A good business communication "speaks" to the reader. Readers picture a person speaking with them. Nothing is worse than a business letter that tries to "impress" the reader. Write to communicate, express; not to impress. The highfalutin' language and jargon of your profession is always impressive but rarely appropriate. No one wants to read sentences like:

Better you should say:

Remember, the reader pictures a person when they read. Who will they see when they read your next letter? Will they see some distant bureaucrat who cannot or will not communicate; or will they see a person who is trying to connect with them, the reader? It's up to you!

Tip 2

Effective teamwork requires both cooperation of team members and creativity. Many times we sacrifice one for the other and in so doing lose enormous effectiveness. Meyer's equation explains in a mathematical model the price teams pay when they sacrifice either effective thinking or cooperation.

Effective Decisions are the result of Quality Thinking multiplied by Acceptance.

Thus, you can have an almost perfect decision as the result of really powerful Quality Thinking (QT), but if no one on the team Accepts (A) the idea, it is bound to be less effective than it could be.

The same holds true if you cave in from an effective solution to a problem (QT) for the sake of Cooperation (A). Everyone will like the decision, but the decision will not be an effective one. Quality Thinking and quality control will inevitably suffer.

However, when we work as a team to generate effective decisions that are well thought out, and that team members can live with, we generate effective decisions

which we, as managers and team leaders, revisit from time to time in order to get feedback and keep the improvement process in gear. Thus we slowly more to an even greater level of decision effectiveness when we seek feedback from those who must implement the decision, and adjust our strategy accordingly.......

Until we reach the final solution which may take a month (or two). However, by emphasizing the PROCESS (Meyer's Equation) we assure ourselves of effective results. Remember, be a team leader; not a dictator or a pushover.

Our Motto: "Different isn't always better, but better is always different," defines the essence of an effective training experience.

Think of anything you now do more effectively than you did last year. I guarantee that you are doing that task differently! However, there are things you are currently doing differently, but not necessarily more effectively. (Different isn't always better.)

You need to change to be more effective. (Better is always different.) That's the first and most critical step - an awareness of the need for change!

But change itself does not guarantee better results...you need effective change.

Effective training programs provide the tools to enable the participant to perform a task in a different and more effective manner. (Different and Better together!)

Remember our motto next time you confront a roadblock in your business or your life. You are the agent of change. But don't just change for the sake of change; think, plan, and if you need, get help. That's what training and growth are all about!

Tip 4

THERE IS NO SPECIAL GIFT TO BEING A GREAT SPEAKER

It isn't that you were born without some special genetic encoding. Speakers are made, not born. That is what the training is all about. Everyone you know has the ability to communicate verbally to some degree, and the differences are not that great. However, put them in front of an audience and something very peculiar starts to happen. The unusual circumstances and environment inhibit ordinary communication. That does not have to be the case, especially if we realize that:

AN ORAL PRESENTATION IS AN ENLARGED CONVERSATION.

The kinds of techniques we use with one another day to day in conversation in the office are the kinds of techniques that will work in a presentation. The problem is we let the circumstances inhibit our natural ability. We are rarely monotone in real life, we don't often grasp and clutch things as we talk to people, we don't need a big, artificial vocabulary, and we never memorize a talk in real life -- in fact, we can't. So why would we do things like that in a presentation? Always remember,

AN ORAL PRESENTATION IS AN ENLARGED CONVERSATION.

Be yourself, and act naturally. You will communicate more effectively if you do!

Tip 5

Never confuse Performance Evaluation (filling out the form) with Performance Management.

Performance Management is a powerful tool for management control. Managers need ways of making sure that their employees are getting the work done well and on time. This means managers, those whose job includes managing or supervising the performance of other employees, need a systematic way of communicating work expectations to their employees and providing follow up while the work is being performed and afterwards. "Systematic" is the operative word.

The life of a manager is hectic. It is full of interactions with customers, subordinates, peers, and supervisors. Life in the company/department is filled with interruptions, changing priorities, and urgent situations.

These conditions make performance management more difficult since it requires some quiet times for analysis and communication. The very conditions that make performance management more difficult make it absolutely essential. The more hectic a manager's life and the more fragmented the time, the more essential it is to have a system for communicating and evaluating what needs to be done. The principles of effective performance management transcend the details of the administrative procedure.

The foundation of effective performance is the relationship between manager and employee and the performance management process is virtually indistinguishable from the process of management. When executed correctly, the Performance Management process makes the Performance Evaluation step logical and easy. So focus on managing your employees' performance and the evaluation step will be that much easier.

Tip 6

Make your writing Speak to your readers!

We write more clearly when we write the way we speak. Too often, though, the same person who would say, "I'll need you to okay overtime for the next three days," will put it this way in a memo:

Pursuant to Item 603.1, Policies and Procedures Manual, this memorandum is submitted with the intent to apprise your office of the fact that utilization of additional overtime hours will become mandatory for the three-day period commencing tomorrow, June 1, and concluding June 3.

Can you imagine saying that with a straight face? Sounds ridiculous. Yet many people rely on such clogged sentences to pipe their written messages to others. The same people who speak easily and naturally often feel they must dignify their writing with weighty words and 50-yard sentences.

Early training and experience have built into many of us beliefs about writing that border on the superstitious. We think we must cross over to another language when we write - a language of literature and learning. But we don't feel at home in that language. It sounds pompous and mysterious.

Actually, there's no mystery to writing. The dashes and dots, the paragraphs -- they all speak for you as your reader scans the page. Whatever appears on the paper should sound like your voice to the reader.

Think of yourself, the writer, as a speaker. Think of your reader as a listener. Before you write, ask yourself: How would I say this if I were with my reader? As you answer that question, you'll usually find the best words to use as you write.

"But wait," you object, "writing isn't the same as speaking." You're right - and in our training program we look at some important differences between them. For now, though, keep this in mind: You've developed real power with words in your speaking. Tap that power as you write!

Tip 7

Summer is over ...Do you know how your employees are?

The summer is over and the employees are back at work. Some managers particularly in a sales and goal oriented environment may look at September 1st as the beginning of the new year. The vacations are over and everybody is ready to get back in the swing of things. Well, almost everybody.

As managers, when we work with people we need to motivate and encourage them to do the very best. Our job is critically important in achieving successful performance levels. Remember that all individuals are not the same. We must understand that different people need to be managed differently.

Some employees need little motivation and they will continually get the job done.

We all know that these are the individuals that we rely on the most and that they may get the brunt of the work. Did we ever stop to say, "Great job" or "Thanks for putting forth that extra effort." Sometimes just having spent a little time expressing how we appreciate their performance can motivate them for the next time.

Some employees require more attention and feedback to motivate them.

When a co-worker is not getting the job done it is time to sit and have a conversation about what the problem seems to be. Perhaps they do not completely understand what their performance should be, or possibly they may want to do it differently. As a manager this approach may not be acceptable because you feel the job requires them to perform their assigned tasks with a certain consistency. Sit with the individual and discuss their view of how the project should be completed and it may change both of your visions for the next time.

Teamwork is built on the open communication lines and the completion of assignments and projects. It can be much easier to manage different styles if we understand which are the right buttons to push with all our team members. Everyone will benefit and it can be a key to building a strong and results oriented environment.

Keep in mind that every time that you think about the distribution of assignments and the creation of teams you must view the qualities, goals, and motivation of the individuals and select a well-rounded group who will compliment each other. This will lead to effective and successful performance.

Tip 8

Supervising: Now you are on the other side of the table!

Supervising can be a very difficult job - particularly when you have been selected by management because you have been performing your job above average and now they are going to reward you with a position of higher responsibility.

At first, you are excited about the new opportunity and generally there is a monetary reward along with the position. But now you have to face your fellow co-workers with the news that now you are the person in charge. This is a very difficult task and the days ahead can be very challenging. There are a few things to remember in order to make your days ahead a little easier.

Try to remember the past supervisors whom you have had and try to use the good pieces of that person's supervisory style in your daily routine. We all can remember the bad things and those are the supervisory behaviors that we definitely want to leave behind. Also, don't forget your sense of humor. Remember, in a place where employees want to come to work the job will get done a lot quicker and more efficiently.

A good supervisor wants to counsel, coach, and help employees out in times of need. It often helps to roll up your shirtsleeves and pitch in during the onset of heavy work volumes. It will show your subordinates that you didn't get the office job and forget how the work gets processed. Be a fair and responsible supervisor and be sensitive to the needs of the employees while continuing to get the work done. Employ the common sense approach and everyone will be satisfied. When a problem occurs you will not need to run and hide in your office.

Deal with your employees in a positive way treating them with the same respect with which you would want to be treated, and it will establish a good relationship for both sides.

Communication is the key to all problems. Listen to your employees and include them in the discussion if there are changes to be made. Teamwork will help everyone meet their respective goals.