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Questioning Effectively

• Demonstrate genuine interest and concern
• Generate new ideas
• Facilitate learning
• Build commitment to solutions and plans
• Empower

Eight ideas to increase your success in asking questions include:

1. Create a culture where questions are welcome.  Encourage questions and be open when you respond.

2. Follow the KISS rule.  Keep your questions short and simple.   One question at a time; not more that twelve words long.

3. Consider the three “R’s”
   • right time
   • right manner
   • right person

4. Always start with an open question to encourage others to share.  i.e. “Tell me about…?” or How…? or What…?

5. Be prepared to record any important details.   A short pencil is better that a long memory.

6. Frame questions positively. Instead of asking “What went wrong?” ask “What could be done differently?”88,

7. Support by asking, “How can I help?  ”Learn by ask, “What would you do?”  Empower by asking, “What do you think we should do?”  Innovate by asking, “What are our competitors going to do?”

8. Listen to the answers provided.  If the issue is complicated, demonstrate your understanding by paraphrasing the question before you respond.

Complimenting Others

Compliments are fertilizer for people.  If you complement, people with improve and grow.

Six ideas to increase your success in complimenting others include:

1. Be specific.   Broad statements like “great job” are not as effective as specific statements like “I appreciate the fact that your reports are always on time.”

2. Be real.    Compliment when the praise is deserved not just because you are in a good mood.

3. Be timely.   Make complimenting a priority.

4. Be daily.    Look for opportunities to make people feel good about themselves each day.

5. Be singular.    Avoid stringing compliments together.

6. Be genuine.   Avoid complimenting before making a special request.

Decision-Making

Issues that require decisions are everyday occurrences.

Eleven ideas to increase your success in decision-making include:

1. Distinguish big from little decisions.
2. Delegate all of the smaller decisions you can.
3. Learn all about a problem before trying to decide it.
4. Get into a relaxed frame of mind.
5. Avoid crisis decisions.
6. Don’t be deceived by logic, most problems are full of emotions.
7. Don’t expect to be right all the time.
8. Don’t be afraid of failure.
9. Don’t put off making decisions.
10. Try to keep alternative solutions up your sleeve.
11. Mull before you make a decision…but once you’ve made a decision move on!

Saving Time

Time is our most precious resource; it can never be replenished.  Today, we are required to process and produce faster in the same amount of time.

Eleven ideas to increase your success in saving time include:

1. Create a brochure for the most common questions you are asked.

2. Use drafts for emails, letters, memos.

3. Use check lists for repeated activities.

4. Have regular scheduled meeting with your boss

5. Meet at other people desks so you can make a faster exit.

6. Don’t keep a chair at your desk so visitors won’t linger.

7. Use quiet hour for A priorities

8. Use body language that says “don’t interrupt me.  i.e.  – walk quickly;  don’t look up

9. Assert yourself – say no “you caught me at a bad time can it wait until ……”?

10. Clean and organize your work space at the end of each day.

11. Foster independence – help others find answers for themselves.

Giving Negative Feedback

Informing someone that they have not met your expectations is challenging because if it is not handled properly in can result in defensiveness or resentment.

Six ideas to increase your success in giving negative feedback include:

1. Make sure you deliver your feedback in private.
2. Be respectful of the individual; focus on the problem or the situation, not the individual.
3. Be timely… as soon as possible is always best.
4. Provide facts; avoid judgments.
5. Provide all the details and be specific.
6. End with a question.

Crisis Management

Even with the best plans, crisis can occur.  They provide opportunities for you to demonstrate you ability and talent.

Seven ideas to increase your success in dealing with crisis include:

1. Stay cool.
2. Think & plan – – run the crisis like a special project considering possible solutions, time lines, resources, impact, and responsibilities.
3. Use the extra adrenaline you are generating to find possible solutions.
4. Have all affected parties participate in generating possible solutions.
5. Delegate what you can but don’t start another fire.
6. Ask yourself:  “What’s your A1 priority?”
7. Set up controls to ensure the situation doesn’t recur.

Focusing On Priorities

There are multiple tasks commanding your attention.  Identifying your priorities is an essential skill to help you work effectively.

Eight ideas to increase your success in focusing on priorities include:

1. Identify a specific deadline for every task you need to complete.  This deadline can be imposed by others or self imposed.  If a deadline is not communicated; request one.  If need be, negotiate the deadline to ensure it is do-able.
2. Include activities related to larger projects in the above process.
3. Identify the start time required to complete your tasks on time.  Include a buffer for high profile and/or time consuming tasks.
4. Remove tasks that have no deadline i.e. reports that need to be read, articles of interest etc. from your immediate work area.  Store them out of sight.
5. Identify the tasks that need to be completed today…. these are your “A” priorities”.
6. Organize the tasks that need to be started on another day in order of their start date… these are your “B” priorities.
7. Work only on your “A’s” until all of them are complete. 
8.  If time permits work on the “B” that next needs to be started.

Minimizing Interruptions (Part II)

We are sometimes responsible for inviting others to interrupt us.

Seven ideas to increase your success in reducing invitations to interrupt you include:

1. Remove the “bait” from your work area i.e. sweets for others to share.

2. Be less willing to make small talk.

3. Stop saying – “Drop by any time”

4. Make yourself less accessible by working with your back to the passageway.

5. Don’t hesitate to tell people you’re working on a pressing priority

6. Stop setting a bad example by interrupting others.

7. Walk with a purpose; move quickly to communicate that you are busy and less inviting.

Minimizing Interruptions (Part I)

The person who interrupts you most often in a day can be… you.

Eight ideas to increase your success in minimizing interrupting yourself include:

1. De-clutter your work space.

2. Prepare before you start; gather all your required materials, equipment etc.

3. Commit to finish whatever you start.

4. Make outgoing phone calls at designated times.

5. Schedule breaks at specific times.

6. Turn off your email alert.

7. Allow your telephone calls to go to voice mail if they are not the priority.

8. Prevent potential crisis by planning and using time lines.

Customer/Client Relations

In today’s competitive business climate, winning organizations manage their customers’ needs and expectations treating their customers as if they’re essential to the organization!

Ten ideas to increase your success in providing excellent service include:

1. Value your customers.
2. Ensure that every member of your organization recognizes that the customer/client is essential.
3. Let your actions demonstrate that you care.  Respect their perspective.
4. Communicate a positive attitude both non-verbally and verbally
5. Build rapport with customers/clients; use their names, smile or sound like you’re smiling.
6. Listen to their concerns and demonstrate your understanding by paraphrasing.
7. Develop an unemotional problem-solving style.
8. Handle complaints as a priority;
9. Follow-up and be appreciative of the fact that you were given an opportunity to improve.
10. Work to overcome procedural obstacles that punish customers/clients.