Die vier „D“ der Präsentation

Sie sind ein guter Redner – Sie sind charmant, witzig und energiegeladen. Sie mögen die Herausforderung, vor Publikum zu sprechen und sind gut darin. Dennoch haben Sie manchmal das Gefühl, daß Sie mehr machen oder Dinge auch anders durchführen könnten. Es gibt einige Situationen, da gelingt es Ihnen leichter als anderen, einen Draht zum Publikum aufzubauen und trotzdem haben Sie das Gefühl, daß Sie es besser können. Sie können die Angelegenheit angehen, indem Sie auf die vier „D“ achten:   

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Development – Design – Delivery – Debriefing

Die vier „D“ der Präsentation

Development (Entwicklung)

Es gibt keine „Patentlösung“ dafür was man tun muss, damit eine Präsentation gut wird. Der Erfolg hängt vom Publikum und der jeweiligen Situation ab, bei der einige Techniken wahrscheinlich eher funktionieren als unter anderen Bedingungen. Hier kommt das erste „D“ ins Spiel; Development (Entwicklung). In diesem Sinne bedeutet es die Entwicklung Ihres Verständnisses über den Kontext der Präsentation, bevor Sie sich auf die Gestaltung des Inhalts konzentrieren. Je ungewöhnlicher die Situation oder Präsentation für Sie ist, desto mehr Zeit sollten Sie dafür investieren zu verstehen, was alles passieren kann – bevor es dann passiert. Stehen die anwesenden Schlüsselentscheider den in Ihrer Präsentation dargelegten Ideen positiv gegenüber? Hat das Publikum unterschiedliche Ansichten? Welche gemeinsamen Ziele vereinen Sie mit dem Publikum? Gibt es Wertschätzung und Zustimmung für diese Ziele im Publikum? Erwartet das Publikum eine Menge an Daten? Welche Erwartungen hat das Publikum in Bezug darauf, wie formell/informell Sie auftreten? Die Antworten zu diesen und anderen Fragen können zu einer verfeinerten Botschaft mit anderen Gestaltungs- und Darbietungsmöglichkeiten führen, als Sie es bisher gewohnt waren.

Design (Gestaltung)

Sie wissen um die Bedeutung einer gut aussehenden Präsentation. Viele Unternehmen erkennen die Bedeutung der Präsentationsgestaltung dadurch an, dass sie professionelle Designer dafür engagieren. Es bedeutet aber, daß manchmal ein Redner zur Vorführung einer  Präsentationen aufgerufen ist, die er nicht persönlich erschaffen hat. Oft dienen solche Präsentationen einer bestimmten Funktion, wie der Vorstellung Ihres Unternehmens, nicht aber dazu, auf die Bedürfnisse eines spezifischen Publikums einzugehen. Für den Redner bedeutet eine generische Präsentation, dass er härter arbeiten muss, um das Material für seine spezifische Zielgruppe relevant zu machen. Wenn die dargelegten Informationen von Bedeutung für das Publikum sind, dann wird es Ihnen die notwendige Aufmerksamkeit widmen. Darin liegt der Schlüssel bei der Gestaltung. Die besten Darstellungsmöglichkeiten sind hilfreich, die Relevanz der Inhalte aber macht den Unterschied aus.

Delivery (Durchführung)

Bestimmte Präsentationstechniken können uns helfen, mit der vorgefertigten Gestaltungssituation wirkungsvoll umzugehen. So können wir  die Aufmerksamkeit unseres Publikums mit einem Pointer und den Worten „Darf ich Ihre Aufmerksamkeit auf …. richten“  auf einen speziellen Teil der Folie lenken, wenn sie zu viele Informationen enthält. Sie können Geschichten erzählen, um Daten Bedeutung einzuhauchen und Sie können Diagramme und Grafiken mit den Erfahrungen des Publikums verknüpfen, ohne eine Folie zu wechseln. Die Ergebnisse Ihrer Arbeit am Punkt „Development“ werden Ihnen die richtige Richtung zeigen. Wenn Sie etwas vor dem Publikum machen sollen, bei dem Sie sich nicht behaglich fühlen, so heißt es: üben, üben, üben. Je häufiger Sie einen anderen Stil üben, desto wohler werden Sie sich dabei fühlen.

Debriefing (Nachbereitung)                              

Die Rückmeldung vom Publikum über Ihre Präsentation ist wichtig für eine kontinuierliche Prozessverbesserung. Das meint ausschließlich Feedback zur Präsentationsdurchführung, nicht aber zu den Ergebnissen und Auswirkungen. Das kann schwierig sein, jedoch gibt es einige Ideen, die berücksichtigenswert sind. Nutzen Sie die Hilfe einer dritten Partei, welche Publikumsfragen aufschreibt, um Sie nach der Präsentation beantworten zu können. Stellen Sie Leuten aus dem Publikum Fragen zu spezifischen Aspekten Ihres Auftretens, an denen Sie arbeiten, wie z.B. Augenkontakt,  Bewegungskontrolle, Gestik. Das ist für Sie hilfreicher, als die einfache Frage zu stellen, was das Publikum über die Präsentation denkt.

Erhöhen Sie Ihre Erfolgsaussichten!

Die vier „D“ der Präsentation; Development (Entwicklung), Design (Gestaltung), Delivery (Durchführung) und Debriefing (Nachbereitung) können Ihnen helfen, Ihre Präsentation maßgeschneidert den spezifischen Publikumsbedürfnissen anzupassen und erforderliche Anpassungen Ihres Stils vorzunehmen. Das erhöht Ihre Erfolgsaussichten! Gerne können Sie uns Ihre Erfahrungen dazu im Kommentarfeld mitteilen.

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Sex, Stress und öffentliche Rede

Es ist nicht ungewöhnlich Angst davor zu haben, öffentliche Reden zu halten.  Sogar in der Geschäftswelt, wo Vorträge und Präsentationen einen Teil des Berufsalltages darstellen, ist diese Angst verbreitet. Man nimmt (fälschlicherweise) an, dass es jeder machen kann.   Was soll man also tun, wenn man wegen einer Präsentation nervös wird? Ich habe hier zwei tolle Tipps zur Beruhigung Ihrer Nerven vor der nächsten Präsentation und einen dritten Tipp.

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1. Kennen Sie Ihre Inhalte

Ihre Inhalte zu kennen ist unabdingbar, wenn Sie cool, ruhig und gesammelt bei Ihrer Präsentation sein wollen. Im Umkehrschluß bedeutet es, daß mangelnde Kenntnis der vorzutragenden Inhalte immer Angst und Stress verursachen. Sie müssen sich die Zeit nehmen, Ihre Schlüsselbotschaften zu identifizieren, diese Botschaften mit dem Publikum zu verbinden und eine ansprechende und leicht zu folgende Struktur aufzubauen. Wenn Sie wissen,                                                                                                                                                               

  • was Sie sagen wollen,
  • warum Sie es sagen wollen,
  • wie Sie es sagen werden,
  • wann Sie es sagen werden,
  • welche Fragen das Publikum stellen könnte,
  • und wie Sie diese Fragen  beantworden werden…

…dann haben Sie die die Gefahr verringert, daß etwas schiefgehen könnte und nebenbei Angst und Stress reduziert! Das klingt sicher naheliegend, aber ich weiß nicht, wie oft ich bei Coaching-Sitzungen von Präsentationen beteiligt war um festzustellen, daß der Manager sich nicht wirklich ausreichend Zeit für das Nachdenken über die Inhalte genommen hat.               Seine Inhalte zu kennen ist von entscheidender Bedeutung!


2. Üben Sie Ihre Darbietung – und zwar laut!

Ein anderer Tipp, ebenso naheliegend aber auch ebenso häufig ignoriert, besteht darin,  Ihre Präsentation vor dem Auftritt laut zu üben. Planung im Kopf oder auf dem Papier ist großartig  aber leider nicht ausreichend. Ich erinnere mich daran, wie ich von einem deutschen Manager die Vorgehensweise gelernt habe, eine Präsentation vor dem Badezimmerspiegel zu üben. Er sagte mir, dass es ihm dabei helfe „zu sehen, ob die Worte überhaupt in den Mund passen“ und um den „Rhythmus zu testen“.  Andere – welche dieses Konzept seitdem übernommen haben – erwähnen, daß sie ihre Körpersprache dabei beobachten und es Ihnen in Bezug auf Körperhaltung und Gestik geholfen hat. Wenn es Ihnen etwas unangenehm sein sollte, diese Übungen vor einem Spiegel durchzuführen, so können Sie auch

  • sich selbst mit dem Mobiltelefon aufnehmen,
  • eine von Ihnen respektierte Person bitten, das Publikum zu sein,
  • einfach die Tür schließen und laut sprechen.

3. Haben Sie Sex, und zwar viel!

Im Jahre 2006 untersuchte Stuart Brody, ein Psychologe an der Universität von Paisley in Großbritannien, die Beziehung zwischen sexuellen Verhaltensmustern, Blutdruck und die Reaktivität auf Stress. Der erzeugte Stress wurde durch öffentliches Reden und mentale Rechenaktivitäten ausgelöst. Seine Feststellungen hat Brody in dem renommierten Wissenschaftsmagazin „New Scientist“ veröffentlicht. Brody fand heraus, dass regelmäßiger, penetrativer Sex dazu beitragen kann, den Stress in Schach zu halten. Freiwillige, die vorher Geschlechtsverkehr hatten, zeigten die geringste Stressbelastung. Ihr Blutdruck normalisierte sich schneller als bei jenen, welche sich mit anderen sexuellen Aktivitäten beschäftigten. Kurz gesagt; Diejenigen Versuchsteilnehmer, welche viel Sex vor der Belastung durch eine öffentliche Rede hatten, waren weniger gestresst als andere. Es erscheint also schlüssig, dass Sex nicht nur Ihr Stress-Niveau senkt, sondern  – sollten Sie einen bereitwilligen Partner dafür finden – es könnte Sie auch dazu animieren, künftig mehr Präsentationen zu halten.

Ein abschließender Ratschlag

Jeder dieser drei Tipps kann dazu beitragen, Gefühle von Stress und Angst vor einer öffentlichen Rede zu reduzieren. Je weniger Nervosität Sie haben, desto selbstsicherer und erfolgreicher werden Sie an dem Tag sein.  Nur wenden Sie bitte nicht alle drei Tipps gleichzeitig an.

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Der „Elevator Pitch“

Für viele von uns ist es eine Alltagserfahrung: Man denkt immer dann an die Dinge, die man sagen wollte, wenn das Gespräch beendet oder die Gelegenheit vorüber ist.  Wie kommt es, dass immer dann, wenn wir etwas Brillantes äußern wollen, kein Wort über unsere Lippen kommt oder wir etwas Falsches sagen? Der Begriff „Elevator Pitch“ basiert auf der Idee, dass es möglich sein sollte, die Zusammenfassung eines Sachverhaltes in der Zeitspanne einer Fahrstuhlfahrt (dreißig Sekunden bis zwei Minuten) vorzutragen. Was werden Sie sagen, wenn Sie nur zwei Minuten zur Verfügung haben?

 

“Vor einiger Zeit teilte ich einen Fahrstuhl mit dem Vorstandsmitglied eines großen, multinationalen Konzerns. Er hatte keine Ahnung, wer ich war, aber ich wusste genau, wer er war und leider würde es so bleiben. Abgesehen von einem “guten Morgen” und einem “Auf Wiedersehen” verlief unsere Fahrstuhlfahrt im Schweigen. Ich hatte buchstäblich meinen Augenblick zu sprechen gehabt und ich habe es nicht genutzt. Natürlich dachte ich im Nachhinein an etwa eine Million brillante Dinge, die ich hätte sagen können, aber nicht gesagt habe. Ich habe es vermasselt.”

Seminarteilnehmerin

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Voraussicht und Planung

Die oben zitierte Seminarteilnehmerin hatte nicht daran gedacht, sich auf einen solchen Moment vorzubereiten.  Vielleicht dachte sie, sie könne sich schon irgendwie improvisierend durchmogeln, sollte sich jemals eine solche Gelegenheit bieten. Aber es erfordert echte Voraussicht und Planung, wenn man seine Botschaft zielgenau und gewinnend rüberbringen möchte. Insbesondere dann, wenn man nur zwei Minuten Zeit dafür hat.

“Ich benötige in der Regel mehr als drei Wochen um eine gute Stegreif-Rede vorzubereiten.”

Mark Twain

Wie man seine Kernpunkte  in zwei Minuten rüberbringt

Ein guter „Elevator Pitch“ hat ein Ziel: Er appelliert an jemanden, von dem wir irgendetwas, irgendwann in der Zukunft wollen. Wenn sich die Fahrstuhltüren öffnen, möchte man am liebsten mit großer Bestimmtheit davonlaufen. Sie hoffen aber zumindest auf eine Visitenkarte.  Also muß absolut alles, was Sie sagen wollen, Interesse bei Ihrem Gegenüber wecken. Da gibt es keinen Raum für Versprecher und Geschwafel. Das kann ziemlich schwer sein und deshalb dreht sich alles um eine gute Vorbereitung und gründliche, individuelle Praxis mit harten und herausfordernden Sparringspartnern.

Hier sind ein paar Dinge, die Sie im Auge behalten sollten, wenn Sie sich auf Ihren „Elevator Pitch“ vorbereiten, beginnend mit dem GOALS-Modell, welches wir in unseren Trainingseinheiten anwenden:

  • Goal – Ziel: Wissen Sie von Anfang an, was Ihr Ziel ist!
  • Opening – Eröffnung: Wie eröffnen Sie Ihren „Elevator Pitch“ und machen ihn aktuell und relevant?
  • Attention – Aufmerksamkeit: Wie halten Sie das Interesse der Zuhörer an Ihren Ausführungen aufrecht?
  • Language – Sprache: Geraten Sie nicht in Versuchung,  Fachkauderwelsch oder komplexe Begriffe zu verwenden!
  • Steps – Schritte: Was sind die nächsten Schritte?

Ein „Elevator Pitch“ sollte ein zweiseitiges Gespräch sein

Eine Minute lang ohne Unterbrechung zu reden, kann eine lange Zeit sein. Haben Sie es schon mal probiert oder jemandem dabei zugehört? Sagen wir, dass Ihre Aufzugsfahrt zwei Minuten dauert. In dieser Zeit müssen Sie einen guten Draht zu Ihrem Gesprächspartner aufbauen, ihm Gelegenheit zur Antwort und zu ein bis zwei Rückfragen geben. Es ist keineswegs ein Monolog, Brian Walter bezeichnet es vielmehr als verbales Ping-Pong.

In der Tat werden Sie womöglich nur die Gelegenheit haben, etwa drei bedeutungsvolle Aussagen zu machen. Ein (wichtiges) Fahrstuhlgespräch mit jemanden, den Sie nicht wirklich kennen, kann sich in viele mögliche Richtungen entwickeln, zwischen „schrecklich daneben“ bis „absolut großartig“.

Abschließend ein paar Tipps für Ihren „Elevator Pitch“

Seien Sie interessant, was auch immer Sie sagen. Wenn möglich:

  • Verwenden Sie Gleichnisse, wenn Sie sich beschreiben.
  • Vergleichen Sie sich/Ihre Situation mit jemandem oder etwas, was einen hohen Wiedererkennungswert hat oder eine Mischung daraus darstellt.
  • Erzeugen Sie eine Überraschung.
  • Hören Sie zu.

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„Train the Trainer“: Interaktive Präsentationen

Hausinterne Trainingsmaßnahmen und Schulungen werden oft über Präsentationen durchgeführt, wobei häufig ein interner „Experte“ mit der Durchführung gegenüber anderen Mitarbeitern beauftragt wird. Folie für Folie erscheint nacheinander auf der Projektionsfläche und am Ende erhält man ein Informationsblatt mit den wichtigsten Punkten und vielleicht eine Zusammenfassung. Der Vorteil dieser Art von Training liegt darin, dass die Informationen aus erster Hand von einem erfahrenen Fachmann vermittelt werden. Einer der Nachteile liegt darin, dass der Vortragende meist keine Erfahrungen in der Wissensvermittlung hat. Er/sie versteht nichts davon, wie Lerninhalte haften bleiben oder dass nur rund 10% des Lernens durch strukturiertes Training vermittelt wird (Hier können Sie mehr über das 70-20-10-Modell erfahren). Wir haben deshalb ein paar bewährte Ideen zusammengestellt, wie Sie Ihr präsentationsbasiertes Training interaktiv gestalten können.




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Wer bist du und warum bist du hier?

Ein Trainer vermittelt stets die Ziele einer Trainingseinheit. Die Ziele müssen von Relevanz für das Publikum sein, weil Sie Akzeptanz benötigen, damit Lernen stattfinden kann. Alles was im Training passiert, sollte stets mit den Trainingszielen verknüpft sein. Die Teilnehmer haben ebenfalls Ziele, welche sich allerdings von Ihren Zielen unterscheiden können. Hier müssen Sie die unterschiedlichen Zielvorstellungen in Übereinstimmung bringen. Das wird oft mit Aufwärmaktivitäten erreicht; Wer bist du und warum bist du hier? Aufwärmaktivitäten können als Gruppe, in mehreren Kleingruppen oder paarweise durchgeführt werden. Zum Abschluß der Aktivitäten hat jeder seine persönlichen Ziele mitgeteilt (idealerweise in sichtbarer Form, so dass es jeder lesen kann). Der Trainer umschreibt dann die persönlichen Ziele und verknüpft sie mit den Zielen der Trainingseinheit. Gibt es Ziele, die nicht in Übereinstimmung gebracht werden können, so wird der Trainer darauf hinweisen: „Es tut mir leid, wir werden das heute nicht im Detail behandeln“ oder „Vielleicht finden wir am Ende der Trainingseinheit noch Zeit, das Thema zu vertiefen.“

Lassen Sie die Leute aufstehen und sich bewegen

Wenn Teilnehmer sich untereinander nicht sonderlich gut kennen sind vielleicht ein paar Eisbrecher-Aktivitäten notwendig. Ein Spiel mit dem Namen ‘find someone who’ kann sehr leicht für jedes Publikum und Thema angepasst werden. Darüber hinaus können Sie Diskussionskarten mitbringen oder Aufgaben vergeben, welche die Teilnehmer zwischen zwei Präsentationsfolien zu erledigen haben. Besonders dann, wenn das Interesse der Teilnehmer zu schwinden scheint, unterbrechen Sie die Präsentation, lassen Sie die Leute aufstehen und sich im Raum bewegen. Bitten Sie die Teilnehmer etwa, Brainstorming in Gruppen durchzuführen, paarweise Zusammenfassungen zu erstellen oder Fehlersuche zu betreiben. Sie können die Teilnehmer auch auffordern, eine Position im Raum einzunehmen, welche damit verknüpft ist, wie stark sie mit einer unternehmens- oder tätigkeitsbezogenen Aussage übereinstimmen. Bitten Sie die Teilnehmer, einige der wichtigsten Lernpunkte der Präsentation Ihnen auf halbem Weg vorzustellen und nutzen sie die Gelegenheit, das Teilnehmerwissen auszurichten.

Beziehen Sie Ihr Publikum ein

Eng verwandt mit den oben angesprochenen Aspekten. Auch wenn das Trainingsmaterial trocken und mit Fakten und Fachbegriffen gespickt ist, können Sie das Training interaktiv gestalten. Sie können die Teilnehmer nahezu auf tausend verschiedene Arten beschäftigen. Befragen Sie die Teilnehmer nach ihrer Erfahrung oder Meinung, bitten Sie darum, dass jemand die Informationen einer Präsentationsfolie vorliest oder bereiten Sie ein Quiz oder einen Wettbewerb mit einem symbolischen Hauptgewinn vor. Eröffnen Sie eine Diskussion, bitten Sie um den Zuruf von Kurzfragen oder lassen Sie die Leute sich im Raum bewegen, um Informationen zum Thema an verschiedenen Stationen im Raum einzuholen. Hier finden Sie 25 Ideen für Aktivitäten beim Training.

Bitten Sie um engagierte Teilnahme

Was wird von den Teilnehmern an Handlungen erwartet, sobald sie den Schulungsraum verlassen haben? Sie haben zwar etwas gelernt, aber auf die Beantwortung der Frage, wie der Lerntransfer zum Arbeitsplatz stattfindet, sollten Sie sich selbst gedanklich gut vorbereiten. Bevor die Trainingseinheit abgeschlossen ist, sollten Sie sich ausreichend Zeit nehmen, die Teilnehmer nach ihren Ideen oder Anregungen zu fragen. Geben Sie Ratschläge, wie das Erlernte haften bleibt. Sie können auch den Einsatz von persönlichen Lernplänen in Erwägung ziehen.

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Hier sind nur einige Postings für Sie zum Durchstöbern aufgeführt, falls Sie mehr zum Thema erfahren möchten. Wir bieten auch eine breite Palette an Seminaren zum Thema Train the Trainer und Moderation von Workshops an:

 

Ich habe Todesangst davor, eine Präsentation halten zu müssen!

Präsentieren unter Druck. Versagensängste. Lampenfieber. Nennen Sie es, wie Sie wollen, aber die unglaubliche Nervosität, welche manche Leute befällt, sobald sie vor einem Publikum stehen müssen, ist echt. Und wenn Ihr Chef das Publikum ist, kann es tatsächlich Auswirkungen darauf haben, wie Sie die Präsentation durchführen. Es sei denn, Sie sind gut darauf vorbereitet. Ich bin kein Anhänger des alten Ratschlages, „stellen Sie sich vor, alle Leute im Publikum säßen in Unterwäsche vor Ihnen.“ Abhängig davon, wer da vor Ihnen sitzt, kann eine solche Vorstellung jemanden leicht aus dem Konzept bringen. Die meisten Menschen bewältigen ihre Ängste, indem sie eine Sache machen: Sie bereiten sich gut vor.
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Kennen Sie Ihr Material

Da gibt es kein besseres Tool, welches Sie in Ihrem Werkzeugkasten haben könnten. Haben Sie die Thematik im Griff, über die Sie reden wollen, so erzeugt das Selbstvertrauen und gibt Ihnen die Kraft, jede möglicherweise aufkommende Frage zu bestehen, die Ihnen über den Weg laufen könnte. Es reicht nicht aus, eine grobe Vorstellung davon zu haben, was Sie sagen werden.  Schreiben Sie den Text vor, falls es notwendig sein sollte. Was auch immer Sie tun, improvisieren Sie nicht! Viele Leute versuchen das. Und ehrlich gesagt scheitert eine derartige Vorgehensweise viel häufiger, als dass es gelingt.

“Sie haben es gefühlt. Den Knoten im Bauch. Die schweißigen Handflächen. Die allgemeine Desorientierung. Das Gefühl, das Sie überkommt, sobald jemand fragt: “Bist du in Ordnung?” “Nein, ich bin nicht ok. Ich muss diese Präsentation meinem Chef geben und ich habe Angst! “Du kannst sicher sein. Ich verspreche dir, du bist nicht allein!”

Scott Levey

Bereiten Sie Ihr Material vor

Ein alter Witz lautet, ‘Wie kommt man in die Carnegie Hall?’ ‘Üben, üben, üben.’ Probieren Sie Ihre Präsentation vor Leuten aus. Fragen Sie nach Feedback. Es scheint einfach zu sein, aber andere um Hilfe zu bitten ist manchmal die schwerste Sache auf der Welt. Üben Sie die Präsentation vor einem Spiegel. Machen Sie eine Sprachaufzeichnung und spielen Sie es ab. Bitten Sie andere, sich Ihre angefertigten Folien anzuschauen. Hier finden Sie eine gute Anleitung, wie man hervorragende Präsentationsfolien erstellt.

Vertrauen Sie Ihrem Material

Meistens strafen Ihre eigenen Nerven Sie mit Lügen! Ob Sie es glauben oder nicht, die meisten Manager/Chefs/Zuhörer/Gruppen/Kollegen möchten, dass Sie Erfolg haben. Bereiten Sie sich durch gute Vorarbeit entsprechend vor, bevor Sie in die Präsentation gehen und  erkennen, dass der Stress und die Aufregung NICHT WIRKLICH sind. Holen Sie tief Luft und wissen Sie, dass das Publikum es gut mit Ihnen meint. Und sollten Ihre Nerven flattern und Sie das Gefühl bekommen, dass die Worte aus Ihnen herauskommen, ohne dass Sie Kontrolle darüber haben, so stoppen Sie kurz, holen erneut tief Luft und fahren fort.

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Präsentations-Fazit: Das Abschluss-Signal

Eine gutes Präsentations-Fazit ist ein sehr wichtiger Teil jeder Präsentation, obwohl es oftmals nicht die notwendige Aufmerksamkeit erhält. Viele Leute konzentrieren sich darauf, einen soliden Start mit guter Einleitung hinzulegen und schlagkräftige Inhalte zu präsentieren. Dagegen gibt es nichts einzuwenden, solange man die Präsentation mit der gleichen Stärke abschließt, mit der sie begonnen wurde. Häufig habe ich aber Präsentationen erlebt, die misslich abgeschlossen wurden und deshalb einen schlechten Beigeschmack beim Publikum hinterlassen.  Ein guter Präsentationsabschluss wird eine wirkungsvolle  Zusammenfassung, Empfehlung oder einen Handlungsaufruf beinhalten und dem Publikum die Gelegenheit geben, noch offen gebliebene Punkte durch Fragen anzusprechen.  Der Teil eines Präsentations-Fazits, der häufig vergessen wird, ist ein klares und deutliches Abschluss-Signal. Dieses Abschluss-Signal ist eine Formulierung, welches dem Publikum in einem Satz mitteilt, dass Sie mit dem Fazit der Präsentation beginnen. Es sollte unmittelbar vor der Zusammenfassung ausgesprochen werden und vom Publikum als deutliches Signal erkannt werden.


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Drei Gründe, warum ein Präsentations-Fazit ein Abschluss-Signal enthalten sollte

  1. Wecken Sie das Publikum.  Oft verliert das Publikum den Fokus und die Konzentration gegen Ende einer Präsentation und geht eigenen Gedanken nach. Ein Abschluss-Signal zeigt dem Publikum, dass Ihre Präsentation gleich zu Ende ist und es an der Zeit ist, seine Aufmerksamkeit wieder der Präsentation zu widmen.
  2. Den eigenen Fokus zurücksetzen. Wie wir alle wissen, kann man sich bisweilen so sehr in ein Thema vertiefen, dass man die Bedürfnisse und Erwartungen des Publikums aus dem Auge verliert. Das Abschluss-Signal weckt daher nicht nur das Publikum auf, sondern auch den Vortragenden und ermöglicht es ihm, ein starkes Präsentations-Fazit abzuliefern.
  3. Verdeutlichen Sie die Struktur. Präsentationen benötigen klare Strukturen, damit das Publikum den Kernaussagen folgen kann. Wenn Sie effektive Überleitungen formulieren – wie das Abschluss-Signal – so schaffen Sie strukturelle Übersichtlichkeit und helfen dem Publikum, mit der Aufmerksamkeit bei Ihnen zu bleiben.

Drei Formulierungen, welche als Abschluss-Signal für das Präsentations-Fazit dienen können

  1. “Das bringt mich nun zum Ende meiner Präsentation. Um meine Hauptpunkte zusammenzufassen, …“
  2. “Nun, das ist alles, was ich für heute habe. Lassen Sie mich jetzt kurz zusammenfassen, worüber ich gesprochen habe ….”
  3. „Ich bin jetzt ans Ende meiner Präsentation gelangt. Zusammenfassend sprach ich …”

Drei Auswirkungen durch die Anwendung eines Abschluss-Signals für das Präsentations-Fazit

  1. Übermitteln Sie die Hauptaussagen ein letztes Mal. Am Ende einer guten Präsentation werden Sie Ihre Hauptaussagen in der Einleitung, dem Hauptteil und abschließend in der Zusammenfassung angesprochen haben. Ein gutes Abschluss-Signal fokussiert die Aufmerksamkeit des Publikums ein letztes Mal, so daß Sie die Kernaussagen erneut benennen sollten und die daraus abgeleiteten Handlungsempfehlungen aussprechen. Die meisten Menschen neigen dazu, sich besser an die Inhalte zu erinnern, welche am Ende einer Präsentation gesagt wurden als in der Einleitung oder im Hauptteil.
  2. Stellen Sie sich selbst auf ein starkes Ende ein. Die klare Aussage, daß Sie nun mit dem Fazit der Präsentation beginnen, wird Ihnen dabei behilflich sein, sich zu konzentrieren und die richtigen Schritte durchzugehen. Bei Ihrem Publikum wird das einen positiven Eindruck der Präsentation hinterlassen.
  3. Seien Sie ein besserer Redner. Es gibt so viele Menschen, die schlecht strukturierte Präsentationen vortragen und deren Präsentations-Fazit enttäuscht. Eine klare Struktur lässt Sie professioneller aussehen und hilft Ihnen das zu erreichen, was Sie mit Ihrer Präsentation bewirken wollen.

Ein starkes Präsentations-Fazit hinterlässt bei Ihrer Zielgruppe eine fokussierte, positive Sicht  auf Ihre Botschaft und ein gutes Abschluss-Signal ist entscheidend dafür, dass dies gelingt. Teilen Sie uns Ihre Ideen dazu im unten stehenden Kommentarfeld mit! Möchten Sie mehr über wirkungsvolles Präsentieren erfahren? Klicken Sie hier.

MEHR

Storytelling im Geschäftsleben – Warum eigentlich nicht? Teil 2

Geschichtenerzählen ist wieder zu einem interessanten Thema in der Welt der Geschäftskommunikation geworden. Konferenzen und Redner loben weltweit den Reiz und  , die Anziehungskraft des Geschichtenerzählens auf das Publikum. Ich frage mich, warum das so ist. Haben Menschen nicht seit ihren frühesten Anfängen Geschichten erzählt? Wir alle erzählen Geschichten. Es war Teil unseres Überlebenskampfes und unserer Entwicklung. Alles um uns herum ist voller Geschichten; Vom Geschichtenerzählen am Lagerfeuer bis zu den heutigen Multimillionen-Dollar-Kinofilmen. Warum soll das nicht auch für ein geschäftliches Umfeld gelten? Dieser zweite Teil unseres zweiteiligen Beitrags (hier Teil 1) beschäftigt sich mit den verbleibenden zwei Lektionen, die wir bei der Vorbereitung eines Seminars über das Geschichtenerzählen in der Geschäftswelt gelernt haben. Unser Seminar vermittelt den Teilnehmern die Fähigkeiten und die Entschlusskraft, mehr und bessere Geschichten im Tätigkeitsumfeld zu erzählen.

Mut zur Verbindung

Lektion 4

Wenn Ihre Berufstätigkeit für Sie einfach nur ein Austausch von Machtbefugnissen ist, dann sind Aspekte, wie z.B. Geschichtenerzählen und andere, erweiterte Kommunikationsmittel unwichtig. Andere werden Ihre Äußerungen in Befehle übersetzen, sofern Sie sich in einer Machtposition befinden, ebenso wie Sie dabei helfen, Wünsche von Vorgesetzten zu interpretieren und umzusetzen.

Möchten Sie allerdings, dass Ihr Arbeitsplatz ein Ort ist, an dem Menschen etwas zusammenfügen, anstatt den Befehlen einiger weniger Personen zu folgen, dann ist das Geschichtenerzählen eine aktive Strategie, um dem Arbeitsplatz für Sie und Ihre Mitarbeiter eine menschliche Note zu geben. Es bietet Möglichkeiten für sinnvolle Verbindungen, die Vertrauen fördern.

“Geschichtenerzählen ist ganz natürlich für uns Menschen, aber da wir in einer unnatürlichen Welt leben, brauchen wir manchmal etwas Hilfe bei dieser ganz natürlichen Sache.” ― Dan Harmon

Von der Geschichte zur Handlung

Lektion 5

Eine gute Geschichte kann die Bühne für ein Geschäftsumfeld setzen. Dennoch müssen wir  uns häufig den Zweck der Geschichte vergegenwärtigen, sobald sie erzählt ist. Wir können das in einer Nachbesprechungsrunde gemeinsam erreichen oder einfach den Zuhörern erklären, was man mit der Geschichte im Sinn hatte.

Warum das funktioniert

Eine klare Erläuterung des Sinnes der Geschichte bietet eine natürliche, logische Verbindung dazu, was der Erzähler und die Zuhörer in einem geschäftlichen Umfeld erreichen müssen. Dinge auf individueller Ebene zu erledigen ist eine Funktion von

  • klarem Verständnis darüber, was zu tun ist
  • der Fähigkeit, etwas tun zu können
  • Motivation, etwas zu erledigen

Sprechen Sie das „warum“ an

Geschichten können eindeutig auf das “Warum” einer Handlung hinweisen, was zu einer erhöhten Selbstverpflichtung führt, es auch durchzuführen. Wenn Zuhörer die Geschichte mit ihrer gegenwärtigen Situation verknüpfen können, so werden sie eingebunden in den Prozess des Erkennens, was zu tun ist und warum es getan werden muss – ohne dass es angeordnet werden muss.

Mehr

Schauen Sie sich um, in welchem Rahmen Target Training  Kompetenzentwicklungs-Seminare zum Geschichtenerzählen im Geschäftsleben und für viele andere Kommunikationsfähigkeiten anbietet, um Ihre Effektivität am Arbeitsplatz zu steigern. Lassen Sie es uns im unten stehenden Kommentarfeld wissen, wenn Sie dazu etwas anmerken möchten.

Presenting in a foreign language

I’ve been involved in business English training since I left university, and over the years I’ve helped hundreds of executives, managers and experts improve their presentations in English. I’ve worked with confident presenters, nervous presenters, boring presenters and inspiring presenters. Some of them have struggled with their presentations skills, others with their content and many with their English skills. All of these people came to mind when I was preparing a presentation in German. It was a sure case of the shoe being on the other foot for once and I was quickly reminded that knowing what to do and doing it aren’t the same!

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The challenges

The presentation I needed to make was  part of a kick-off event for an exciting new Blended Learning project with Global English at one of our clients. I was going to be one of three presenters, speaking to a group of around fifty German HR specialists and managers. As this was a high profile flag ship project, the kick-off needed to build interest and motivation. Doing it in German didn’t worry me too much – but I knew it was going to be functional rather than elegant. Having learnt most of my German by “doing” rather than “studying”, I sacrifice accuracy for communication. (My German trainer tells me my German is CEFR B2. I think she’s just being nice – my grammar ist nicht gut.)
So the first thing I did was sit down to consider the advice I’d give a client faced with the same situation in reverse:

  • Identify my key messages before I do anything else – and make sure I can phrase and rephrase these
  • Keep it relevant by using examples and stories
  • Don’t try to learn the presentation word for word – it will make me nervous and inflexible
  • But do think through and practice my introduction in advance – by getting off on the right foot I knew I’d relax
  • Never rely on prompt cards – they’ll just get in my way and stop me building rapport with audience – and for the same reasons don’t read from my slides
  • And most importantly – don’t get hung up on the language – they are there to hear what I’m saying – not how I’m saying it

The presentation

After some preparation and practice I drove to Bonn to make the presentation. I felt that my message was clear and the audience seemed interested and convinced. There’d been some nodding heads, some laughter in the right places, and a few questions. Job well done, I thought.

The feedback

Reflecting and debriefing is always important if you want to get better, and there were a couple of people in the audience who I knew and respected. With this in mind, I asked them how they felt I had done, and what I could do better next time. Their answer was clear and consistent – “Sometimes you spoke a bit too fast” and “It was hard to hear you in some places”. Ouch! I thought about the feedback – and then replayed my presentation in my mind.

Upon further reflection, I realised that when I began to struggle with my German I unconsciously began to speak a little quieter. Although I knew what I wanted to say I wasn’t sure about how I was saying it – and without realizing it I turned the power down. I also realised that when I began to struggle with my German I unintentionally spoke faster to hide my mistakes.

Because I’d forgotten to remind myself about a common problem that many people face when presenting in a foreign language – nerves mean they forget the 4Ps.

The 4Ps

  • Power – speaking audibly and clearly
  • Pitch – using the stress and tone of your voice to emphasize key points
  • Pace – matching the speed at which you speak to the message and the audience
  • Pause – playing with silence and breaks to draw attention to build suspense, interest, draw attention to key points and signal thematic changes

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The importance of staff training

We’re a training company. We meet with corporate clients and we ask them questions to find out their situation. They ask us questions too. If they like us, we send in an offer with a training concept. The answers to the questions (from both sides) are often similar. Our clients need training because it will help them succeed. Which makes the company succeed. Here are some of those questions, this time answered by two of Target’s key people, Chris Slattery (Managing Director) and Scott Levey (Operations Manager). 

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How important is training when it comes to staff?

SL: Training is as important to us as it is to every company. (Ironically though, trainers in the industry just don’t get enough training themselves, and there tends to be very little done on an incidental basis.) By nature, trainers in this industry often work independently and at best get development opportunities by accident. Our policy is to attract and hire the best trainers and, through training, help them to stay sharp. When we hire, we look specifically for evidence of continual improvement so we know we are working with people who are open to development and learning.

CS: The phrase ‘never buy hair restorer from a bald salesman’ springs to mind. We are obliged to take training seriously for any number of reasons but, most importantly, when training makes our staff stronger, we move up a notch as a company. Our challenge is to make sure that we promote internal training to ensure that the company as a whole benefits from external measures taken by individuals.

What makes training effective?

SL: Skill or job based, the training has to be relevant. The training from which we have had the most positive feedback has been our in-house “Boot Camp”.  This is where we explore the skills an InCorporate Trainer needs in order to be successful when delivering in-house training. New trainers generally have low expectations coming onto the course (‘training for training’s sake’ being a classic attitude) but the feedback has been consistently strong and participants report that they have been pushed, been developed and gained confidence during the week.  Not only that, their line managers have reported a clear difference, as have the end client.

CS: And be ready to be actively involved in supporting whatever training you go for.  Your support, or lack of, makes so much difference.

Is intercultural training still relevant?

CS: Intercultural training introduces the concept of dilemmas which every society is confronted with.

For example:

  1. Do we/they see events as individual and isolated or do we approach them within the context of a larger picture?
  2. How do we/they balance the rights of the individual against the interests of a wider society?

How a society deals with these dilemmas is the essence of that society’s culture. I would suggest that the intercultural aspect is everything… and nothing. “Nothing” in the sense that the theoretical study of regional differences (e.g. be sure to wear white socks on a first date in Ballybunnion), while possibly of some passing interest, is not necessarily conducive to effective communication. “Everything” in the sense that communication – which is our business – is founded on shared understanding. Beyond a rudimentary level of language proficiency, working out what is meant becomes more important than the words that are used and what is actually said.

Why is language training still so important in the business world today?

SL: Communication is extremely important in all areas, and people just don’t think about it often enough on an day to day level. We don’t always listen well; we are not always understood in the way we want to be understood and in a way that gets results. And this is in our native language. International business communication in a language you don’t really know is difficult – you know what you need but you don’t know how to say it exactly. Successful communication revolves around people setting aside time to reflect on how they communicate and how they can make it more effective. Language training is a tool that supports this. So people can do a great job in English.

How do you organize your training budget effectively?

SL: We talk to staff about their current skills and their needs for the future. This is an ongoing conversation. It’s also vital that our managers carve out time to think about their own needs; skills; and the future situation of the client and the team they manage. And we know that it is not always feasible to solve a current problem by throwing training at it: training often takes too long to solve an immediate concern.

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Handling difficult and disruptive people in meetings

 “I am really enjoying my new role as Lean Audit Manager! The only issue is, meetings can sometimes be very challenging as I don’t always get the support and cooperation of everyone attending.” Claudia, a very experienced and highly qualified engineer who had recently been appointed as lean audit manager, said this to me a few weeks ago. Naturally, some team members can feel uncomfortable when their processes and working methods are scrutinized and analyzed. It is not unusual for this discomfort to surface in meetings as difficult and disruptive behaviour.  The end result is that meetings can become unfocussed, unruly and unsatisfactory.  The same is true for any meeting – sometimes some people behave badly.

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Countering disruptive behaviour

First of all remember this is your meeting, you have set the agenda and it is up to you make it work. Having said that, let’s look at some typical types of disruptive behaviour, what we can do to manage it and some useful English phrases.

Someone is monopolizing the discussion

Some people love the sound of their own voice and will talk at length on any and every point and deny other people the opportunity to be heard.

  • Stop them, thank them for their contribution and move on to the next point or next speaker: “That’s really very interesting Thorsten but we really need to hear from Angela / move on to the next item.”
  • Draw their attention to the agenda and agreed timeframes:  “We have already spent more time on this topic than agreed and we need to progress to the next point or we will run out of time.”
  • Set a time limit:  “OK Andrea you have 30 seconds to finish your point.”

Someone is promoting a personal agenda

Some people seem oblivious to the actual agenda and seem intent on pursuing their own. If this behaviour is not quickly checked the meeting is in real danger of completely losing its focus. Keyis to step in early, stop them from talking and get back to the agenda.

  • “Eric, what you’re saying has nothing to do with our current agenda. I want to bring Petra in to give us the update we are waiting for.”
  • “Thank you for that insight – it has been noted in the minutes but now we must return to the matter at hand.”
  • “John, I realize this is something you feel strongly about but it has no relevance in today’s meeting.”

People are having side conversations

 You will often find people who are intent on making comments, or having a conversation with their neighbour. Apart from being bad manners it is also very distracting. There are a number of techniques to handle this situation. For one, you can stop the meeting discussion, be quiet and look at the people talking. Very often they will feel uncomfortable and fall silent very quickly.

  • Invite them to share their conversation with the rest of the group: “I don’t think everybody can hear you. Could you speak up, so we can all get the benefit of what you have to say?”
  • Simply ask them to stop: “Could you please save your discussion for after the meeting and rejoin the group discussion? Thank you.”
  • Focus them on the goal/outcome: “We will make much better progress if we could all focus on the matter at hand.”

Don’t assign blame

If individuals are behaving badly resist the temptation to single them out. This can lead to a hardening of attitudes. Instead highlight the unacceptable behaviour and its negative impact. Think about your own style as well as the needs and preferences of those attending your meeting. This will help you to find the most appropriate and most effective way of handling difficult behaviors in your meetings.

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What is active listening, how do I develop it and should I be making little noises?

Listening skills are an integral part of many of our training solutions, e.g.  Influencing, Managing Conflict and Facilitating meetings all include practical components on listening skills. However, we had a rare request from a pharmaceutical client seeking training focusing solely on active listening for their senior managers.  The new board member strongly believed that improving her manager’s listening skills would have a major impact on the quality of relationships and the effectiveness of her team. And she was right … the seminar started and almost immediately, one manager asked me, “Active listening – that’s just when you make little noises, right?”

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What is active listening?

Our tactful answer was “not quite”.  Active listening (as the name suggests) is when you actively and fully concentrate on what is being said, rather than just passively hearing the words.  Communication theory breaks what is being said into two elements – the content and the context. Content is the what – the data, the facts, the information etc. Context refers to everything else that is going on when somebody speaks with you – the relationship, the background, the situation, the emotions etc.  Active listening involves paying close attention to the content being shared AND the contextual components between the listener (the receiver) and the speaker (the sender). Skilled active listeners can hear the what PLUS interest, emotion, concern, energy and other contextual factors from the speaker’s perspective. And they can hear what isn’t being said.

Why invest energy and effort in building your active listening skills?

The benefits of active listening are many.  To start with you’ll hear more … much more. You can enrich your understanding through gathering information and understanding the emotions. You will ask better questions through noticing the speaker’s possible intent, and not only their words. It helps you avoid or diffuse conflicts. Better listening means that solutions and discussion are stronger. Active listening is a building block for open, trusting and accountable relationships.

7 practical tips for active listening

Pay attention

I mean REALLY pay attention to what is being said. Put aside distracting thoughts, try to block out environmental factors (side conversations, people watching etc) and listen holistically.

Know your obstacles to listening

Everyone is guilty of having “inner conversations” when listening – and whether it be judging, dreaming, solving or rehearsing what you want to say these common obstacles get in the way of active listening. Check out this blog post for more information or download the .pdf version here.

Develop countermeasures for your obstacles

Self talk to interrupt your distraction and refocus and internal paraphrasing can help. Basically, this sounds like you telling yourself “Stop it and focus on them not you

Listen for context

Approach a meeting with listening tasks such as learning the interests of others in the room and listening for the valued being created in the conversation.

Dialogue approach

Listen with a mind to understand what is being said and not judge what is being said.

Listen with your eyes

Listen to what they are saying, how they are saying it, “listen” to their body language and “listen” to their eyes.

Provide feedback

It is incredibly difficult not to filter, assume or judge when we listen. As an active listener your role is just to listen. Reflecting, restating and asking questions are essential – just make sure you are doing this to check you are understanding the content and context and not to discuss, negotiate, argue, influence, correct etc.

So should I be making little noises when I actively listen, or not ?

Of course we also send messages when we listen IF we listen actively and affectively. In western cultures we expect some feedback from our listeners that indicates interest, from non-verbal messages such as nodding, smiles, eye contact and posture to small verbal comments like “uh huh” or “ “I see”. Do keep in mind thought that not every culture listens in the same way – and likewise not every individual listens in the same way.  A lack of “ums” and “aahs” doesn’t always mean somebody is not listening.

To wrap up

Active listening helps you to create an environment that supports deeper, more honest and authentic communication. Whether you are managing people, negotiating, discussing, influencing, problem solving, why wouldn’t you invest the energy and effort in becoming a better listener?

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DEEP accountability conversations – How to hold your colleagues accountable

According to Shelly Setzer of the Table Group, peer-to-peer accountability is “probably the toughest behavior to master on a team”. And as cross functional, matrix and virtual teams are becoming the norm, holding each other accountable to team goals and commitments is becoming even more challenging.. As a team member, you aren’t “the boss”, which means you don’t have the levers of reward and coercion and in some cases, your team may just be one among many for your team members. So how exactly do you approach conversations with colleagues who aren’t doing what they said they would do, without the benefit of formal power ? This is where the DEEP model comes in. The DEEP model is designed to help you have a clear approach to tough accountability conversations. It helps you and your team focus on solutions when accountability problems arise. These kinds of conversations are rarely easy, but with DEEP you can approach them with confidence.


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Requirements for the DEEP approach

You need clear commitments with the team (not tacit, unconfirmed agreements). Your colleagues need to trust your intentions and believe you have their and the projects interest at heart.  You need to foster a climate of creative conflict so everyone can be heard and see themselves reflected in team decisions. AND most of all, you need the courage to have what is often a tough conversation. Tough conversations are … tough. There are no tricks or techniques that make them less so, but here are 3 fundamentals to consider:

  • Turn up – Be present in the conversation, shut out unhelpful self-talk, keep control of yourself and focus on the conversation and the outcome.
  • Stay there – Show you are committed to the conversation. Don’t cut it short when things get awkward.
  • Speak out – say what you think and feel and take responsibility for your words.

The DEEP model, step by step

Step 1 – Describe the situation – What happened as I see it

This is a review of the commitment and shortfall without judgment.  Stick with “I” statements rather than “you” statements and try to describe the process that led to the commitment. If you can’t bring up the shortfall without becoming too emotional and judging your conversation partner, then ask yourself 2 questions:

  • Is the timing right?
  • Am I the right person to have this accountability conversation?

Step 2 – Explain the consequences – The result of what happened

The consequences of the shortfall you mention here should be concrete and observable. What actually happened because they didn’t meet their commitment is far more important than what could happen. Finding consequences your partner already cares about adds impact.

Step 3 -Explore options – What we can do about it

Generate at least three options when considering what to do. The “at least three” is very important – is helps you to avoid binary thinking and unnecessarily taking a position.  Brainstorming options together is critical.  The together points you both in the same direction, reaffirms the “team” and ensures you are on the same page before assessing your options, Make it a distinct step with a marker e.g. “Ok, together let’s now brainstorm what we can do” – this moves your conversation forward.

Step 4 – Problem solve together – What we will do about it

Decide and commit to new behaviors. It can be important to find ways you too can commit to the correction of the shortfall and the development of your relationship. Accountability for behaviors is tough so why should only one person carry the weight? Finding ways to help each other will not only help you to implement a solution, it will also help you to increase your level of trust.

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These posts might be of interest to you:

Quick tips on editing your own work

In an ideal situation, one of your colleagues, an internal editor, or proofreader (or InCorporate Trainer) will help you perfect your written masterpiece before you unleash it onto the world. But let’s say you’re left to edit your own work and said work is a lengthy document, or one with sensitive information in places. For one reason or another, your document needs to a final check. I don’t mean a spellcheck. But definitely do one of those as well.



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Edit your work after you’ve finished writing

Writing and editing belong to two separate phases of the writing process. When the editing work begins, you are no longer the author. An editor is not emotionally attached to the words. He/she will mercilessly cut out the most poetic of phrases and well thought out sentences if they interfere with the readability (for example).

  • Cut long sentences in two
  • Replace negatives with positives
  • Use simple language
  • Reduce prepositions
  • Don’t use words you don’t need

More editing tips behind this link. Or if you’re editing an English document, here’s a good post with examples of wimpy words and feeble phrases, and much more.

Take a break first

If you begin the editing process immediately after you finish writing, it can be difficult to catch errors, especially the very small ones. Have a coffee, take a walk around the block or, better yet, leave your writing for a day or two and then come back to it with a fresh perspective.

Edit your work in a different format

You might be surprised how helpful it can be to transfer your work to another format for proofreading. Some possible ideas: print your work on paper, view it on your tablet, project it on the wall or temporarily change the font of your entire document.

Start big

Rather than worrying about spelling, commas and full stops at the beginning of editing, start with a broad overview. Do you need to add or cut a section? Did you forget to include important information? After reading your work, did you realize that you need to re-write something? If yes, do it at this first stage of your edit. Otherwise, you might end up proofreading material that you cut later. Does your document still need:

  • Paragraph headers
  • A summary or a conclusion
  • Links to sources/resources
  • Graphics

Slice and dice

When you’re satisfied with the format and overall structure of your document, it still needs further fine-tuning. This is the time to reduce the number of words in your document and search for shorter, more concise ways to communicate what your audience needs to know. Look out for:

Read your document aloud

You could say “the fact of the matter is that editing is essential”, or you could say “editing is essential”. Readers have little patience for verbose writing. In addition to helping you spot errors with spelling and pronunciation, reading aloud will help you get a feel for the rhythm and tone of your document. Do you get tongue-tied trying to read one sentence? Re-write it so it flows more smoothly. Look out for:

Tell yourself, “It’s finished.”

Leonardo Da Vinci said that a work of art is never finished, merely abandoned. Even if you don’t consider your document a work of art, you will probably never be 100% satisfied. However, after you’ve edited your document as much as possible, call it a day and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

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Stepping into management: the learning and development journey

One of the drawbacks of being a trainer is that now and again you fail to realise that what is obvious for you is new to others. In a recent young managers program the “eureka” moment came when, following a young manager’s “Maybe I’m not cut out for this job”  statement, I shared the Conscious Competence model”.  The model, developed by Noel Burch, has been around since the 1970s – and it’s a great way to prepare for and reflect on your development as a manager (or development in any other role).  I assumed my participants knew the model already but they had never heard of it. This is a quick recap.




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Stage 1 – Unconscious Incompetence

Ignorance is bliss, and you don’t even realize that you are performing poorly. As a new, young manager perhaps you don’t even realize you are making elementary mistakes. Instead of delegating you are dumping tasks on people and walk away convinced you are empowering them to find their own solutions. Perhaps your tasking is incomplete, or maybe you don’t have clear goals because you didn’t consider this your role.  Are you delaying giving feedback because you don’t want to upset anybody and it will sort itself out anyway – or perhaps the way you give feedback is so clumsy you demotivate somebody.  The list goes on and on. You assume you know what y0u’re doing –  it’s more or less the same as before but with the better desk and more benefits. You’re not aware that you don’t have the necessary skill. Perhaps you don’t even realize that the skill is relevant.  In the first stage, your confidence exceeds your management skills. Before you can move to the next step you need to know and accept that certain skills are relevant to the role of manager, and that mastering this skill will make you more effective.

Stage 2 – Conscious Incompetence

Someone helped you understand that you need to develop a new skill. Or, you have been sent on a management training programme and your eyes have been opened. Or perhaps confronted by poor results you’ve actually  taken a step back and reflected on what’s been going on and the role you’ve played. You are aware of your lack of skills. You are consciously incompetent. This is a difficult phase as you are now aware of your weaknesses, or in today’s insipid jargon your “developmental areas”.

Nobody is born a manager, although some people may well have innate skills, making the transition to manager easier. Learning by feedback, learning by suffering, learning by doing and learning by failing – these things brought you to the second stage. Training can play a role as can learning from your peers and exposing yourself to opportunities to learn. By staying positive and embracing the small successes your confidence in your own management abilities grows.

 

Stage 3 – Conscious Competence

At this stage you have learnt some reliable management techniques and processes, but they have to be consciously implemented.  It’s a bit like painting by numbers. You know how to facilitate a meeting well, but you still want to take time to reflect on the steps beforehand.  You can make a great presentation and get your message across … and you know what you need to do in advance to get the success you need. You can provide feedback in an appropriate manner – but not without thinking it through beforehand. At this stage, your ability to be flexible and proactive in unexpected situations is limited – but you can do it. The task-oriented aspects of managing are becoming fine-tuned but it is still learning by doing, trial and error, or copying managerial role models. You are testing your limits.

Stage 4 – Unconscious Competence

Quite simply you have become what you wanted to be –  a skilled manager. The task and relationship aspects of managing are now “part of you”.  You know how to achieve the task, develop individuals and build a team – and can do it without too much thinking. Non-routine situations are challenging, yet do not faze you. You are like Beckenbauer in football, or Federer in tennis. You always appear to have enough time and space to make good decisions. But even masters can lose matches and need to learn and practise.

To summarize

The model can be universally applied as a model for learning. It suggests that you are initially unaware of how little you know – you simply don’t know what you don’t know. As you recognize your incompetence, you acquire a skill consciously, then learn to use that skill. Over time, the skill becomes a part of you. You can utilize it consciously thought through. When that happens you have acquired unconscious competence.

  • It will help you understand that stepping into a management role is a learning journey -and not an instant enlightenment.
  • It reinforces that rank does not automatically give you authority.
  • It reassures you that you can succeed as a manager. You just need space and time to find your feet.
  • Understanding this dynamic and learning basic management techniques will quickly help you overcome the early frustrations.

And finally you can manage your emotion as you develop.  You are going through a well-known learning process.  Nobody is born a manager!

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Read more about the model (this article suggests a fifth stage and has a matrix to clarify the four stages). And finally, a few blog posts you might be interested in:

 

After the meeting ends – more practical ideas from great chair persons and facilitators we’ve worked with

In last week’s post What to do before the meeting begins – 4 added-value ideas from great chair persons and facilitators we’ve worked with we shared 4 great techniques we’ve picked up from experienced chairpersons and facilitators during meeting facilitation seminars. This post keeps sharing the sharing. As trainers, we get to listen to and learn from our clients – and then you get to benefit from not only our knowledge and experience, but their’ s too!  So here are 5 easy-to-implement ideas to make you an even better chair or facilitator AND make your meetings that much more effective.

Making the time to debrief the process

Taking the time after the meeting to talk about how the meeting went means you can continually improve not just your skills, but the effectiveness and efficiency of your meetings too. Debriefing is all about identifying behaviours to maintain and things to do differently during the following meetings – and top performing teams take the time to reflect.  You could integrate it into your agenda  or agree upon reflection intervals.  My own experience is that immediacy  is better.  When asked to think about the last e.g. 6 meetings, people too often tend to either focus on the last 1 or 2 events, or speak in broad and vague generalizations that are more difficult to act upon.

Sending out minutes – each time, every time, always, no excuses, better late than never

Whether they be formal or informal, an executive summary or agenda-based, action-oriented minutes or verbatim, it’s a good idea to write them and send them out!  Great chair persons understand and commit to always having minutes.  They don’t approach them with a “we have proof” mentality – but rather with a “building” and “commitment” mentality. And they also give people an opportunity to review and add to the minutes.  But they have them.

Planning in “I should have said” time

People are wonderfully different – and this means that not everyone is going to contribute equally in your meetings.  It could simply be shyness, or perhaps an issue of interpersonal dynamics or politics.  More often than not it could be that an idea or opinion wasn’t fully formed and the person chose to think it through before speaking (especially if they have what the MBTI refers to as an “Introvert” preference). It’s too easy (and destructive) to take a “If you don’t say it in the meeting you lost your chance”. Plan time after the meeting is over so participants who need time to reflect can have a chance to share their insights. This also helps to build trust.

Taking the time for tête-à-têtes

Connected to the above, planning in time after the meeting for a tête-à-tête (literally a head to head discussion) also gives you an opportunity to

  • make apologies (or gives somebody an opportunity to make them)
  • reflect on behaviours
  • ask for a recommitment to ground rules
  • clarify confusion
  • resolve conflicts
  • ask for and receive feedback,
  • check resources
  • gauge true level of commitment to tasks

… plus a hundred other things which are best done on a one-to-one basis.  It’s not politicking – it’s about building authentic relationships.

Planning in check-ins to review commitments and accountability

If people have had the chance to share their opinions and ideas and robustly discuss options in your meting then you can expect real commitment to the agreed action.  And if people have committed then you can hold them accountable. Great chair persons explicitly review the commitments at the end of the meeting AND they follow up later on.  When they follow up they have an “inquisitive” and “supportive” approach. They understand that things may have changed since the meeting, that priorities may have shifted and that resources may have been over-estimated or diverted.  But they follow up.

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Plenty more meetings where that came from… And for even more information on how to make your meetings and your performance during meetings more successful, please contact us. We love to talk!


 

Before the meeting begins – 4 added-value ideas from great chair persons and facilitators we’ve worked with

One of the best things about being a trainer is that you get to meet a lot of people from diverse backgrounds.  As trainers we get to listen to and learn from our clients – and we then get to share ideas, experiences and best practices with other clients. Below are some of the great ideas that top chairpersons and facilitators have identified over the last years during meeting facilitation seminars.

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Do you know who needs to be in the meeting and what they’ll be bringing to the table?

Before the meeting starts make a list of the decision makers, subject matter experts and opinion leaders. Then take a few minutes to isolate and identify their interests in the outcome of the meeting. Why? By doing this you’ll…

  • Know who to address about which topic when. This is especially useful if you have meeting participants who are quieter or introspective.
  • Know who to ask specific technical questions.
  • Be better able to focus the flow of information and discussion on the decision makers’ interests

Do you invest time before the meeting to talk with the participants?

This idea is too often quickly mislabelled as “politics”, but all of the truly impressive chairpersons I’ve been lucky enough to work with have stood by the idea. Great chairpersons and facilitators make the time to talk with individuals who will participate in the meeting about the meeting before the meeting begins. They do this to uncover interests, hear concerns and objections, and win support. They are then better able to connect interests, help others save face and steer discussions down constructive avenues.

I specifically remember a young project manager passionately convincing her fellow IT engineers of the merits of this behaviour and that “talking about the meeting before the meeting makes the meeting work -and that’s why we always finish our meetings earlier than planned!

Do you build your own ground rules – and review them at the start of every meeting?

Many organizations have established “meeting ground rules”. These may be unspoken, hidden away on the Intranet or printed on colourful posters and put in the meeting rooms. The advice is often solid and sensible.

But all the best chairpersons I’ve worked with have consistently supported the idea that ground rules work best when the team itself decides on their own ground rules and define acceptable meeting behaviour (for example phones on silent, poll opinions, always have an agenda, etc…).  This is especially important when working in virtual teams. When challenged by their peers that this was a waste of time answers included …

  • “The team takes the time to focus on the process and not the results. And my experience is that it’s the process that causes the frustrations 9 out of 10 times”
  • “Because everyone and every team  is different and the company rules can’t know this”
  •  “If they are our rules, and we made them, then everybody shares the responsibility for making our meetings work well”
  • “It means I don’t need to be the bad guy – because we all agreed and committed to the process up front”

Top chair persons and facilitators also tend to review them very quickly at the start of every meeting. One extroverted investment fund manager I worked with sang them and, to keep things fresh, changed the tune at least every quarter. You won’t be surprised to hear that his peers had mixed reactions to this idea (“It is not a serious idea Fabio, we are a bank!”) – but apparently his team loved it, and meeting attendance was high.

Are you building trust through building relationships and enabling “rough discussions”?

Great chairpersons and facilitators take the time before the meeting to get to know team members personally – and understand the dynamics between the participants.  This helps the chairperson;

  • understand people’ motivations and priorities (“what do they really care about?”)
  • adapt the dynamics and approach to respect he different personalities (e.g. not everybody wants to brainstorm as a group
  • adapt their own communication style e.g find the best metaphors and stories to illustrate key points,

But more importantly, as one German manager said “Rough discussions are important so we don’t keep having the same discussions again and again”.  This ties in with Patrick Lencioni’s 5 dysfunctions of a team idea that great chairpersons believe the more they know about the participants, the better they can facilitate open discussions. They’ll know when to push and when to stop, when to mine conflict in the meeting (force buried disagreements to light in order to work through them) and when to deal with issues in smaller groups. Building trust is a long-term investment, but as many meetings are chaired by the teams manager anyway it is an investment that pays off.

 

The business of apologizing

During my time working for a global IT helpdesk, I received more than fifty calls on an average day. We were the first point of contact for the client’s 110.000+ employees, who called us with questions about just about anything to do with IT. Our customers were experts in their field. Our SLAs (Service Level Agreements) were demanding – as customer service experts, we were expected to have an average CSAT score of 4.7 out of 5. It’s not a success story.

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Not for lack of trying, to be clear. Everyone was happy to help, when the customers were friendly, or the problems easy to fix. Some of us, including me, didn’t mind the more challenging customers or problems. A lot of our customers phoned us in moments of frustration, with good reason. They were in the middle of something “important” and now the software wasn’t working, or the computer, or the printer, or whatever. Schedules were interrupted, money was being lost, bad impressions were being made on their clients, and so on. As customer service experts, we understood the three dimensions of service – there’s always something going on in the background. So whatever frustrations came at us, we knew that they weren’t personal.

At the same time, they didn’t help when it came to the all-important relationship building. (Who wants to do that with someone who’s always shouting down the phone?) Most of us quickly learned that frustrated people tend to want to vent and that somehow, venting is easy to a voice on the phone. We worked hard, but our CSAT was down due to a large number of factors, not all related to our ability to be nice to customers. Many other things influence customer satisfaction: long waiting times (another SLA), lack of expertise, etc. As customer service experts, we were expected to apologize, if our customers had experienced delays or when they were otherwise unhappy with something. Some of my colleagues balked at the idea. Apologize? What for, I didn’t do anything wrong. They actually refused.

I’m sorry, that’s not an apology

It’s also a difficult topic to raise in customer service training. I’ve learned that people are very passionate about the “to apologize or not to apologize” question. According to the dictionary an apology is a regretful acknowledgement of failure. Many people however, think that an apology is the same as admitting a mistake, or taking the blame. Like some of my colleagues did.  Some of them couldn’t apologize, almost like the ability to apologize was missing from their DNA. Others felt they would betray their values by handing out an apology for something that wasn’t caused by their wrong-doing. The problems didn’t end there. A few of my colleagues were handing out apologies like they were the solution to everything. Back on the helpdesk, these were some of the phrases that shouldn’t have been circling:

  • It’s my job to apologize to you
  • Yeah, sorry about that
  • I guess I should say sorry about the delay
  • I’m not going to apologize for that, I’m just trying to do my job here

Emotional vs. Neutral cultures

And, consider for a moment the intercultural aspect of complaints. A complaining Brit (who says “I’m afraid I have a problem” with only a slight raise in pitch) will not sound like something is wrong, not to an Italian helpdesk agent. British people guard their emotions, language is polite, whenever possible. The Seven Dimensions of Culture tells us that the United Kingdom (as is Germany) is a neutral culture. In neutral cultures, reason influences action far more than feelings. Italy is an emotional culture, where people tend to want to find ways to express their emotions.

Apologists vs. Non-apologists

It’s simply so: some people find it extremely difficult to apologize. Approximately 50% of my helpdesk colleagues were non-apologists. Asking a non-apologist to apologize for something they did ‘wrong’ is asking a lot. Asking a non-apologist to apologize for something that they had no influence over is asking too much.  As soon as we talk about the business of apologizing, someone in the training room will say exactly what some of my colleagues said: Me? Apologize? What for? I didn’t do anything wrong. A non-apologist. They’re everywhere.

The elements of effective apologies

According to a recent paper, called “An Exploration of the Structure of Effective Apologies”* the best-received apologies contains all six of the following elements (the researchers found that the most important, by far, was acknowledgement of responsibility):

  1. Expression of regret
  2. Explanation of what went wrong
  3. Acknowledgement of responsibility
  4. Declaration of repentance
  5. Offer of repair
  6. Request for forgiveness

In memory of my colleagues

This post is dedicated to all the apologists and non-apologists that I had the pleasure of working with. And here, to finish on a high note, are the few of the apologists’ apologies that also circled (and also deserve to be immortalized on the web). (Click here for more phrases to use in an apology.)

  • Sir, I cannot express in words how sorry I am about that.
  • On behalf of everyone on my team, I want to offer you an apology.
  • It’s absolutely our fault and for that I apologize. This should never have happened.

And our customers…

Almost all our customers were friendly professionals who appreciated our dedication, even when we couldn’t come up with the solution immediately. In no way do I want to imply otherwise. Unfortunately, those customers wouldn’t have made this post very interesting.

* The paper, called “An Exploration of the Structure of Effective Apologies,” was published in the May 2016 issue of Negotiation and Conflict Management Research. (You can read the abstract online.) The academics — lead author Roy Lewicki, professor emeritus of management and human resources at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business; Robert Lount, associate professor of management and human resources at Ohio State; and Beth Polin, assistant professor of management at Eastern Kentucky University — presented fictional apologies to 755 people.

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Read more about the 3 dimensions of service and how you can use them in your business communication. In the video, Dr. Fons Trompenaars answers the question “How do intercultural skills connect to communication skills?” Please contact us for more information.


3 thought-provoking business books from 2016 that you may have missed

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

Cal Newport

Do you ever feel that you can’t get any work done because of the countless emails, calls, updates and web-meetings? Do you feel that you spend all day “communicating” without getting things done properly? Then this hugely topical book is for you.

In Deep Work Cal Newport argues that one of the key skills for productivity and success in such a “connected age” is the ability to focus  on demanding tasks. He then brings this to life with science, stories, anecdotes and examples. Finally he then shares 4 “rules” for building habits and transforming your approach-

  1. Work deeply
  2. Embrace boredom
  3. Quit social media (see below)
  4. Drain the shallows

Check out the author’s excellent and generous blog to get a quick overview of the ideas.  Then put your smart phone in a drawer, turn off the TV, pour yourself a glass of wine and make the time to read it.

 

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Managing in the Gray: Five Timeless Questions for Resolving Your Toughest Problems at Work

Joseph L. Bardacco

In contrast to the previous “21st century” recommendation, the core themes of this book are timeless and universally applicable regardless of your situation. Every manager needs to accept and work with ambiguity.  Do you support your manager when you know the decision is terrible – and your team know it too?  Do you promote a driven and successful team leader who has regularly rubs people up the wrong way?

This book offers five deceptively simple questions to help you navigate through “gray areas”.

The questions are …

  • What are the net, net consequences?
  • What are my core obligations?
  • What will work in the world as it is?
  • Who are we?
  • What can I live with?

These 5 questions provide an ethical compass. To quote the author “When you face a gray area problem at work, you should work through it as a manager and resolve it as a human being.”

Certainly worth your time, and it also provides an excellent framework for teams, talent programs and management training programs.

How To Have A Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioural Science to Transform Your Working Life

Caroline Webb

And finally, our third suggestion is perfect for December. As the year comes to an end. many of us will be reflecting on what we’ve achieved (or not), how we’ve achieved it, and what we should be doing more or less of.  In How to Have a Good Day, Caroline Webb shares findings from behavioural economics, psychology and neuroscience and then shows how you can build on big “scientific” ideas to transform the quality of your everyday life.  The book is divided into seven areas

  • Priorities
  • Productivity
  • Relationships
  • Thinking
  • Influence
  • Resilience
  • Energy

And concludes with a transfer-oriented “Making it stick”.

Speaking openly, it can be a heavy read. There’s a lot of research and findings shared, BUT there’s a clear focus on your working life too.  Don’t let the “self-help” moniker put you off reading this – the stories and examples avoid slipping into fantasy or “business book bullshit”.

The author’s excellent blog is also well worth your time.

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Finally, I know we’ve shared our 3, but its Christmas so check out “HBR’s 10 Must Reads 2017: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review”.  The summary of “Collaborative Overload” by Cross, Rebele and Grant connects back with Cal Newport’s Deep Work and is hugely relevant to anyone working in virtual teams. Plus check out the  excellent summary of Erin Meyer’s “Getting to Si, Ja, oui, Hai and Da” if you need to negotiate across cultures.

 

What makes a great trainer?

We recently had the opportunity to ask a selection of managers what they think are the qualities of a great trainer. At the end of the session, they were pretty much in agreement. Their collated answers are summarized below.

Variety and flexibility

Have a wide range of activities to use flexibly in different training situations. These activities should accommodate different learning styles. The trainer also needs to vary the training approaches and the interaction patterns in the training room. They need to know how to make sure participants get the most from the training.
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Creative and innovative

The more personalized and interactive the activities are, the more immediately transferable the results will be. A great trainer will feel the reward of delivering something that really adds value for the participants. Great trainers are passionate about what they do. They will want to experiment with new ideas and activities, each time reflecting on its success and development.

Know the audience

It’s not always possible to know every participant in advance. But a great trainer will have done the research. They’ll know about, for example, what the client does, what their challenges are, and how they expect the training will help them reach their goals.

Embrace change

With new training trends, new technologies, and the ongoing cycle of change in business, the trainer’s ability to adapt will make him/her/the training more effective. Great trainers drive change. They introduce new techniques and elements to the training – a blended learning or virtual learning element for example.

Focus on results

Great trainers work with the end in mind. Every activity should consider the goals of the participants and learning progress is measured. The trainer looks for immediate results (reaction to the session) and long-term results (behaviour on the job).

Approachable

Having a genuine, active interest in people is just one of the qualities of a great trainer. The trainer’s ability in building relationships is a major part in ensuring an effective outcome for all stakeholders.

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We offer a number of train the trainer programs in English and German. Not all the information is currently on our website. Here’s a good place to start.

Managing high performers – the Miles Davis way

What does Miles Davis have to do with managing high performers in business? Good question. Miles Davis is rightfully acclaimed as an icon of jazz, but he didn’t make music alone.  Throughout his career as a bandleader, Miles worked with other iconic figures of jazz to create music that stands even today as among the highest forms of the genre. John Coltrane, Herbbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, “Philly” Joe Jones, Keith Jarrett, Ron Carter, Tony Williams and many others among the giants of jazz graduated from “Miles University”. Miles Davis, time and time again, brought together some of the most talented musicians in their own right to work with him in his musical exploration. How did he do it? This article will explore the lessons of Miles Davis in the art of leading the best to be their best. eBook: The definitive checklist for qualifying training providers

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Lesson 1: Be excellent, publicly

Miles Davis was able, on many occasions, to put together bands of some of the most talented musicians of their time throughout his career. Miles’ reputation clearly preceded him. Receiving a call from Miles was seen as having achieved a high level of musicianship. But that wasn’t the only reason so many musicians with promising solo careers agreed to support Miles. They believed they would learn something based on Miles’ excellence as a musician and band leader. Miles greatness was easy to see through his performances, compositions and recordings.

How easy is it for high performers to recognize your excellence? There is a tendency among many leaders not to “toot their own horns” about their own performance and accomplishments. While a leader may not need to sing his own praises, it is important that someone does it for him. A leader’s excellence will attract others who want to achieve the same level of competence, while increasing the leader’s  credibility and ability to guide, mentor and teach.

Lesson 2: Don’t hire a trumpet player

Miles’ great combos included players with different styles and tendencies. He hired players who would complement his playing and each other’s. He didn’t need anyone who sounded like him because he had that covered.

In business, it can be difficult to avoid the temptation to hire people who mirror our backgrounds, experiences, styles and tendencies. After all those competencies served us well in our careers. It is important to remember as a leader that our success is a reflection of the past while we are hiring for the future.  The pace of change doesn’t only require different technological skills it also requires new communication and leadership skills from those current leaders needed at earlier stages of their careers. Hiring teams with complementary but different skills and areas of expertise broadens the set of problems they can solve and increases their impact on the organization.

“It’s not about standing still and becoming safe. If anybody wants to keep creating they have to be about change.”
Miles Davis

Lesson 3: Play together and produce excellence

Miles’ bands grew into cohesive units through performances, not rehearsals. Each performance created a wealth of learning opportunities for Miles and his band mates. The urgency of the moment created a focus and intensity that would be very difficult if not impossible to reproduce in a rehearsal. By focusing on playing together and learning from the experience, Miles could correct on the spot, encourage and support his band to take risks, push themselves and reach new heights of excellence.

How often do you perform with your high performers? Finding opportunities to produce excellence together will give you more chances to learn from each other.

Lesson 4: Don’t tell them what to do, tell them what not to do

Related to lesson three, play together and produce excellence, is the style of debriefing and guidance Miles offered to his band mates following their performances.  Miles didn’t put a group together hearing the music he hoped they would produce in his mind, then correcting them to come as close as possible to his vision. Miles believed in an experimental approach to developing new music. When reflecting about what took place in performances, Miles would say what his band mates shouldn’t do but he wouldn’t tell them what to do. He hired them for their expertise on their individual instruments. He wanted them to bring their ideas to the table so they could take ownership of their performances and the product of the group.

The high performers in your organization reached a level of success before becoming members of your team. When managing high performers, take advantage of their creativity and input by channelling, not directing their contributions to the organization.

“If you don’t know what to play, play nothing.”
Miles Davis

Lesson 5: Listen to save the day

Deep listening is the art of hearing not only what is said but also what isn’t said. On stage, Miles had the opportunity to lay out and listen to what his band mates were playing.  There were times when while reaching for new forms of expression, the band lost its way. By listening to what wasn’t there, Miles could enter the fray at the right moment with the phrase that would bring the other players back together again, finding a groove that was satisfying to the musicians and the audience.

Look for your opportunities, especially in conflict, to find what isn’t being said and remind the participants in the argument that they are on the same team. Listen for agreement that the parties may be missing, summarize, and encourage them to listen deeply to each other when emotions run high. “What I am hearing is…” is a great way to interject.

“I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning… Every day I find something creative to do with my life.”
Miles Davis

Lesson 6: Talk about life, not music

With our busy lives it may be tempting to leave work at work and leave life at home.  We can get through our workdays without sharing with others the experiences that shaped us outside of the work environment. Miles believed knowing the personal histories of his band mates was crucial to being able to know them musically. He invested time in learning about the backgrounds of his band mates and he shared his own. This sharing created an environment of trust that helped his musicians to work with each other more closely.

Be willing to be more open when you are managing high performers as it can lead to more effective, trusting relationships. A deeper bond of respect can increase loyalty to you, and commitment to your organization and its goals.

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On leadership: Here are a  few blog posts on the topic.  If you are interested to learn more about our leadership skills seminars, please contact us, or take a look at the very popular seminar “A practical toolbox for managers”.