Winter Storm Remus: Checklist of preparations (and why it matters)

For those in the South and the Southeast, today (or tonight ) is a time when we should be prepared for a potential power outage, according to the weather reports that emphasize the potential for heavy snow, downed tree limbs and more. With heavy snow, it may take a few days for stores to be accessible and resupplied with goods. Good leaders, whether of a business, a department, or a family, think ahead and do a risk assessment.  Are you prepared adequately for this severe storm? Do you have flashlights, and extra batteries of the right size? Have you checked the flashlights recently to make sure they still work? Do you have sufficient water on hand? Electricity is needed to power the water pumps. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends 1 gallon per person per day. Many people recommend filling up buckets with water in advance of the storm to flush toilets. Is your laundry done ahead of time? Are your faucets dripping, so they don't freeze and burst? Are the under-sink cabinets also open (and any harmful chemicals that are normally stored there  put up high if there are children or pets)? Opening the cabinets warms the pipes. Do you have a way to stay warm if the power goes out? Do you have food prepared, extra canned goods and foods that do not need refrigeration (such as peanut butter, bread, fruit, cereal, and milk in aseptic containers), and a mechanical can opener available? Do you have a safe way to heat food inside, or if necessary, outside, if there is a power failure? Do you have a carbon monoxide alarm and does it work, in case you are attempting to use a dangerous way to stay warm inside a dwelling, and are not aware it is dangerous? Are your electronics, such as your computer, tablet and cell phone, charged up before the storm? Do you have a way to charge them if the power goes out? If you use electrical medical equipment such as a CPAP machine or other device, how do you plan to keep it working during a power outage? If you take medication, do you have sufficient on hand for the length of the storm and a few days' afterwards? If it needs to be kept cold, such as insulin, how will you do that? How will you get communications about the storm during the storm and afterwards? Do you have a battery-operated or crank-powered NOAA (weather) radio, and extra batteries if it is a battery-operated radio? If it is solar-powered, is it charged fully before the storm starts? If you have babies, do you have sufficient diapers and formula on hand for the length of the storm plus several more days? If you have pets, do you have enough pet food and pet supplies such as cat litter or pee pads on hand for the length of the storm and several more  days? If you have a car, is the gas tank full? Is there a car emergency kit in the trunk, with such items as extra water, emergency foods, blankets, extra hats, gloves and dry socks (as extremities freeze first)? Do you have a snow shovel and rock salt, if you may be responsible for clearing a path outside your home? Many Southerners do not normally have snow shovels, but they may make a big difference with the expected amount of snow. If you have renter's insurance, homeowner's insurance and/or car insurance, do you have your policy numbers and contact information written down on paper (in case electronics don't work), in case you need to contact these insurance companies because of damage?  Details on more preparations for an emergency kit can be found at www.ready.gov/kit  . Why do all this planning? Think what the implications could be for you or your family if you are not prepared! Great leaders  not only plan ahead, they also learn to communicate well. Business Speech Improvement offers Executive Communication Techniques, a concise e-book of 18 vital communication skills today's leaders need. Think like a leader; get this book now to know how to communicate better tomorrow. (Yes, you can read it with a flashlight if necessary!)

Better Business Communication Day: January 26, 2015

Better Business Communication Day: January 26, 2015

Think about the last time you did business with a company and thought "That was pretty negative!" (For me, it was as recent as today.) What kind of experience do your internal or external customers have?

Better Business Communication Day is a day to focus on better communication. Here are three actions you can implement, either for yourself, to improve your skills, or for your organization.

Start with non-verbal communication. Smile at two people today as you walk down the hall. Give someone your undivided attention, away from laptops, etc, making him or her feel valued and really heard.

Answer the telephone enthusiastically, each and every time. When you smile as you say "hello", the smile alters your mouth shape and the different resonance pattern can be heard. 

You can make a contest out of this. In Japan, this is a national event, the All-Japan Telephone Answering Contest

Thank someone, preferably in writing, for something specific he or she has recently done for you. When was the last time you received such a specific thank you?  Make the note more powerful by e-mailing it to the person's supervisor, with a bcc: to the person.

If you have difficulty being clearly understood due to a strong accent, try speaking slower. Also write down the words that are hard for others to understand. See if you can use synonyms for them, if needed. An online dictionary with a pronunciation button could help you say the words.
Consider getting a "mystery shopper" to act as a prospective customer, and rate his or her experience with your company's communication. He would start by rating how positive the first telephone greeting of "hello" sounded, through dealing with any phone trees,  enthusiasm and listening skills of the sales staff to answer questions and take an order, to the final good-bye. Another option is to send a pretend order through the system, to see where the bottlenecks are in the process. Often these are due in part to poor communication. The results of this mystery shopping could be ear-opening!

Business Speech Improvement offers intensive, customized speech coaching for individuals and small groups. Use Better Business Communication Day to jump-start your communication improvement!

The State of the Union (SOTU) Address: Tips for You as a Public Speaker

Regardless of how you feel about the current political situation in the USA, the State of the Union (SOTU) address is a wonderful learning opportunity that shouldn't be missed. Think of it as an educational or political experience, as theater, or whatever- but think of it!

President Obama's speaking skills are widely regarded as excellent. What should you look for in tonight's address? If it follows the same pattern as previous ones, here's what to expect.

 1. Excellent body language: great posture, gestures that seem natural, and eye contact to all sides of the audience. His facial expressions will show sincerity, enthusiasm and caring about what he is saying.

2. Stories about real people: President Obama is a master at having real people and their stories illustrate his talks. The stories are short but powerful.

3. Metaphors and alliteration are usually included in his powerful presentations. Awesome alliterations and magnificent metaphors help make his speeches memorable.

4. Powerful wording: The speeches usually have some words that are powerful enough to make people take notice. The words are not necessarily long words, but rather are words that are not used often enough to be taken for granted. (Such words can often be found in synonym dictionaries online.)

5. Precise timing: President Obama knows how long to allow people to clap, to laugh, or to think about an idea he has just presented. The more complex the idea, the longer people need to consider it and its' implications. (Congressional representatives most likely consider the ideas in terms of their committee responsibilities and the impacts they will have on their constituencies. Ordinary citizens consider the ideas by how they will affect them.)

6. Expert knowledge of the speech so he does not need to look at notes.

Yes, there is probably a tele-prompter somewhere out of sight of the cameras, but President Obama does not seem to need to use it. He knows his speeches!

(We don't see the many, many hours of preparation that go into writing and practicing those speeches, to  make them so good.)

Tonight, as you settle on the couch to watch the State of the Union address, take this list and see how many of these techniques you can spot! Tomorrow, you can add them to your speech-giving strategies!

3 Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills in 2015

Have you ever heard of a business encounter without some form of communication, whether written, verbal or even sign language?

Neither have I.

Clear communication is vital for business. Studies show that soft skills are highly valued by employers!  Here are three tips to help you improve your communication. Write them down and post them where you will see them, to improve your chances of carrying them out.

First, listen carefully to both the message and to the speaker's emotions.

It is especially easy to do this when listening to someone answer the telephone, in what I call "the hello test". Does the speaker sound friendly, brusque, tired or something else? If it's a business transaction and the speaker does not sound friendly, the rest of the transaction is not likely to go well; see if there is a better time for you to call.

Second, when calling a stranger on the telephone, speak a little slower and more clearly. The person could be in a noisy place, have a hearing loss, be distracted or speak English as a second language, and need a little help understanding you. This is especially true when leaving your telephone number and spelling your name on a voice mail; say them twice.

Third, when speaking, watch the listener's face to see if you are understood clearly, or if the other person is puzzled. If you are not being understood, you can repeat yourself, more slowly, use other words, or ask what part of the message was unclear. Maybe you are using technical jargon the other person does not understand, you have used an idiomatic expression (such as "get over it"), a regional expression (such as "mash the light"), you have a strong regional or foreign accent, a speech impairment, or the listener has a hearing loss. It is your responsibility as a speaker to make the message clear.

If you are making a presentation, make sure to look at the faces in the audience. This is one reason why you want to avoid reading your presentation. Looking at the audience helps establish a bond between you and them.  The audience wants you to do well; who wants to listen to a boring speech? They are usually very supportive; looking at them should not be scary.

If any of these skills above are difficult, get speech coaching! Business Speech Improvement offers intensive coaching, and hourly coaching (including online in some cases). Inexpensive concise e-books on communciation improvement are available as well,  for people who need help immediately and prefer to be "do-it-yourselfers".

In the USA, many companies will pay for speech coaching, especially if the employee requests it. Requesting this help indicates self-motivation to improve.

Try out these tips now, and if necessary, get the help you deserve. 2015 can be a better year for you!

How to help your international employees adjust to life in the USA as a new resident

Are you planning to move to the USA in 2015, or will you be bringing international employees to the USA? There's more to welcoming them effectively than a simple "hello, we're glad you are here!".

New residents coming from other countries to study or work here are often surprised by details that are different from their native countries' ways of doing things. As one example, post offices in the USA handle mail - and only mail. They do not have banking functions, as they do in some other countries.

Speaking of banking, Americans use checks sometimes, in addition to credit and debit cards. Newcomers who establish bank accounts here should know how to write a check for the occasional place or situation in which a credit or debit card is not accepted.

Coming to the USA is a concise e-book that was written based on the questions of many professionals who moved here from Europe and S America. Get details on topics ranging from insurance to mailboxes, and much more! The more you understand, the easier life will be here for you and your family. And if you are on your way to the USA as you read this, welcome!

Small Talk: Keeping the Conversation Going

You're at your in-law's house, or the home of a friend of a friend. You want to be a great guest, but after 10 minutes, you have nothing to say. You'll be there for another 24 hours, so what can you do? The secret is to be a wonderful listener, and keep the host talking!

Here are 2.5 ways to keep talking - and maybe make a friendship stronger.

Ask your host about his hobbies. Decide you will learn 3 things about his hobby, whatever it is. (It might come in handy some day to know this information.) When your host stops talking, say "tell me more about ___",  or "that ___ sounds  fascinating!"  and nod appreciatively.

Ask follow-up questions. For example, "You said that you enjoy ___. How did you get into it/learn so much about it/find the time to do it?" You can also ask questions about the gear needed to do the hobby, or his favorite publications on this hobby. (This information may be useful if you buy him a gift later on.)

The .5 method is to use interjections liberally, complete with great eye contact and slightly leaning forward. Interjections are comments such as "mmm-hmm",  "wow, that's impressive!", "you don't say!" and "really?" With a great start to the conversation and a talkative host, this technique can keep a conversation going for a long time!

Business Speech Improvement offers more conversational tips for the conversationally-challenged  in the e-book Small Talk: Connecting with Others.

Have difficulty being concise?

Three groups of people have difficulty being concise. Do these sound like anyone you know?

The first group is those who are nervous about speaking to those in authority, or calling in to a talk show or a tele-seminar. Sometimes radio reporters also have difficulty with this, rephrasing their questions twice or more when interviewing guests.

The second group is those who are inductive thinkers. Inductive thinkers present all the facts or ideas and then express the main idea or request. People who are not inductive thinkers are deductive thinkers.)

The third group of people are those who haven't thought through what they mean to say, and just ramble. Sometimes they use stream-of-consciousness techniques of basically saying whatever they are thinking, with no obvious means of connecting the thoughts.

If a supervisor who is deductive has an employee who is an inductive thinker, there will be problems and frustration unless one of them changes. If it is the employee ( inductive thinker) who is to change, he or she needs to start thinking of the main point or "executive summary", and then add one solitary short sentence, starting the most vital fact or reason. If the supervisor wants more, he will ask.

This is difficult for inductive thinkers to do. Practice thinking this way, and even write down the summary statement and the reason statement ahead of time. Practice these two sentences until they sound great!

If the person gets nervous speaking to an authority figure or when calling in to a tele-seminar or radio talk show, write down your 2-3 sentences ahead of time. Your audience's time is short; make every second count!

Some people think best out loud, and need to practice doing this privately. Possibly recording their words would help them to then record a summary statement.

In all 3 cases, find someone who is a concise speaker, and emulate him or her!