Plan for FAILure

Know when to pull the ripcord.

In my Presentation Skills and Train-the-Trainer workshops we discuss how to prepare your presentation, what makes it good, how to plan and include activities, and how to handle problem participants (like the guy who won't shut up).

What about when your planned activity or icebreaker fails? You know -- you want to do the Human Rope game, but no one is up for it. Or this is the only activity you planned -- and only 4 people are in the room. (Too few.)

Plan for failure before the class. Have a back-up activity ready to go, or know when to say, "Okay, that's not gonna work, let's go back to our workbooks." Sometimes, in a really messy situation, there's beauty in just admitting that something didn't work, and "let's move on."

Hey, HR pros! Listen up!

I came across this brilliant piece on AOL today, An Open Letter to Recruiters. It's honest and addresses so many of the issues today's job-seekers come up against.

I would add to Jason's letter: "Don't count me out because I'm over 40." Although age discrimination is illegal, it happens a ton, and for BS reasons. The Gen-Xers and Boomers bring a lot more to the table than most 23-year-olds who are tech-savvy, but still obsessing about who got kicked off "Idol" last night.

Jason's Open Letter to HR/Recruiters:

Dear Recruiter (or hiring manager or HR):

I see you have some job openings that you are making decisions on. I'm sure you are getting hundreds of résumés and are overwhelmed by the amount of information you have to go over, just to narrow it down to a few good candidates. I wish you well as you go through this tedious process.

Right off the bat, you'll see a problem with me as a candidate for this position. You see, for the last eight months I've been unemployed and busy looking for another job. I was....keep reading

Say nothing negative

When I observe presenters, I see a lot of this crap:

• "I didn't really prepare, and I don't know all this stuff, but here goes."
• "My boss was supposed to give this presentation today, but she's out. I'll tell you about this, but I'm not as good as her." 
• "I'm not the expert on [Topic], but I'll go through this anyway."

Why add a negative qualifier up top? What good does it do the speaker to give the audience an immediate, negative perception? 

If you set an expectation for crap, the audience will expect crap.

Never begin with "I'm not the expert." Really? You're not? Then why am I wasting time here?

You don't have to know every single thing -- but you do have to be professional. Kick off your presentation with a good start, and say nothing negative. There's no reason to put a bad view in your listeners' minds. Show us how good you are -- and what you do know.

Better openers are:

• "I'm happy to talk to you today about [Topic]."
• "Susie is unexpectedly out today, but I'm stepping in. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them at the end." 
• "I've been working on [topic] for six months, and I'm here to present [whatever it is]."

That's all you need to say. No qualifiers about what you do or don't know. If you get a curveball question, say, "Let me check on that. I'll get back to you," and then do so.

Dress for success

I'm gearing up for another Professionalism class this week. One of our simple lessons that seems to be unknown everywhere is "dress for success."

This doesn't mean you have to wear an expensive suit; but know: 1) where you work, 2) with whom you're dealing, and 3) what's appropriate and what's not.

Some people show up at work dressed like Britney Spears or Kid Rock on a bad day  (or would it be "good day" for Kid Rock?) and think nothing of it. The repeated comment I hear is, "It doesn't bother me; why should it bother anyone else?"

Because this is business. And because everyone is not like you. Who are your clients? Where are they located? Are they younger or older than you? Are there other cultural standards (religion, family, etc.) that influence how they do business?

How you dress demonstrates respect for you and those around you. Be appropriate. What does your outfit say -- "I have respect for you and myself" or "I just came off a bad bender"?

Quick tip: Back to your desktop

Hmm, bossess and snoopy co-workers will probably hate me for this, but here goes:

There's an easy, effective way to minimize all your windows at one time, quickly. It's called WIN-M. (Get it? Windows-Minimize.) Sorry MacNerds, but this is a PC trick.

Look down at your keyboard. See that little flying window key? It's called "Win." When you have multiple windows open, one of which is your latest shopping at Gap, and the boss is heading your way, simultaneously hit Win and M, and watch all your windows hide.

Enjoy!

...and please learn how to spell

Okay, listen up and know that the number one reason for failure in business is poor communication. 

And guess what? Even if your listener/reader/customer/whomever takes your meaning just fine, they may not be cool with the way you communicate it.

Case in point: I teach Business Writing. I see misspellings all the time. And from what I gather, most people don't think their spelling is important. "They'll know what I mean." "I'm on a Blackberry."

Erm, not so fast.

Today I read a post by a local real estate agent who talked about sellers "loosing money." Really? People are setting their money loose?

Or are they losing money (from the infinitive "to lose")?

I happen to be in the market for a realtor, and this guy's poor spelling tells me he pays zero attention to detail.

Buh-bye.

Consider your audience

The biggest "duh" tip I can share with you is to think about your audience before you speak, present, or host a meeting.

And right now, you're thinking, "of course."

But when was the last time you actually did this?

Time after time, we are subject to presentations where we listen to blather, all the while thinking, "Why am I here? What's this about? What's this guy's point?"

So even if it's a five-minute pop-into-your-boss's meeting, ask yourself:

• Who will be there?
• What do they want to know? 
• What's the most important thing I can tell them? 

Take a few minutes to prepare, and you'll have your audience's attention -- not their disdain.

The best question to ask when you call

One of the best things you can do when you call anyone during the workday is to ask a simple question once the pleasantries are out of the way. That question is: "Is this a good time?" or "Did I get you at a good time?"

This puts you in a good light because you are showing respect for your listener's time and work. Don't say, "Is this a bad time?" because it carries a negative connotation. Ask if this time is "good" and let the other party tell you.

When the job's just not that into you

Yahoo! HotJobs posted a great, insightful article about why job-seekers might not be getting a call back. Job hunting is a lot like dating. Sometimes, "s/he's just not that into you."

What also can trip up job-seekers are the little things that mean a lot: not following application instructions, forgetting to thank the interviewer, and etiquette breaches, such as leaving your cell phone turned on during the interview. Even worse (I had a student who actually did this): answering your cell phone during the interview.

Brush up your interview skills, and put yourself in the employer's shoes before you show up. Whom would you like to hire -- someone who follows instructions and appears respectful, or someone whose actions scream, "I couldn't care less about this job"?

Set your time boundaries

Effective time management is about taking control of your time. You can teach people how to treat you. Once you demonstrate respect and boundaries for your own time, your co-workers, clients, etc. will follow suit.

When you're busy and you can't just stop for that phone call or drop by visitor, speak up immediately: "Glad you called, but I'm working on a commitment. Can I get back to you at [specific time]?"

Don't expect the person calling or dropping in to read your mind. Say something if you can't talk right now, and follow up with the visitor later.

Quick tip: How to make the font bigger

Let's say you're reading an article on the interwebs, and the font is just too tiny. Try this:

PC Users - hold down the "CTRL" and "+" keys simultaneously. Just a quick second.

Mac Users - hold down the "Command" and "+" keys simulatenously.

See if that helps.

Use precise terms precisely

How you communicate in business can leave a lasting impression on your audience. Good communication is invisible -- rarely will anyone comment on it, becase "good communication" is what they expect.

But slip up, say something wrong, silly, or inappropriate, and they'll be talking and blogging about it. I recall at my first training job, a 21-year-old neophyte gave a speech about "ATM Machines -- Access to Money."

Someone stopped her after the talk to tell her that "ATM" stands for "Automatic Teller Machine."

During another memorable presentation, I listened as a client gave a speech about  the "Rock and Roll Museum in Seattle." The Rock & Roll Museum is in Mississippi (not to be confused with The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland), and the Experience Music Project is in Seattle.

Use precise terms precisely. Research your topic before you present.

Want to see some cute/funny malapropisms? Read here.

A little courtesy goes a long way

There was this excellent little book that came out in 1993 called "Never Confuse a Memo with Reality...and Other Important Business Lessons Too Simple Not to Know."

One of its gems was (I'm paraphrasing here): "Be gracious. Offer your guests/clients coffee or tea when they arrive."

I know that having a ton of coffee meetings (at Starbucks or some such) can get expensive. Believe me, I've paid the bill for my fair share of informational interviews that went nowhere. But being a good host -- even out at a Starbuck's -- goes a long way. Know how important first impressions are? Your good graces, or lack thereof, are part of that. 

I recall one potential vendor who brought me water at our first meeting, even though I hadn't asked. (I drink water like a dying man in the desert. It was most welcome.) I was impressed.

Contrast that with another vendor who pushed past me with, "I need to get my coffee, I'll be right back." The second part of that sentence ("...can I get you anything?") never showed up.

No surprise that the second vendor was sloppy, didn't care about my or my company's needs, and didn't get my business.