What´s Bothering Managers?
July 31, 2008
Take the 5 Day Trial Today and learn all about our membership options. Learn more about this Call Center VIP membership site now.
Where do we begin? Tired of playing `piggy in the middle´?
They cop flack from both sides – upper management and the people they `manage´. Tired of being one of the first to blame when things go wrong?
Frustrated by the lack of back up and support from the upper echelons who expect them to perform the daily miracles required to produce excellent results?
They don the title of Manager or Supervisor and suddenly they are expected to know all about Human Resource issues, communication, handling people, Unions, etc.
One day they are `the best´ at whatever they do and on the strength of that, chosen for promotion. The next day they are the Manager, still the best at whatever it is they do, but no further ahead with the knowledge they need to succeed in their new position.
Do they complain and possibly risk losing their new hard-worked-for position or the respect of upper levels of management?
Or do they struggle on doing the best they can? As individuals, they can seek further training in their own time to learn effective people handling skills, and many managers do this.
However, if you take an honest look at an overall Organization, you´ll probably find many departmental Heads in the same position – good at what they do, but lacking the skills needed for effective `management´.
So when does the responsibility for further training become an Organizational issue and not an individual issue?
For those with their eyes on a promotion, it would be in their best interests to have this training now. Then, when they are the best at what they do AND they have the skills necessary to be effective Managers and Supervisors, they have a lot more to offer a Company.
For those who have already been thrust into the position of Supervisor or Manager, it is the company´s responsibility to ensure they have all the tools and training necessary in order for them to perform their duties effectively.
One step Managers can take to make their job easier is to take a long hard look at their own areas of weakness.
Be honest. Brainstorm with your department and ask for their honest opinions – make it clear that this is not a blame apportioning exercise and that opinions shall be treated with respect.
Instead of feeling that one is on their own in the improvement stakes, make it a departmental responsibility.
What can everyone do to ensure your department runs more smoothly and easily? Create a focus on what is already working and build from there.
For those things which definitely are not working, brainstorm as a team.
Ask your workforce what they need from you in order to do their jobs more efficiently. Do they need more training? More autonomy? More supervision? Regular feedback? Weekly meetings with you?
Tell your workforce what you need from them. If you want them to just get on with the job and only bother you when there is a problem that only you can help with, let them know. If you´d rather they reported weekly to you on the progress of certain projects, tell them. Chances are none of you are mind-readers!
Your role as Manager will be greatly improved if you open the lines of communication. Do not apportion blame.
Rather than seeing your role in terms of "managing", think of it in terms of coaching or mentoring. Experience has shown that employees respond better to coaching/mentoring techniques than they do to the traditional management methods.
This means never being too busy for your staff, never being too self-important, and making time to be their Team Leader. Pay attention to what they say to you.
Take the time to listen and learn from and with them. And expect your own `Manager´ or President/CEO to do the same. Have a meeting and be open. You cannot work in the dark. Say what you need in order to do your job properly.
When talking with your staff or higher management, here are 6 tips to help you get the most out of it:
1. Listen carefully. Don´t be thinking ahead of what you want to say – put that aside while the other person is talking and just concentrate on what they are saying to you.
2. Repeat back what you think they said to ensure you have understood. Use phrases like "I understand what you mean," or "I see your point", and when you don´t, ask them to clarify. Get to the bottom of it.
3. Be honest about your own shortcomings and admit to your mistakes. And if you are going to give feedback, be careful not to do it in a blaming sense.
Keep emotion out of it and just stick to the facts. Do not resort to name-calling or putting anybody else down in order to justify your position.
4. Apologize where an apology is called for. Don´t try to make excuses for poor performance – focus instead on what can be done to improve/rectify the situation.
5. Ask for input/ideas on how to improve the situation.
6. If the timing is bad for your discussion, be honest and say that you need time to think over what has just been said and make a time for follow up.
As a Manager, you may sometimes feel you have to be all things to all people. It doesn´t have to be that way if you focus on a team spirit. You are all in it together and the responsibility for making anything "work" should be a team effort.
Five Habits of Highly Effective Conflict Resolvers
July 31, 2008
By Dina Beach Lynch, Esq.
Steven Covey had the right idea. There are discreet skills and attitudes, habits if you will, that can elevate your conflict practice to a new level. This article shares a selection of habits and attitudes that can transform a good conflict resolver into a highly effective one. By that I mean someone who facilitates productive, meaningful discussion between others that results in deeper self-awareness, mutual understanding and workable solutions.
I have used the term ‘conflict resolver’ intentionally to reinforce the idea that human resource professionals and managers are instrumental in ending disputes, regardless of whether they are also mediators. These conflict management techniques are life skills that are useful in whatever setting you find yourself. With these skills, you can create environments that are respectful, collaborative and conducive to problem-solving. And, you’ll teach your employees to be proactive, by modeling successful conflict management behaviors.
UNDERSTAND THE EMPLOYEE’S NEEDS
Since you’re the ‘go to person’ in your organization, it’s natural for you to jump right in to handle conflict. When an employee visits you to discuss a personality conflict, you assess a situation, determine the next steps and proceed until the problem is solved. But is that helpful?
When you take charge, the employee is relieved of his or her responsibility to find a solution. That leaves you to do the work around finding alternatives. And while you want to do what’s best for this person (and the organization), it’s important to ask what the employee wants first– whether it’s to vent, brainstorm solutions or get some coaching. Understand what the person entering your door wants by asking questions:
•How can I be most helpful to you?
•What are you hoping I will do?
•What do you see my role as in this matter?
ENGAGE IN COLLABORATIVE LISTENING
By now everyone has taken at least one active listening course so I won’t address the basic skills. Collaborative Listening takes those attending and discerning skills one step further. It recognizes that in listening each person has a job that supports the work of the other. The speaker’s job is to clearly express his or her thoughts, feelings and goals. The listener’s job is facilitating clarity; understanding and make the employee feel heard.
So what’s the difference? The distinction is acknowledgement. Your role is to help the employee gain a deeper understanding of her own interests and needs; to define concepts and words in a way that expresses her values (i.e. respect means something different to each one of us); and to make her feel acknowledged—someone sees things from her point of view.
Making an acknowledgement is tricky in corporate settings. Understandably, you want to help the employee but are mindful of the issues of corporate liability. You can acknowledge the employee even while safeguarding your company.
Simply put, acknowledgement does not mean agreement. It means letting the employee know that you can see how he got to his truth. It doesn’t mean taking sides with the employee or abandoning your corporate responsibilities. Acknowledgement can be the bridge across misperceptions. Engage in Collaborative Listening by:
•Help the employee to explore and be clear about his interests and goals
•Acknowledge her perspective
I can see how you might see it that way.
That must be difficult for you.
I understand that you feel _______ about this.
•Ask questions that probe for deeper understanding on both your parts:
oWhen you said x, what did you mean by that?
oIf y happens, what’s significant about that for you?
oWhat am I missing in understanding this from your perspective?
BE A GOOD TRANSMITTER
Messages transmitted from one person to the next are very powerful. Sometimes people have to hear it ‘from the horse’s mouth’. Other times, you’ll have to be the transmitter of good thoughts and feelings. Pick up those ‘gems’, those positive messages that flow when employees feel safe and heard in mediation, and present them to the other employee. Your progress will improve.
We’re all human. You know how easy it is to hold a grudge, or assign blame. Sharing gems appropriately can help each employee begin to shift their perceptions of the situation, and more importantly, of each other. To deliver polished gems, try to:
•Act soon after hearing the gem
•Paraphrase accurately so the words aren’t distorted
•Ask the listener if this is new information and if changes her stance
•Avoid expecting the employees to visibly demonstrate a ‘shift in stance’ (it happens internally and on their timetable, not ours)
RECOGNIZE POWER
Power is a dominant factor in mediation that raises many questions: What is it? Who has it? How to do you balance power? Assumptions about who is the ‘powerful one’ are easy to make and sometimes wrong. Skillful conflict resolvers recognize power dynamics in conflicts and are mindful about how to authentically manage them. You can recognize power by being aware that:
•Power is fluid and exchangeable
•Employees possess power over the content and their process (think of employees concerns as the water flowing into and being held by the container)
•Resolvers possess power over the mediation process ( their knowledge, wisdom, experience, and commitment form the container)
•Your roles as an HR professional and resolver will have a significant impact on power dynamics
BE OPTIMISTIC & RESILIENT
Agreeing to participate in mediation is an act of courage and hope. By participating, employees are conveying their belief in value of the relationship. They are also expressing their trust in you to be responsive to and supportive of our efforts. Employees may first communicate their anger, frustration, suffering, righteousness, regret, not their best hopes. You can inspire them to continue by being optimistic:
•Be positive about your experiences with mediation
•Hold their best wishes and hopes for the future
•Encourage them to work towards their hopes
Be Resilient. Remember the last time you were stuck in a conflict? You probably replayed the conversation in your mind over and over, thinking about different endings and scolding yourself. Employees get stuck, too. In fact, employees can become so worn down and apathetic about their conflict, especially a long-standing dispute; they’d do anything to end it. Yes, even agree with each other prematurely. Don’t let them settle. Mediation is about each employee getting their interest met. Be resilient:
•Be prepared to move yourself and the employees though productive and less productive cycles of the mediation
•Help the employees see their movement and progress
•Be mindful and appreciative of the hard work you all are doing
Hopefully, you’ve discovered that these are your own habits in one form or another and that your organization is benefiting from your knowledge. You can learn more about workplace mediation and mediation in general from these books and websites:
The Power of Mediation
Bringing Peace into the Room
Difficult Conversation: How to Say What Matters Most
www.ne-acr.org (The New England Association of Conflict Resolvers)
www.mediate.com (mediation portal site)
www.workwelltogether.com (conflict management toolkit)
"Mediation is based on a belief in the fundamental honesty of human
beings. Which is another way of saying we all want to be treated justly
- that is according to our unique situation and viewpoint on the world.
And we cannot expect to be treated justly if we do not honestly reveal
ourselves." ~ the Honourable Neville Chamberlain, British Prime Minister 1937
About the Author
Dina Beach Lynch, Esq. is a mediator and conflict coach who launched WorkWellTogether.com Formerly Dina was Ombuds for Fleet Bank where she assisted 48,000 employees to resolve work tensions. Dina can be reached at Dina@workwelltogether.com
Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing
July 31, 2008
By Peter Carter
Outsourcing is an arrangement wherein a company subcontracts services to another company. The aim of this is, if not to cut costs, to employ skills that are not available in-house. Today, the increase in the number of outsourcing companies has put outsourcing in the spotlight, and debates on whether it is undesirable or desirable have been many. Summing it up, a lot of commercial companies are all for it, while employee unions are often against it.
Business enterprises usually opt to go for outsourcing for the following benefits:
(1) Cost savings, including cost re-structuring. Businesses become successful when they are able to minimize costs, and outsourcing provides this advantage. For example, an automobile company can cut on their expenditures if they buy the parts they need, and simply put them together.
(2) Quality control. By outsourcing, companies are able to tap better into pools of expertise and gain access to intellectual property, as well as sustainable sources of skills. Moreover, this method avoids the time-consuming process of training to develop the particular services in-house. Also, by providing new service-level agreements in their contracts, enterprises are able to make sure that the quality of the outputs or products isn't lost. These contracts usually contain penalties or legal redress for transgressions.
(3) Time-related advantages. It is possible that services are made available everyday, at any time of the week. This is achievable because the services can be done in different locations with time zones. When the organization from Country A goes off-duty, the organization from Country B can take over. Not only that, a product can also be speedily developed and marketed because of outsourcing.
Going back the automobile company example, they can stock up on the different parts of cars in their warehouses, and just assemble. There is no time needed to manufacture the parts, and they are always at hand in their depots.
Unions, on the other hand, argue that outsourcing harms a local labor force. Outsourcing results in fewer jobs, and this can be observed everywhere. This happens because services that can be done in home organizations are now shifted to other locations, especially to countries that work for cheaper labor.
Consequently, the labor rates will decline, especially since there will be competition for jobs. Unemployment will definitely affect a country's economy. There are also some complaints that the true business value of services aren't realized and so aren't paid enough for. Some take it further and call it exploitation of lower-paid employees.
In another angle, language barriers are eyed as being detrimental to the quality of service. When the services are drawn from places with different culture or when the first language is dissimilar, it could do more harm than help.
Furthermore, it is possible that since data is moved around, leakages or even misuse of information can happen. There was a case before of bank accounts being tampered with when call center workers were able to get a hold of customer accounts.
There also exist claims that outsourcing is actually counter-productive, and that instead of purchasing actual technology to improve the company, enterprises are instead, resorting to outsourcing. This could lead to dependency.
In conclusion, there are two sides to a coin. To outsource or not is up to the company. Whatever methods they choose have both good and bad effects, although the good part will mostly be enjoyed by the business enterprise.
Peter Carter owns the popular blog http://www.make-cash-on-the-net.com where he discusses a number of topics relating to making money from home.
Management at Its Best
July 30, 2008
Eileen M Penrose
Eileen M Penrose specializes in managerial coaching. You can read more articles on the subject of management at ManagementFYI
Offshore Data Entry Work in India
July 30, 2008
By Bobb Thomas
Data entry services are helpful to improve performance standards of any kind of businesses, whether it is a small firm or big organization. These services allow us to increase the rhythm of our business activities and operations with higher speed. By doing this, we can save our time, money and furthermore data entry services provide us many other competitive advantages.
Data entry services play important role in today's Business Industries as they include many important professional and business services e.g. offshore data entry, data conversion services, online data entry, offline data entry, document and image processing, image entry, Insurance Claim Entry, Offline and Online Data Conversion Jobs, offline as well as online data entry jobs.
Now looking at data conversion services and benefits of it. The need for data conversion is essential for any business organization or firm to run their business effectively. Data conversion services can be defined as the translation of data from one format to another. Data stored in an earlier system is imported into a newer one. Data Conversion Services can range from a simple one for one import to a complex procedure where non-relational data needs to be imported, validated, cleansed and split up into multiple tables in a new relational database structure.
Some services that data conversion includes are:
* Document Conversion
* XML Conversion
* HTML Conversion
* SGML Conversion
* CAD Conversion
* Catalog Conversion
* Book Conversion
* PDF Conversion
Now let's come on Data processing. Irrespective of company, whether it's a small company or bigger organization, it's very useful. It is not just about the process of implementing the data or say information in the right place at the right time; it also covers a range of various methods for how data is processed and to what limit data is going to give the best of results for your company or business organizations.
Various types of data processing services are: Data mining, Data cleansing, Check processing, Image processing, Form processing, OCR clean up, Insurance claim processing, Survey processing. These data processing services are helpful in streamlining a wide range of corporate activities and operations. Data processing and related other services are not only good to present the full and processed data that is to be used for the overall benefit rather their primary function is to present an insightful explanation of the data.
This article has been offer consideration of data entry services in http://www.offshoredataentry.com, Offshore Data Entry, in data entry services more than 11 years.
Call Center Audit In Manila
July 30, 2008
Aren't call center audits fun?
I'm not sure what is worse… Conducting the audit or being audited? I've been on both side of the fence. I've been a cll center outsourcer and now I'm the client.
So to make a long story short, me and four others are getting ready to jump on a plan in about 8 hours to Manila. The flight should take about 24 hours. Can you say fun!!!
The good news is that we get to fly in business class. That makes all the difference. In fact, it makes the trip so much more pleasurable and subsequently, once we land we are refreshed. That's important because we have limited time to get a lot done. So our goal is to make sure our vendor is handling our customers properly.
One of the key aspects of our audit is how well the management team motivates and supports the customer service agents.
The more effective the call center management team is at this, the better the center will perform. This has a direct effect on call center quality. One of the major things we are going to roll out is our call center games and SMART goals processes.
So while we've were preparing for this audit, I realized that I haven't brought attention to this proven call center motivation system to you. This is something that may make you amore productive leader.
I set up a special link for CallCenterCafe.com readers. Check it out quickly, because I don't know when we are going to take it down.
Call Center Performance The Easy Way! Click Here and Find Out How!
I'll get you a new post when I land and give you an update. It should be ineresting and it should be fun. Have a great day!
Motivation and Productivity
July 29, 2008
By P E Cavanaugh
If we believe that happy employees are motivated employees then here are 8 ways to keep them motivated.
- Start with good employees, if you concentrate on character rather than skills you are then more than half-way to motivating your employees
- Learn to evaluate and talk to them, this is not the praise or rewards, but feedback about the task they are presently doing.
- Praise, acknowledgment, if one of the top reasons why employees quit is lack of recognition, then recognition for good work seems to carry a lot of importance.
- At the same time you need discipline, if a good employee sees unwanted behavior going unpunished, then that good employee loses his own feeling of being better.
- When you give clear instructions, you get clear results.
- Listen; really listen to your employees.
- Write letters to them mentioning their good behavior; keep track of who does what, not just the bad. Keep track of the good behavior
- Make a presentation or award them, make it public so their coworkers see.
If we look backwards from the reasons that employees give for quitting, and take those negatives and reverse them, we come up with a rewards system that empowers our employees. When people feel empowered and confident, and they know that their empowerment and confidence come from recognition in the workplace, they are happy individuals.
The funny thing is that when I first thought about motivation, I thought about monetary rewards, and that is still effective, but all of these motivators cost nothing. The only thing that they cost is a little thought about the individual.
Aren't we all happy with some personal recognition?
Do you want to make more money and have the freedom to enjoy your life?
Download this: Freedom and Money Patrick Cavanaugh has been coaching painting contractors and running a successful painting business for 30 years.
Outsourcing and the Stressed Out American
July 29, 2008
By Goerge Stiff
Americans are busier today than ever before. From executives to soccer moms, no one seems immune to the stress caused by having too much to do and not enough time to do it. Being stressed out is a cultural phenomenon. It's so prevalent we seem to think that a stressed life is a normal life.
In the stone age - the time for which our body was actually designed to survive - stress to the degree to which we feel it today - sever anxiety, panic, etc. - was typically brought by being pursued by a predator or in times of extreme famine. Today, stress is such a common state of being. It's usually brought on by long lists of personal responsibilities and workloads that would take two or three people to accomplish.
"The 40-hour workweek is a joke," says entrepreneur Timothy Ferriss, author of the book, The 4-Hour Workweek. "Sixty hours is becoming the new norm. At the turn of the millennium, 26 percent of Americans reported being on the verge of a nervous breakdown and 70 percent of working parents said they didn't have enough time for their kids."
The statistics on work stress, in particular, are staggering. At the end of World War II the U.S. had the shortest working hours of the industrialized countries. Now, we have the longest. The average American worker puts in 200 more hours per year than he or she did in 1973.
The lack of downtime is detrimental. Last year, 25% of American workers took no paid vacation. The 43% who did, didn't even take off a full week. Thirty percent fewer American families take vacations together today than in1970 and American workers receive the least vacation time among wealthy industrial nations.
All that stress and no downtime takes an almost incalculable toll on the human body. Heart disease, depression, hypertension, sleep deprivation, diabetes, infertility, anxiety and other mental disorders can all be attributed to the copious amounts of stress we Americans endure. Stress is an epidemic that's robbing us of time with our families, our health and our longevity.
In every aspect of life there are choices to be made; in our careers, in our relationships and with regard to our health. We can choose to seek out services, like a virtual assistant or other outsourcing, that can help lighten our load and take a positive step towards a healthier life.
When it comes to your health, outsourcing your life to a personal assistant can almost literally be a life saver. The few minutes your personal assistant spends on your tasks can free up hours of your time but it also lightens your mental load giving your body a well-needed break from "panic mode". Knowing someone you can trust is on the task and that you can take a moment to take care of yourself, is the most important reason of all to outsource your life to a virtual assistant.
About AskSunday
AskSunday is a leading provider of 24/7 remote personal assistant services through its talented agents located worldwide. AskSunday is committed to providing the highest standards of service and strives to offer accessible and reliable support to all. AskSunday is currently available across the US, Canada, UK and Australia. Due to the great demand since its launch in July 2007, the company plans to expand its services to other major cities around the world in 2008. AskSunday serves both consumer and corporate accounts. For more information, visit http://www.asksunday.com
BPO Companies - A Means Of Outsourcing
July 28, 2008
By Anie Vadera
Outsourcing is the process of contracting with other person or company to do a particular task. These days organizations outsource their product or services in some way. BPO companies are getting quite popular with their back office BPO operations and front office BPO operations. The BPO companies are classified into offshore outsourcing, nearshore outsourcing and onshore outsourcing businesses. It depends on the country where outsourcer is located.
Generally, BPO companies are located overseas and represented by call centers, data entry specialists, offshore bookkeepers, tax preparation specialists, accountants, email answering specialists, telemarketers, copywriters, web sales and marketing professionals and many other specialists.
BPO companies are one of the fastest growing industries in today. The benefit of BPO companies are reduction in production costs, getting the work done by professional specialists. It’s a logical sequence of globalizing IT market.
To hire a BPO company several factors needs to be taken into consideration as your several business risks are shared with the BPO companies. One should plan long term projects and long term goals in which chances of failure seems minimum. It should be seen that work get accomplished in time as it increases the cost and overhead expenses in case the stipulated task doesn’t get accomplished.
These days many BPO companies are into origin from India, China,Philipines,South Africa. In developing countries like India there is sharp competition in BPO companies These are largely assited small and medimum sized companies which seek to boost their business profit with their cost effective techniques.
Taking into consideration the growing number of BPO companies affording services at cheap and reasonable rates business will be outsourced more and more. So it’s a good chance to start with a BPO company. The challenge of outsourcing becomes urgent especially when the work is being done in a different country(offshore) and that involves language, cultural and time zone differences.
Anie Simon writes for outsourcing works. She works for an outsourcing company. To know more about BPO outsourcing and other outsourcing solutions visit http://www.2outsource.com
A Short Guide to Public Speaking
July 28, 2008
Delivering an effective presentation to 20 or to 200 people is difficult.
Because listeners have better access to information since the internet became commonplace, audiences expect more content from speakers today.
In addition, because of the entertainment slant of most media today, audiences want a presentation delivered with animation, humor, and pizzazz.
If you would rather spend your time preparing your content than reading a book on public speaking, this is an article especially for you!
From my experiences in delivering over l500 speeches during the past 20 years, here is a quick guide to giving an effective and interesting presentation your very first time.
Begin with something to get the attention of the audience. This might be a startling statement, statistic, or your own story.
Listeners pay close attention when a person begins with, “Two weeks ago as I was driving to work a car pulled out in front of me….”
You could begin with a current event: “You might have read in the paper this morning about the flood that….” A question is another way to make people listen.
“How many of you feel our society spends too much on medical care?” might be a way to begin a presentation about curbing costs.
Whatever technique you use, when you grab the attention of the audience you are on your way to a successful speech.
Second, be energetic in delivery. Speak with variety in your voice. Slow down for a dramatic point and speed up to show excitement.
Pause occasionally for effect. Don’t just stand behind the lectern, but move a step away to make a point. When you are encouraging your audience, take a step toward them.
Gesture to show how big or wide or tall or small an object is that you are describing. Demonstrate how something works or looks or moves as you tell about it.
Show facial expression as you speak. Smile when talking about something pleasant and let your face show other emotions as you tell about an event or activity. Whatever your movements, they should have purpose.
Structure your speech. Don’t have more than two or three main points, and preview in the beginning what those points will be.
With each point, have two or three pieces of support, such as examples, definitions, testimony, or statistics.
Visual aids are important when you want your audience to understand a process or concept or understand a financial goal. Line graphs are best for trends.
Bar graphs are best for comparisons and pie graphs are best for showing distribution of percentages.
Tie your points together with transitions. These could be signposts such as “First,” “Second,” or "Finally."
Use an internal summary by simply including the point you just made and telling what you plan to talk about next. “Now that we have talked about structure, let’s move on to the use of stories,” would be an example.
When you have an introduction, two or three main points with support for each, appropriate transitions, and a conclusion, you will have your speech organized in a way that the audience can follow you easily.
Tell your own story somewhere in the presentation–especially in a technical presentation. Include a personal experience that connects to your speech content, and the audience will connect with you.
You want to help the audience link emotionally with what you are talking about, and the personal experience does that.
With almost any topic you might choose, you have at least one “war story” to relate to the topic. When you tell the story, simply start at the beginning and move chronologically through the narrative, including answers to the “W” questions: “Who,” What, “When,” "Why," and “Where.”
To add interest and understanding to your speech, include a visual aid. A visual aid could be an object, a flip chart, a PowerPoint presentation, overhead projector slides, or a dry erase board.
Whatever visual you are using, make sure everyone can see it. The best way to insure this is to put the visual where you will be speaking, and then find the seat farthest from it and determine if you can read the visual from that seat.
Introduce the visual properly rather than simply throwing it at your audience; explain what the visual will do before you unveil it. Don’t allow the visual to become a silent demonstration. Keep talking as you show the visual.
You are still the main event and your visual is an aid. Look at your audience, not your visual.
When the visual is not in use, hide it from the audience. Humans are a curious lot, tending to keep looking at the object and losing track of the speaker—you!
If you are delivering a persuasive speech, in addition to your own stories include testimony of experts whom the audience respects and whose views reinforce your points.
Add a key statistic when possible to show the seriousness of what you are discussing. For example, if I were discussing the need for improved listening to better serve your customers, I might add that although we spend half of our communication time in listening, our listening efficiency is only about 25%.
By using stories, testimony, and statistics in your persuasive talk, you add depth to your evidence.
Look at the audience as you speak. If it is a small audience, you can look at each person in a short period of time. If it is a large audience, look at the audience in small “clumps” and move from one clump to another.
One way to insure good eye contact is to look at your audience before you start to speak. Go to the lectern and pause, smile, look at the audience, and then speak.
This will help you maintain good eye contact throughout your presentation as well as commanding immediate attention.
One of the ways to have consistently good eye contact is not to read your speech. Use note cards that have key words on them.
The word or phrase should trigger the thought in your mind and then you can speak it. If you are including a quotation or complex statistics, reading from your note card actually lends credibility.
If you write out your speech you will tend to read it and lose eye contact with the audience, as well as not being as enthusiastic in delivery as when you speak from note cards.
Include a “wow” factor in your speech. Something in your speech should make your audience think, “Wow!” It could be a story, a dramatic point, an unusual statistic, or an effective visual that helps the audience understand immediately.
With a “wow” factor, you then have something to look forward to in the speech that you know will have an impact on your audience.
You’ll become a more enthusiastic speaker because the “wow” factor will get you as well as your audience pumped for the speech.
Consider using a touch of humor in your speech. Don’t panic at this suggestion; you are not becoming a comedian but rather lightening up a serious speech so that people will be more accepting and interested in your ideas.
Humor will help you to be perceived as an amiable person, and it is hard for people to disagree or be bored if they are smiling at you. Until you have lots of experience, keep your humor short.
Perhaps inject a one- liner or a quotation. Yogi Berra said a lot of funny things. “You can observe a lot just by watching” for example.
Tell a short embarrassing moment in your life that you might have thought not funny at the time. Now that you can laugh at the experience, you understand the old adage, “Humor is simply tragedy separated by time and space.”
Don’t poke fun at your audience; you should be the object of any shortcoming, showing that you can laugh at yourself. Avoid long stories or jokes. Even seasoned speakers know that funny stories soon become unfunny if they go on too long.
Probably the least risky use of humor is a cartoon. The cartoon is separate from you and if people don’t laugh, you don’t feel responsible. (Be sure to secure permission to use it.)
Finally, leave the audience with something to think about. People remember best what you say last.
You might summarize your main points, or you might complete the statement, “What I want you to do as a result of this presentation is….” But beyond that, make your last words a thought to ponder.
For example, I might end a speech on becoming a better speaker with “As Cicero said centuries ago, 'The skill to do comes with the doing.'”
A more modern guide to effective public speaking was penned by some unknown sage: "Know your stuff. Know whom you are stuffing. Know when they are stuffed."
One never becomes a “perfect” speaker; developing public speaking skills is a life-long experience. But the points discussed here will get you started in becoming the speaker you want to be and the speaker your audience wants to hear.
Stephen D. Boyd can be reached at http://www.sboyd.com/ .
Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is a professor of speech communication at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky. He is also a trainer in communication who presents more than 60 seminars and workshops a year to corporations and associations. See additional articles and resources at http://www.sboyd.com. He can be reached at 800-727-6520 or at info@sboyd.com.
