Sunday, September 21, 2014

Problem-Solving: Different Strategies for Solving It


Think of the biggest, most frustrating problem you have. You've thought about it endlessly, and can't come up with a workable solution. Now think about a "kitchen cabinet", a term invented by the opponents of President Jackson. The "kitchen cabinet" is a group of people as diverse as you can think of, who can consider your problem from different angles. They may be diverse in their ages, genders, race, ethnicity, professions or trades, where they were raised, or any other way. Ideally they all meet together once or twice, but if not, maybe they can meet online.
The Ideo company in "The Art of Innovation" uses diverse groups when starting a project, putting together a multi-disciplinary team from many fields. Some other companies do this as well. Why can't you do it as well?
Many business leaders participate in "mastermind" groups, carefully selected from non-competitors, who can advise each other over a year or longer. Often only 1 person per industry is allowed in a group.
Another strategy to improve idea generation is to encourage employees to choose the problem they would like to help solve. Increased motivation can lead to better results; people work harder to resolve a problem that is important to them.
A third strategy is to run a silent brainstorming session. This research-based method, done using a specific format, neatly sidesteps many of the problems with the traditional brainstorming technique.

These strategies and more are part of the Executive Communication seminar offered by Business Speech Improvement. It is available on request to individuals and small groups.

Public speaking: Worried about answering difficult questions after a presentation?


Many would-be public speakers are hesitant to give a speech because they are afraid that they will not be able to answer a difficult question posed afterwards by a member of the audience. They do not want to "lose face" before an audience.
If this is your concern, here are some strategies you can use. First, when preparing your speech, consider the special interests of a given audience, and anticipate what questions they might have. For example, if you are speaking to an audience of lawyers on land use practices in your community, search online for "legal aspects of land use + (name of the community)". Possibly interview an expert on the subject in the state or county government ahead of time. Credit him or her in your remarks, by saying "as X, an expert in Y, says, ..."Write down the answers and practice giving them in a simulated talk.
Always repeat the question into the microphone before answering it. Depending on the acoustics of the auditorium, the noise level inside and outside of it, and the hearing acuity of the audience, there is a very good chance that the question was not clearly heard by everyone. Repeating the question also gives you time to think about the answer.

Let's say the worst happens, and an audience member asks you a question that you did not anticipate. Here you have three great options, and one back one.

First, explain you would be happy to look into this question and get back to the person quickly with the answer.  Invite the questioner to come up to you afterwards and give you his
business card with the question written on the back of it. Another option is to say to the audience, "Is there anyone in the room who has expertise in this particular aspect of the topic?" A third option is to focus on the part of the question you can answer, and acknowledge that you need to do more research on the rest of the question. (Some politicians ignore most of the question, segueing into one of their talking points instead. "The important aspect of this is that..." Alert members of the media and the rest of the audience usually notice this ploy and comment negatively on it later.)
A speaker cannot be expected to be expert on every aspect of a topic, especially if it is only vaguely related to the main aspect of the talk. Use the strategies above and confidently step up to the microphone!
Business Speech Improvement provides intensive coaching in public speaking, accent modification, pronunciation, executive communication strategies and more. Coaching is available online in selected cases. 
For those who prefer e-books, our concise e-book Public Speaking:You Can Do It!. is available 24/7. It has practical tips that can be used immediately.

Delegating: Tips to Do It Right



A mother was shopping in a supermarket with her two young children. She told her little boy to "behave". The child said earnestly, "I be good, Mommy!"
Then he went back to chasing his sister, and the mother scolded him. He apparently did not know what exact behaviors she expected.
In a corporate setting, when a manager warns his new employee to do a "excellent" job on a task, does she know what his idea of "excellent" is?
For example, does it mean proof-reading a document twice (and having someone else do it once), using certain photos, including the details on the new project, or some other expectations?
As a leader, it is your job to make your expectations very clear. Your employees cannot mind-read. If you make your requests clear, you have a greater chance of having them be achieved.
Delegation is part of many leaders' jobs. Clear delegation includes not only the details to be accomplished, but also the time-frame. The leader needs to understand how often he must check with each person on his team to answer questions and make sure the work is being done correctly.
If the task is important enough to be done, it should be done right. A good leader delegates the right task to the right person, with a clear explanation and time-frame.

Business Speech Improvement offers an e-book on Executive Communication Strategies, with techniques on 18 vital areas of communication. It's the book you'll wish your boss had read! Learn more about this powerful e-book now!