7 Communication Tips for Productive Meetings
Meetings can be productive or painful. Exorbitant amounts of time are wasted in meetings that are poorly planned, managed and executed. To many people, meetings are the equivalent of a sleeping pill.
Here are 7 tips to help your meetings run more efficiently. Notice they are all based on communication.
1. Plan an agenda and stick to it. Everyone should know the purpose before they enter the room.
2. Schedule 30-minute meetings (ok, maximum 60 if it’s a big project). If it runs longer than an hour, you may not be properly prepared. Also, refer to #4.
3. Invite only the people who are directly involved with the project.
4. Stay on message. Appoint someone as the “moderator” to keep everyone on track and focused.
5. Assign “next steps” with deadlines to everyone so they have clear direction once the meeting concludes.
6. Agree on a convenient time for the next session before you leave.
7. Send a follow-up e-mail or written communication to all attendee’s summarizing the main points and “next steps.”
People will appreciate good use of their time when you are focused and productive. Stephen Sondheim said, “Everything depends upon execution; having just a vision is no solution.”
3 Ways to Connect with Your Readers on Your Blog
Writing your blog is an excellent way to connect with people. It can help to build your credibility as an expert in your field, generate a loyal following in Social Media, and share value and insights with others. You may find it’s much easier to connect and engage with people in person or with short Tweets on Twitter. Writing can be a challenge.
I’ve been writing for 25 years. Here are a 3 quick tips to engage people with your blog posts.
1. Be yourself. Write the way that you speak and avoid “talking down to your reader.” People enjoy authenticity more than a stage show.
2. Bring your reader into the post. Ask questions like: “What do you think?” or “What about you?” Connect them to the point of your message. Bring it full circle to get them engaged: thinking, feeling, reacting and involved.
3. Reveal something. While being professional, it’s perfectly fine and recommended to give readers a peak into your personality. Show a brief example of a situation that brings your message home. It can be a quote from your favorite grandparent, a holiday ritual that ties into your theme or a lesson you’ve learned on your journey.
Blogs are your personal podium and microphone that allow you to offer your unique views, expressions and insights. The words will come easier when you write from the heart. Can you do it? Can you be yourself? Remember, when you are genuine, you’ll never make a mistake!
Attitude Adjustment 101: 7 Tips for Success
“Work on your career and you’ll make a living. Work on yourself and you’ll make a fortune.” - Jim Rohn
Regardless of the number of college credits or degrees you have, the truth is that much of your success is determined by your attitude. Education is worthwhile but a good attitude is priceless. If you search for a college that has a concentration of study entitled “Attitude,” you will likely come up empty-handed. Yet, the world would be a better place if we could major in “Attitude.”
If attitude is not taught in school, then why do some people have great attitudes and others seem poisonous? More importantly, how can you shift your attitude from mediocre to magnificent?
Here are seven tips for Attitude Adjustment 101.
1- Take responsibility for your attitude. Be brutally honest with yourself about who you are and how you behave.
2- Recognize warning signs. Your mind is like a computer—garbage in; garbage out. If you tell yourself that you are “just okay,” you will be “just okay.” What you think about, you bring about. Plant seeds of optimism and hope; not weeds of pessimism and doubt.
3- Use positive affirmations. Tell yourself every day that you are an outstanding person.Your self-talk is critical to your success.
4- Make mental movies. Your subconscious mind operates on images and pictures. Learn and apply creative visualization and see your ideal life in absolute detail. Envision your ideal day and your mind will begin to make it happen. You are the director, producer, writer and star. Make it a winner!
5- Write down your goals. The subconscious mind kicks into action when you put your goals in writing. List three short-term and three long-term goals. Be sure to include a target date of accomplishment. Outline the steps you will take every day to achieve your goals.
6- Put your head down and focus. Successful people do not focus on negative water cooler gossip, complainers and time wasters. Set your goals and get to work.
7- Surround yourself with successful people. Think about the people you admire and what kinds of characteristics, traits, habits and values they have. Success leaves clues.
It takes 21 days to form a new habit. If you practice these ways to adjust your attitude for at least 21 days, you will begin to see changes.
President John F. Kennedy said, “The human mind is our most fundamental resource.” Your mind is a fertile garden that will grow whatever you plant in it. Life is better when you have a good attitude.
Leadership and Success Tips from One of the Greats
Napoleon Hill’s classic book Think and Grow Rich was first published in 1937. As much as things have changed in our world, so much remains the same. Here is Hill’s list of eleven major attributes of leadership.
1. Unwavering courage based upon knowledge of self and of one’s occupation.
2. Self-control (“Self-control sets a mighty example for one’s followers, which the more intelligent will emulate”)
3. A keen sense of justice
4. Definiteness of decision
5. Definiteness of plans- plan your work and work your plan
6. The habit of doing more than paid for- a leader does more than is required of his followers
7. A pleasing personality-no careless person can become a successful leader
8. Sympathy and understanding
9. Mastery of detail
10. Willingness to assume full responsibility
11. Cooperation
Hill goes on to say that leadership by consent and with the sympathy of followers is far more effective than leadership by force. He concludes that “the man who makes these eleven factors the basis of his leadership will find abundant opportunity to lead in any walk of life.”
I have to agree, especially with that last line. Do you?
Lessons Learned
I wanted to share some random life lessons and insights I have picked up during my 46 years on this planet. They are in no particular order. Your thoughts?
1- Use an electrical outlet when one is available. Battery power should be Option #2.
2- Observe others around you before you speak.
3- Keep something to read with you at all times (in your car, briefcase & travel bag)
4- Keep your car clean.
5- Express gratitude on a daily basis.
6-When in doubt, dress “up”, not down.
7- Walk into a room Tall, Strong and Proud.
8- Develop the fine art of Charisma.
9- Be able to laugh at yourself.
10-Don’t blame anyone, and don’t ever blame yourself.
11- Think you can.
12- Respect everyone, especially those older than you, and children.
13- Remember where you came from.
14- Understand that the people who seem to need the least amount of love, usually need the most.
15- Know a good clean joke.
16- Expect good things to happen.
17- Know how to quiet your mind, especially in stressful times.
18- Keep a journal.
19-Know that there are no accidents or coincidences. The world is unfolding exactly as it’s supposed to be.
20- Always leave a tip.
21- Never say never.
22- Read, read, read.
23- Eat chocolate occasionally.
24- Surround yourself with successful people.
25- Live with integrity. Put your head down on your pillow each night knowing you did your best.
Amen.
5 Tips to Successfully Coping with Change
It’s no secret that people don’t like change. Change is linked to the basic theory behind Economics 101. If it’s not changing, its not growing. If it’s not growing, it’s dying. Change is constant and it’s all around us. If I dip my foot in the Atlantic Ocean in Belmar, NJ, 30 seconds later I can dip my foot in the same spot but things have naturally shifted. The waves have rolled in and the waves have pulled back. Things are different.
Change is a process, not an event. It takes time.
Consider that you have changed from two hours ago. You have experienced things, interacted with people and have learned. You’re not the same person you were yesterday and you’re not the same person you were five years ago. Your skin and cells have literally regenerated, so your physical body has changed as well as your emotions and mental capacity.
Your ability and willingness to adapt to change plays a critical role in your attitude, success and life. Here are 5 tips to coping with change:
1- Embrace change as something that’s new and exciting with an opportunity to grow. Fear paralyzes people. If nothing changes, nothing changes. This is where people get stuck.
2- Understand that change moves us from competence (our comfort zone) to incompetence. This is natural. It’s called learning.
3- Remember that many people don’t mind change. The problem comes when people believe they are “being changed” without their consent. That’s a huge difference.
4-Create a mindset of learning. “Good change” comes from inside and sparks creativity within us. Be open.
5- Motivate yourself by looking at the Status Quo. Is your Status Quo a positive or negative element? Is it intolerable or is it a catalyst for a new opportunity?
“Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.” — Karen Kaiser Clark
Business Growth Strategy for the Summer: Go Outside
In 2006, 60 billion e-mails were sent worldwide every single day. That’s according to the School of Information Management and Systems at the University of California at Berkeley.
In our busy worlds, networking and face time are rare commodities. Regardless of your industry, you probably find yourself using more gadgets and technology that saves precious time and helps you to operate more efficiently. That may be true, but nothing a can replace a handshake, smile or our human communication. Are you hiding behind technology instead of connecting face-to-face with your fellow humans?
As the summer unfolds and our frenetic paces slow down, try this exercise.
Look through your database or Rolodex and call several former clients, colleagues, networking acquaintances and others that you have not heard from in at least six months. Spend a few days meeting with each one for an early cup of coffee or breakfast at 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. This helps you to make sure your face time doesn’t interfere with normal business hours and it allows you to catch up.
Here are 3 tips:
1- Go to the meeting with the sole intention of reconnecting and nurturing relationships.
2- Use your good listening skills to truly hear what the other person has been doing.
3- Fill them in on your latest projects and accomplishments as they may be able to connect you with new opportunities.
Together you can help one another to cultivate new business and enrich each other’s lives. Take the time to build rapport and invest in human communication. Repeat this exercise once or twice a quarter.
A cold computer keyboard will never replace a warm handshake. Happy networking!
The Most Important Communication You’ll Ever Have
The most important communication you will ever have is with yourself. Your “self-talk soundtrack” plays relentlessly in your head 24/7, 365 days a year. It will either make you or break you.
You may be hearing negative self-talk from years ago that cuts your self-confidence and leads you to doubt your skills, talents, and self-worth. Do these sound familiar? “I’m no good at bowling; my brother Joey was always great at bowling.” “Don’t drive downtown, you always get lost, You’re so stupid.” “Everyone is dressed in formal clothes. I should have worn my tailored suit. I’m not as good as they are.”
The messages we hear in our heads are what we come to believe. Positive self-talk leads to “Can-Do” positive attitudes.
Here are 5 Tips to Improving Your Self-Talk:
1-Write a list of 10-20 affirmations and positive things that you can use to replace the negative ones.
2- Be aware of the negative messages and immediately replace them with positive affirmations. Refuse to feed the voice of the Gremlin.
3- Acknowledge (out loud if necessary) that you are hearing the negative thought and you are dismissing your Gremlin. Simply state in a powerful voice: “Thank you but I don’t believe you.” Then focus on something more upbeat.
4-Avoid repeating your negative self-talk in conversations with others. This will only drag you down.
5- Practice for 21 days.That’s how long it takes to form a new habit.
Self-confidence is an “inside job”. So is self-talk. (A book you may want to read is “What to Say When You Talk to Your Self” by Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D.)
Improve Your Communication with Vocal Vitality
Making your words come alive is an integral component of your communication.
Many of you know I was an on-air radio news anchor and reporter for many years. In my college broadcasting classes, my favorite professor taught me that radio is “theater of the mind.” He then showed me and my classmates the importance of using our voices and vocal vitality to capture the essence of our words so we could create mental images for our listeners. After all, on the radio, there are no visuals or body language to fall back on. It’s all in the voice. We had to make our words come alive with vocal vitality. Give it life!
Your ability to use your voice to enhance your overall communication is essential. Even if you’re not on the radio, you probably still have to speak to people on conference calls, voicemail messages, in sales meetings, and for presentations. You don’t have to sound like a blustery game show host to have a vibrant and energetic voice.
A strong voice exudes confidence, authority, integrity, passion and enthusiasm. It builds instant credibility. A weaker sounding voice can diminish all of the above. The actual sound of your voice, which includes the timber, is something you are born with. Even with coaching and training, the true sound of your voice probably won’t change a great deal.
The good news is that you can learn how to improve your delivery and vocal habits and work with what you have. After all, you are the message.
Here are five tips to improve your vocal vitality and delivery:
1. Avoid timidity. If you sound nervous or unsure of yourself, your professional credibility will be diminished. Be sure to drop your voice down when completing a sentence. If your voice goes up at the end of the sentence, you sound as if you’re asking a question, not stating a fact. Be strong and confident.
2. Listen to yourself. For the sole purpose of learning, tape record a few casual conversations in your home and on the phone. Let your answering machine record your conversation. Pay attention to your inflection, pacing, tone of voice and vocal habits. Critiquing yourself can be a real eye-opener.
3. Emphasize important words. By stressing a key word or phrase, you truly drive your point home. Conversely, emphasizing the wrong word can add to confusion for your listener.
4. Take advantage of silences and pauses. These are especially powerful in business and sales. Many people feel uncomfortable with quiet. Silence is critical in sales meetings when you drop the gauntlet and ask your prospect the golden question, “Are you willing to give it a try?” or “Are there any concerns you have that are stopping you from signing the contract and getting started right now?” That moment of silence can make or break the deal.
5. Express passion in your voice. If you sound bored, dull or monotone, the people listening will be bored as well. If you are excited and truly believe in your words and message, you have a great shot at capturing their attention. Enthusiasm is contagious.
The two cornerstones of success are excellent communication skills and self-confidence. Improving your vocal viality will help you to succeed in these areas.
Quality Questions Reveal Quality Information
In 1970, Barbara Walters wrote a book titled “How to Talk to Practically Anyone about Practically Anything.” She says it was intended to help people start conversations and break the ice. These days, the questions can apply to networking, sales and casual conversations.
The book ended with a chapter titled “When All Else Fails-Twenty Sure-Fire Conversation Starters.” Walters, a pioneering woman in broadcast news, knows plenty about asking quality and thought-provoking questions. She says she still uses the following timeless questions in her interviews today. Consider your own responses.
1. If you were not doing the work you are doing now, what would you most like to be doing?
2. If you could live in any time in history, when would you have wished to live?
3. If you could be any person in history, who would it be?
4. If you were suddenly given a million dollars and told you had to spend it just on yourself, what is the first thing you would buy?
5. If you were hospitalized for three months but not really too sick—whom-and it can’t be a relative- would you want in the next bed?
You can gain insight into people’s personalities, interests, values and challenges by asking quality questions. On the list above, I thought my answers were pretty good, until I heard my husband’s responses.
