Blog

Supervise, Motivate & Lead Others Tip of the Day:  Create a motivational climate by allowing team members to challenge the way things are done, suggest better ways, introduce new products and procedures.

Our Toronto based supervise, motivate & lead others training workshop provides leadership strategies and techniques to shape the performance of many “diamonds in the rough”.  Turning less than desirable performance to acceptable and acceptable performance to superior performance is a most satisfying experience for anyone who acts in a leadership capacity.

Contact us today to find out how our Toronto based leadership skills training and other communications skills courses and workshops can help you build your professionalism.

Business Writing Skills Tip of the Day:  Replace business clichés with conversational words.

          Replace:                          With:

• along the lines of             like
• at which time                   when
• for the purpose of            for
• in the event of                  if
• in the near future             soon

Our Toronto based business writing skills training workshop provides strategies and techniques to sharpen your business writing skills.  Contact us today to find out how our Toronto based business writing skills training and other communications skills courses and workshops can help you build your professionalism.

Communication Skills Tip of the Day:  Ask open questions to gather lots of information, i.e. start with ”how” or “tell me”.   Gaining information is in essence gaining power.

Our Toronto based Communication skills training workshop provides the communication skills for performing positively and clearly to enhance your career and personal success.  Contact us today to find out how our Toronto based communication skills training and other management skills and leadership courses and workshops can help you build your professionalism.

Time Management Skills Tip of the Day:  Organize tasks that do not have to be completed today by the date they need to be started not the date they need to be completed.  Allow the estimated time required to be factored into your schedule.

Our Toronto based time management skills training workshop provides the time management skills essential zero in on the areas that will provide the greatest return.  Participants develop the methods to step out of the states of overwhelm, frustration, disorder, anxiety and lack of control into the state of mastery and satisfaction.  Contact us today to find out how our Toronto based time management skills training and other communications skills and leadership courses and workshops can help you build your professionalism.

Project Management Skills

Project management is a systematic approach essential to achieving goals with respect to schedules and budgets.

Four ideas to increase success with projects include:

1.   Every project needs a sponsor. Do not begin until there is someone who is responsible for:

• Approving the team and defining the responsibilities
• Providing information and resources
• Clarifying critical issues
• Acting as key communication link between departments

2.   Every project needs a clear statement of the expected outcomes, the approach, the timelines and the budget.  Do not commence any activities related to completing a project until the initial planning process has provided a statement that has the sponsor’s approval.

3.   Every project needs a plan. The purpose of the plan is to:

• Outline responsibilities, and duties of the team members
• State how the project will be managed in terms of the time cost and performance
• Summarizes the resources required (human, electronic, external, physical)

4.  Projects can benefit from the application of the following tools:

• Project team cooperation checklist
• Planning and organizing checklist
• Responsibility assignment matrix
• Gnatt charts
• Critical Path Mapping
• Contingency planning charts
• Follow up evaluation questions

Our Toronto based project management skills training workshop provides the project management skills for effective project  planning and control.  Contact us today to find out how our Toronto based project management skills training and other management and communication and leadership skills courses and workshops can help you build your professionalism.

Business Writing Skills – Tip of the Day  When writing a business communication, state your purpose in the first sentence.  Our Toronto based business writing skills training workshop provides strategies and techniques to sharpen your business writing skills.  Contact us today to find out how our Toronto based business writing skills training and other communications skills courses and workshops can help you build your professionalism.

Communication Skills Tip of the day:  To communicate effectively check your understanding by paraphrasing, i.e. repeating what you believe the person is saying and getting their confirmation of your understanding.  Our Toronto based Communication skills training workshop provides the communication skills for performing positively and clearly to enhance your career and personal success.  Contact us today to find out how our Toronto based communication skills training and other management skills and leadership courses and workshops can help you build your professionalism.

Time Management Skills Tip of the Day:  Make sure that every task assigned to you has a specific deadline… either assigned to you or self-imposed.  “As soon as possible” has no clear meaning. Our Toronto based time management skills training workshop provides the time management skills essential zero in on the areas that will provide the greatest return.  Participants develop the methods to step out of the states of overwhelm, frustration, disorder, anxiety and lack of control into the state of mastery and satisfaction.  Contact us today to find out how our Toronto based time management skills training and other communications skills and leadership courses and workshops can help you build your professionalism.

Assertiveness Skills Tip of the Day:   When you are providing feedback concerning performance problems, structure your sentence to begin with “I” followed by either “expected” or “prefer” or “need”, this will reduce defensiveness in the other person and allow you to present factual information without any labeling. Our Toronto based assertiveness skills training workshop provides the assertiveness skills essential to getting your ideas, plans and feelings across with confidence and conviction.  Contact us today to find out how our Toronto based assertiveness skills training and other communications skills courses and workshops can help you build your professionalism. 

Communication Skills – Making A Positive First Impression

 You have 90 seconds to make a positive first impression by the way that you communicate.

Seven ideas to increase your communication success with a first impression include:

1. Dress respectfully.  This means be as formally dressed as they might be.  It’s always easier to dress down than to dress up; to remove a jacket or roll up your sleeves.

2. Get feedback from people you trust on your handshake.  Too firm or to lax can easily be corrected.

3. Be on time.  Allow extra time and anticipate potential delays.

4. Start with a smile.  Let your warm personality melt any initial resistance.

5. Make eye contact and remain focused on their face until you know the colour of their eyes.

6. Build rapport by using their name.  Be careful not to overuse this practice.

7. Use the headline technique; keep your sentences short.  You will be asked to elaborate if they are interested in more detail.

Our Toronto based Communication skills training workshop provides the communication skills for performing positively and clearly to enhance your career and personal success.  Contact us today to find out how our Toronto based communication skills training and other management skills and leadership courses and workshops can help you build your professionalism.