We’ve spoken before about how to develop your communication skills, but today I’d like to take a closer look at the communication skills you use while in a direct conversation with another individual. There’s nothing worse than having a conversation with someone only to realise they’ve spent more time thinking about what they’re going to say next than listening to you.

Miscommunication runs rampant in this fast-paced world. Here are a few things you can do to make sure the conversations you have are as productive as possible.

• Avoid personalizing the other person’s attitude. Sometimes people seem angry or raise their voices when they are scared or irritated, but if often has nothing to do with you as a person. Let the other person communicate, even if that means letting him vent, before you respond.

• Make sure you respond to actual problems instead of feelings. If someone is scared or angry our first reaction is to squash those concerns, but your real response should be comprised of facts, not just empathetic statements. Let the other person know you understand their concerns and then explain what you can do to help.

• Listen. Listening is just as important as speaking when you’re trying to communicate a thought or idea. Most people simply want to be heard, and that’s really not a tough request to fill. Ask questions and show interest before sharing your own ideas.

• Share your goals with others. Every single one of us is out for one thing - to protect ourselves. Unfortunately, none of us are mind readers, so we may each have a different plan for achieving our goals and if we don’t share them out loud we may end up clashing with each other, even if we have the same short term agendas.

• Use detail. We’re all busy, and change is stressful. If you’re going to give someone a project you need to think of the overall picture. Doing so is going to break up the agenda or timeline that your employee thought he already had mapped out for the day. Make sure you give him or her tons of detail so that you’re disrupting his routine as little as possible.

As a manager you have a unique opportunity to control the way you disseminate information and the outcome is going to be directly related to the way you communicate. If you’re feeling a little rusty, you might want to consider a communication skills training session in the New Year for both you and your staff members. Proper communication will ensure a positive outcome every time!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

There are quite a few variations on the consulting model, but in short each one involves analyzing the needs of your business and formulating a constructive plan for change. The model insures that all members of your organisation are on the same page before work begins; that way no one can claim ignorance if a mistake is made or if the plan for some reason fails to succeed.

One of my favourite consulting models involves six main steps. They include:

1. Clarifying the needs of the business;
2. Outlining a clear agreement amongst all of the participating parties;
3. Gathering information regarding the problem or task itself;
4. Formulating a recommendation based on the problem and the outcome you or your clients expect;
5. Acting as a leader to implement change while making sure your goals are realistic and sustainable;
6. Reevaluating and improving or simply ending the project.

As you can see, the six steps are relatively simple, but in many cases we fail to follow an organised plan and one or more of these steps may be left out. For example, if we don’t include everyone in the group in the planning process we might not have the full cooperation we desire. On the other hand, if we fail to stop and reevaluate the project after a reasonable amount of time we may end up wasting a considerable amount of time and money on a plan that ultimately fails.

The consulting model is designed to encourage managers and team members to consult not only themselves, but their teammates, clients, and files in order to construct the best possible solution to any problem. No one should be left in the dark during this critical process.

Do you have a specific flow chart or method for checking your process as you work? If so, I’d love to hear about it!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

Once the holiday season is over you’ll likely see an increase in work as everyone who put major projects aside until after the holiday rush attempts to get back into the full swing of things again. As a result, you may or may not need to evaluate whether it’s necessary to add additional employees to your team.

We’ve covered some of the job skills and personal values you should be looking for in new employees before, but today I’d like to add a few more essential traits to the list.

Adaptability

Are your employees and prospects capable of adapting to the changing workplace? They need to be flexible and have the skills necessary to multi-task when there are multiple priorities. Can they look at a list of tasks and determine which ones are more important?

Interpersonal Skills

It’s wonderful to have a team of employees that can effectively communicate with their clients, but even better to have a team of employees that can communicate with each other. Make sure your prospective team members spend some time with your current team members so that you can gauge how well they’d interact.

Teamwork

Most employees must work not only with members of their own team, but with members of other teams as well. For example, your customer service team may have to deal with the IT department or accounting group. They must have strong relationships or work that would otherwise be done quickly may suffer as a result of tension or conflict.

Loyalty

Loyalty is a tricky subject, but in short you want to know that your employees are dedicated to their work even when times are tough. In some instances the company will have to take a stand that sides more with a client than an employee. A loyal employee can look past a professional business decision and remain dedicated to his work despite a disagreement.

Do you and your current team portray these traits? If not, is there anything you can do to change the situation?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

Let’s have a little bit of fun today. Those of you in the office aren’t likely excited about being there anyway, so why not brighten things up a bit?

Gather your team together and try a team building activity or two. They’re fun, and your team will be learning to work together without even realizing it!

The Helium Stick

The helium stick exercise is one of my favorites. Gather your team put them in two lines facing each other. Have them hold out their arms and extend their index fingers. Take a lightweight rod (wood or metal is fine) and place it across their extended index fingers.

The trick is to get the team to work together to move the stick from the horizontal to vertical position and then lower it to the ground. They must do so without anyone ever removing their fingers from the rod. For some reason, most groups participating in this exercise tend to raise the stick before they lower it. Make sure to point out this trick if it occurs. If anyone moves their finger (or adds extra fingers) from the stick the game has to start over again!

Mouse Traps

This is a true trust exercise. Take some of the old fashioned spring-load mouse traps and set them on a table. Participants will work in teams of two. One person must be blindfolded and extend his open hand. The other team member (aka the coach) will lower the blindfolded person’s hand until it is hover one inch above the set mouse trap.

Once the hand is in position the coach will count down from three to one, at which point the blindfolded person must very quickly slam his hand down on top of the mouse trap. If he slams his hand quickly the mousetrap won’t be able to snap because the hand is holding it down. Remove the blindfold and allow the individual to see he is not hurt. Just as quickly as he slammed the mousetrap he should raise his hand. The mousetrap will snap and he’ll be free and clear.

Don’t participate in any trust or team building exercises your team isn’t ready for. If they’re grumbling, complaining, or showing a lack of willingness to participate it might be best to avoid games like Mouse Trap and lean towards safer alternatives.

Always end on a positive note and let your employees feel good about what they’ve accomplished. Make sure there is open dialogue and that they have an opportunity to discuss what they’ve learned.

Otherwise, just relax and have some fun!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

The Service Cycle is crucial to the success of any business. Customer service is a skill that should be considered at every stage of customer interaction, not just after a product has been sold. There are five main stages within the service cycle. These include:

• Service Recognition
• Information Search
• Evaluation of Alternatives
• Service
• Post Evaluation Service

Your opportunity for customer service begins at the first point of contact. At this point you must recognize that a need for good customer service exists and address it accordingly. Addressing it may mean searching for information regarding the types of service each individual client needs and then finding alternative methods for providing that service.

As a manager you’ll need to identify which members of your team are best to service the needs of each specific customer. The interaction between customer and service representative provides the opportunity to build a solid relationship, so you’ll want to make sure you’re making a great match in both skill and personality. Even if there hasn’t been any sort of communication your customer service team should be willing and able to touch base with your clients instead of waiting for them to call first.

At some point you’ll need to evaluate whether or not your clients are getting the service they want, need, and desire. That means evaluating not only your staff but asking your client directly. Most clients will offer valuable feedback if asked by someone other than the person they usually work with.

Each step in the service cycle is as important as the next. Take a few minutes to review the files of a few of your clients and determine whether or not they’re getting the service they deserve. Is there room for change?

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”