group, you want them to feel comfortable voicing their ideas. Most law school classrooms are designed with this concept in mind. The class is usually arranged in a horseshoe with the professor at or below eye level of the class. If necessary, you may choose to sit down on the edge of the stage or the table and look your audience in the eye. This body language will encourage participation.

Be a Director

Direct your conversation. Because others are involved, there is the potential for the discussion to get off track. When this happens, ask a question that will redirect the focus back to the desired topic. Ask, why will this move be good for the company? How can this policy change spur growth and increase revenue? If you get the correct response right away, ask the audience member to prove it. What was wrong with the old way? You are not just looking for what is correct, but also why it is correct.

To effectively lead a discussion you must learn how to ask a different kind of question. Determine what questions you will ask prior to giving your class or presentation. Make sure to use a variety of question types such as open-ended and close-ended questions.

Open-ended questions are used when you are looking for a more detailed response. These can be used to determine if the participant or audience truly understands the information you are delivering. They can also be used to encourage discussion or to let the audience talk their way through a problem.

• Why do you think this policy benefits us in the long term?
• What results can we expect to see after implementing this change? Why?

What, Why and How are great question words to use when seeking a more detailed response. If you are looking for more detail or clarification of a response, ask a follow up question:

• Can you tell me more?
• Would you elaborate on that for us, please?
• Can anyone explain that in a different way?

And ask for examples:

• Can you describe a time when you had to deal with a hostel client?
• Give me an example of when you could apply these steps to your job.

Close-ended questions elicit a one-word, often a yes or no, response. These can be used to quickly check for understanding or as a way to respectfully stop the conversation when it strays off course.

• So you think this new process will show long-term results?

When the participant answers, “Yes,” affirm their response and move on to the next point in the discussion.

• You’re absolutely right, this will be a great move in the long run. Now, let’s move on.

As mentioned earlier, you should formulate your questions in advance and have a clear idea of the response you are looking for as well as what incorrect responses you may receive. Also, think in advance of how you will respond to your audience’s potential answers to your questions. Should you say, “Tell me more,” or should you elicit others’ feedback?

Remember, you are teaching your audience ‘to fish.’ Simply telling them of a new process may be easier, but guiding them to a thorough understanding of the process and why it is better for the company will yield better results. You will promote critical thinking and leave your audience knowing not just what, but why and how.

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This article will present several tips to enhance your public speaking skills. You will learn the basic Dos and Don’ts of public speaking, and then take a look in greater detail at some advanced skills. You will discover ways to engage your audience and improve their chances of retaining the information you give them and you will learn how to avoid some common pitfalls.

Remember, the most important part of public speaking is getting your audience to receive and retain the information you provide. It’s about them, not about you, so you must adjust your delivery accordingly. If your audience walks away from your presentation better informed and better prepared to do their job, everyone benefits.

Speaking Basics

These tips can, and should be used any time you are delivering information to a group of people. Your goal is to direct your audiences’ focus to the information you are delivering, to hold their attention and to leave them better informed, and maybe even inspired, at the end of the presentation. The following tips will help you to achieve that goal.

Don’t Read

The first rule of public speaking is ‘don’t read’ to your audience. Look at them. This can only be accomplished by proper preparation. Know what you are going to say. Memorize it if necessary. Index cards or a teleprompter should be used as a guide only, not a script.

If you feel nervous in front of a room full of people, then pick several points on the wall in the back of the room on which to focus. Looking at these points will give the illusion that you are looking at the audience. They will never know that you are focusing on the clock, the door and the empty chair.

Use Visual Aids

If all they have to look at is you, your audience will lose interest very quickly. Use visual aids to introduce a topic, underscore an idea or create a theme. The most common visual aid is a presentation or slide show. Since most people are visual learners, graphs and charts are a great way to deliver information. Pictures can be very helpful as well because they add life to a presentation.

Be careful not to make your visual aids too complex or too busy. Some simple rules to follow:

• Organize your visual aids around one single idea or theme. The objective should be clearly defined and obvious to your audience.
• Use no more than three colors. Using more than three colors will make the visual aid feel too busy and distract your audience from its meaning. Choice of colors depends on the mood or feeling you are trying to convey. Some examples include:
  • Yellow – Bright, sun, intellect, caution, notice me
  • Orange – Power, unusual, eye-catching, weird
  • Red – Bold, urgent, powerful, angry, emergency
  • Dark Blue – Communication, sky, sea, calm, steady
  • Light Blue – Playful, sky, up beat, flow
  • Green – Growth, money, earth, power, plants, spring
  • Brown – Wood, solid, dull, ground
  • Black – Sleek, finished, formal, final
  • Purple – Bright, psychic, regal, royal, intuitive, artistic
• Use different styles of lettering to catch the class’s attention. Examples include:
  • CAPITALS
  • lowercase
  • BLOCK
  • Shadow
  • Slanted
  • UNEVEN
• Always use a border around a poster or slide.

Visual aids do not always need to be a slide or poster. For example, if you are discussing the strength and durability of a new all-weather cell phone, throw it against the wall, drop it in a bucket of water and then take a phone call. Being dramatic can be a great way to demonstrate your point.

Control Your Body Language

Don’t stand behind a podium during an entire speech or presentation. Interact with your visual aids, even if you are just pointing out a fact or line on a chart. If you are interacting with someone in your audience, take a step or two toward them. This gesture will demonstrate that you are interested in them and what they are saying.

Keep your hands out of your pockets. When necessary, use your hands to direct the audience’s attention to the screen or another visual aid. Gesture with an open hand to a member of the audience if you are calling on them, but avoid pointing with one finger at someone. This may be taken as a sign of aggression.

Adjust Your Tone

Use inflection to get your point across. A monotone voice will lose an audience and perhaps even put them to sleep. Sound excited and your audience will be excited. If necessary, over-emphasize your words. What may seem like over-doing it to you will come across as energetic to your audience.

Think about the words you want to emphasize ahead of time and practice. Your use of inflection can actually change the meaning of your words. For example, place the stress on the word on bold in the following sentences and see how the meaning also changes:

• I never said you stole the money. (No, but someone else did.)
• I never said you stole the money. (I said that Sally stole the money.)
• I never said you stole the money. (I said you borrowed it.)

Use Examples

As demonstrated above, they will enhance your message and they will tie your concept to a real-life situation. Keep the following rules in mind when choosing your examples:

• Keep your example relevant. If you are speaking about delivering quality customer service, use an example of when you received quality customer service or of when you received poor service.
• Discuss the example. What made this a positive customer service interaction? Why was the service poor?
• Keep your example simple. If your audience can’t understand the example, then it does nothing to help them understand the concept.

Advanced Skills

If your goal is to teach your audience about a new product, process or a policy change, you will need to employ more advanced speaking skills. In this situation, your goal is not just to deliver information. Rather you must ensure your audience receives and understands the information you provide and be able to apply it on the job as well.

Ask Questions

It can be easy to fall in the trap of becoming a ‘talking head.’ One way to avoid this is to include your audience in the presentation. You may ask questions that tie the topic to the audience. For example, ask:

• By a show of hands, who here works in the Finance Department?

Choose a member of the audience, who raised their hand and continue:

• How will this change in policy effect you?

Asking questions allows people to feel included. If the question and response are applicable to a group, like the Finance Department, then others in that department will pay attention even if they were not called upon. If you take this approach, be sure that you ask questions of several groups or departments so that you include a larger portion of the audience.

You may also call directly on people rather than asking for volunteers. This has the effect of getting your entire audience to pay attention. No one wants to be the one who is called on unprepared.

Lead a Discussion

One of the most effective skills, and the one that is probably most difficult to master, is leading a discussion. This method is often used in Law School and is generally referred to as the Socratic Method. The idea behind this method is to guide a conversation using questions and accepted facts to keep the conversation on its proper course. As participants discuss their views and, essentially think out loud, others will learn from what is being said. A good teacher will ask the participant to justify their response and the audience will learn as a unit why the response is correct or incorrect.

Effectively applying these skills takes practice but, like any other valuable job skill, will payoff through advancement and a greater sense of confidence.

More importantly, practicing the skills outlined here will help you to engage your audience and accomplish the goal of leaving your audience better informed and better prepared to do their job. Remember, in the end it’s about them. Have you direct their focus to the information delivered? Did you hold their attention? Do they understand the information you provide and can they apply it on the job?

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For communications to be clear, they must possess several key qualities, one of which is common language. Common language is more than a specific language; it also includes a common frame of reference. People from different locations often use words and phrases the meaning of which is not broadly understood. And even among individuals sharing a like understanding of this slang, an off-normal word association can inhibit understanding.

One of the best illustrations of two people speaking one language, English, but not understanding each other because of a lack of common reference is Abbot and Costello’s “Who’s On First?” routine first performed in the early 1930′s.

Video 1: Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s On First?” from the 1945 film The Naughty Nineties.

Recognizing Common Language Challenges

Preventing communication misunderstandings will eliminate the often costly need for rework and renegotiation in addition to the damage done to relationships. Several activities that help identify when a common language challenge is likely to exist:

• Identifying the language and fluency level of audience members
• Learning the regional living differences of audience members
• Listening for requests for clarification or restatement
• Looking for the appearance of inquisitive or confused facial expressions
• Checking for alignment between audience member responses and information communicated

Minimizing Common Language Challenges

In addition to recognizing common language challenges, communicators can proactively minimize the occurrence of these misunderstandings by:

• Communicating in the language of the audience or employ an interpreter to do so
• Eliminating the use of colloquialisms from communications
• Checking for understanding of key messages and action requests
• Using visuals to augment verbal communications, particularly for complex or abstract concepts

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