I just gained a new client because her current service provider takes too long to get back to her.
Not because my product is better, or because I am more skilled. It was simply because I am a better communicator than her previous supplier.
I have been using Microsoft Office 2010 for a few months now. When I closed Word the other day, the following dialogue appeared on the screen. Basically Word had made a list of words that I commonly use that are not in the Word dictionary, and gave me the option of uploading them to their spell check database.
I am sure that they are using the community-gathered information to add new words to the dictionary to make for an ultimately better product.
This is a simple and elegant way to make a better product, and to have happier customers.
Some tips I picked up from Gary (ex goal keeper for Manchester United) at our Toastmasters conference. Enjoy!
Manchester United:
The principles of a good soccer team apply to business as well…
Dr Ali Bacher
spoke at our Toastmasters conference in May. Here are a few lessons from him.
Everyone Communicates, few Connect by John Maxwell
Published by Thomas Nelson
***look below for a free copy – contest closed
Many of us have intentions to read more self-development books, but by the end of the work-day we are simply too tired, so we end up in front of the TV or reading a light novel.
This book is one of those that you can pick up at the end of the day. It is filled with stories and anecdotes drawn from his own experience and from others; all of which illustrate the points that he is trying to make. The story telling style makes it easy reading; yet still a book of substance. This is typical of what I have come to expect from his other books. At 250 pages it is not a long read, but you can always go back to it again and again.
The main premise of the book is that while we spend a huge amount of time communicating, we are not necessarily making the right effective connections that are crucial to effective communication and leadership.
The book is divided into two main sections; principles and practices. It is self explanatory, but he gives a few simple principles on making better and effective connections, and then shows how to implement them.
The book is aimed at anybody wishing to make better connections; and could be applied in both your personal or business life. He gives simple tips at the end of chapter, divided into three main areas, namely one-on one, a group or an audience.
For the public speakers out there; some great tips (and affirmation of some things you already know), for those of you in corporate business, some tips on working with colleagues, in teams at or in a group environment, such as at meetings. And one-on one communication is important to us all.
An unusual feature of the book is that John Maxwell posted the manuscript of the book on his blog www.johnmaxwellonleadership.com, and he received over 100,000 view over eleven weeks, resulting in over 70 quotes, stories and anecdotes from readers which resulted in over 100 revisions. Every contributor is acknowledged in the book.
I am a fan of John Maxwell, so it is difficult to be unbiased, but as a communicator and public speaker, this is a great book, and it is going to help you to become even better.
It is available from Amazon in hardback for $17.15. The folks at Thomas Nelson have kindly provided 5 free copies to readers. Leave you name in the comment section below, and I will randomly draw 5 names on 28 July who will each receive a copy.
Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the (signed) review copy.
Confessions of a Public Speaker, by Scott Burken
When I received a copy, my initial reaction was that it was yet another publich speaking guide. Paging the book, I quickly realized that I was wrong. This books provides a very different perspective on public speaking, Written by somebody that clearly has experienced many hours on the stage, he not only gives the usual information that you would expect from such a book (how to structure your speech, using PowerPoint, body language etc), he also gives a huge amount of guidance on things that you only learn from experience, such as the easiest way to hook up a lapel microphone (unplug it, drop the cable through the inside of your shirt, and then reconnect it), how to full the front row (give stuff away), and how to use silence to make a point.
This book will help anybody interested in become a better public speaker, as well as those who are starting to do more than just the occasional presentation at work. It is loaded with tips and tricks that you only gain from experience on the road. It is written in a lighthearted manner, and is incredibly easy to read, the author has a quirky sense of humour, and he is happy to poke fun at himself. Chapter titles include “do not eat the microphone”, “the science of not boring people”, and “what to do if your talk sucks”. Even if you have been around for a while, you will still learn a trick or two from the book.
While there are many photos in the book, they are black and white, and are generally not very clear. However, you are not buying the book to look at the photos.
The book is easy reading, full of tips, and provides valuable advice to both the beginner and more experienced speaker; well worth reading.
You can buy the book from Amazon.com ($16.49), or find out more about Scott on his website
Thanks to the Folks at O’Reilly for the review copy.
We need to learn at the expense of teaching – Peter Block.
Are you teaching your clients, or are you helping them to learn?
Of course you can replace the word “client” with employee, children, students, partners, friends…
Just before I went on Christmas leave, I tried to set-up an out of office at one of my clients (where I have an email address). I am used to setting it up in Outlook, which is a very simple procedure. However this client is running a rather old version of GroupWise (v7).
The help file in Outlook explains how to create an out of office in exactly 49 words, while the GroupWise help file took over 500 words to completely confuse me (I never managed to get it working in the end).
My point is twofold. Firstly that GroupWise is probably the worst email system in the world. Secondly, their help file is far to confusing. It managed to confuse a very experienced computer user. If I was confused, I really feel sorry for the regular user. It should not take 500 words to explain such a simple task.
Ok, here is the lesson. Are you ever a GroupWise help file when you communicate? Do you give complex, confusing messages that make no sense? Or are you Outlook, providing short, effective and powerful messages?
For your reading pleasure, here are the instructions for both products (good bedtime reading).
Here is how you do it in Outlook:
Turn an Out of Office Assistant rule on or off
To turn out of office rules on or off, on the Tools menu, click Out of Office Assistant.
In the Status box, select or clear the check box next to the rule you want to turn on or off.
Here is how you do it in groupwise version 7:
To create a vacation rule
- Click Tools > Rules > New.
- Type a name in the Rule Name box, such as Vacation Rule.
- Click the When Event Is pop-up list, then click New Item.
- Next to And Items Are, select Received. Make sure no other item source is selected.
- Do not make any selections under Item Types.
- Use Define Conditions to add specific information to your rule. The following are examples of using Define Conditions.
- If you want to set up the dates during which the rule is in effect. Click Define Conditions > click Delivered in the first drop-down list > click On or After Date in the second drop-down list > in the date field, select the date you are leaving on vacation. Click the End pop-up list > click And. On the new line, click Delivered in the first drop-down list > click On or Before Date in the second drop-down list > in the date field, select the date you are returning from vacation > click OK.
- If you want to make sure you reply only to items that are sent specifically to you (and not to list servers or newsgroups). Click Define Conditions > if you have already specified information in this dialog box, click the End pop-up list > click And. On the new line, click To in the first drop-down list > click [ ] Contains in the second drop-down list > in the next field, type your name as it displays in the To field of a mail message.
- If you want to make sure that you do not reply to items from yourself (possible through delayed delivery). Click Define Conditions > if you have already specified information in this dialog box, click the End pop-up list > click And. On the new line, click From in the first pop-up list > click [x] Does Not Contain in the second drop-down list > in the next field, type your name as it displays in the From field of a mail message > click OK.
- If you want to reply to internal items only. Click Define Conditions > if you have already specified information in this dialog box, click the End pop-up list > click And. On the new line, click From in the first drop-down list > click [x] Does Not Contain in the second drop-down list > in the next field, type @ > click OK.
- Under Then Actions Are, click Add Action, then Reply.
- The Reply dialog box is displayed, showing Reply to Sender selected (you cannot select Reply to All). If you want your reply to include the sender’s original message, select Include Message Received From Sender. Click OK.
- Type a message, for example:
- I will be out of the office from September 3-September 10. If you need assistance during this time, please contact Martha Robbins at extension 1234.
- Click OK.
- Click Save. Verify that the rule has a check mark next to it, indicating that it is enabled, then Click Close.
- Rules that trigger a reply (such as this vacation rule) keep a record of who a reply has been sent to, and make sure that a reply is sent only once to that user.
For completeness sake, here is how Google’s Gmail does it (36 words).
1. go into Settings->General
2. then scroll down to Out of Office AutoReply
3. Fill Subject and MessageEvery time you leave your office set Out of Office AutoReply on, when you’re back turn it off.
One of the common comments that I receive from people who have attended presentation skills training, is that they are given lots of rules that they should be following. In fact, it is very often a list of do’s and don’ts.
For example:
Don’t
Do
But then as soon as they hear a good presentation, the speaker seems to breaks all of the rules.
I think that we are missing a couple point here. Firstly, the rules are not rules, they are guidelines. Now this is not a cheap excuse to discard everything because you don’t know any better. Ignorance of the law is no excuse! But, a guideline is there to guide you; rules are there to enforce your behaviour.
Secondly, rules are generally there for a reason. Simply put, they exist because they work! If you are an inexperienced speaker, and you are looking for some guidance, it is probably a good idea to follow the rules. They will make your presentation more effective!
However, experienced speakers constantly break the rules, but they do so with intent, and for specific effect. They do so knowingly!
Almost every time I have seen somebody break a rule without knowledge of the rule or without reason, it has backfired and resulted in a poorer presentation. However, when I have seen rules broken for specific reason, it has generally enhanced the presentation.
Go ahead and break the rules, but do so with intent!
