5 Ways to Communicate Your Message on LinkedIn (Sean Nelson)

When I first joined LinkedIn my thought was that this would be a good place to network and connect to other business professionals.  What I’ve learned since is that LinkedIn is a great place to communicate your message to millions of business professionals.  Most often through indirect methods.

Most people think in term of communicating directly, but that’s a traditional perspective.  Social networking/media has its own rules in regards to sales related activites and most often using a direct sales pitch will fail and potentially cause damage to your brand.

There are a few ways to communicate directly on LinkedIn.  The most obvious is to send a direct message to your first degree connections.  Personally when I receive a direct sales message I immediately archive it.  Most often it’s from someone I’m connected to but do not personally know.  If I receive several I simply remove the connection.

If you want to sell to me you have to first introduce yourself and then start a conversation.  It all starts with the three requirements necessary for someone to choose to do business with you.  First they have to know you, second they need to like you, and finally they need to trust you.

Connecting or interacting within LinkedIn groups can accomplish the “getting to know you” requirement.  Moving to like and trust requires time and interaction.  You’re going to have to share value over time for this to occur.

Here are some of the ways that I communicate my message to tens of thousands of LinkedIn members each week.

1. I have replaced my title with a tag line… from “social media consultant” to “Showing businesses how to leverage Social Media to Build Communities and Monetize their Business”.  Now everytime my mini profile is displayed I’m indirectly telling people how I can help them rather than what I am.
   
   Action Step: Modify your elevator speech to 160 characters and replace your title with it.
   .
2. I’ve used my status update to communicate to my direct network.  Most often I use it to share success stories…”Sean just helped a client create a social media strategy and implement it”.  With the new Twitter integration now I can simply Tweet my message and it’s displayed in my status.  Be sure to only integrate your business related tweets.
   
   Action Step: Either update you status manuall or use the Twitter integration.  Keep your integrated tweets business related.  You have two choices:  Post only business related messages or use the #in hashtag for messages you want to display on LinkedIn.
   .
3. I’ve written the Social Media Sonar blog for two years now to help others more effectively utilize LinkedIn.  I share a lot of value in my posts.  I add each post as a news article in the 50 groups that I belong to.This drives traffic to my blog and helps people get to know me.  If they like the information they will normally grow to having a favorable opinion of me (Like).Over time this consistent sharing of value leads to building trust.At this point if they have an issue that I can help them with there is a high likelyhood that they will contact me.
   
   Action Step: If you write a blog or articles join the groups where the information will be relevant and post these as news articles.
   .
4. Another great way to share value is to engage inconversations in group discussions.  You can add your own discussion topic or join a conversation someone else has started.  Participate enough consistently and over time you will go from know to like to trust.  The key is in how you interact and the value you provide through your comments.Also if you add value be sure to share a link to your blog or website.
   
   Action Steps: First make sure you have joined as many relevant groups as you can find.  These can be location, alumni, industry, or topic specific groups.  These should be groups where you prospect belong.  Once a member join the conversations and participate.  Just be sure to conduct every conversation as you would if you were speaking in person.
   .
5. Answering questions is a great way to share value and communicate your message.  This is your opportunity to provide value by answering another person’s question and to demonstrate expertise if the questions is related to what you do for a living.You can also ask questions.  Both the questions you ask and answer will be viewable to your profile visitors.
   
   Action Step: Be sure to periodically look to answer questions in your field.  You can set up a RSS feed to see new questions or integrate them into your LinkedIn home page.  Take your time and provide well thought out answers.  Remember every answer either adds to your brand or subtracts from it.

These are only some of the opportunities to communicate your message on LinkedIn.  You should explore the various features to see how you can put these to use.  Utilizing the various means to communicating my message has led to my receiving from 3 to 5 inquiries a week from fellow members needing help with the services I provide.

What are some of the ways not listed that you have used to communicate your message to your fellow business professionals on LinkedIn?

Source - http://socialmediasonar.com/5-ways-to-communicate-your-message-on-linkedin-part-8-of-10

Workplace Communication - 5 Ways to Avoid Misunderstandings and Communicate Your Message (Allie Q Casey)

Communicating your message while avoiding or decreasing misunderstandings is an issue in most workplaces. Poor communication and listening skills, lack of leadership and conflicting values are just a few reasons misunderstandings have become a workplace expectation rather than an exception.

Challenge yourself to avoid misunderstandings and communicate to be heard with these 5 strategies:

1. Model your expectations. Become a leader. No matter your position or role at work, exhibit courtesy, kindness and assertive behavior. At first glance, courtesy and assertiveness may appear as opposing behaviors but respectfulness is their common bond. Respect others while respecting yourself is behavior that allows for self-expression and the opportunity to ask for clarification to avoid misunderstandings.

2. Listen attentively. Indicate that you are listening with eye connections, gestures and encouraging phrases. Be fully present to the speaker rather than blindly nodding while you formulate your response. If you speak your message in response to what you have heard rather than spout a pre-determined comment your likelihood of getting your message across goes up. Active listening takes practice but your listeners will support and respect your ideas.

3. Take your time. Why is there always time to do it over but never time to do it right? No one appreciates a doctor that rushes through an examination and gives a diagnosis without ever asking for your input. When you are communicating your message take the time to convey it with thought, clarity, and organization and then ask questions to confirm what your listener heard. Take the time on the front end to communicate clearly and you'll decrease the number of times work has to be duplicated.

4. Communicate values and priorities. Not everyone thinks the same way you do when it comes to values, priorities or goals. Unless you indicate what is important to you, your listener will naturally prioritize and interpret your message according to what they value.

For example, the assistant that values getting work done in an orderly sequence and checking things off a list may put her manager's request for information on the bottom of her task list unless the manager indicates a specific deadline or priority. Be specific.

5. Make excellent communication a priority. Consciously put communicating clearly into your daily awareness. Few people think about the act of communicating any more than they think about breathing. Put "communicate clearly today" on the top of your to-do list.

Communicating clearly takes awareness and the willingness to become a better, more effective communicator.

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Allie Casey, speaker, trainer, coach, helps businesses, organizations and mere mortals have fewer misunderstandings.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Allie_Q_Casey

link - http://ezinearticles.com/?Workplace-Communication---5-Ways-to-Avoid-Misunderstandings-and-Communicate-Your-Message&id=3249191

Five ways communication skills can help your software project

Why do software projects fail? It’s an interesting question because fail they do, and with disturbing frequency. Over the years I have seen projects fail for lack of hardware, because the technology just wasn’t ready, or because a supplier didn’t deliver. But the single most common thing that all of the software disasters that I have been involved in (other than me I suppose) was a failure of communication. Fred just couldn’t get his objections to this or that design across to Sally, who when ahead with it anyway. Sally couldn’t manage to convince George that the installation was just not going to work. And nobody thought that that bug was their problem.
As techies we tend to think that communication is someone else’s problem—just tell me what to code and get out of the way. Maybe in some world that will work out, but in this one the best way to ensure that your hard work will turn into a large black smoking hole in the ground is to think of communications as the manager’s problem. Part of your responsibility when you are
a member of a software project is to help with the driving and the only way you can do that is to get your ideas and opinions across to others along with really listening to them. If you ignore that responsibility then you shouldn’t be surprised if your project ends up wrapped around a tree.
With that happy picture firmly in mind, let me suggest five ways that you might ease the journey of your brilliant thoughts out to the rest of your team—and perhaps insure that other people’s ideas occasionally find their way to you.

5) Optimize

I am often called upon to speed up code. Over the years I have revved up printer drivers, database software and, most recently, web services. And I have learned that everyone loves a good optimization project. Get involved in one and you will be the most popular guy (or gal) on the hallway. I’ve had people stop me in on my way to lunch to explain how I can save TWELVE, many even THIRTEEN bytes by completely rewriting the caching system. Or make the code run 0.000353 milliseconds faster by going around the OS. Lately they want me to write my own (presumably faster) web services stack.
So why is it that we are so enthusiastic about writing efficient code and so lazy about writing efficient English? Why do we have specifications that could be written up in 20 pages struggling to escape from 200 page tomes? Why do we use big words:

"Fred, could you memorialize the stakeholders' inputs?"

When little ones ones will do:

"Fred, could you write down the customer requirements?"

Part of it is that nobody wants to look dumb or lazy and memorializing something in a 200 page document just seems to be harder and more intellectually demanding than simply jotting it down in an email.
Well here is some good news: if you consistently use small, simple words for the concepts that fit well into small, simple words, you will rapidly gain a reputation as an articulate person. And if you manage to boil that 200 page document down to an email you will be beloved by the people who hate reading 200 page documents. Which is everyone.

4) Email is only good for the things that email is good for

Another way that we sometimes communicate badly is by overusing email. Email has a subtle attraction for the mostly introverted folks that make up software projects. With email, I can send this message out and I don’t have to actually interact the other person. I send an email to Fred and with luck he won’t even see it before I’ve gone home for the day. That way I don’t really have to deal with old Fred, who makes me nervous anyway.
The trouble with email is that it is a very narrow communications pipe. Think about it: an email is a static bit of text that you write and send out. The text is all that goes out. Left behind is your facial expression – the big smile that telegraphs that this is a JOKE – and your body language – the tapping foot that says NOW – as well the crack in your voice that says HELP ME! Email also disconnects you from your correspondent in time: you send the message and your recipient will read it some time, perhaps much, later.
Instant messaging is much better for getting across a subtle, confusing or sensitive point. You still can’t see the person at the other end but at least you can interact with him or her in real time. Next in line of immediacy is the phone—I still can’t see you but not only can we interact but I can hear your voice, know if you are laughing or crying, angry or bored. And then there is the oldest person to person technology of all — commonly referred to as ‘talking’ —it involves getting up off your butt and going to
see Fred.
So, if you need to say that you will attend the regularly scheduled meeting, send an email. Got a 200 page spec? Email it. And if you need to leave a paper (or rather electron) trail, then nothing beats email. But if you have something delicate to say, if you need to ask a question that will require a subtle answer, if you need to negotiate anything, then email should be your last choice. Like most things in life, the choice of mediums for your message is a trade-off. You can choose the disconnected but narrow pipe of email. Or you can go for the high bandwidth of an in-person chat at the cost of breaking up your afternoon.
Think about that the next time your fire up Outlook.

3) Don’t clog the channel

One of my current coworkers is a car enthusiast. Whenever the conversation turns to the subject of automobiles you can see him just struggling to hold back a tidal wave of facts and opinions and advice. Sometimes he even manages to keep his enthusiasm in check for up to a full minute before it all comes bursting out. We geeks have a reputation for being shy and reserved, but for most of us our introverted shell can barely contain a roiling, bubbling enthusiasm for AJAX or web services or micro formats whatever the technology or technique of the day is. Anyone who manages to pierce that outer shell had better be wearing eye protection because all of that enthusiasm is liable to come gushing out, broken water main style.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love this kind of enthusiasm. In fact I think that that it is responsible for much of the progress of human civilization. The problem with all of this bubbling enthusiasm is that it tends to have a denial of service kind of effect on other conversations. If you have a tendency towards this kind of verbal explosion, do try to keep yourself in check. At least make sure other people and other subjects can get a word in edgewise. Now speaking of that telescope that I’m building…

2) Make sure you know what you agree on

Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State and erstwhile college professor once said that academic disputes were so vicious ”… because the stakes are so small.” I’m not sure if the same is true of software projects, but having some severe nastiness break out on a development project is not really all that unusual.
One of the best ways to prevent a difference of opinion from melting down into a team shattering nuclear accident is to step back and note the things that everyone agrees on. If the argument is over how exactly to optimize that pesky algorithm, see if you can’t get all sides to realize that everyone does really want it to run faster or smaller. If it is one of those “who will do what” kind of disputes, try to get everyone to agree on exactly what needs to be done.
The idea is not to paper over differences but rather to focus all of the attention on the actual difference. When a disagreement does breaks out, people, software folks included, tend to stop listening, to fortify their positions and proceed on the basis that the opposing folks are morons. Since it turns out that morons are actually less common than you might think, it helps to probe around and see where the boundaries of the disagreement are. More times than not you will discover that the argument is over less than you thought. But no matter if your disagreement is over the big picture or the pixels, it is your job to make sure that the argument is as productive as possible. And that means not wasting time yelling about things that no one disputes.

1) Remember that everyone is different

The civilians lump us all together: to the outside would we are all geeks. The thing that the non-geek world misses is is how many different kind of geeks there are. Yes we all share a love of technology, of making things work, of just plain wanting to find out. But there are almost as many ways of being a geek as there are geeks. I’m as much a geek as anyone who ever owned a slide rule but I am the kind of geek that tends to read a technical book from the middle out towards either end. I am a big picture, let me get the outline before you bore me with the details kind of guy.
By contrast, I have a coworker, a certifiable geek who walks around with more technology on his belt than most people will own in a lifetime, who I am sure reads books by starting with the copyright statement and finishing with the price in Canadian dollars on the back cover. We are both geeks, both software engineers, but we have two entirely different operating systems running between our ears.
I have learned that I cannot explain things to my friend the way I need them explained to me. He needs things put to him in enormous and exacting detail, right from the start. Conversely, when he tries to explain things to me I have to keep reminding
him that he needs to give me a feeling for the big picture before diving into the details of subsection 1.1.1.A.i.a.
The point is not that I am some kind of brilliant holistic thinker (though I’m willing to entertain the idea) nor is it that my friend is detail obsessed (though he is, God bless him). The point is that you need to go about explaining things differently to me than to my buddy. When you are talking to him you need to do it in a way that works for him. And whatever that is, it probably won’t work me me.
So there you have it, five ways you can make your project run a little smoother by taking advantage of all of the brainpower. Cause that is what communication is all about.

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Russ Olsen is a software architect and writer whose work has been featured on JavaLobby, O’Reilly’s On Java, and the Java Developer Journal website. He writes the Technology As If People Matter blog and is the author of Design Patterns in Ruby which will be published by Addison-Wesley in December, 2007.

(original link - http://geeketiquette.com/archives/2007/09/24/five-ways-communication-skills-can-help-your-software-project/)

Five Ways to Make Your Body Speak (By Lenny Laskowski)

Dr. Ralph C. Smeadly, the founder of Toastmasters International, wrote, "The speaker who stands and talks at ease is the one who can be heard without weariness. If his posture and gestures are so graceful and unobtrusive, that no one notices them, he may be counted as truly successful." When your actions are wedded to your words, the impact of your speech will be strengthened. If your platform behavior includes mannerisms unrelated to your spoken message, those actions will call attention to themselves and away from your speech. Below I have provided 5 ways you can rid yoursel of your distracting mannerisms.

1. Rid Yourself of Distracting Mannerisms
Eliminate vocal and visual impediments.
Some common faults of inexperienced or in-effective speakers are:

• Gripping or leaning on the lectern
• Finger tapping
• Lip biting or licking
• Toying with coins or jewelry
• Frowning
• Adjusting hair or clothing
• Head wagging
• These have two things in common:
• They are physical manifestations of simple nervousness.
• They are performed unconsciously.

When you make a verbal mistake, you can easily correct it, because you can hear your own words, but you can't see yourself, so most distracting mannerisms go uncorrected. You can't eliminate them unless you know they exist.
Videotape yourself.
The first step in eliminating any superfluous behavior is to obtain an accurate perception of your body's image. This should include:

• Posture
• Gestures
• Body movement
• Facial expressions
• Eye contact

The next step is to free yourself of physical behaviors that do not add to your speech. This can be accomplished by simply becoming aware of your problem areas. After you have videotaped yourself speaking, review the tape several times and make a list of all the distracting mannerisms you notice.

First review. Review your tape the first time without looking for mannerisms. Just listen to the presentation as if you were hearing it for the first time and evaluate the overall impact you experience from watching the tape.

Second review. Review your tape a second time (with the volume turned down) and look for visual distractions. Take notes on what you observe.

Third review. During this review, have the picture turned off and listen only to your voice. Many people have never even heard a taping of their own voice before. Become accustomed to listening to your voice. Get to know it as others hear it. Note what you like and what you don't like. Pay attention to the speed, the volume, and the tone of your voice.
Fourth review. Once you have made lists both of your distracting mannerisms and your more positive points, you are ready to have one or two family members watch the tape with you. Get their initial impression. Ask them to be honest.
Once you have completed these reviews, go over the list of all the distracting mannerisms you saw and heard. The next time you are having a conversation with someone you know well, try to notice whether you use any of these distracting mannerisms even in casual circumstances. Tackle each of your negative points one at a time.

2. Build Self-confidence by Being Yourself
The most important rule for making your body communicate effectively is to be yourself. The emphasis should be on the sharing of ideas, not on the performance.
Strive to be as genuine and natural as you are when you speak to family members and friends.
Large vs. small audiences. Many people say, "I'm okay in a small group, but when I get in front of a larger group I freeze." The only difference between speaking to a small informal group and to a sizable audience is the number of listeners. To compensate for this, you need only to amplify your natural behavior. Be authentically yourself, but amplify your movements and expressions just enough so that the audience can see them.

3. Let Your Body Mirror Your Feelings
If you are interested in your subject, truly believe what you are saying, and want to share your message with others, your physical movements will come from within you and will be appropriate to what you are saying.
By involving yourself in your message, you'll be natural and spontaneous without having to consciously think about what you are doing or saying. For many of us, this isn't as easy as it sounds because it requires us to drop the mask that shields the "real self" in public.
To become an effective speaker, it is essential that you get rid of your mask and share your true feelings with your audience. Your audience wants to know how you feel about your subject. If you want to convince others, you must convey your convictions.
Speak from the heart and to the soul.

4. Build Self-confidence Through Preparation
Nothing influences a speaker's mental attitude more than the knowledge that he or she is
thoroughly prepared. This knowledge leads to self-confidence, which is a vital ingredient of effective public speaking.
How many of us have ever experienced a situation in which we had not prepared well for a presentation? How did we come across? On the other hand, think of those presentations that did go well. These are the ones that we had properly prepared for.

5. Use Your Everyday Speaking Situations
Whenever you speak to people, make an extra effort to notice how you speak. Observe, too, whether the facial expressions of your listeners indicate they do or do not understand what you are saying. Before calling to request something on the phone, plan and practice what you are going to say. Even this is essentially a short presentation. Another exercise is to prepare a 90-second presentation about yourself. Describe who you are and what you do. Record your presentation and review it using the four steps described above.
Since you are talking about yourself, you don't need to research the topic; however, you do need to prepare what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. Plan everything including your gestures and walking patterns.

Facial Expressions
Leave that deadpan expression to poker players. A speaker realizes that appropriate facial
expressions are an important part of effective communication. In fact, facial expressions are often the key determinant of the meaning behind the message. People watch a speaker's face during a presentation. When you speak, your face-more clearly than any other part of your body-communicates to others your attitudes, feelings, and emotions.
Remove expressions that don't belong on your face.
Inappropriate expressions include distracting mannerisms or unconscious expressions not
rooted in your feelings, attitudes and emotions. In much the same way that some speakers perform random, distracting gestures and body movements, nervous speakers often release excess energy and tension by unconsciously moving their facial muscles (e.g., licking lips, tightening the jaw).
One type of unconscious facial movement which is less apt to be read clearly by an audience is involuntary frowning. This type of frowning occurs when a speaker attempts to deliver a memorized speech. There are no rules governing the use of specific expressions. If you relax your inhibitions and allow yourself to respond naturally to your thoughts, attitudes and emotions, your facial expressions will be appropriate and will project sincerity, conviction, and credibility.

Eye Contact
Eye contact is the cement that binds together speakers and their audiences. When you speak, your eyes involve your listeners in your presentation. There is no surer way to break a communication bond between you and the audience than by failing to look at your listeners. No matter how large your audience may be, each listener wants to feel that you are talking to him or her.
The adage, "The eyes are the mirror of the soul," underlines the need for you to convince people with your eyes, as well as your words. Only by looking at your listeners as individuals can you convince them that you are sincere and are interested in them, and that you care whether they accept your message. When you speak, your eyes also function as a control device you can use to assure your listeners' attentiveness and concentration.
Eye contact can also help you to overcome nervousness by making your audience a known quantity. Effective eye contact is an important feedback device that makes the speaking situation a two-way communication process. By looking at your audience, you can determine how they are reacting. When you develop the ability to gauge the audience's reactions and adjust your presentation accordingly, you will be a much more effective speaker.

How To Use Your Eyes Effectively
1. Know your material. Know it so well that you don't have to devote your mental energy to the task of remembering the sequence of ideas and words.
You should prepare well (remember to use the 9 P's) and rehearse enough so that you don't have to depend heavily on notes. Many speakers, no matter how well prepared, need at least a few notes to deliver their message. If you can speak effectively without notes, by all means do so. But if you must use notes, that's fine. Just don't let them be a substitute for preparation and rehearsal.
Even many experienced speakers use notes. Often, they take advantage of such natural pauses as audience laughter or the aftermath of an important point to glance briefly at their notes. To make this technique work, keep your notes brief. (See Chapter 6 for more on this topic.)
2. Establish a personal bond with listeners. How do you do this? Begin by selecting one person and talking to him or her personally. Maintain eye contact with that person long enough to establish a visual bond (about 5 to 10 seconds). This is usually the equivalent of a sentence or a thought. Then shift your gaze to another person.
In a small group, this is relatively easy to do. But, if you're addressing hundreds or thousands of people, it's impossible. What you can do is pick out one or two individuals in each section of the room and establish personal bonds with them. Then each listener will get the impression you're talking directly to him or her.
3. Monitor visual feedback. While you are talking, your listeners are responding with their own non-verbal messages. Use your eyes to actively seek out this valuable feedback. If individuals aren't looking at you, they may not be listening either. Their reasons may include one or more of these factors:
They may not be able to hear you.
Solution: If you are not using a microphone, speak louder and note if that works.
They may be bored.
Solution: Use some humor, increase your vocal variety or add powerful gestures or body
movements.
They may be puzzled.
Solution: Repeat and/or rephrase what you have just said.
They seem to be fidgeting nervously.
Solution: You may be using distracting mannerisms. Maybe you have food on your clothes (or worse, maybe your blouse is unbuttoned or your fly isn't closed). Make sure you are aware of these embarrassing possibilities before and during your speech. If necessary, try to correct them without bringing more attention to them. On the other hand, if your listeners' faces indicate pleasure, interest and close attention, don't change a thing. You're doing a great job!
Your Appearance
If your listeners will have on suits and dresses, wear your best suit or dress - the outfit that brings you the most compliments. Make sure that every item of clothing is clean and well tailored.
Don't wear jewelry that might glitter or jingle when you move or gesture. This might divert attention from your speech. For the same reason, empty your pockets of bulky items and anything that makes noise when you move.
Part of the first impression you give occurs even before you are introduced to deliver your speech. As the audience arrives, your preparation should be concluded. You shouldn't have to study your speech. Instead, mingle with the audience, and project that same friendly, confident attitude that will make your speech a success.
When you speak-especially if you aren't well known to the audience-the most crucial part of your presentation is the first few minutes. During that initial segment, the audience will be making critical judgments about you. Your listeners will decide whether you are confident, sincere, friendly, eager to address them and worthy of their attention. In large measure, they will base this decision on what they see.
After your introduction, walk purposefully and confidently to the speaking position.

Walking Patterns
Why move in the first place?
Moving forces people to focus and follow you. The way you walk from your seat to the speaker's position is very important. When you are introduced, you should appear eager to speak. Too many speakers look as though they are heading toward execution.
Walk confidently from your seat to the lectern. Pause there for a few seconds, then move out from behind the lectern. As discussed before, it is wise to use the lectern as a point of departure, and not a barrier to hide behind.
Smile before you say your first words. Be careful not to stand too close to, nor move beyond, the people in the front row. Be careful not to walk too much. Doing so will work against you. Continuous pacing is distracting. Walking can be an effective way to stress an important idea. It is essential that your walk be purposeful and intentional, not just a random shift of position. Taking about three steps, moving at a shallow angle, usually works best.
When employing visual aids, use three positions. One position is your "home" position and should be front and center. The other two positions should be relatively near the "home" position. Never stand in front of any visual aid.
When you practice your speaking, make sure you also practice your walking patterns. Try walking to and from your three positions. These positions should be planned just as your hand gestures are.
When standing still, remember to maintain good posture. Stand up straight.
Remember it's not what you say it's how you say it and your body does speak very loudly. It's only when you marry your verbal message and you nonverbal message does a speaker begin to command presence.

Author's Bio

Lenny Laskowski is an international professional speaker and the author of the book, No Sweat Presentations - The Painless Way to Successful Speaking and several other publications. Website: http://www.ljlseminars.com/
E-mail: LennyL@LJLSeminars.com

Five Ways to Communicate Better with your Employees (Chester Elton)

Charlie Chaplain, Peter Sellers, Rowan Atkinson. Throughout movie history some actors have been able to hold an audience’s attention without even saying a word.

Likewise as managers, we are constantly sending messages—often without speaking. We communicate by the things we do, the things we don’t do, through our facial expressions, and through our body language. As bosses we send messages all the time, and yet why do so many of our employees feel they’re not receiving adequate communication at work?

Take this data: A survey by Right Management Consultants of employees in 336 organizations revealed that only 30 percent of employees understand their company’s business strategy. That means seven out of every ten people who work for you have little idea of what your organization’s primary goals are. That lack of communication has a direct impact on employee commitment and trust. When we feel left out of the loop, we feel disengaged. It’s that simple.

So what to do?

Bill George, former chairman and CEO of Medtronic (and coincidentally the keynote speaker in our upcoming annual Carrot summit), explains that communication should take precedence over everything else in business. Said Bill, “Leaders don’t pay enough attention to their people. They do so at their peril, because their employees interpret and respond accordingly—in a compliant fashion rather than with their best work.”

That makes perfect sense. When we fail to communicate, employees are left with little understanding of what we can accomplish together. And when employees can’t share in the potential of your team or organization, they achieve only enough to make it through the day. Basically, marginal communication performances by a manager equates to marginal employee performances.

In our research we’ve seen that many managers buy into a dangerous myth: the fear that communicating more effectively will take too much of their already limited time. But, again, if you don’t find time to perform your job, your employees won’t use their time to perform at their full potential.

The truth of the matter is this: keeping the team up to speed with proper communication doesn’t have to take long. Mary Corr, a manager of corporate revenue integrity (isn’t that a great title) at Orlando Health, one of Florida’s most comprehensive private, not-for-profit healthcare networks, shared with us how she guides her team in communicating their goals. She said:

    We take 15 minutes of our staff meeting to discuss behaviors we want to change and how we are going to do it. We outline areas of opportunity then detail the small steps we need to take to improve and present ourselves in a positive manner. This has proven to be a successful approach to strengthening our team.

In just fifteen minutes a week, Mary has created an open forum to solve problems and focus on improvements. Opening up communication literally opens the door to success for you, your employees, and your company.

So, what are the gold standards of iconic communicators in business? The best managers:

• Set clear guiding values and goals. By clarifying your core strategies and principles you as a manager can better guide the conversations because everyone knows what they’re working toward.
• Discuss issues facing the company and the team. By updating your people on the big and small issues facing your team or company in daily huddles, you give people the opportunity to be “invested” in organizational priorities. The more they know, the more likely they are to provide suggestions or focus on solutions in their daily work.
• Respond promptly to team member requests for more information. By respectfully answering questions, you strengthen your trust with each team member.
• Tell the stories of employee accomplishment to key individuals in the organization. Storytelling (bragging on your people) is one of the most effective ways of communicating your trust in your employees.

Recognize, recognize, recognize. There are few communication activities more powerful than gathering your team to appreciate the great work of an employee. As an exclamation point, end the gathering with a team cheer.

As a manager, you own the spotlight. If your words, actions and interactions don’t properly share the messages you want communicated, your audience won’t know how to respond. Like an actor on the big screen, your team is looking for you to tell the story, to guide them to the next big scene, and to lead them to the performance of a lifetime.

A Carrot A Day: Focus on the Positive

At the end of each day, write down three things that went right. Get in the habit of looking for the positives around you and it will pay dividends in the office. It will provide you with talking points as you greet your employees the next day and allow you to begin and end each day focusing on what went well in a recognition moment. And since you can’t be everywhere at once, take it a step further by giving your people a stack of thank-you cards. Ask your team to communicate their praise and recognition to coworkers when they see them furthering company values.

---

Chestor Elton, co-author of The Carrot Principle.
(Original Link - http://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com/small-business-articles/five-ways-to-communicate-better-with-your-employees-2339)

5 Ways to Ensure Mediocrity in Your Organization (Liz Ryan)

The recession is no excuse for ignoring, misusing, or demeaning talent. But hey, if that's what you really want to do, follow these suggestions.

The last time I checked, the U.S. led the world in productivity per employee. That's the good news. The bad news is that much, if not all, of that boost in productivity has come on the backs of workers, especially salaried types viewed by too many management teams as infinitely elastic resources. As one management consultant told me: "The average company takes better care of its copiers than it does its talent."

Many chief executives use the tough competitive environment as a handy excuse to put off salary increases, tighten the screws on performance, and generally drop any pretense of creating a human-centered workplace. But the tough-economy picture has two sides. Only those companies that make the effort to keep their employees productive by treating them decently can expect to see continued productivity gains. Much of the workforce has tuned out, waiting for a more welcoming job market to make career moves. Those organizations that haven't wavered on their commitments to flexibility, recognition of talent, and transparent leadership will keep A-list players on board as the job market improves. Their competitors may be wishing they'd paid a little more attention to employee TLC as employees start peeling off for greener pastures.

Here are five of the most insulting leadership practices, the ones that virtually guarantee a business will end up with the most self-esteem challenged, optionless team members when the dust settles.

1. If you desire a mediocre workforce, make sure your employees know you don't trust them.

Nothing spells "You're dirt to us" like a corporate culture that screams, "We don't trust you as far as we can throw you." I refer to company policies that require employees to clock in and out for lunch or software that tracks every keystroke and change of URL in case a molecule of nonwork-related activity squeaks into the workday. When employees know they're not trusted, they become experts at "presenteeism"—the physical appearance of working, without anything getting done. Congratulations! Your inability to trust the very people you've selected to join your team has cost you their energy, goodwill, and great ideas.

2. If you want to drive talented people away, don't tell them when they shine.

Fear of a high-self-esteem employee is prevalent among average-grade corporate leadership teams. Look how hard it is for so many managers to say, "Hey Bob, you did a great job today." Maybe it's a fear that the bit of praise will be met with a request for a pay raise. Maybe it's the fear that acknowledging performance will somehow make the manager look weak. Whatever the reason for silence, leaders who can't say, "Thanks—good going!" can plan on bidding farewell to their most able team members in short order.

3. If you prefer a team of C-list players, keep employees in the dark.

Sharp knowledge workers want to know what's going on in their organizations, beyond their departmental silos. They want some visibility into the company's plans and their own career mobility. Leaders who can't stand to shine a light on their firms' goals, strategies, and systems are all but guaranteed to spend a lot of money running ads on Monster.com. Marketable top performers want a seat at the table and won't stand for being left in the dark without the information they need to do their jobs well.

4. If you value docility over ingenuity, shout it from the rooftops.

I heard from a new MBA who had joined a global manufacturer. "They told me during my first week that I need a manager's signature to organize a meeting," he recalled. "They said I'm too low-level to call a meeting on my own, because unauthorized meetings of nonmanagers are against company policy." How fearful of its employees would a leadership team have to be to forbid people to gather together to solve problems? The most desirable value creators won't stick around to be treated like children. They'll hop a bus to the first employer who tells them, "We're hiring you for your talent—now go do something brilliant."

5. If you fear an empowered workforce more than you fear the competition, squash any sign of individualism.

When you go to college, you learn about Economic Man, but in the corporate workplace we see that real people don't always act rationally. Lots of individual managers and plenty of leadership teams fear nothing more than the idea that a self-directed employee might buck authority. That's equivalent to shaking the organizational power structure to its foundation, possibly a fate worse than death. Leaders who want the most docile, sheep-like employees more than the smartest and ablest ones create systems to keep the C players on board and drive the A team out the door. They do it by instituting reams of pointless rules, upbraiding people for miniscule infractions ("What? Twenty minutes late? Sure you worked here until midnight last night, but starting time is starting time.") and generally replacing trust with fear throughout their organizations. Companies that operate in fear mode will never deliver great products and services to the marketplace. Their efforts will be hamstrung by their talent-repelling management practices.

How long will it take these enterprises to figure out they're shooting themselves in the foot? It doesn't matter—you'll be long gone by then.

About the Author

Liz Ryan is an expert on the new-millennium workplace and a former Fortune 500 HR executive

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/109519/5-ways-to-ensure-mediocrity-in-your-organization?mod=career-leadership

Five Ways to Use an LMS for Effective Learning Measurement (Amit Gautam)

A recent post on our blog poked fun at Learning management systems and underlined the disconnect that is possibly present in organizations that use an LMS to create, deliver and manage learning. In this post I attempt to illustrate how, by adopting some simple methods, you could use the LMS better and also get some aid in Learning measurement.
Learning measurement, it looks like, is not an easy term to define. I couldn’t find it on Wikipedia and Google didn’t help much either. Wikipedia kept prompting me to go for learning management instead. It was perhaps my first experience where Wikipedia or Google didn’t open the right door for me. However, to my relief, I did find some pieces of information on Bersin.com about learning measurement.
Before I begin citing some ways to use LMS for Learning Measurement, let me state that Learning Measurement is a very challenging exercise and not one that can be executed easily or quickly with some calculator. The best way (but probably the most difficult one) to measure learning is to measure for the right business indicators like sales figures, productivity measures, defect ratios etc. My post is only to find simple ways where LMS could contribute towards Learning measurement in some way. However the eventual learning measurement depends on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, company policies, overall environment to perform, training process, organization will to enable channels that can lead to learning measurement, etc.
Referring back to the cartoon, the first thing most LMS users (organizations) need to be conscious that MIS reports from an LMS does not inherently imply measurement of learning. The ‘what’ in the reports is only meaningful if the ‘how’ it reached there is thought out carefully and implemented appropriately.
Here are the five ways to use an LMS for ensuring better and effective learning measurement:

1. A good start is half the work well done.  As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts it would be essential to set ‘being able to effectively measure learning’ as one of the end goals of implementing LMS (or using LMS). This will ensure that the inputs received from various stakeholders are aligned with this objective making it a critical part. In most cases this is ignored and the focus remains on ‘automating’ the learning / training function. Believe me – you will get what you will seek.
2. Look at the LMS as an overall strategy rather than just a tool. Learning measurement is already present as a process in the training function. E.g. Assessments after training sessions, On-the-job surveys, Supervisor feedback on team member performance, etc. However what gets missed out is an attempt to get that process completely mapped in to the LMS. Most LMS would offer all these modules – online assessments, surveys, etc. It is up to the organization to sit with the vendor and map out the process.At this stage, the idea is to do things manually (e.g. remember to create a survey after 3 months of training and evaluate the change in performance). This could become a problem as it may not be done reliably and consistently for all training programs and gradually it degenerates into something ad-hoc.
3. Explain the learning evaluation process clearly to the vendor. More the vendor knows, better the chances that they’ll come up with a good and innovative solution to build your process into the LMS implementation.
4. Define automated, scheduled process for conducting evaluation surveys at regular interval after the training is over. Ensure it is automated so it can be activated for all training programs. Exceptions can then be managed individually. This will trigger notifications to the user after the time period to take the survey again and could help in analyzing the change in behavior/performance after applying the training back to the job.
5. Use the assessment module of the LMS to create relevant and timely assessments which can be run either along with or independently of the training. Online assessments, if designed properly can be a powerful tool to measure learning.

All these are simple measures and if accounted for in the beginning will definitely result in a better process to generate meaningful reports. These reports will surely contribute positively, on a regular basis, to the learning measurement process which is in place.

About the Author

Amit Gautam has more than 11 years of professional experience with the last 8 years being in eLearning. He has experience in startup management, managing technology projects, consulting on technology solutions, and architecting and development of technology solutions. Amit has twice served as a judge for the Brandon Hall awards in 2002 and 2004, and is an active contributor to many eLearning forums. Before co-founding Upside Learning, Amit was ‘Head - Technology Solutions’ at one of India’s leading eLearning companies. Prior to that he had worked with Tata Infotech and Infosys Technologies. Amit holds a B.Tech in Computer Science from REC-Kurukshetra, India and a Masters in Business Administration from IIM Lucknow.

(Original link - http://www.upsidelearning.com/blog/index.php/2010/04/07/five-ways-to-use-an-lms-for-effective-learning-measurement/)

5 Ways to Please Your Clients and 5 Reasons Why You Should (Alyssa Gregory)

Everyone knows that the customer is always right, but good customer service is so much more than that. If you’re interested in keeping clients around for a while, here are five things you should be doing:


1. Be Ultra Responsive
When you get a message from a client, get back to them as soon as possible. Even if you can’t respond in detail or won’t be starting on the work immediately, let them know you have the information so they aren’t left hanging.
2. Communicate Effectively
E-mail is all-too-often considered a lesser form of communication. While it is quick and can be easier than using the phone, all of your e-mail communication should be clear, organized and, of course, professional. Here is a good read with some quick tips for keeping your e-mail communication up to par: Business Email Etiquette 101 on Business Know-How.
3. Exceed Expectations
Go above and beyond what is expected…every single time. Yes, even though you probably have a fairly defined list of deliverables, you can do more by putting in time to ensure quality, testing and re-testing, and essentially creating a final product that is even better than what the client expected.
4. Listen
How often do you truly listen to what your clients are saying, beyond the work they are relaying to you? If you listen, you may discover new areas where they could use your talents, or be able to suggest a different and more efficient way to do something.
5. Be Honest
Be truthful about your skills and don’t tell your client you’re capable of doing something you’re not. Many times, admitting inexperience with something is appreciated and doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t get the work.

Why would you want to do these five things to make your clients happy when you can just as easily get in, do the work, and get out? Here’s how you can benefit from having happy clients:
1. They’ll come back.
A happy customer is a repeat customer. Hit the five targets above and you can be sure they will come right to you next time they need someone with your expertise.
2. They’ll tell their friends.
Word of mouth is powerful. Satisfied clients can be the easiest way to get referrals for new work.
3. You may find new opportunities.
You never know what other things a client has going on, and by being a valued service provider, you may be in a position to experience new and exciting opportunities.
4. They can be references.
If you’re clients are thrilled with you, they will be willing to speak about your work to others, write letters of recommendation and even vouch for you when you need support for non-work endeavors.
5. You’re building a reputation.
If you’re serious about what you do, giving your best on every project will build a reputation that will make your business sustainable.



Alyssa Gregory is the owner of avertua, LLC, a full-service virtual assistant firm. She has been designing websites since 1995, and has a passion for supporting small businesses. Alyssa provides business tips, advice and news through her Small Business Idea Generator blog.

(Original link - http://blogs.sitepoint.com/2009/03/04/5-ways-to-please-your-clients-and-5-reasons-why-you-should/)

Five Ways to Network With the Boss (by Anita Bruzzese, Workplace Columnist)

Want to know a key player many people forget to network with these days? The boss.

Yep, the head honcho. The big kahuna. The top dog.

You may wonder why you need to network with the boss when a) you see him every day; and b) you see him every day, dammit.

But networking involves much more than just trying to get new business or find a new job. It's about understanding what the other person needs, what will help make him or her successful and how you can develop a quality relationship with the person that is mutually beneficial.

In these stressful economic times, it makes more sense than ever that you establish a stronger connection with your boss. Not only could it help you save your job now, but most bosses have gotten into that position because of their connections -- and you are in a terrific position to tap into that network and help your career in the future.

So, let's look at some ways to network with the boss:

1. Listen. This may sound stupid, as you feel like all you do is listen to the boss. But I'm talking about listening to the subtle or offhand things he may say that can help you make a stronger connection. Maybe his kid is having trouble in math, so you recommend a terrific tutor your own child used. Or perhaps he has developed a love for arena football, so you clip a great article and leave it in his mailbox with a brief note. What you want to do is pay attention to the whole person -- not just the one who happens to sign your paychecks.

2. Volunteer. OK, I know you're working so much right now you're lucky to find time to brush your teeth every day. But if you put your efforts into activities that help the boss with his boss, then it's going to pay off. For example, you can volunteer to spearhead a community fund-raising project, or put together a panel for an industry conference where your boss will be a speaker. The boss gets involved in these activities because he knows it makes his boss happy and raises his profile -- and it can have the same benefit for you.

3. Mentor. Whether you have a lot of experience or maybe very little, you have a skill that can be used to help someone else.The point is to show the boss that you are not only a team player ready to help out another person, but you're taking an active hand in developing leadership qualities.

4. Promote. Some employees believe that it's the job of head brass to go out and promote a company, to get new business in the door and to project a positive image. Excuse me, but that's just baloney. Worldwide competition is so tough right now that employees who promote their company will garner notice from the boss. That means that you talk about the positive aspects of your company and what it can do for customers whether you're at your kid's soccer game or working out at the gym. Show the boss that you understand the business demands and are stepping forward to contribute to the company's success.

5. Respect. Bosses are just like anyone else -- they want to feel appreciated and acknowledged for what they do. So, if the boss does something really great for you (pays for you to attend a great seminar), helps you out (pitches in to help you make a customer happy) or tries his best to be fair and upbeat, then it doesn't hurt to say "thanks." Send an e-mail, or even drop him a personal note if it's something really special. Don't gossip about him with other workers, don't undermine his authority by making snide comments or criticizing his efforts and always understand that until you've walked in his shoes, you should not make judgments about what he does or does not do.

What other ways can an employee effectively network with the boss?


oringinal link: http://onthejob.45things.com/2008/11/five-ways-to-network-with-boss.php

Selling Retail: Five Ways to Sell More (Skip Anderson)

If you sell in a retail setting, make today count. Every customer that enters your establishment is immensely valuable to you, especially during challenging economic times. Here are five ways to sell more in your retail store:

1. Be busy.

Action breeds action. Therefore, be busy. Find something to do. Busy sales people help browsers relax.

2. Be happy.

The impact of a welcoming and happy attitude on customers is nothing short of phenomenal. Even if you're not happy, act as if you are. Customers enjoy being around welcoming, positive salespeople.

3. Go get some business.

Most retail salespeople aren't programmed to prospect or look for business opportunities. But almost everyone can implement a prospecting plan for their product. Do it. Don't wait for prospects to walk in your door; find some business for yourself.

4. Focus on the prospect.

Keep your attention on your prospect. Your purpose isn't to pitch your product; your purpose is to find out what your prospect wants to buy, then present it to them in such a way that they can see the benefits of owning your product match up with his/her specific needs.

5. Ask for the sale.

Despite the volumes of sales training advice that have been written about the importance of asking for the sale, most retail salespeople don't bother to close the sale. You just showed your customer a cable knit cardigan sweater and they liked it? Great! Now ask them if they'd like to buy it.

Make today count!

About the Author

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales trainingand consulting company specializing in sales training in retail, in-home selling, and services.

(oringinal link - http://blog.sellingtoconsumers.com/2008/09/selling-retail-five-ways-to-sell-more.html)

5 Ways To Change During Tough Times

5 ways to change during tough times

The time to capitalize on new opportunities is now

• By Bill Scheessele
• Nov 09, 2010

If asked, most people would say they advocate change. They’ll share that a certain variety in life adds excitement and makes things more interesting on a daily basis. Whether it's the change of the seasons or a change in our personal and professional prospects, all of us take to something new. Unfortunately, we tend to bring a lot of our old thinking and ways to this new reality.

Computers and other devices have significantly changed the way we engage and communicate, and the rate of change is ever accelerating.

However, regardless of what we say, by our very nature, we sometimes fight change. We sometimes behave as though the act of change means something we consider irreplaceable and of enormous value is also being taken away.

People tend to be comfortable with the way they've always approached activities in their personal and professional lives. We are inclined to be apprehensive about new ways of conducting activities. That resistance can affect how we acquire business, particularly when our industry is in the middle of a major upheaval, which is true of federal government contracting now.

Even with award delays, program cutbacks, lost recompetes, trimmed budgets, flattened organizational structures and layoffs — which happens to some individuals more than once — there are still business development leaders and individuals who defy logic and decide to remain in a psychological and emotional comfort zone. They are too comfortable with the status quo. For example, they continue the traditional way they’ve always gone about developing business, resist new ways of thinking and fight against embracing new business development/capture processes. That defiance significantly limits their growth and potential professionally and personally.

We’ve often heard the phrase that complacency is a rut — and that rut is a grave with no end. However, we seldom embrace the real message of the saying. We rarely encourage other people to challenge us to change and even less frequently challenge ourselves to do so. Sometimes, it takes a major upheaval in our situation to force us to wake up to the reality of our world transforming around us. For business development organizations charged with growing revenue for their companies, that time is now.

Government contracting has changed, and the systems and processes that worked so well before are obsolete in this new reality. Expecting circumstances to blow over and return to the gushing mode of just a short while ago is not possible given a number of sobering conditions in the industry and national and global economies.

More than once, experts have drawn comparisons between the challenges that face federal government contracting and the angst experienced during deregulation of the communications and energy/utility industries decades ago. Both industries underwent radical transformation, reinvented themselves, and found that new opportunities driven by expanded technology and research and development breakthroughs rose from the ashes of regulation. Then, as now, it takes a different way of thinking and new approach to business development and revenue generation to survive and thrive under those circumstances.

A strategy of layoffs, early retirements and deep cost-cutting will only take an organization so far in the quest for stabilization and growth. Only through re-examining our thinking and reassessing how we approach business acquisition will we be able to continue to grow revenue. Recommendations for business development improvement include:

• Assess the entire organization.
• Embrace different strategies.
• Re-engineer plans.
• Update processes.
• Add a strategic strike team.

Assessing the entire business development organization will reveal the present state of capability and effectiveness. Adding a strategic strike team can help locate new prospects and renew the pipeline. Only after addressing issues that are holding an organization back can we capitalize on the opportunities that suddenly appear, just as previous prospects decline.

Change begins from within. It is initiated when the situation becomes so challenging that the pain of change is less than the pain we are in. That is when we will change.

About the Author

Bill Scheessele (wmscheessele@mbdi.com) is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at MBDi, a business development professional services firm

(original link - http://washingtontechnology.com/Articles/2010/11/15/Insights-Scheessele-Five-Ways-to-Change.aspx?p=1)