Ensuring Proficiency in the Global Business World
Current times are seeing an increase in international business enterprises and alliances, as well as medium-sized organizations and corporations. These are the main participants in the global marketplace, so more focus has been allotted on the ability of the organizations today in creating and developing managers for foreign work designations. International management, which is a difficult and altering world, entails not only cultural consciousness and sensitivity, but also the capacity to improve and enhance job performance. For this purpose, most multinational companies have conducted expatriate cultural trainings, or cultural trainings for their emigrant managers. Through this, expatriate managers are guided to become more aware of the culture in their host country, making them successful in their international assignments.
This type of training may be prevalent and widely used nowadays, but there has been to date very minimal attention dedicated to assessing its effectiveness. Thus it may be important to review the elements of effective cultural training for expatriates, and how the program ought to be evaluated.
One of the primary reasons for successful cultural training is to reduce the rate of failure of expatriate managers. Most of the failures are credited to the inability and difficulty of the expatriates in adapting to a new environment and embracing a foreign culture. High failure rates are causes of dislocation and missed opportunities in widening markets overseas. This makes expatriate cultural training significant in creating excellent managers, as cultural training causes positive results on adjustment to a new culture and performance of expatriates.
There are particular aspects that are improved by cultural training, which in turn helps reduce expatriate failure rate and performance dissatisfaction. The first dimension is the negotiation styles. Expatriates must be aware of the fact that styles in negotiating are not the same in all countries. For instance, some countries prefer conflict oriented negotiations, while others prefer those that are centered on agreement.
Second, a cultural training improves communication. The way of addressing people varies widely from country to country, so it is important that expatriates be aware of the communication styles in foreign countries to ensure good relations and high-quality performance.
Another aspect improved by expatriate cultural training is social relations. Different countries have different practices in the society. Being aware of the culture in the destination country is helpful in knowing how to deal with the people. For instance, knowing that Europeans place a high value on formality as a way of creating a comfortable setting, it is proper to be formal both in dress and manners while doing business with them.
Lastly, this kind of training aids the adjustment of the lifestyle of the family. It may be difficult and heavy for the expatriates and their relocating families to adapt to a new way of living, such as getting the children into school and being informed about the system of public transportation. Changes also include that of status and integration into an entirely unknown environment.
The expatriate cultural training for the aforementioned aspects should be modified depending on the country for it to be successful. It must also not only involve the above dimensions but also be a tool in helping expatriates enhance their skills in management and dealing with other people to make them confident and effective as a leader. This program can help expatriates become better conversationalists; at the same time make them understand and deal properly with people of various cultures, values, and religious and ethnic backgrounds. Through giving importance to cultural differences, managers are also able to handle multicultural groups. Another indirect but authentic advantage of cultural training is for expatriates to value the global business realm, customers, and competitors. Other benefits of this training include a better realization of the impact of cultural difference and cultural challenges when managing, and practical strategies to lessen cross-cultural misunderstandings.
However, most expatriate cultural trainings do not include the development of interpersonal and management skills, which are probably more important in building confidence and being an effective leader. Thus, there is a need to pay more attention to the neglected evaluation of the training.
As competitions in the global market constantly increase, the development of expatriate managers who will soon bring international success must not be ignored. That is why most multinational corporations are devoting their time and resources to the cultural training of expatriates, which is an effective way of ensuring their excellent work performance. Not only does expatriate cultural training help them adjust, but it also makes them more competent in the business world.
About the Author
Willie has been involved in language services and expatriate training for over 12 years.
How Do I Choose The Most Appropriate PR Company For Me?
Every single company around the world today requires the implementation of public relations techniques of some sort. They may not be carrying out the methods or procedures knowingly (or knowing that they are actually PR techniques) or they could have hired a professional company to implement the processes and manage all of their public relations for them, but every company will be utilizing PR in some form to their advantage.
Whilst some people carry out their own public relations work, a substantial amount of people hire a dedicated PR company to manage their campaigns for them, for a variety of reasons.
With such a substantial amount of companies available to choose from, it can become complicated deciding which one to choose, as there are various affecting factors that can have a considerable effect on which company to decide upon. Both the industry in which your company operates in and the actual size of it are aspects that need to be considered, as is the budget that is available to utilize, which is particularly important.
Taking these affecting factors into consideration, it does not mean that you should not, or can not, hire a public relations company if you feel that any one of these factors is not suitable, as there will be a PR company available that is suited to your individual needs.
For example, if you operate in a small niche, such as a small, educational establishment and you feel that no company could possibly implement any effective public relations techniques for your business, chances are you will actually be able to find a selection of companies who will be able to provide a specific education PR service after a small amount of research.
In an instance like this, where a specialist company such as an education PR one is chosen, whilst a standard or generic company would be able to offer great end results, it would be expected that one which offers a more tailored service would produce higher quality results.
In respect of the budget that is available to use, whilst there will be a company available to suit all budgets, the actual constraints become apparent when deciding upon how much involvement you would like the company to have.
Some people, for example, hire a company to look after all public relations aspects, regardless of how small they may be. Other companies, however, decide to work with one PR company, but only on an as-and-when basis to cover the most important or largest campaigns. Obviously, the first is the more expensive option, but it is not a feasible choice for everyone, which is the reason why the latter is so often chosen.
All businesses require the implementation of public relations in some form and hiring a company is seen as the best way to do so. However, the entire process can be extremely complicated and therefore it is recommended to look at what PR aspects you need managing, the budget that you have available to utilize and what companies are available that specialize in your niche to ensure that you choose the most suitable public relations company for you.
About the Author
The Spa Way Education PR has created a number of well devised successful campaigns for a range of businesses to help them seek the right exposure in the market.
Distributed by Content Crooner
Is ‘Captainitis’ getting the better of you?
The challenge of keeping your team motivated and engaged in the face of real and persistent trading
difficulties is being raised at many meetings. This prompted me to consider how, as leaders, we
sometimes unwittingly influence others and set up an environment that makes it difficult or even
impossible for our team to contribute valuable ideas.
Is ‘Captainitis’ getting the better of you?
The danger of ‘Knowing best’
No one really likes to be challenged but it is sometimes very dangerous to have everyone around you
agree with you.
Take for example the following exchange taken from the flight recorder of Air Florida flight 90 just before
it fell into the icy Potomac river near Washington DC, in 1982.
Co-Pilot: Let’s check the ice on those tops [wings] again since we’ve been sitting here a while.
Captain: No. I think we get to go in a minute.
Co-Pilot: [referring to an instrument as they prepare for take off] That doesn’t seem right does it? Uh,
no that’s not right.
Captain: Yes it is.
[sound of plane straining unsuccessfully to gain altitude]
Co-pilot: Larry we are going down.
Captain: I know it.
[Sound of impact that killed the captain, co-pilot and 76 others]
While this may seem a rather extreme example, it is not uncommon for many of my clients to be
dismayed by the actions of some of their people, only to be told “But you said we should do it this way”.
One client, let’s call him Pat, was discussing a problem on an IT Project with a member of his team and
he was exploring an option for addressing a particular issue. The team member simply took what was an
exploratory discussion as an instruction and implemented it without considering the implications. He
acted as if he was ‘told to do it’ and in his mind that is exactly what had happened.
So what is going on here and what can you do about it?
Where are the standards?
The scenarios above are examples of how team members can often assume that ‘the boss is always right’
and how leaders frequently underestimate the power and influence they have over the people around
them.
In motivation and behavioural terms there is a key pattern at play here. It has to do with the ‘Source’ of
decisions, and whether they are based on an ‘Internal’ frame of reference or an ‘External’ one.
People who have a strong Internal reference have strong feelings about their opinions and decisions;
they just know because it feels right. They are motivated to gather information from outside sources and
then they decide. They hold an internal set of standards and will judge any information they gather
against these internal standards. They will take instructions from others as ‘information’. “You say you
need the figures by lunchtime, that’s interesting.”
People with a strong External reference will look outside of themselves for feedback and verification
before making a decision. They like to seek the opinions of others, outside direction and feedback from
external sources. They are motivated when someone else decides and do not hold standards within
themselves, they gather them from the outside. Externally referenced people will often take information
as ‘an instruction’. “He said the post has arrived, I’d better check and sort it.
Remember the context
It is always important to remember that these motivational patterns are very context specific and a shift
in context can cause a shift in motivation. (For more background on this Click Here.)
Let’s go back to our Director Pat, who has to oversee the management and delivery of IT projects. He
has very clear ideas about the standards required to manage and implement a particular project and will
have no hesitation in letting the project managers know his opinions. In the context of ‘Director’ he is
very ‘Internal’.
On the other hand, when dealing with his clients he will listen carefully to them and adapt the projects
according to their feedback and needs as required. In the context of ‘Valued Supplier’ to his clients he is
‘External’. This makes Pat’s clients really appreciate him because he ‘listens and does what we need’ but
it can cause problems for Pat’s team because the projects can chop and change according to the latest
feedback from the client. This can lead to things being implemented that end up being unworkable and
staff thinking “we knew that was not going to work” but doing it anyway!
Let’s now go back to the unfortunate Pilots on Air Florida Flight 90. The Captain was being totally
‘internal’ to his co-pilot. The comment about the ice on the tops was just information. His internal
standards made him ignore it. The Co-pilot was totally ‘external’ to the Captain and unquestioningly
accepted his answer to the comment “That doesn’t seem right does it? Uh, no that’s not right.” Captain:
“Yes it is.”
As you can imagine when there is a fatal plane crash there is a thorough investigation and researchers
have coined the phrase “Captainitis” for situations when the person in charge is highly ‘internal’ and the
people around them are highly ‘external’ to them. It’s an easy trap to fall into. There is also plenty of
scientific research about how this happens in hospitals where there is stark hierarchy between Doctors
and Nurses. In tests, some Nurses have shown willingness to unquestioningly administer dangerous
doses of drugs when instructed to do so by a doctor.
Have some humility
The key to avoiding the ‘Captainitis’ dilemma is to encourage involvement and participation, especially
around important decisions. You may even need to have a little humility and actively invite dissent from
your more knowledgeable staff in order to break the cycle. Remember when leaders fail to ask for input
it can lead to poor decision-making procedures, bad choices and avoidable errors.
Many of my most successful clients have established a climate of robust sharing of opinions and actively
seek alternative points of view because that is the more modern 21st century approach. This approach is
also recommended by such people as Stephen Covey, as demonstrated in his latest book ‘The 8th Habit’.
I would also like to suggest that you consider your own motivational drivers and those of your people. A
good idea is to step back and observe behaviour of those around you from a detached point of view, you
may want to just notice what is really going on when you are making decisions. To what extent do you
explore the opinions of others? But of course it’s up to you to decide what is right for you in your
situation.
An ever-increasing number of my clients are finding the Work Attitude and Motivation (iWAM) Profile very
valuable because it provides great insights and tips on below-conscious motivators and the best way to
manage your people If you are curious about your motivational drivers and how they not only affect
your own behaviour but the way you perceive the behaviour of others, why not give the iWAM a try. I
would like to invite you to click here for more information.
As always I’m very interested in your thoughts and application of the ideas and concepts discussed in
these Articles. Why not drop me a line at David.Klaasen@InspiredWorking.com or give me a call on
07970 134964?
About the Author
David works with We work with Owners, Directors and Senior Managers who are focused on growth, to implement their business strategy by working smarter not harder
Why we speak and write in clichés and common phrases
How many people in your workplace use distinctive words when speaking or writing? Here’s a wild guess: damn few, if any. That I’m sure is the case even if you earn your keep in an exceptional workplace.
That’s because we all speak in common phrases and clichés – not to mention that dreadful industry parlance. When it comes to communication, people resemble parrots. We walk around repeating the same tired words and phrases. One person’s PowerPoint presentation or white paper is very much interchangeable with just about anybody else’s.
But why is this the case?
There are at least three prominent reasons.
1) Clichés and common phrases are easily understood and – the best ones – deliver a lot meaning in very few words, which is one of the principles of good writing and speaking.
2) We are rewarded with a sense of kinship when sharing the same vernacular. That sense of belonging is no small matter to most people.
3) We don’t expend the effort required to achieve originality. Speaking and writing with a distinctive voice takes work – more work that most of us are willing to invest.
The problem is that walking and talking and writing like a human parrot turns you into an indistinguishable voice in an immense choir. That’s the last thing you want when trying to establish your identity in a competitive workplace. It’s the person with the distinctive voice whose ideas will stand out and be heard, not the person whose speaking and writing is so much more white noise. Fresh ideas have to be expressed in language as fresh as the idea itself.
Most clichés and common phrases are terrific statements invented long ago, adopted by the masses, and endlessly repeated. For example, to say I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place is widely understood and would take many more words to express if we tried to avoid the cliché. Ditto for a Catch-22 situation. Try explaining what a Catch-22 situation is and compare the word count. Ditto for bull in a china shop.
Given that, it’s easy to rationale that it makes sense to use widely understood phrases that economize on words. After all, being clear and brief are two key principles of good communication.
Industry parlance or jargon works much the same. Join a new industry and you will not truly feel part of the team until you’ve learned that industry’s lexicon and use it as fluidly and understandably as your colleagues. To do anything else would put you out of step with the crowd, and most people don’t have the sense of self to step away from the crowd. Being an individual, being an original, takes backbone. We also fear that if we walk to the beat of our own drum we might not be considered a team player by our colleagues.
One of my all-time favorite quotes sums it up: “Man’s unique agony as a species consists of his perpetual conflict between the desire to stand out and the need to blend in.”
Standing out also takes effort. You need to actually think about what you’re about to say or write. Foolishly, most people don’t see that as a good investment of time and energy. They spend more time and energy wondering why they’re not really being heard and why they’re not advancing professionally.
Originality also requires imagination, and we haven’t all been imbued with that talent. Still, there are ways. We don’t have to speak and write with the sledgehammer impact of a Christopher Hitchens, Martin Amis or Tom Wolfe. Rather, if we can stud our speech and writing with simple, intermittent, standout phrases, the impact is likely to be more pronounced than we might imagine – just as a single great guitar riff can make an entire song memorable.
So let’s give it a try. Let’s try to freshen up the language. Let’s find substitutes for the trite and tired.
About the Author
Mike Consol is president of MikeConsol.com, which provides corporate training seminars in four categories: 1) verbal communication skills, 2) PowerPoint presentation skills, 3) Business writing workshops, 4) Media training (both traditional media and social media). He is also the creator and host of the radio talk-show Boomtown Business on KDOW (AM 1220) in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Contact Center Benchmarking Research Reveals Top Investment Initiatives
Contact Center Benchmarking Study Finds Organizations Preparing for Economic Recovery by Implementing Automated Interaction Recording, Quality Monitoring and Analytics Technologies to Streamline Operations.
VPI (Voice Print International, VPI-corp), the premier global provider of interaction recording and analytics, contact center quality management, and workforce optimization solutions, announced the availability of the findings from the 2009 Agent Performance Management (APM) contact center benchmarking research. Conducted by leading research firm Ventana Research and sponsored by VPI, this contact center benchmarking study is the first quantitative research to assess the maturity and direction of the emerging discipline for managing contact center agents and the extended workforce responsible for handling a business’s customer interactions. Backed by extensive feedback from 365 contact centers, the contact center benchmarking report offers significant insights into how companies are improving performance by focusing on their contact center agents, who largely shape the customer experience. The contact center benchmarking research findings include analyses of processes deployed and technologies used to make the agent workforce more effective. Contact center benchmarks also include the information and metrics used to monitor and assess agent performance.
“Companies interact with customers many thousands of times a day, in many forms including a large number of calls to contact centers,” Said Richard Snow, vice president and research director at Ventana Research who led the research and heads the company’s Customer and Contact Center Performance Management research practice. “In today’s economic environment it is important that agents handle each of these calls in a way that leaves the customer feeling he or she has had a good experience, as well as producing a beneficial business outcome. But this research shows that too many organizations are striving after cost efficiencies rather than ensuring agents deliver an effective experience that will enhance customer satisfaction.”
Patrick Botz, corporate vice president of marketing at VPI stated that VPI was deeply gratified to partner with Ventana Research to launch the innovative contact center benchmarking research on contact center agent performance management. “The results of this contact center benchmarking research demonstrate that, in order to survive the current economic downturn and prepare for the imminent upswing, today’s forward-thinking companies are positioning themselves for rapid improvements in customer satisfaction and operational efficiency by planning investments in more intelligent, automated interaction recording and contact center workforce optimization software tools.”
Key recommendations include:
* Improve customer interaction-handling by thinking more strategically. Focus on automating the agent quality monitoring process, using analytics tools to improve the agent assessment process, and utilizing more outcome-focused key performance metrics.
* Make better use of available technology and applications. Follow the example of innovative companies and deploy unified communications, smarter call routing to best-skilled and highest-performing agents, call audio and desktop screen recording and analytics, agent coaching, and the latest contact center-specific performance management tools.
* Reassess key performance metrics. Explore supplementing basic measures such as number of calls handled, average length of calls and percent of calls placed on hold with more outcome- and business-related measures.
For a free copy of the summary of the contact center benchmarking report findings and recommendations for improvement, visit VPI-corp.
About the Research Methodology:
A total of 365 responses are included in the formal contact center benchmarking research results conducted in 2009 and had representation from across the world. Respondents represent a varied sampling of contact center sizes and industries including Service Providers, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Telecommunications and Government.
For more information, visit VPI-corp.
About the Author
VPI (Voice Print International) is the premier global provider of interaction recording and analytics, contact center quality management and workforce optimization solutions. For more information, visit www.VPI-corp.com.
New Media and Internal Communications
Tim Berners-Lee, the founder of the World Wide Web stated in 1999 that the Web is “an information space through which people can communicate, but communicate in a special way: communicate by sharing their knowledge in a pool. The idea was not just that it should be a browsing medium. The idea was that everybody would be putting their ideas in, as well as taking them out.”
The key point to note was the foresight with which Tim predicted the evolving nature of the medium focusing on collaboration, change and democracy.
A recent study – the 2006 Macro Trends in Internal Communications shows how true the statement was. The world is surely changing with information as a tool for influence, democracy and engagement. The trends point to another interesting phenomenon – the rise of personalization. The need to have differentiated, unique content served to your desktop.
The sea-change in internal communications is quite evident. From a command-control and formal – directive mechanism, it is today about inclusion and two-way transmission of meaning. There is greater emphasis on engagement and conversation. The options available for communicators have exponentially expanded. The shift towards new media also has another reason – “people tend to trust their peers more than authority figures.” says 2006 Edelman Trust Barometer – putting the employee in the front seat in comparison to the organization’s leadership. The Towers Perrin/IABC “Future Trends” Study in 2002 indicated a greater need for using new media for connecting people.
So who is using new media? According to Edelman’s recent research, roughly one-third of leading organizations use blogs and of these, one-third are aimed exclusively at internal audiences. The use of podcasts and wiki technology are gaining popularity. Just look at these mind-boggling statistics for some indication. The number of blogs globally has grown from six million to more than 75.2 million (May 2007). 10.2 posts every second of every day. The number of podcasts hosted on the Internet has surpassed the number of radio stations worldwide. Wikipedia, a public Internet-based encyclopedia launched in 2001 that allows users to create and edit content, now has 1.4 million entries in English, more than ten times that of the Encyclopedia Britannica.
The advantages of new media for internal communications are evident.From internal expertise and information sharing, to perceived openness and collaboration, from accountability and speed to engagement and experimentation – communication is top priority. According to Evan Williams (creator of Blogger), the blog concept is about three things: Frequency, Brevity, and Personality. This insight is useful to those willing to tap the medium and the user.
New Media as a channel still has a long way to go before getting completely understood and integrated into internal communications plans. The factors impeding good integration are unclear objectives, lack of understanding, myths, poor practices and attitudes. Before one can appreciate the new tool, it is critical to ask some pertinent questions on its mission, usage, audience and expected results.
To begin, internal communication practitioners can make quick hits by solving employees’ basic issues of information overload and personalization. But for larger success, internal buy-in from senior leadership on the benefits (which are many – accountability, transparency, trust, engagement) and measurements of the medium is critical.
About the Author
Gatehouse Group is an internal communication agency, consultancy on internal communications, internal comms, employee communication, research, audit, internal communication jobs, change management and employee engagement.
Building Multicultural Teams Means Building Success
Does your team lack cohesiveness and understanding because it comprises members from different-even conflicting- cultures? Would your productivity increase if team members from different cultures could work together more effectively? If so, you may benefit from multicultural team building.
In Canada especially, where multiculturalism is an integral part of our national identity, workplaces are filled with employees and managers from all corners of the globe. Sometimes, the cultural differences that arise in the workplace can create conflict, miscommunication, and diminished productivity. In certain industries, such as health care or manufacturing, these conflicts and miscommunications can increase the risk of injury to others.
So, how do you build and solidify a multicultural team? The first step to bridging cultural differences is awareness. Recognizing that things would run smoother if everyone communicated and respected each other is the first step to solving the problem. In too many cases, managers from the dominant Canadian culture will overlook or brush off cultural issues, because they are difficult to define and, at times, delicate to talk about. People worry about being called bigots or racists when they speak about diversity issues in the workplace.
In my experience, the opposite is true. If a manager has the courage to say, “We have some issues around diversity to examine. By facing up to them, we will build a stronger team, and we will each learn something,” then the veil of embarrassment or discomfort is lifted and an open dialogue can begin.
This dialogue is the second step. It means giving everyone in the group a voice, and creating a safe space for others to speak and be heard. A moderated dialogue, facilitated by an experienced diversity consultant, will help to keep things focused, and ensure that everyone feels respected. Awareness and dialogue are not enough, however, to solve the problem. From there, we need to move to action. This involves creating a new culture that is focused on neither traditional Canadian culture, nor the other cultures involved, but on building a strong, diverse, productive, multicultural team. It means shedding old stereotypes, to make way for a new team identity that gives each member an equal voice, and promotes both diversity and productivity.
This new culture establishes a new benchmark for tolerance within the organization. It also lays the foundation for new policies, procedures, and other governance issues pertaining to operations and personnel that will keep your team focused and productive.
A new team culture can be built in various ways. It may include:
* identifying key issues and concerns for your organization-what specifically needs improvement? what situations, circumstances, or personnel issues do you need to target?training for managers and staff in cross-cultural awareness, management, and conflict management;
* training for staff in expectations of the Canadian workplace, and managerial and operational styles;
* language and/or accent-reduction training to enhance communications for non-native speakers of English;
* cross-cultural communications training for all staff and managers.
This final step to building a successful multicultural team is crucial. Once communications and awareness issues have been successfully managed, you can move on to applying the new model to enhance your team environment, productivity, and even the bottom line.
With increased trust and awareness, team members will be open to adopting new ways of thinking and working. You will be able to identify specific areas within your team or organization that require attention and find effective solutions that all team members support and are willing to put into action. If you previously had personnel issues rooted in cultural differences, you will be able identify them, explain why they must be addressed, and, most importantly, you will have the tools to ensure that your staff and managers work effectively and respectfully.
Building multicultural teams is about increasing awareness and tolerance, and eliminating, or at least diminishing, resistance and even conflict. Some of the team-building strategies familiar to North American businesses may work, but multicultural teams have some unique characteristics. Learning to use these productively will benefit you, your team, and your entire organization.
Copyright © 2002 by Sarah Elaine Eaton. Reprinted with permission.
About the Author
Sarah Eaton holds a Ph.D. in Leadership from the University of Calgary. She is an author, consultant and speaker. She coaches businesses and non-profit organizations around the world on how to market their products and services more powerfully.
A dynamic and engaging speaker, Dr. Sarah has given talks in 7 countries and 2 languages. Check out her website at http://www.eatonintl.com or her blog at http://www.drsaraheaton.wordpress.com.
Developing Effective Communication Skills – Don’t Interrupt
So many times I see frustration on faces of people being interrupted.
I hear potentially useful channels of communication being shut down. All for the sake of getting a point across.
Don’t interrupt – again so simple and so obvious. We have all seen the couple who finish each others sentences because they are in tune. This is not what I am talking about.
Sometimes I hear people interrupt another’s sentence simply because the words sparked another thought which was so front of mind it just had to be spoken out loud. When we are truly listening to another person, we are showing so much interest in them that we only hear what they have to say, not the clamouring of our own over heated egos. We don’t interrupt.
Next time you are in a conversation and listening to someone, practise putting the tip of your tongue to the top of your mouth just where your front teeth meet the upper gum. Now hold your tongue there as if you are holding a crumb of bread in position until the other person has stopped talking. You won’t be able to interrupt. And in making sure your tongue is still, you will also quieten down the inner voice that is competing with the other person to be heard. Try it and let me know the difference it makes to your conversations
One of the biggest interruptions I hear is “yes BUT…”
Use AND instead of BUT. In our workshops we have a NO BUTS agreement. We even put the NO BUTS logo on the wall. When we are Butting on another person we immediately tell them that their opinion, thoughts and comments are not worthy of consideration. By default the underlying message is that if their input has no value, and then neither do they. Powerful stuff from one little word. Consider how you felt the last time you were Butted on, it wasn’t pretty was it?
So instead of Butting on someone, now practice Adding on them instead.
For example;
“I hear what you are saying, AND if I were to add my thoughts to yours, my perspective is……”
“You have an interesting point to make there, AND my experience/views on it are……”
By using AND you use more words; respectful words; thoughtful words; words that defuse instead of escalating; words that add and honour the other persons point of view; (which might just be more valid than yours, or mine).
Practice AND-ing on your colleagues, partners and family, see what a difference it makes to the response you get.
When you have practiced it out loud a little – try saying it to yourself for your own self talk as well. Now see what a difference it makes to you!
Liz Cassidy runs corporate training workshops on <ahref=”http://www.thirdsigma.com.au/communication_skills.cfm?”>developing effective communication in the workplace and publishes free weekly tips on how to be more effective in self/time management and communication.
About the Author
Liz Cassidy, founder of Third Sigma International is a Brisbane based Author, Speaker, Mentor and Executive Coach.
Third Sigma International is a Brisbane based Executive Coaching and Corporate Training business.
To read Liz’s published articles and find out more about her in the media go to her website news page http://www.thirdsigma.com.au/subscribe_unsubscribe_1.cfm
Digital and Online Media overshadowing Traditional Media
At a time when recessionary pressures are prompting small and mid-sized units to reduce their budgets further, the demand for traditional medium has declined. However, the SMEs continue to invest in digital and online media, which is cost-effective in nature and provides a high return on investment (RoI) to the SMEs.
A study conducted by Kelsey Group shows that among the SME advertisers, the uptake of digital and online media has superseded traditional media. According to this study, the incursion of digital and online media witnessed a gradual rise from 73% to 77% during August 2008-09. However, during the same period, traditional media declined from 74% to 69%. This change has been brought about by customers who prefer online media as it helps them to put forth their queries and get instant feedback without any cost.
The study observes that there has been a decrease in overall advertising (ad) spending by small and medium-sized units. The global economic meltdown coupled with the incursion of low-cost digital and online media have resulted in a decrease in ad spending by SMEs.
“The expanding use of Internet and digital media is making it an attractive medium for the SMEs to invest in it and thereby gain access to a wider audience” said LK Dhanva, MD of Creative Media, a small-sized creative firm in Kolkata.
Further according to the study, ad and promotion spending by small and mid-sized entities has decreased by 23.5%. There has been a drop from Rs 1,34,043 to Rs 1,02,567 during August 2008-09. However, there has been a gradual increase from 22% to 36.8% in digital and online spending during 2008-09.
Gradual rise in SME spending
There has been almost a 26.8% soar in SME spending on websites and profile pages, from Rs 29,809 to Rs 37,702 during 2008-09.The study also shows that there has been a rise in the proportion of SMEs, from 22% to 30% during the same period, that make use of Internet as a medium to track business rivals.
According to Steve Marshall, Research Director of Kelsey Group, adoption of digital and online media is gradually overpowering traditional media among the SMEs.
For more detail on B2b log on to http://www.bizxchange.in/
About the Author
David Parks is a well known author and has written articles on Investment Guide, B2B Portal, Trade Leads, suppliers, Manufactures and many other subjects.
Creating Festive Food For Your Office Christmas Party
Food is often the key to bringing people together, especially at Christmas time. In fact, scrumptious Christmas dishes are probably considered the best part of Christmas alone! Indulging once a year may stretch your trouser waistline for awhile, but it’s definitely worth it! Here are a few festive suggestions for your office Christmas Party, which are too delicious to resist!
To greet your guests, why not provide a little greetings dish, such as smoked salmon blinis. This delicious before dinner snack is made of smoked salmon, rocket salad blinis (a small yeast pancake traditionally eaten with caviar) and a dressing. Simply, warm the blinis up, add the smoked salmon, the dressing which is made of sour cream or alternatively cream fraiche, Dijon mustard and dill; then add a sprig of dill and a lemon slice to squeeze over the top. This sophisticated dish only takes a few minutes to create, and can be combined with a glass of champagne.
Canapés are also very versatile and can be made with a number of different festive fillings. A Christmas canapé may not need to take a long time, as pre-made pastry can be used. Besides the pastry, you will need for the canapé, butter, chives and red pepper. Festive fillings that have been suggested by cuisine lovers include Avocado, prawns and fresh lemon juice; Feta cheese, coriander and the juice of lime and sausage and cranberry. If you really can’t decide upon a filling, why not try all of them – after all it’s Christmas!
Lastly, the real piece de résistance is without doubt the desert. A festive cheesecake will treat your guest’s sweet tooth. For a cheesecake which indulges the taste buds, opt for a chocolate and orange cheesecake. If you prefer a cheesecake that is a bit fruitier with an interesting twist to it, try a spicy cherry cheesecake, which combines the sweetness of vanilla, the deep fruity flavour of cherries and the spicy sweetness of cinnamon. This can be created with low fat yoghurt for those who are worried about their waistlines, after those delicious canapés.
If this year, you’re not up to organising your annual office Christmas party, why not get in a professional to organise it for you? Interested in office Christmas parties – have a look at www.christmascorporation.co.uk for a professional organised Christmas party.
About the Author
Marie Coles is a professional writer. She writes informative, yet, dynamic articles for christmas corporation.co.uk