Defining Moments

“The Chinese symbol for adversity contains a symbol for opportunity. Therefore, adversity brings opportunity.”

– Anonymous

How do you rebound after 10 straight losses? Is it possible? Theoretically, yes.  Is it easy? Of course not. How do you do it? Stay in the game long enough to find your opportunity – and then seize the moment!

No doubt about it – Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign is on a losing streak. You can not “spin away” 10 consecutive losses. You can not discount the outcome of some state elections  as “not that important.” A caucus or a primary? It doesn’t matter. A loss is still a loss.

But there is always tomorrow. Another opportunity. A chance to gain a foot-hold. A chance to debate. A chance to turn her ship around. A chance to turn adversity into opportunity.

All eyes will be on Austin, TX – the scene of the next Democratic Party Debate.

More precisely, the eyes of the camera will be focused on the eyes, the hands, the posture of the candidates. It is my opinion that the outcome of tomorrow’s debate will be determined more by style than substance. And specifically, I predict that the outcome will be determined by how Senators Clinton and Obama master their body language during the debate.

The audience will be “listening with their eyes.”

We will not require a political analyst to tell us who won the debate. We can throw away the scorecard that tallies points scored on policy matters. The only points that matter will be how the candidates react to each other. Non-verbal reactions to each other.

We will “listen with our eyes.” We will determine the winner based upon what we “hear with our eyes.”

My advice to Senators Clinton and Obama: Spend more time preparing your non-verbal communications than in polishing your 9-point policy positions. The outcome of this debate will be determined by what the audience sees!

This has been the case – at least since the first televised Presidential Debate in 1960 between Kennedy and Nixon. The outcome was determined by a “close shave.”Future President Kennedy came across as a tanned, vigorous, confident leader. Then Vice President Nixon appeared to be hiding behind his “5 o’clock Shadow.”

Who can forget these images? Moments when non-verbal communication decided the outcome of the debate: Continue reading “Defining Moments” »

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Communicate to Motivate Your Staff

“Setting and communicating the right expectations is the most important tool a manager has for imparting that elusive drive to the people he supervises.”

– Andrew S. Grove

Recently, I have been thinking about and studying the subject of effective communications.  Where most managers, leaders and marketers go wrong – and are guilty of ineffective communication – is quite simple:

They give an order, or write a memo, or place an ad and … they presume that the message is communicated.  They assume that the order will be acted upon to their satisfaction; that the memo will be completely understood by all who read it (if they do read it) and that the ad will naturally generate orders for the product or service.

NOT!

Communications is a participatory sport.  At a minimum it involves “give and take” from two parties.  You give me an order and I take away a clear understanding of what you want me to accomplish; how the task is to be done and when it is to be completed.  Simple enough, right?

WRONG!

How often have you been disappointed when your staff did not complete a project the way your wanted it?  Quite a bit if yours is the typical office or store.  Why?  Who is to blame?  What went wrong?  How could they possibly not understand me when I said, “I need this done ASAP!”  How, exactly, did you define ASAP?  Are you sure that you communicated your exact interpretation of ASAP to your employee?  Did he or she tell you what was exactly possible from their perspective? Does their ASAP match your ASAP? If not, you have a problem – that needs to be fixed – ASAP!

This is how communications break down.  This is how morale starts to slip in the workplace.  This is not the right way to motivate your staff.

Let’s examine the opening  words of the Andy’s Grove quote that I used to start this post:

“Setting … and communicating … the right … expectations…. ”

Each word packs a lot of power.  And the power to motivate is included in each one:

“Setting expectations.”  Confident managers and leaders don’t set expectations by themselves.  They involve their individual employees or their team members when setting their expectations.  They ask questions.  They evaluate skill levels and potential.  They are aware of other – possibly conflicting – goals that employees are working towards for other departments.  Today, leaders set expectations in consultation with their staff.  They still make the final decision, they maintain control, but… they actively invite participation in setting expectations.

“Communicating expectations.”  Effective leaders are skilled at communicating clear, concise and precise direction.  And they make sure that their staff completely understand – and are committed to fulfilling – these expectations.  Confident leaders choose the right words when communicating.  They choose the words that work – the words that their team “hears” and understands. The words that the team responds to.

“The right expectations.”  Expectations that are challenging and interesting – but achievable.  Expectations that help the team to grow, learn additional skills and build self-confidence.  And confident leaders realize that they must coach and praise their team members as they work towards meeting the right expectations. 

Offering specific and timely praise for positive performance is the strongest force for motivating your staff. 

Use these tips as tools for “imparting that elusive drive to the people (you) supervise.” 

You will love the results!

Let me know what works for you – and why it works.  Drop me an email – danny@thecompanyrocks.com or post a comment about this article.  Share your thoughts with your fellow readers.

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How Well Do You Communicate? I Don’t Hear You

“It is the recipient who communicates. The so-called communicator, the person who emits the communication does not communicate. He utters. Unless there is someone who hears, there is no communication. There is only noise.”

– Peter Drucker

As always, the late, great Peter Drucker put his finger on the key issue. Unfortunately, too many speakers, salespeople, marketers, supervisors and spouses ignore this point – at their peril!

Communication is a two-way process.

Speakers may speak, but they are only words … unless the words that they speak reflect the experience of their audience. Salespeople may try to sell, but there will be no sale … unless their prospective customer perceives that there is a value for them. Marketers market everywhere everyday … but unless they market the right product to a receptive audience, it is just a waste of advertising dollars. Supervisors try to supervise daily … but most of the time their employees fail to respond in the way the supervisor hoped they would. Why? We know that spouses and significant other talk past each other on a regular basis … and to what result? The divorce rate is at an all-time high.

“What we have here is a failure to communicate!” This is a famous line from the movie, “Cool Hand Luke.” And it comes back to Peter Drucker’s observation:

“Before we can communicate, we must, therefore, know what the recipient expects to see and hear.”

No one can move an individual or an audience from Point “A” to Point “B” unless they really know the audience’s definition of Point “A.” It’s exact geographic and emotional location!

And this may vary from individual to individual in each audience and from audience to audience. If you want to be successful in sales (and who doesn’t?), you should spend more time asking questions of your potential customers than practicing your (one-size-fits-all) “spiel.” Successful marketers spend a considerable amount of time identifying – and locating – a “target” audience – one that has a high likelihood of being receptive to a (personalized) message. When the “communication” is “on-target” a demand is made – that the consumer makes a purchase or, at a minimum, asks for more information.

I am reminded of a book in my library by John Wooden – “You Haven’t Taught Until They Have Learned.” It’s the same principle at work here (as per Peter Drucker): Continue reading “How Well Do You Communicate? I Don’t Hear You” »

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Communication Overload

Well, I’ve had a FUN weekend – NOT!  I had a major computer crash (my data was all backed up) and I have had to restore all of my programs.  This gave me lots of time to catch up on some reading while waiting for the programs to load.

OK – back to the subject of this post – How do we cope with the vast amount of information that comes our way on a regular basis?

The December 2006 issue of The Motivational Manager has an interesting article on this subject.  They cite a survey of senior executives and managers conducted by NFI Research that found:

80% said that they receive too much communication from both internal and external sources

33% said that they receive significantly too much communication

As with any survey there are several caveats.  Managers and executives at mid-sized companies were the most impacted – 46% – by over-communication.  Which, I suppose makes sense.  If you are a large corporation, supposedly you have “gate-keepers” to filter most of the communication directed to you.

The most telling point of the survey was a comment from one respondent:

“It’s not a question of how many e-mails, voice mails, memos, and such, or even the frequency – it’s the inability of the communicator to get to the point.  Over-communication is the difference between what I need to know and what I have to filter.”

Amen to that!  Bring back the “good old days” of the Television series Dragnet when Sgt. Friday said, “Just the facts, Ma’am.”

Here are some salient points to consider when writing your next email (I found this in the same issue of The Motivational Manager  – actually there are adapted from an article that is on the Microsoft Small Business Center website – click here for the article)

1) In your e-mail, get quickly to the point – this starts with a meaningful Subject Line.

2) Try to limit the body of your e-mail so that the message will appear (in its entirety) on one screen

3) Close your email by succinctly stating what needs to happen next

Great advice!  And not just for email – this pertains to all forms of communication (marketing messages, presentations, sales calls, even talking with friends and clients.)

No one has time to “filter out” the excess in a message.  So stop sending “CYA” e-mails!  Don’t include your entire address book in the CC portion of your e-mail.  And, if the issue is really important, put down your mouse and go talk to the people involved “face-to-face” – if you remember how to do that!

And now — back to my software installation.  Thank you for listening!

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How to Become an Excellent Public Speaker

I received a link to the Business Week Online Small Business web page in my email this morning – I subscribe to both the magazine and the email newsletters.  The headline that caught my eye was “How Cisco’s CEO Works the Crowd.”  The story was written by Carmine Gallo who has extensively analyzed what makes Cisco CEO John Chambers such an effective communicator in his book “10 Simple Secrets of the World’s Greatest Business Communicators.”

If you are serious about improving your business communications skills, buy the book.  If you don’t have the time – or want a quick course in effective communications, ready today’s article from Business Week Online Small Business.

John Chambers is by any measurement one of the Top 5 Business communicators alive today.  Take any opportunity you can get to see him “in action.” – not just on stage.  Watch – and tape – him when he is giving a press conference, speaking to analysts, etc.  Study what makes him so effective.  Doing so will help  you to improve your communications skills immediately.

Use these points from today’s article in Business Week Online to guide your study of John Chambers:

1) Sell the benefit

2) Tell stories

3) Make preparation a part of your routine

4) Use confident body language

5) Overcome personal challenges

I believe that we teach by example.  By that precept, John Chambers is an excellent teacher.  And Carmine Gallo has done an excellent job in identifying the concepts that John Chambers teaches us – to be more effective business communicators.

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Fear of Public Speaking

“We want you to give a little talk at next month’s meeting…”  Those words are enough to send most people into a state of panic.  Would you offer to speak or would you flee?  Do you have a fear of speaking in public?  Have you ever considered that this fear – and your lack of skill in public speaking – is hindering your career? 

It is and it does.  To succeed in business you must be able to effectively communicate your message.  It is not just the words that you say that matter.  You also must use a tone of voice that matches your words if you want your audience to believe you and to be receptive to your message.

Here is a little exercise that I use when I coach clients on improving their presentations.  It is especially effective in helping to overcome the fear of speaking in public:

1) Tell a story – any story.  Something that you heard or saw today.  Something that you read – but don’t read the story.  Rephrase the story using your own words.

2) You can start this exercise alone – but speak it out loud!  You might feel silly at first, but find a quiet place and just start telling the story.  Stand when you speak and look at your surroundings as you tell the story – this is one audience that will not laugh at you nor fall asleep!

3) As you gain confidence, ask a close friend to listen to you as you tell your story – you don’t have to tell them that you are practicing for a speech.

4) Children’s bedtime stories are great sources to use for your practice.  Notice how your tone of voice changes during the story!  Notice how you naturally speed up and slow down as the story evolves.  Notice how – in this case – you achieve the desired effect: your audience does fall asleep!

Audiences will remember a story. They will most likely forget the facts and figures from your presentation. But they will remember a personal story – especially if it is told well. Start collecting stories – and always find an opportunity to tell people that story – you are practicing and building your skill set.

The best public speakers are the best story tellers.  Notice how they skillfully incorporate stories in their presentations.  Learn how to communicate – tell your story!

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