Five Ways To... Build Great Teams At Work

You may be an excellent solo worker in your organisation, but the real challenge lies in being a superb team mate. The value of effective teamwork cannot be overstated and that’s why organisations world over crave for good team builders. Mahima Puri lists some ways to build great teams at the workplace.

Know Thy People A good team builder is the one who knows about his people and is always on the look out for their well-being.. “All players in a team may not be equal just like the fingers of our hands but each and every team player has a specialty. It is essential to understand this fact and respect every person for his or her individuality and skills,” says Alok Jain, EVP & COO at ASPIRE Human Capital Management. Agrees Talent Advisory Services founder Gita Dang, “Every one is different and should be handled differently. It’s important to accept others’ perspective and act accordingly.”

Instill Responsibility 

One should work towards developing good traits in team members. This will help them in carrying out their professional responsibilities. Overall, one should work towards making his teammates proficient in their work. Gaurang Kamath (name changed), who works with a BPO in Bangalore, learnt that delegating work made people more responsible towards their work. “If you give them alittle flexibility and power, they will be more enthusiastic towards work and the team as a whole,” Kamath adds. 

Communicate Effectively
Communication skills play a pivotal role in creating good teams. One should know how to communicate with not only seniors but also with subordinates along with other key stakeholders. “Always encourage your team to share their views and new ideas,” says Mr Jain. “Hearing out your teammates gives them a positive feedback that they are being valued. This motivates them to put in their 100% in any project,” he adds. “Share knowledge and use your learnings but don’t forget to customise it keeping the current working environment in mind,“ Ms Dang adds.

Be The Role Model
A good mentor is one who sets an example and inculcates a sense of responsibility in his teammates by inspiring them through his personal demeanour. However, Ms Dang points that there could be some set backs while doing this as well. “Always expect and accept a little bit of resentment and animosity from team members and learn to pave your way through it, especially if you are leading an established team.”

Make Sound Decisions
By making use of proper planning tools and problem-solving aptitude a team leader can direct team members in times of crisis. “While making a decision it is always a good idea to take into confidence your teammates. When based on the rationale of ‘common good’ the decisions will bring out desired results and help in the successful completion of the task,” Mr Jain says.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 28-06-2011)

Five Ways To Improve Reading Speed

A way to improve reading speed cannot succeed if you do not implement it yourself in your daily life. Practice and self belief is the key. It is equally important to be patient as your reading speed won’t get doubled in a day. Here are some ways which will help you a lot to improve reading speed as soon as possible.

1. It is important to be alert and focus your mind properly while reading. A slight deviation in concentration can virtually kill your reading speed and you soon might lose your interests in reading. Thus, be alert and relaxed while reading.

2. Visualization is extremely beneficial while reading. It will help you to decipher what you are reading and you will get to know the purpose of reading it. The moment you develop interest in reading, you will tend to read more and more and your reading speed will improve.

3. Eye-spanning is what has helped many to improve reading speed by a huge margin. You only have to try reading two words at the same time by widening your eye span. By doing that properly and effectively, you can double your reading speed in a couple of weeks or so.

4. Reading continuously for longer duration of time will not only make your eyes pain, but it will also take its toll on your reading speed. It is important to take in frequent breaks in between and to blink your eyes a bit while reading.

Improve the flexibility of your eyes by trying to look into your extreme left and then extreme right without moving your face in between the breaks. This will help you to tune your eyeball muscles and you can read at an optimum speed thereafter.

5. Whenever you read something, do make sure that the environment in which you are is silent and there is no disturbing element present anywhere. Any disturbances or noises might hamper your concentration and you might lose your reading speed. Concentration is one of the basic things which you need to develop in order to increase and optimize your reading speed.

Having given all these tips, it is equally important to implement them in your life. Practice makes a man perfect and regular practice of all these tips would definitely improve reading speed and optimize it to the highest level.

Source: http://www.readingsupport.com/read-faster/5-ways-to-improve-reading-speed

Five Ways to Make Your Point Faster and Better

Your story is better than your resume. Use these five points to make your point faster and tell your story better.

Looking for a job is nothing but making a point…   
A point about your value.   
A point about your accomplishments.
A point about your contribution to an organization.

Whether you’re networking, interviewing or chatting on the phone, consider these five tactics to make your point faster and better:

1. Articulate ideas in plain language.

The less jargon you use, the more engaging you become. In the writing world, shorter sentences get read. In the speaking world, shorter sentences get heard. Think like a writer. Watch those long and cumbersome sentences. Don’t construct your ideas in a way that overburdens people’s brains. Don’t spew one idea after another. Otherwise listeners will still be stuck on the first idea, trying to figure out what the heck you meant. Keep your message lean, low-carb and free of nonessential words. Are your messages simple and meaty?

2. Demonstrate commitment.

During my presentations, when I want to make a point about commitment, I show the audience a picture of my nametag tattoo. Usually it gets a good laugh or a collective gape. Still, I ask how many of them think it’s a fake. When the hands go up, I advance to a picture of the needle going into my skin as I say, “That ain’t no Sharpie.” The audience audibly cringes, laughs or gasps, at which point I ask them, “How committed are you?” Silence.

Obviously nobody is going to leave the presentation that very minute and march right into the tattoo parlor. But by going overboard intentionally, you stretch people, you force them to turn inward, confront themselves and start wondering how far they’d go.

People rarely forget conversations like that. Point made. How are you letting people bond with your level of commitment while simultaneously challenging them to reexamine their own?

3. Hanger words

When I conduct workshops on listenability, my audiences learn how to use “vocal hangers.” These conversational hooks attract people’s attention by building excitement around what you’re going to say next. Examples include: The secret is… Here's the deal… Let me ask ya this… Here’s the best part… Think of it this way… Yes, and here’s why… Here’s my suggestion… And here’s the difference… The question I always ask myself is… I have one observation and one question — are you ready?

The secret to using vocal hangers is to pause ever so slightly before you deliver the goods. This heightens the level of anticipation and energy into the conversation. What’s more, the more you use them, the more you’ll internalize them. The more you internalize them, the more natural they will sound. The more natural they sound, the more they will become part of your lexicon. The more they become part of your lexicon; the more people will begin to expect them. And the more people begin to expect them, the more they will pay attention when they hear them. How do you elicit rapt interest?

4. Reflect their reality.

In my mentoring program, note taking is essential for point making. My favorite move is to select something in particular from my notes, turn the piece of paper around, then ask the mentee to read the passage to me. More often than not, people are shocked when they hear themselves speak. This feedback process (which I learned at the Presidents’ Council) offers a verbal mirror. It reflects the other person’s reality and helps people see themselves as others see them. What’s more, there’s no greater way to make a point than to mirror people’s own words. How are you using note taking for point making?

5. Stories trump resumes.

Bikram Yoga is my religion. Naturally, friends of mine who are considering taking a class often ask me what it’s like. “It’s tough,” I used to say. “Ninety minutes. 110° heat. 100 percent humidity. The absolute hardest workout you’ll ever experience in your life. But it will change you forever.” Unfortunately, that didn’t make the point very well. Hell, you could learn that on the studio Web site. Facts are the refuge of the unimaginative. Instead, I tell people the story about Rhonda. She’s a friend of mine who came to class with me. Afterwards, when I asked her how she felt, her exact words were, “I think I saw God.” She now practices four days a week. Lesson learned: Facts are retained – stories are retold.Which one are you using to prove your point?

Remember: Making a point isn’t just a skill – it’s an art.

Source: 

http://www.theladders.com/career-advice/5-ways-make-point-faster-better

About the Author:

Scott Ginsberg, aka "The Nametag Guy," is the author of nine books, an award-winning blogger and the creator of NametagTV.com. He's the only person in the world who wears a nametag 24-7 and advises companies on how to leverage approachability into profitability. For more info about books, speaking engagements, customized online training programs or to rent Scott's brain for a one-on-one coaching session, call             314-256-1800       or e-mailscott@hellomynameisscott.com.

Five Ways To Shift Attention From Me To We

For Vikram Tandon, HR head, HSBC India and his team, it was another day at work. They sat together with the CEO to review the performance of the team for past six months, discussed plans for the year ahead and issues that need to be taken up with each individual and ideas for the coming months. To cultivate the success of others, managers need to shift the focus from ‘me’ to ‘we’. Shreya Biswas points out important aspects of teamwork. 

Communicate Openly
Managers should keep the channels of communication open between their team members and their bosses. There should be constant flow of information and the manager should try to facilitate such process rather than hinder the same. The leaders will know who is doing what and whether the team is aligned to organisational goals. Team members, on the other hand, will have confidence about their efforts being in line with company’s growth and their individual growth.

Be Transparent
Amanager needs to prioritise actions of fellow members towards a common goal. Share the status of a project at regular intervals, do reviews on what’s done and what needs to be done to achieve the target on time. Identify what skill sets are suited best for which employee and assign work accordingly to people. “Recognise people for the good work they do. This will bring a sense of belonging amongst them and they will always do bit extra to help the project,” says a Delhibased IT company manager .

Build Credibility
Amanager should first act and then preach the same to his team mates. It doesn’t help anyobe when a manager just issues orders without following himself. Build credibility by way of ideation, giving right direction to projects and leading by example when it’s needed. When people see you taking the lead in everything, they will listen to what you say and there will be no need to pressurize them to get the work done. They will know if the leader is putting extra effort for the team’s good,” says Uday Chawla, managing partner, Transearch International, India.

Celebrate Success
If a project is successful and appreciated by the top leadership, don’t forget to convey to them that it was a collective effort . People will tread the same path. There will be a feeling of harmony and they will be motivated to perform as a team. “It will do a world of good to not only company’s performance but team and individual growth as well. Managers should remember everybody has to work towards a common goal to achieve success,” says Mr Chawla.

Seek Feedback

If there are troubled teams and managers are struggling to keep up the performance, there will be a constant churn of people in the team and a high rate of absenteeism. Some basic issues plaguing many teams are managers taking credit for the team members’ work and providing one sided feedback on employee performance to hide one’s incompetence. Seek a 360 degree feedback to ascertain the right reasons for such cases. “If they have done well as individuals and are failing as leaders, provide them with coaches to come out of the crisis. The team performance might improve or else change the manager for a role he is suited” explains Mr Tandon.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 24-06-2011)

Five Ways To Gain Respect In Office

Early success may be good for some, but it can also lead to arrogance. And if it does, there are chances that one may lose respect at the workplace. Professionals may taste success for sometime, but to be successful in the long run, respect plays major part to take you to the higher levels. Mahima Puri lists some points to keep in mind to gain respect at workplace 

Help Others Succeed It is important to let go the ‘me’ factor and focus on ‘us’. Says Gagan Adlakha, partner, Vyaktitva Consulting, a Delhi-based HR consulting firm. “If a person focuses on too much of ‘me’ at the workplace, the respect for him is likely to go down. Instead, one should have an open mind and help others succeed too at the workplace.” Such an attitude is likely to go a long way in earning respect for any individual. He described an incident where a senior manager with a telecom company encouraged his team to do the best and earned their respect. Gradually, they started believing that they have some potential in them. This unlocked potential made the team one of the best in the country. As a result, the senior manager not only got rewarded for his efforts, his team won accolades across the organisation.

Share Credit
As much it is important to help others, it is equally important to share credit with peers. If you are handling projects and working as a team, it is important to share the credit within the team and push them forward, instead of individually taking away the credit yourself. Taking away credit may work once with the senior management, but in the long term they will also like to see if you are a good team leader as well.

Attain Domain Expertise Knowledge is another medium to get respect at the workplace. For instance, if you are working in niche areas such as research & development and knowledge industry, your better understanding of the subject will help to gain respect at the work place. So, work hard on improving your skills within your area of work. Tejinder Pal Singh, partner at Delhi-based executive search firm, Transearch International, says that it is also important to position yourself as the go-to expert or be a leader in your area of expertise.

Build Goodwill Treat the office as a workplace, not a school and treat your peers as professionals, not school kids. It is important to guide and help colleagues, but it may not be a good idea if you preach to them all that you know. “Different people learn differently and while people like learning at the workplace, they may not like being lectured. Be a mentor and add value to people around you,” Mr Adlakha said. Mr Singh adds, “One should build an image and reputation at work by consistent performance, thought leadership and most importantly spending a reasonable time in the organisation, to demonstrate success rather than short-stints.

Listen And Empathise If you are a team leader and managing a team, it becomes relevant to listen to peers and empathise with their situations. “As a leader, one should cater to other’s needs as well, whether it’s family, colleagues or subordinates. Only then one can earn that desired respect,” Mr Adlakha adds. Also, one may climb the corporate ladder fast with a high level of IQ, but what will make you earn respect in your subordinates and peers will be high level of EQ, not IQ.


(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 21-06-2011)

Five Ways to Improve Your Creative Thinking

Edward de Bono said, “There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.”

For individuals and organizations to succeed – Creative Thinking plays a vital role.

While some people may naturally be more creative than others, creativity can be built and developed. I am going to cover a few building blocks that anyone can use to improve their creativity.  First though let’s define what Creative Thinking really is.

Creative Thinking:  Looking at problems or situations from a fresh perspective that suggests unorthodox solutions.

Creative thinking should not be confused with Critical Thinking. You cannot successfully do both at the same time.  While they are both often needed, they should be done separately.  What is the difference between the two?

Creative Thinking is – Generative; Divergent; Lateral; Possible.

Critical Thinking is – Analytic; Convergent; Vertical; Probable.

Use these five approaches to improve your creativity:

Separate Idea Generation from Evaluation

When you generate ideas, separate the generation of ideas from the evaluation of ideas.  This is the most important creative thinking principle.  The reason is simple: idea generation is divergent–you want as many ideas as possible.  Idea evaluation is convergent–you want to narrow down the pool of ideas and select the best ones.  Save the “Yeah butts” and critical thinking for later, after you have generated all the ideas you can.  

Challenge Assumptions

Challenging assumptions is probably the second most important creative thinking principle, because it is the basis for all creative perceptions.  In other words, you see only what you think you see.  Challenging assumptions can help you shift perspectives and view situations in a new light.  The result often is a breakthrough idea or unique problem solution.  To challenge assumptions, use questioning techniques like:  Asking why 5 times; Examine assumptions for flaws – dare them not to be true; and contemplate what happens when you “Break rules”.

Break and Make Connections

This is where most of the work of creativity gets done.  Take a “systems level” perspective, look at the entire process from end to end cross departmental boundaries and functions as needed. The instant you break a powerful connection, new and perhaps useful connections can be made.  Intuition may persuade you to leave the old connection permanently broken.  Sometimes you may find yourself uncomfortably between connections.  Try to get used to the confusion.  Resist the urge to resolve it.   Confusion and anxiety are integral to creativity. 

Fail Fast

It’s been said that what makes a great bronco cowboy isn’t how long they stay on a horse, but how quickly he can get back on a horse, after he has been knocked off.  Fear of making a mistake can reduce creativity. We learn from mistakes.  We must accept failure and allow this to occur with our organizations.  The secret is to minimize the effects of failure by “Failing Fast”.  As Edward de Bono said, “It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.”

Avoid Groupthink

Groupthink is the lack of dissension in group decision making.  Groupthink often results in groups’ reaching consensus too quickly and making poor decisions because key assumptions are not sufficiently challenged by group members.  Groupthink can kill creativity and must be avoid during the creative process.

About The Author: Byron Headrick

As a Certified Six Sigma ‘Black Belt”, Byron has over 15 years experience as a successful LEAN implementer – a methodology that provides businesses with tools to improve the capability of their business processes. After implementing this philosophy successfully in other large companies, Byron formed his company, LEAN Frog, in 2009 in order to share his knowledge, expertise and unique practical approach with small businesses across North Alabama. Byron has experience successfully implementing LEAN tools in all types of businesses including: medical practices, accounting firms, retail shops, restaurants, mortgage brokers, insurance agencies, commercial printing, and manufacturing companies

(Source: http://leanmachineradio.com/2011/04/five-ways-to-improve-your-creative-thinking/)

Five Ways To Bring Back Loyalty To The Workplace

Last month a factory manager at one of PepsiCo India’s plants resigned from his job. His immediate boss and HR executives tried convincing him to take back his decision but in vain. Finally, his erstwhile boss and the man who recruited him, called him to ask about his decision. He told him “if you tell me not to go, I will not”. “That’s the power of building long-term relationships,” says Samik Basu, chief people officer, PepsiCo India. Despite not being his immediate boss, he kept in touch with the man and built a relationship that became longlasting. Shreya Biswas lists some aspects for firms to hold back loyal employees.

Groom Quality Managers

 

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 17-06-2011)

 

It is said that people join an organisation and leave as a boss. It then becomes extremely important for the firm to have quality leader managing teams. If people are leaving at regular intervals, there might be something wrong with the leader. Figure out how they treat their team members, whether the team lead addresses individual needs of growth, appreciates their work or provides ample support in terms of ideas and resources to get the work done.

Map Employees’ Careers
Tell your employees how they will grow up in the organisational ladder. Make them aware of what kind of opportunities awaits them and what needs to be done to reach those heights. Their career path should be clearly charted out and they should at least have an idea of 3-4 years of career progression. Give them the option to choose their own path, help with internal job postings so that they can gain expertise in different functions and sectors, make rotation a normal course of growth.

Spur Them On
Most of the times people know that they are doing well when the boss doesn’t shout or point out mistakes. Recognition and rewards for work should at par with the punishment for non-performance. It could come in any form, monetary benefits, training for higher roles or international exposure—travel or deputation, anything. This will help boost employee morale and they will not hesitate to put in extra effort.

Locate The Problem
Many a times companies go on hiring new people assuming they bring change and up the productivity count, with no results. They should instead dig deeper to find out the root of the problem than to recruit new people. “It could be lack of communication between leaders and employees or misinformation in the hierarchy chain to hide someone’s inefficiency or ignorance on the part of the company to ensure sustained growth,” says Muralidhar Rao, CEO, Future learning.

Develop A Work Culture
There are two categories of professionals at the workplace. One who come to the office and the second, for whom, it’s a place to express themselves. They identify themselves with the kind of work they do, strongly believe in the culture and values of the organisation. The second category specially needs to be dealt with sensitivity. “If the firm doesn’t value the same culture it preaches to its employees, this set might feel cheated. If that doesn’t matter to the management, it might as well keep losing people and getting new ones, building up a culture where no one sticks back, no leaders are born but workers who come and go,” explains Mr Rao.

Five Ways To Make Sure You Have The Right Hires

When unemployability is an issue, India Inc cannot make the mistake of wrong hires. A potential candidate today has to go through many assessment tests, multiple interviews and some companies even set detectives on them so that they can be sure the investment they make on the person, is worth it. While Google has a long-drawn-out interview process, where the candidate is put under the spotlight over months and grilled by the seniors, the boss as well as juniors who would report to him/her, other shorter a but equally rigorous process before they give the official ‘aye’, says Devina Sengupta.

Case Study Test 

The world’s largest chip maker, Intel, does not believe in a blitzkrieg of questions hurled at a candidate since that may prompt learned and expected answers. Instead, case studies are presented where “there are no right or wrong answers, but solutions depending on the situation,” says Intel’s HR head Anish. It helps them to gauge the candidate’s reaction. “If his (or her) reaction to a case regarding integrity is even the slightest bit unsure, a red alert is flagged,” adds Anish. 

Wait And Watch
To know if one has been successful in netting the right candidate, some like Adobe Systems follow the wait and watch approach. “The first 90-120 days prove if the right choice has been made, says Jaleel Abdul, director (HR). Responses to certain questions at the interview stage are also a sure-shot way to realise if the candidate should be on board. “I ask them what they are passionate about and what is that one question they would like to ask me,” adds Abdul. “If the response to the question is about the salary, then it’s a no. One has to show enthusiasm for the job, the possibilities of the role, and future prospects in the company. There has to be an aha! moment in the interview, which is worth the wait.”

Check Past Record
“The past record of the employee and examples he gives on how he solved some problems are a good indicator,” says Mafoi’s GM, Aditya Narayan Mishra. The risk that innovations use to solve earlier problems may not be replicated in the new job are always there, but the candidate’s aptitude and skills can be tested this way. Personality is another focus point for Mishra. He says that when he hires for sales profiles, patience is a virtue he looks for.

Play Games
Companies like the Marriott, Siemens, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance and Fullerton have devised online games where those interested can get a feel of the job before they start their work in the company. Simulations and virtual assessment centres are the next step for firms. So when executive search firm Mafoi Randstad had to find a candidate for the role of a CFO, they sent the applicants to a virtual assessment centre. “A Mumbai-based firm had created the simulation assessment test to ensure that they get the right person in the CFO’s chain,” says E Balaji, Mafoi CEO. “They wanted someone whowas prepared for what might come next.”

Learn To Let Go
Don’t retain the wrong ones hoping they might change. Co-founder and MD of staffing firm TeamLease, Ashok Reddy, says there are times when one makes the wrong hire because of a desperate need to fill a post, or the past experience of a candidate clouds one’s perception. After a couple of quarters if the results are not positive, and any attempt to improve the new hire’s performance has met with roadblocks, then it is best to let the person go.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 14-06-2011)

Five Ways To... Manage a Moody Supervisor

Management thinkers say handling bosses requires special skills, since they are a completely different breed in the corporate jungle. And if the boss is moody, then the problem tends to increase manifold. Writankar Mukherjee highlights ways to manage and work with a difficult and moody boss.

 

Communicate With The Boss
Communication can be key to sending the message that frequent mood changes can impact work flow. It can also prevent a confrontation. And if you can win his confidence, you can even tell him how his mood creates problems amongst other colleagues. “It may take time to gain the confidence of a moody boss, but effective communication can be the best weapon,” says independent organisational behaviour expert Ajay Basu.

Study Your Manager
Analyse why your boss is the way he is. Remember, people have different perspectives and quitting may not be the best option as there is no guarantee your next boss won’t be the same. As Future Group head (private brands) Devendra Chawla puts it: “Your boss might be reacting to factors and influences you may be unaware of. While that can’t be an excuse for moody behaviour, it can explain it. It will help you not to repeat the same mistakes when you become the boss. And while at it, the worst bosses often have the most to teach — this can be an enriching experience.”

Keep The Boss Happy
Experts say moods vary from person to person and depend on interpersonal relationships to a large extent. Hence, it is always better to study and understand what makes a boss happy and then try and create that mood before interacting with him. “Before placing your file, taking an approval or seeking a sanction, tell the boss how you have achieved your targets, or finished a task. This will make the boss happy. Then place your case or talk to him,” says Sunil Goel, director, HR firm GlobalHunt.

Stay Away From Problem Areas
As a golden rule, never ever rub the boss the wrong way, even when you are leaving the job. Reference checks with past employers are becoming mandatory and the boss may give negative feedback despite your good work. A bruised boss can be as dangerous as a bruised tiger. “Do not touch a boss’ pain areas directly or indirectly. Do not make sarcastic remarks or point out his shortcomings. That will make the boss jittery,” adds Goel.

Maintain Your Calm
The worst thing for anyone to do is argue, answer back or lose calm when talking to a moody boss, personified by Hari Sadu of the naukri.com advertisement. Says Shweta Singh, who has worked with a moody boss in one of the country’s top banks: “My golden rule was to listen to him and try to do what he said to the extent possible. When I failed, I would tell him why without trying to blame him.” Remember the saying: ‘The boss is always right, even if you know he is wrong.’

 

(The Economic Times, Mumbai,11-06-2011)

101 Posts and 500 Hits - A Big Thank You

A BIG THANK YOU to all who have and will visit the BLOG http://fivewaysto.blogspot.com/. Without you it could not have been possible. And my special gratitude to all those wonderful people who share their ideas, thoughts, experiences in Five Point  Capsule making life easier for me. I am forever indebted to you all. Hope you all continue to Enjoy Reading and Gaining from the blog.

Comments, suggestions, thoughts and ideas are welcome.

Five Ways to Encourage Customers to Give You Feedback

Sometimes it can feel as though you're alone in the online business world, just trying to guess at what will make your customers happy. It would be so much easier if customers would simply tell you what they want and what they don't want from your business - wouldn't it? This is why you're seeing more Feedback options on websites than ever before. But the trick is to encourage your customers to actually utilize this option for themselves and for your benefit. Here are five ways to encourage customers to give you the feedback you need.

Make it Quick

When your customers are asked to provide feedback, you shouldn't necessarily give them a list of hundreds of questions. While this might seem helpful to you, if a customer has to spend more than five minutes on a feedback form, chances are high that they will either lie or they simply won't fill it out at all. Try to limit your questions to about five to ten questions with short or multiple choice answers. You can always rotate your questions out when you have enough answers and then find out the answers to new questions that come up.

Make it Easy

Feedback forms which are easy to find and easy to use are the ones that will get used more often. Place your feedback form somewhere along the checkout process when people might be waiting for things to happen – the form will pass the time. Or you might want to create a link in the receipt email that you send to them at the end of a transaction. You might also send out a short email after the transaction is over to see what their feedback might be. 

Make It Worthwhile

Of course, some people will want to have something in return for their opinions. If this seems to be the case, you may want to offer a discount on their next order or perhaps create a sort of contest in which one of the names is drawn each day for a prize. If you find that your customers aren't answering your questions, it may just be a matter of giving them something in return for their time – and it doesn't have to be something substantial either.

Make it Fun

Feedback forms that are fun to use are the ones that will get used more often. Simple multiple choice surveys are bright and colorful and you can see the results of others surveys as well, if they are set up in a certain way. Perhaps when they click on a certain answer, they will see a picture or they might get a response for their opinion. Try to create a feedback form that is interactive to help engage them and make the time they spend pass quickly.

Make it Confidential

Very often, customers are nervous to give feedback for fear they will be identified with a negative response. Make sure that you are not asking for any identifying information, if you can, to show that you simply want feedback and aren't going to penalize anyone for something that went wrong during a transaction. Of course, this is harder to do when you have a feedback form during the checkout process, so you might want to leave the feedback as a separate transaction.

The value of feedback is difficult to measure. Feedback can help you find a new direction for your business or to choose a new product to sell. On the other hand, you might find out about problems that need to be addressed immediately. In any case, make sure that you are reading the answers and responding to them.

Source: http://www.instantwebsitebusiness.com/articles/52.htm

Five Ways Coaches Can Give Effective Feedback

When you give feedback to others, how do they normally respond to you?

Feedback is important when you want to perform at your best. I have watched many competitions, and the salient difference between a better performance and a good performance may boil down to the quality of feedback the performer receives and acts on, from their coach and mentors.

Feedback is nothing more than a technical term for the process of communication. Before you can receive feedback, you will need to engage some form of 'feed forward'. Feed forward leads to feed back. In between the transmission (to use a radio term), there is a possibility of interference.

You can feed forward questions, and get feed back (responses) from your recipient. Whether you like it, or like it more, feedback can be useful if the intention is good. Most people have good intentions, however the delivery of the feedback may be ineffective or lacks the impact. Here are some ways to give feedback that leaves an indelible impression.

CATCH THEM DOING RIGHT

Tell them when somebody is doing something well, or correctly. It is so easy to criticize, and people are so programmed to tell people off. Tell them ON. This will switch them on to other useful feedback that may follow. When was the last time you felt compelled to tell a service-staff how much you appreciated their help? Tell them face-to-face; perhaps, even write a complimentary e-mail to their organization.

CATCH THEM IN THE ACT

Practice makes perfect. Right? Not exactly! Perfect practice make perfect. Wrong practice makes permanent. Do you always want to go about the pathway of 'learn, unlearn, and relearn'? It takes about 30 days to replace a habit, with another. If your staff has a questionable behavior, or is not performing to the best of their abilities have a chat with them. Engage them in a productive conversation. A productive conversation is one where, when both parties leave, they have a heightened sense of respect and assurance for each other. As my teacher, Jan Kelly would say: 'For bigger. For longer.' That is, make a person feel bigger than they are, and enhance that experience.

CORRECT THEM WHEN THEY DO IT INCORRECTLY

How you correct a person when they are wrong is, use a format of Situation, Behavior and Consequence. Essentially, inform the person of the specific, useless behavior that they demonstrated during a particular event (a recent one, of course), and the consequence of this behavior on you, or others. Consequences have a logical way of nudging a person out of their stupor (unconscious awareness). If the damage has been done, ask them what they will do differently the next time.

ENCOURAGEMENT IS A POWERFUL TOOL OF MOTIVATING

Be encouraging. Use words of encouragement. Encourage means 'to give courage'. It is complimentary to 'empower', although this is a much more complex process to implement. How do you give courage to others? What can you say or do, that engages a person's sense of courage? When you feel courageous, what else are you capable of doing?

COMPLIMENT WHEN YOU CAN, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY

The late-Insoo Kim Berg (Brief Therapy co-founder) encouraged us to give daily compliments. It can make this world a better place to live in.

Leadership Lessons: Catch them doing right, and correct them when you have to. Lead with your astute observation and acute sense of performance.

About the Author:

Enrico Varella is the editor and writer of the daily blog, Leadership lessons from Triathlons at http://lead2tri.blogspot.com.

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

Five Ways To Hand Out Constructive Criticism

When it comes to appraisals or having that frank talk about employee performance, bosses are in for a tough time. Often, a critical approach does not go down well with employees, leading to low morale and in some instances, a spate of resignations. Moresha Benjamin lists some pointers on constructive criticism and helping employees give more of themselves at work. 

Do Your Homework
Go through the employee’s work chart from day one. Jot down the positive and negative points, and highlight the issues you want to discuss. This will not only put you in a better position to discuss your views across the table for the employee to consider but will also make sure the employee understands and takes what you are saying seriously.

Give Instant Feedback
“Don’t wait for an appraisal or a board meeting to tell the employee where he or she is faltering,” says Elango R, chief human resources officer, MphasiS. Giving instant feedback not only helps in getting the task done but also eases overall work flow, adds Elango. For instance, after a presentation, which you as a boss thought was not up to the mark, you discuss it with the employee immediately. Point out the positives of the presentation but don’t mince words when pointing out the negatives and always end it with: “I know you can do much better,” says Elango.

Offer Solutions
“Often people keep ranting about what they don’t like. You need to clearly state what you “do” like,” says Priya Kumar, motivational speaker and corporate trainer. Instead of saying, “The presentation is pathetic,” it would be nice to say, “Put more visuals, make the presentation more precise.” That way, the person knows what to do after the feedback. Often when people's work is criticised, they are not only upset but also feel lost in terms of what to do to improve their work. The lack of direction maintains mediocrity.

Be Neutral
The tone in which the ‘constructive feedback’ is given must be neutral. State clearly ‘what’ the problem is. Just saying, “I don’t like this design,” won’t do you or the person any good. But something like, “The colour purple seems out of context. The punchline has no punch. The message is misleading,” is concrete data, and can lead to change. Often, people %proffer their opinions, rather than giving constructive feedback. And opinions are a personal issue; they usually don’t lead to professional change.

Make Sure To Follow Up
“Many bosses forget the golden rule of following up with the employee’s progress post-feedback,” says Asit Mohapatra, director, human resources — textiles, Raymonds. It’s imperative to gauge employee progress and help out in case they face roadblocks post the discussion, adds Mohapatra. If you ignore following up with your workers, you may be more disappointed, which in turn creates a vicious cycle of negative feedback. And there, you have only yourself to blame.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 07-06-2011)