A recent announcement by Google came with much fanfare and excitement from most Gmail users. The introduction of voice and video chat capabilities is viewed by most as an exciting step forward for the already “feature-rich” Google e-mail interface. Slowly but consistently, Google is creating a centralized portal for users to communicate with […]
Most people have experienced change in their working lives in recent years. It may have been a major restructuring of your department or your organisation, or something as apparently straight forward as moving from your own private office into an open plan environment.
Either way, it is common to find yourself working closely with […]
I doubt whether you have ever opened a conversation with the words: I know that I am more to blame for this than you are; I know I do not have all the facts; and I know that what I am about to say makes no sense at all!
One of the hardest parts of […]
We face difficult conversations every day. They can be with our children, our parents, family members and spouses; with colleagues, employees and with the boss; with friends and neighbors; with tenants, landlords, business partners, and in the sports team.
Sometimes these conversations are about the big issues of race, religion, gender and politics. More often […]
If you have an abusive boss, one who criticises or belittles you, and shows no respect for your abilities or concern for your development, you may decide to hold your tongue, keep your head down, and get along as best you can until you find another position. But you dread getting up for work every […]
In any conversation where you speak up on something that is upsetting you it is important that you get your facts straight and that you use them to open the conversation. This is not as easy as it might sound.
When your emotions run strongly, it is difficult to separate facts from feelings and you […]
We call asking for what you want in a negotiation stating a position. Positions define the issues and problem to be negotiated. Positioning sets the frame for the entire negotiation, so how you introduce your opening position will impact your desired outcome.
Your position also represents your ideal out come, and if the other side […]
We all negotiate - whether in the workplace, at home or in volunteer activities. We do because we all have needs and sometimes these needs conflict with the needs of others (e.g. “I need a low price and the supplier wants the highest possible price”).
For negotiation to happen, however, there must be common needs […]
Everybody likes something for nothing, but most business people have become spoiled by attending meetings and conferences on the company’s dime. Well, based on current economic conditions, some of your members’ companies may have precious few dimes to spare for sending their employees to meetings, even though they will be the first to admit the […]
How often have you made decisions only to find out that you were missing critical information? Have you ever jumped to the wrong conclusion because you did not have all the facts? How many times have you thought you had commitment to a plan only to be told, much later, that everyone else had reservations?
Poor […]
There are difficult conversations in our lives; and then there are the really difficult ones! Conversations between a manager and employee about poor performance at least have the advantages that roles are clear, and that performance can be measured and recorded. Conversations become a lot more difficult, and require a lot more skill, when you […]
If as a school we want to develop relationships with stakeholders that encourage genuine input to the schools strategic direction we, first, have to learn to listen.
When another person speaks, we are usually listening at one of four levels:
Great public speakers are those who not only convey information, they are also those who can convey the information in an entertaining way.
Telling stories, jokes and interacting with the audience are all ways that experienced public speakers get their points across. Even if you don’t have to give too many speeches or presentations in your […]
Have you ever wondered why presentations given by yourco-workers were better than yours? Did they use more sophisticated visual aids? Have more interesting topics? Or was it the way they presented the information?
The secrets to giving a persuasive presentation aren’t known only to a select group of people. You can easily improve your presentation style […]
With so much competition in the workforce today, it seems ambition is inflating and the ratio of jobs to jobseekers is dramatically unbalanced. This is advantageous to employers as they are offered a wider selection of talented employees to recruit and harder for jobseekers to get their foot in the door. Saying this, how easy […]
If your business includes networks of employees in different locations of close proximity, currently communicating to each other using mobile phones, you may be wise to swap them for two way radios and save yourself a bundle. In an era where half of the entire human population owns a mobile phone, it’s hard to imagine […]
Look it up in any telephone directory but you won’t find an area code for 0845 numbers. This is because they are non-geographical. That means that they are an established prefix that can be used with any phone number and means that a flat rate is charged from wherever you may be calling from.
This is […]
There is a popular opinion that is the great minds of businessmen that make or break a company. There is a philosophy that suggests that these great thinkers and great problem solvers are the answer to a successful career, that they carry ideas forward and project them into the minds of followers and bring about […]
Many businesses still rely on old fashioned communication methods such as fax machines, phone calls and regular mail delivery services. While these methods can certainly facilitate completion of a task, they are not always the most cost effective and efficient method to leverage. Many business owners discover that by learning and utilizing newer forms of […]
Think you’re underpaid and deserve more money but you’re not quite sure how to go about it? Does the thought of going to your boss with your hand out leave you sweating and stressed? Read on about four suggestions about how to ask your employer for a raise.
Be Prepared - Just because you show up […]