|
Communicating as a Leader
Do your executives, managers and emerging
leaders have
what it takes
to communicate effectively? Don't wait until you have problems!
2,000 former employees of American technology and professional services
companies cited inept upper-level managers—particularly poor
communication, expectation-setting and performance feedback—as
the most important factor in their decision to leave.
— The Supplee Group
Workers from a variety of industries said two of the five most important
drivers of employee commitment were open and honest communication
and leadership. —
Aon Consulting
200 vice presidents of 1,000 of the largest corporations in the
country were surveyed: 40% admitted they snoozed during some presentations;
43.5% found most business presentations boring. — Wall
Street Journal
The single most important attribute of an effective manager is the
ability to listen well.
— Loyola University
You can choose
from Jan's most popular topics or have her customize a program just
for you:
Strategies for Leading An Effective Meeting
Successful Mentoring Partnerships
Getting to What Matters the Most
How to Listen…How to be Heard
Communicating Your Vision as a Leader
Networking Skills that Net Results
Strategies
for Leading an Effective Meeting
Meetings are frequently unproductive because there is often no clear
leader, no agenda and because the wrong people are attending or
missing. Yet the average manager spends one to one-and-a-half days
a week in meetings! When a meeting is guided by a compelling leader—who
starts and ends on time, sets a clear agenda and provides opportunities
for everyone to contribute—participants leave feeling their
time was well spent.
"Many, many thanks!
Your luncheon presentation yesterday on "Strategies for Leading an
Effective Meeting" was fabulous! Just what we were hoping for! It
was information-packed and humorous—providing great ideas
for all of us.
Donna Cameron, CAE
Executive Director
Washington Society of Association Executives
Successful Mentoring Partnerships
Business Finance Magazine reports that 77% of companies credited
mentoring with increasing employee retention and performance. From
both a cost-saving and a time-saving perspective, it's important
that companies and organizations preserve the knowledge and experience
of its veteran members and flatten the learning curve of newer employees.
Business mentoring relationships help organizations:
Best utilize each staff member's skills
Retain high performers
Prepare for succession
Getting
to What Matters the Most
Leaders save valuable time by delegating more effectively, communicating
more clearly and controlling interruptions. The average manager
is interrupted every 6-9 minutes with 4-5 needed to recover. Leaders
gain the cooperation and respect of those they lead by:
Being clear about priorities
Delegating effectively—and
not taking back the task
Controlling the blurters who report
to them
"With the competition
of Hurricane Gordon outside, you provided waves of valuable tools
and concepts directed at using our time more effectively."
Harold B. Dana
IT Customer Service Manager
Masonite Int'l Corporation
How to
Listen…How to be Heard
Effective listening is the foundation of any problem-solving process—be
it with clients, peers or those who report to you. It's also the
key to successful marketing. Leaders must be able to:
Sharpen concentration and hear
more of what is said
Gather information and clarify
with effective question-asking
Relate ideas and suggestions in
ways that can be understood
Communicating
Your Vision as a Leader
In a brief speech you can communicate your vision for the company,
let employees know how the company or organization is doing and
tell them where it's going. Visionary leaders often share a key
flaw—they forget to take people with them! Yet studies show
that employee loyalty and workforce commitment hinge on these key
issues. Make the most of your opportunity to motivate employees
and gain their support and respect. We'll look at ways to:
| Open with impact and grab their attention |
|
Have them exclaiming "Is that so!"
rather than muttering, "So what?" |
|
Fine-tune your vocal, verbal and visual
image |
|
Include relevant stories that motivate
and illustrate your points |
Networking
Skills that Net Results
Every leader in your company has opportunities to bring in new customers
or clients and new business. Whether they're attending a trade show,
at a professional association meeting, or representing your company
at a meeting or event; they need to be able to make the most of
these opportunities. Are they ready to sell themselves, your company
and your services or products? Make sure they know how to:
Enter into a group of people they
don't know
Start and maintain a comfortable,
productive conversation
Remember peoples' names—and
what to do if they don't!
Effectively answer the question,
"And what do you do?
Make the most of networking by
following up effectively
"Thank you for the
wonderful networking class you conducted here at Surefish. Everyone
attending found it to be both extremely informative and very enjoyable.
The customized content, handouts and interactive discussion and
practices were precisely what we needed in building skills and awareness
in a variety of networking settings."
Lisa Goché
President
Surefish, Seafood Quality Specialists
back to
top
|
