I was speaking to a fellow coworker about Toastmasters and why she wants to improve her communication skills. One of the things she mentioned that I have found is prevalent in the workplace is how meeting norms and communication can change depending upon the social culture that is prevalent in a company or organization.
All meetings should follow a set of norms and when a meeting doesn't follow this, it can be confusing for new meeting participants and can affect productivity.
Some guidelines to follow are:
1) Start on Time
2) Give enough time when scheduling a meeting - nothing bugs people than inviting them to a meeting the day of or just a few minutes before it starts.
3) Know your audience - who are you inviting? Are they the appropriate people or do they know who should attend?
4) Have an agenda - an agenda helps people prepare their thoughts and ideas for the meeting. Invite people to add to agenda if need be. An agenda also helps individuals determine if they need to be there, if they can send a replacement in their place and or if they can answer questions if they cannot attend
5) Stay on topic
6) Take Notes and send out follow up notes after the meeting
These seem like very simple guidelines but I have been in so many meetings that don't follow some or all of these. The person I spoke with discussed her experience at a different company where meetings were more formal and the person that presented had the podium (the floor) and everyone waited for the presentation to be over before they had questions. The company that I am presently at has a different set of norms. Meetings can be very impromptu or they can be very formal depending upon the audience in the room.
Getting to know the audience your speaking to can make meetings very effective and productive.
Qualifications
Resume Shortcuts
Friday, April 26, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Your business card is an extension of you
In the next few days I will be attending a lot of different conferences and events where I will be giving out and receiving many business cards. Many years ago I started my professional career in Hawaii, which follows many business etiquette rules associated with Asian cultural preferences, specifically Japanese. Here and there being in TX, I may have become more casual to the practice but I must reiterate how important your business card is - It's an extension of you!
The reason why I have to stress this is because business cards should be received and cared for in the same way you'd like to business - with care and compassion. I really take notice of how a person receives a card to demonstrate their character. Here's an example:
Follow up
Business cards seem antiquated with the smartphones and the technology that we have today, however business cards are the personalized image we have of ourselves and our companies. So treat them with care and follow-up. Even if it's just to say Hi, follow up with them and contact them. Learn a little bit about their company and who they are and reference it when you contact them. Ask them if there's anything they need right now or would like a referral for something. It's not necessary to have a pitch but you are establishing a relationship.
Treat a business card like your personal signature - with care!
The reason why I have to stress this is because business cards should be received and cared for in the same way you'd like to business - with care and compassion. I really take notice of how a person receives a card to demonstrate their character. Here's an example:
You are at a conference and a person has a binder full of business cards. They take your business card, quickly scan it and put it in their binder and quickly move on. OR they have a hole puncher and they quickly add it to a ring.How would you feel if your business card was just another card in the pile? It doesn't feel very good. Take some time to really recognize someone and the value that they can provide for you. If it's someone that you don't know very well, follow their lead. Receive the business card in the same way that they gave you the business card.
Follow up
Business cards seem antiquated with the smartphones and the technology that we have today, however business cards are the personalized image we have of ourselves and our companies. So treat them with care and follow-up. Even if it's just to say Hi, follow up with them and contact them. Learn a little bit about their company and who they are and reference it when you contact them. Ask them if there's anything they need right now or would like a referral for something. It's not necessary to have a pitch but you are establishing a relationship.
Treat a business card like your personal signature - with care!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
How much investment do you have in YOUR startup?
Reid Hoffman, the cofounder of LinkedIn, shared this wonderful slide-share presentation about managing your career with an entrepreneurial mindset. This wednesday, 03/13, I will be presenting a speech in Toastmaster's entitled, "Don't Sell Yourself Short." This speech is my speech #9 and is meant to persuade individuals with an end task in mind. This goal includes some of the elements associated with what is in this presentation. This presentation is just phenomenal and I really wanted to share it here!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
District 25 Toastmasters: Making Table Topics Fun and Different
For one of my Toastmaster's meetings, I am tasked with the opportunity to come up with Table Topic ideas. Table topics are a way for Toastmaster's members to learn how to speak effectively off the cuff and unprepared. at Toastmaster's, table topic speeches are typically one to two minutes long. As a part of District 25, I thought these Table Topics tips were great for coming up with ideas.
District 25 Toastmasters: Making Table Topics Fun and Different: Toastmasters meetings that are fun and entertaining as well as educational will encourage members and guests to return. One of the best ways...
One of the takeaways I got from this is if you are a corporate club, you can and should bring the value of Toastmaster's back to the organization. One of the ideas was to present an opportunity for members to speak about delivering bad news OR good news to your fellow Toastmaster's.
Why is this beneficial?
At a woman's conference I went to one of the executives discussed that one of the keys to your career is being able to identify HOW a person communicates. This is important if an individual does not want to participate in office politics. You may not want to be a participant, however, it's still a part of the communications process. By being a great observer, you can identify another person's style and get a checklist of what is important to them. That way you can use that information yourself.
With a table topic idea, being able to identify your member's "pain points' or areas that concern them within the company, you can create a relevant atmosphere to assist with their career development. Toastmasters IS a safe place to practice communications and build confidence so that when an individual is ready they can approach others in the workplace about problems, opportunities and new ideas.
This is one of the key reasons I joined Toastmasters.
District 25 Toastmasters: Making Table Topics Fun and Different: Toastmasters meetings that are fun and entertaining as well as educational will encourage members and guests to return. One of the best ways...
One of the takeaways I got from this is if you are a corporate club, you can and should bring the value of Toastmaster's back to the organization. One of the ideas was to present an opportunity for members to speak about delivering bad news OR good news to your fellow Toastmaster's.
Why is this beneficial?
At a woman's conference I went to one of the executives discussed that one of the keys to your career is being able to identify HOW a person communicates. This is important if an individual does not want to participate in office politics. You may not want to be a participant, however, it's still a part of the communications process. By being a great observer, you can identify another person's style and get a checklist of what is important to them. That way you can use that information yourself.
With a table topic idea, being able to identify your member's "pain points' or areas that concern them within the company, you can create a relevant atmosphere to assist with their career development. Toastmasters IS a safe place to practice communications and build confidence so that when an individual is ready they can approach others in the workplace about problems, opportunities and new ideas.
This is one of the key reasons I joined Toastmasters.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Toastmaster's - How speaking has helped in my career
Yesterday I completed Speech #6 for my company's local chapter of Toastmaster's. Speech #6 is vocal variety. Vocal variety includes varying your tone, your pace as well as your pitch. Since it is presently Valentine's Day I presented a speech that surrounded the holiday as well as love as a single individual all the way up advice on marriage. Here were some of the comments I received on my speech:
Heather: Congratulations on winning the Golden Toaster! I feel that you did an excellent job. Your presentation was superb. You were truly able to engage the audience. There was seriousness and there was humor. You made the audience relate to what you were talking about and the presentation was wonderful. You had excellent eye contact as well as outstanding voice tone. Hats Off To You! Thank A+
LaReta Mayweather
I was pleased to provide such an entertaining and informative speech to my fellow Toastmasters. The thing I love about Toastmasters is that I can definitely see how these skills can get transferred to your work/career life. Being able to get up to do a prepared speech teaches you the process of organization, communications, and presenting. I also notice that being able to organize your thoughts in your head before communicating is one of the best ways to better communicate at work. Many times we have a knee jerk reaction to things and I believe that being able to assess your communication style and tailor it to your audience helps make you a better communicator.
Toastmaster's also teaches you how to give feedback. I have noticed that I'm better at being able to truly listen in order to give feedback whether it's a problem, a presentation or even an email. I can ascertain where the speaker is coming from and then be able to communicate back OR to give back strengths and opportunities. In Toastmaster's, we use a 3 - 2 - 1 style of feedback with 3 Strengths, 2 areas of opportunity and 1 great takeaway. I believe you can use this at work, at church or in any area of your life where you must give feedback.
Later I'll be posting a video of my speech for your enjoyment. Recording our speeches, shows us where we need improvement and is a valuable tool for learning.
Learn more about Toastmasters at http://www.toastmasters.org/.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Happy Boss' Day! Getting Boss's day right
Image courtesy of Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The Origin of Boss's Day
The origin of Bosses Day dates back to 1958. Patricia Bays Haroski, an employee at State Farm Insurance Company in Illinois, registered it with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Haroski chose the date because it was her father's birthday. Who was her boss? ....her father.
Why you should celebrate Boss's Day?
One of the things I get from a lot of people is they don't know why they should celebrate Boss's Day, especially if they don't like their boss. I have a had a few very wonderful and not so wonderful bosses and managers. All I can say is chalk it up to attitude. Even if I didn't like my boss, I still celebrated boss's day? Why would I celebrate Boss's day for a boss I don't like. Well to be honest with you, being a manager or a boss can sometimes be a thankless job. In my corporate experience, bosses typically work long hours and do a lot of paperwork. They are also at the forefront much like a referee breaking up fights and having to make decisions on the "grey" areas. Sometimes things for a boss are not all black and white. It's a wonder why more kids in this country don't want to be President of the United States anymore. The Big Boss, The Big Cheese, The Commander in Chief has a pretty tough job that very few people want to do. So just a shout out to our Commander in Chief, President Obama, Happy Boss's Day to you too! So even if they get it wrong or they get it right, they deserve some credit. Be gracious.
Teams and Boss's Day
The other part of Boss's day is not everyone on the same team even agrees on what to do for Boss's day. Take the boss out to lunch? Buy them a gift? Do a potluck? Pretend like the day never happened? I have been in teams where there is a power play of sorts on what to get the boss. Some folks on the team have more money than others, some folks clearly have no idea what the boss likes or dislikes. The best thing to do is to come to a consensus quickly or for special office events create a standard. In one of my previous groups we had potlucks and every person automatically brought the same dish every time even if it's just breakfast tacos from Taco Cabana.
Did Somebody Say Breakfast Tacos?
All in all pick your battles. The surest way of getting fired is your attitude. Having a bad attitude about Boss' day or not participating (even if you forgot) will speak volumes. It's less likely to cut like a knife but put your differences aside and if need be send a cordial email at least. It's the thought that counts, isn't it?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)