Here's a list of motivational quotes a friend recently emailed over, which I thought I'd share...
Attitude....... Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
Opportunity...... You always miss 100% of the shots you don't try for.
Change ......... Without change there can be no breakthrough, without breakthrough there can be no future.
Teamwork..... coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success.
Achievement ...... unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.
Monday 17 December 2007
Friday 7 December 2007
Self-Management - Living in the Gap
We are consistently making decisions based on values. When they are challenged or we perceive them to be in danger, our emotions will step to their defence and this can sometimes make us become seemingly irrational, particularly in the eyes of others, who may not appreciate or even understand our value system.
Self-management is all about being able to think clearly and remain focused even when you are experiencing strong emotions. Human beings are great story makers and will fill gaps in knowledge by interpreting things according to our own emotions and beliefs.
When something happens we have the true event, the actual facts of the situation. We then take this information and interpret it via our values, beliefs and attitudes. Often this will alter the true event and amounts to, ‘What we made it mean.’
Think back. How many times have you misinterpreted a situation and allowed your emotions to provide conflicting information to the real event? This often occurs because we don’t take time to ‘keep our emotions in check’ and will respond or react immediately.
There is an alternative, which we call, ‘Living in the Gap’. This means taking the time to re-assess the situation and not jump to conclusions based on how we interpret things. This is a demonstration of self-management.
Hold your hand up in front of you now, imagine your left has written on it, 'What happened' and your right has 'What I made it mean', that bit between, is the gap. That's the moment when you have the chance to pause...and not act. The moment you usually miss because you're too hot under the collar to notice. The time when you should have stopped to think.
This method can make a huge difference to your life when used effectively. It can be as basic as not hitting 'enter'on that email that you are sending in response to a seemingly rude one from your boss, or stopping for a breath and a think before you hurl abuse at a colleague who’s said the wrong thing. There’s no difficult process to it and no rules, just a simple method of managing those emotions!
So, next time you feel your temperature rising...stop...and live in the gap.
This article is adapted from an excerpt in the Trainer Bubble training materials on 'Emotional Intelligence at Work'. Visit our site today to view it.
Self-management is all about being able to think clearly and remain focused even when you are experiencing strong emotions. Human beings are great story makers and will fill gaps in knowledge by interpreting things according to our own emotions and beliefs.
When something happens we have the true event, the actual facts of the situation. We then take this information and interpret it via our values, beliefs and attitudes. Often this will alter the true event and amounts to, ‘What we made it mean.’
Think back. How many times have you misinterpreted a situation and allowed your emotions to provide conflicting information to the real event? This often occurs because we don’t take time to ‘keep our emotions in check’ and will respond or react immediately.
There is an alternative, which we call, ‘Living in the Gap’. This means taking the time to re-assess the situation and not jump to conclusions based on how we interpret things. This is a demonstration of self-management.
Hold your hand up in front of you now, imagine your left has written on it, 'What happened' and your right has 'What I made it mean', that bit between, is the gap. That's the moment when you have the chance to pause...and not act. The moment you usually miss because you're too hot under the collar to notice. The time when you should have stopped to think.
This method can make a huge difference to your life when used effectively. It can be as basic as not hitting 'enter'
So, next time you feel your temperature rising...stop...and live in the gap.
This article is adapted from an excerpt in the Trainer Bubble training materials on 'Emotional Intelligence at Work'. Visit our site today to view it.
Monday 26 November 2007
Effective Coaching - A Question of Questioning?
Questioning is the critical component of all coaching, it is the principle that coaching is based upon and all good coaches realise that the key to unlocking an individuals potential is through a good use of questions.
In its simplest form coaching could exist on the following three questions:
What worked well?
What didn’t work so well?
What will you do differently next time?
In any given developmental scenario, these questions can be used as a fail-safe approach to questioning. The output responses are what will drive an individual on to better performance.
This process is extremely simple and will work in most impromptu coaching scenarios. We have a tendency to overcomplicate processes in business and this for me really demonstrates that often the simplest methods are those that work best. Of course there are times when your coaching will need to be more specific and focused on the individuals needs.
When coaching to develop people it is usually best to avoid starting a question with ‘why?’ The reason for this is that by using ‘why’ we are establishing something as fact. For instance; when I ask a question like, ‘Why do you think you are not good at selling?’ we are subconsciously telling that person that the idea of them not being able to sell is already established. This of course, will undermine their confidence in this area and will ensure that our work to help them meet an objective to start selling is going to be made all the harder.
An example of what you could say instead of ‘Why do you think you are not good at selling?’ might be, ‘What is it about selling that you find difficult?’ This could then easily be followed up by a positive question of, ‘When have you been successful at selling?’ This is positive re-enforcement and will help the coachee establish the positive elements of their experience.
You may feel that this approach is not as direct. However, you should consider what it is you are trying to achieve. If you want to let someone know that they are no good at something, sure, go for the direct approach, but if you want to develop them, use effective questions.
By using questions and encouraging the individual to come up with their own answers, we are instilling a strong sense of ownership. If we as coach provide the answers, then the coachee has no reason to take action as they might not see the value. If a coachee does not complete an action they set themselves then the responsibility for failure is theirs.
Of course, the flipside of this is that success for the coachee is so much sweeter when they realise that the positive result is down to them.
This is an excerpt from the 'Coaching at Work' training materials from Trainer Bubble. You can view the complete course materials at our website - Trainer Bubble.
Tuesday 20 November 2007
What the Customer Actually Wanted?
Tuesday 13 November 2007
Why English is a Pain to Learn
The bandage was wound around the wound.
The farm was used to produce produce.
The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
He could lead if he would get the lead out.
The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
They were too close to the door to close it.
The buck does funny things when the does are present.
To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
After a number of injections my jaw got number.
Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
Visit Trainer Bubble for our new collection of training DVD's, CD-Roms and other training resources. Including; 'The Write Way', which well help your team write effective correspondence and documents.
Tuesday 6 November 2007
Thursday 1 November 2007
Handling Allegations of Bullying and Harassment
Harassment and bullying behaviour in the workplace is unpleasant and offensive. It can affect an individual’s professional performance and psychological welfare, and can be so destructive that the effects continue after work, devastating personal lives as well as careers. Harassment and bullying can result in low morale, increased sickness absence or resignations.
If a complaint is made to an Employment Tribunal, or civil proceedings taken to court, an organisation may also suffer expensive litigation, adverse publicity and a loss of customers. It is in everyone’s best interests to have a workplace free of harassment and bullying.
It can often be difficult for a leader within an organisation to know exactly what to do when allegations arise. The following is list of tips to help you.
Investigate Immediately
Time is critical in harassment cases and all instances should be addressed as soon as the complainant has raised the issue. It is likely that the alleged bullying or harassment has gone on for some time and has reached a point where the complainant feels they have run out of options. There is no benefit in hoping that the situation will ‘blow over’.
Take the Complaint Seriously
Employees are unlikely to complain unless they feel they have no other options. A response from you that is deemed unreasonable or dismissive will exacerbate the situation and likely cause issues further down the line.
Be Objective and Independent
Irrespective of the feelings you have for those involved in the case, it is important that you remain objective and independent of the situation at all times. Although sometimes difficult, you must ensure that your own feelings and opinions do not enter into the equation. All parties involved will be looking for support from you and it is imperative that you remain professional throughout the process. If you are seen to imply favouritism, the consequences could be damaging.
Attempt to Resolve Informally
Informal resolution of harassment and bullying cases can be the least damaging for all involved. Often the person that carries out the harassment or bullying is unaware of the affect their behaviour is having on the individual concerned. Wherever possible it is best to rectify these matters without damaging the reputation of all involved. Sometimes the complainant will be happy to approach the person/s themselves or they may need support from others i.e. manager, colleague, HR.
Ensure Confidentiality
As a general principle, confidentiality should be agreed and maintained. In some instances it will be necessary to involve others in the discussions in order to progress a complaint. However, the decision should be made by the complainant as to whether to involve anyone else.
In cases of this nature hearsay and gossip tend to arise. It is important that you remain impartial and act as the soul of discretion. Any other type of behaviour can result in legal implications for you.
Follow Organisation Policies and Guidelines
Most organisations will have guidelines and policies for disciplinary, grievance, bullying or harassment cases. They will have been drafted carefully and with the organisation and its employee’s specific interests in mind, so it is crucial that you follow them. Don’t be reluctant to seek help if you are unsure of the procedures or need advice.
This article is an excerpt from our training materials on Bullying & Harassment. Visit Trainer Bubble today to download this business critical course.
If a complaint is made to an Employment Tribunal, or civil proceedings taken to court, an organisation may also suffer expensive litigation, adverse publicity and a loss of customers. It is in everyone’s best interests to have a workplace free of harassment and bullying.
It can often be difficult for a leader within an organisation to know exactly what to do when allegations arise. The following is list of tips to help you.
Investigate Immediately
Time is critical in harassment cases and all instances should be addressed as soon as the complainant has raised the issue. It is likely that the alleged bullying or harassment has gone on for some time and has reached a point where the complainant feels they have run out of options. There is no benefit in hoping that the situation will ‘blow over’.
Take the Complaint Seriously
Employees are unlikely to complain unless they feel they have no other options. A response from you that is deemed unreasonable or dismissive will exacerbate the situation and likely cause issues further down the line.
Be Objective and Independent
Irrespective of the feelings you have for those involved in the case, it is important that you remain objective and independent of the situation at all times. Although sometimes difficult, you must ensure that your own feelings and opinions do not enter into the equation. All parties involved will be looking for support from you and it is imperative that you remain professional throughout the process. If you are seen to imply favouritism, the consequences could be damaging.
Attempt to Resolve Informally
Informal resolution of harassment and bullying cases can be the least damaging for all involved. Often the person that carries out the harassment or bullying is unaware of the affect their behaviour is having on the individual concerned. Wherever possible it is best to rectify these matters without damaging the reputation of all involved. Sometimes the complainant will be happy to approach the person/s themselves or they may need support from others i.e. manager, colleague, HR.
Ensure Confidentiality
As a general principle, confidentiality should be agreed and maintained. In some instances it will be necessary to involve others in the discussions in order to progress a complaint. However, the decision should be made by the complainant as to whether to involve anyone else.
In cases of this nature hearsay and gossip tend to arise. It is important that you remain impartial and act as the soul of discretion. Any other type of behaviour can result in legal implications for you.
Follow Organisation Policies and Guidelines
Most organisations will have guidelines and policies for disciplinary, grievance, bullying or harassment cases. They will have been drafted carefully and with the organisation and its employee’s specific interests in mind, so it is crucial that you follow them. Don’t be reluctant to seek help if you are unsure of the procedures or need advice.
This article is an excerpt from our training materials on Bullying & Harassment. Visit Trainer Bubble today to download this business critical course.
Wednesday 24 October 2007
Develop Your Sales by Building Trust
Successful salespeople have a knack for making people feel important. They understand the value of building trust and rapport early on in the selling process. It really doesn't matter how knowledgeable you are about your product line or how many closing techniques you have mastered, unless you earn your prospect's trust and confidence you are not going to make the sale.
Once you have established trust and rapport with your prospect, you will encourage a situation where you make it easy for them to buy from you. Often there is not much difference in specific products that we sell anymore and the amount of trust you can build with your prospects becomes the only differentiator between you and your competitors.
While there is no system that will work 100 percent of the time with every situation, studies show that there are four elements that precede trust.
Ethics — Conducting business with honesty and using good business practices, such as a high standard of customer service and high personal moral values.
Bonding — Conducting an individualised and value-added relationship over a long period of time. This may include feelings of friendship.
Empathy — The ability to see a situation from another person’s perspective. ‘Take a walk in the customer’s shoes’.
Reciprocity — Providing favours or making allowances in return for similar favours or allowances.
So next time you enter a sales discussion, consider the four points above and how you can build a trusting relationship with your customer...it's what the great salespeople do!
This article is taken from a section in the workbook of 'Practical Sales Skills', which is a set of training course materials that our customers have been downloading and using to develop their sales team. Visit our website today for sales success! You will also find many other useful training resources.
Once you have established trust and rapport with your prospect, you will encourage a situation where you make it easy for them to buy from you. Often there is not much difference in specific products that we sell anymore and the amount of trust you can build with your prospects becomes the only differentiator between you and your competitors.
While there is no system that will work 100 percent of the time with every situation, studies show that there are four elements that precede trust.
Ethics — Conducting business with honesty and using good business practices, such as a high standard of customer service and high personal moral values.
Bonding — Conducting an individualised and value-added relationship over a long period of time. This may include feelings of friendship.
Empathy — The ability to see a situation from another person’s perspective. ‘Take a walk in the customer’s shoes’.
Reciprocity — Providing favours or making allowances in return for similar favours or allowances.
So next time you enter a sales discussion, consider the four points above and how you can build a trusting relationship with your customer...it's what the great salespeople do!
This article is taken from a section in the workbook of 'Practical Sales Skills', which is a set of training course materials that our customers have been downloading and using to develop their sales team. Visit our website today for sales success! You will also find many other useful training resources.
Wednesday 17 October 2007
Perception
It seems the video of 'Did you spot the gorilla?' was removed from Youtube. For those that missed it, try this video perception test instead...
Tuesday 16 October 2007
Did You Spot the Gorilla?
It's surprising how many people miss the gorilla when watching the short clip that I posted on my blog last week. This clip was developed by Daniel Simons to study the psychology of vision. It points out that because you are asked to focus on something specific, you often miss the seemingly obvious as your brain will filter out what it feels is not important. In this case, you were asked to count the passes and so a gorilla beating it's chest was deemed less important by your brain and so it filtered it out.
Richard Wiseman uses the video to demonstrate the 'blind spots' people have to opportunities and argues that those people that learn (or naturally) manage to identify these hidden opportunities are more likely to succeed and maximise opportunities in their personal and professional life.
The challenge in life is to look at things from different perspectives and not close your mind off to knew thoughts and ideas. You can read more about Richard's findings from his book 'Did you spot the gorilla?'
Richard Wiseman uses the video to demonstrate the 'blind spots' people have to opportunities and argues that those people that learn (or naturally) manage to identify these hidden opportunities are more likely to succeed and maximise opportunities in their personal and professional life.
The challenge in life is to look at things from different perspectives and not close your mind off to knew thoughts and ideas. You can read more about Richard's findings from his book 'Did you spot the gorilla?'
Tuesday 9 October 2007
How Many Passes?
Watch this basketball clip and tell me how many times the basketballs are passed...
Monday 8 October 2007
Top Ten Tips for Engaging Learners
Even the most mundane subjects can be made much more interesting if participants are given plenty of opportunity to do things with the subject material, to think things out for themselves and to talk to each other. Participants also need to know where a session is supposed to take them. They need to know about the intended outcomes, and (more importantly) what these mean for them and what they will be able to show when they’ve achieved the outcomes. Here are ten tips to make training more engaging:
1. Establish participants’ ownership of the agenda. Ask them what they really want from the session or what they feel they really need from the session. Write their expectations on a flipchart. Ownership is achieved best when it’s the participants own words.
2. Express the intended learning objectives. Work out carefully some completions of ‘By the end of this session, you will be better able to…’, and talk them through why it will be useful to them to achieve these learning outcomes. After all, it’s the reason for the training!
3. Acknowledge their experience. Don’t tell them anything you can ask them first. Usually, there will be people there who already know the answers to most questions. Give the group as a whole ownership of their answers to questions, rather than you being the source of all wisdom.
4. Keep them busy. Get them learning by doing, rather than listening to you explaining the theory. If it’s an area that can only be described through talking, create a discussion, or even better, get them to stand up and review ideas on flipcharts around them room.
5. Give participants a variety of different things to do in successive tasks. For example, use different activities such as written, brainstorming, prioritising, sorting, discussing, arranging, playing, acting, case studies, games and so on.
6. Plan short tasks, not long ones. It is usually better to break a task into four fifteen minute stages than to run it as a one hour episode. Where tasks need to be longer, ensure you involve everyone and alternate the lead.
7. Be a time lord. Managing our own time is important enough, but when training it’s really important to manage other people’s time well too. Boredom quickly sets in when participants have too much time for a task, so as soon as some have finished, start debriefing.
8. Celebrate their successes. Cultivate the art of asking participants the right questions, so that they come up with the answers. When they have worked out how to do something, they remember it far longer than if you tell them how to do it.
9. Make it fine to learn by getting things wrong. Point out that for many things, learning is deeper when people get things wrong; they find out in an unthreatening environment why they were wrong, and how to make them better.
10. Don’t lecture. When you need to give your participants some information, do so in a handout, and then get them to do something with the information rather than just write it down or read it themselves.
1. Establish participants’ ownership of the agenda. Ask them what they really want from the session or what they feel they really need from the session. Write their expectations on a flipchart. Ownership is achieved best when it’s the participants own words.
2. Express the intended learning objectives. Work out carefully some completions of ‘By the end of this session, you will be better able to…’, and talk them through why it will be useful to them to achieve these learning outcomes. After all, it’s the reason for the training!
3. Acknowledge their experience. Don’t tell them anything you can ask them first. Usually, there will be people there who already know the answers to most questions. Give the group as a whole ownership of their answers to questions, rather than you being the source of all wisdom.
4. Keep them busy. Get them learning by doing, rather than listening to you explaining the theory. If it’s an area that can only be described through talking, create a discussion, or even better, get them to stand up and review ideas on flipcharts around them room.
5. Give participants a variety of different things to do in successive tasks. For example, use different activities such as written, brainstorming, prioritising, sorting, discussing, arranging, playing, acting, case studies, games and so on.
6. Plan short tasks, not long ones. It is usually better to break a task into four fifteen minute stages than to run it as a one hour episode. Where tasks need to be longer, ensure you involve everyone and alternate the lead.
7. Be a time lord. Managing our own time is important enough, but when training it’s really important to manage other people’s time well too. Boredom quickly sets in when participants have too much time for a task, so as soon as some have finished, start debriefing.
8. Celebrate their successes. Cultivate the art of asking participants the right questions, so that they come up with the answers. When they have worked out how to do something, they remember it far longer than if you tell them how to do it.
9. Make it fine to learn by getting things wrong. Point out that for many things, learning is deeper when people get things wrong; they find out in an unthreatening environment why they were wrong, and how to make them better.
10. Don’t lecture. When you need to give your participants some information, do so in a handout, and then get them to do something with the information rather than just write it down or read it themselves.
Tuesday 2 October 2007
Trainer Bubble Partner with ITOL
Trainer Bubble are pleased to announce their status as an approved partner with the Institute of Training and Occupational Learning (ITOL).
This partnership will provide our customers with the opportunity to benefit from specific partnership discounts and offers as well as the assurance that our business practices are in line with ITOL standards.
About ITOL
The Institute of Training and Occupational Learning is the UK's fastest growing network for trainers, and is now the professional body of first choice for those specialising in training, development and occupational learning. ITOL are the only Institute in the UK solely committed to occupational trainers and their needs. They truly are the natural home for everyone involved in the world of learning. Visit the ITOL website at www.itol.org
Membership
We are currently in the process of developing a Trainer Bubble/ITOL membership collaboration, which will offer you specific member advantages as well as membership to an institute that is truly committed to the future of training.
Keep visiting Trainer Bubble at www.trainerbubble.com for great training resources.
This partnership will provide our customers with the opportunity to benefit from specific partnership discounts and offers as well as the assurance that our business practices are in line with ITOL standards.
About ITOL
The Institute of Training and Occupational Learning is the UK's fastest growing network for trainers, and is now the professional body of first choice for those specialising in training, development and occupational learning. ITOL are the only Institute in the UK solely committed to occupational trainers and their needs. They truly are the natural home for everyone involved in the world of learning. Visit the ITOL website at www.itol.org
Membership
We are currently in the process of developing a Trainer Bubble/ITOL membership collaboration, which will offer you specific member advantages as well as membership to an institute that is truly committed to the future of training.
Keep visiting Trainer Bubble at www.trainerbubble.com for great training resources.
Friday 14 September 2007
Sales - How to Handle Objections
Objections are a fact of life for a salesperson and a lot will say that they hate when they get them. I really don’t think this should be the case as objections are just another way for a prospect to say, “I need more information” and can actually be a good sign that a sale is not too far away. After all, if you handle the objection effectively, what reasons are there left not to buy?
The most common reason for salespeople disliking objections is the simple fact that they are not prepared for them. There are no excuses for not being prepared for objections, after all, there are only so many objections that you are likely to receive and believe me, the prospects of the world are not sat in a room right now thinking up new and better objections in order to catch you out!
A truly effective salesperson will spend time practicing and perfecting their response to these objections and when they receive them the response will be so slick and meaningful the prospect will have no option but to buy the product or think up a whole new objection…that can be answered just as quickly!
Another thing to consider when overcoming objections is the way you deliver them to the prospect. There are four practical techniques to follow.
Pre-empt the objection – The best way to avoid receiving objections is to answer them in your pitch. If you have an awareness of the common objections that you get to your product/service, not pre-empting them seems madness.
Some salespeople might argue that it’s best not to highlight the downside to a product. Believe me; even if your prospect doesn’t say it, they’re thinking it. Get the issue out in the open and answer it straight up. That way, when you reach for a close, the prospect will not have the objection.
Treat objections as questions – Objections are not something to be feared. If you treat the objection as just another question that drives you towards the sale you will find that your body language and tone of voice doesn’t alter and your enthusiastic response will be seen by the prospect as a positive statement of confidence in your product.
Agree with the prospect – This is no time for an argument! You are not opposing the prospects statement, simply helping them to understand your point of view. There is a tendency to use words like ‘but’, which put up barriers between you and the customer. Instead, make them realise that you respect their query by supporting it and then stating your side of things. A good technique to follow is one developed by Zig Zigler (well known sales trainer), which is…
Use Feel, Felt, Found - This process is great for handling objections whilst still acknowledging and respecting the prospects point of view. When a customer raises an objection, you say something like; “I understand how you feel, our other customers felt the same way too until they found that…” This technique is incredibly simple and yet amazingly effective.
This is an excerpt from the workbook in the Trainer Bubble training materials for 'Practical Selling Skills'. Visit our website now to view the rest of the content.
The most common reason for salespeople disliking objections is the simple fact that they are not prepared for them. There are no excuses for not being prepared for objections, after all, there are only so many objections that you are likely to receive and believe me, the prospects of the world are not sat in a room right now thinking up new and better objections in order to catch you out!
A truly effective salesperson will spend time practicing and perfecting their response to these objections and when they receive them the response will be so slick and meaningful the prospect will have no option but to buy the product or think up a whole new objection…that can be answered just as quickly!
Another thing to consider when overcoming objections is the way you deliver them to the prospect. There are four practical techniques to follow.
Pre-empt the objection – The best way to avoid receiving objections is to answer them in your pitch. If you have an awareness of the common objections that you get to your product/service, not pre-empting them seems madness.
Some salespeople might argue that it’s best not to highlight the downside to a product. Believe me; even if your prospect doesn’t say it, they’re thinking it. Get the issue out in the open and answer it straight up. That way, when you reach for a close, the prospect will not have the objection.
Treat objections as questions – Objections are not something to be feared. If you treat the objection as just another question that drives you towards the sale you will find that your body language and tone of voice doesn’t alter and your enthusiastic response will be seen by the prospect as a positive statement of confidence in your product.
Agree with the prospect – This is no time for an argument! You are not opposing the prospects statement, simply helping them to understand your point of view. There is a tendency to use words like ‘but’, which put up barriers between you and the customer. Instead, make them realise that you respect their query by supporting it and then stating your side of things. A good technique to follow is one developed by Zig Zigler (well known sales trainer), which is…
Use Feel, Felt, Found - This process is great for handling objections whilst still acknowledging and respecting the prospects point of view. When a customer raises an objection, you say something like; “I understand how you feel, our other customers felt the same way too until they found that…” This technique is incredibly simple and yet amazingly effective.
This is an excerpt from the workbook in the Trainer Bubble training materials for 'Practical Selling Skills'. Visit our website now to view the rest of the content.
Wednesday 22 August 2007
Effective Customer Care - Mind the GAP's
Providing effective customer care is crucial to the success of any business. We all realise this, and yet at times it feels that no matter how much we meet and exceed customer’s needs, they still want more. So, are customers becoming more demanding? Is customer care slipping? How can we keep up the momentum? I believe I have the answers, but first, let me take you on a journey...
I had decided to take a holiday in a 5 star resort in Thailand. My partner and I were greeted at the baking hot airport by a hotel driver in an air conditioned Mercedes and taken directly to the foyer of the luxury hotel. While we signed in our luggage was ferried off to our room and we were asked to relax in the comfortable chairs with a chilled, refreshing drink. The air conditioning above gently pumped out cool air as the smiling receptionist quietly enquired about our trip, whilst efficiently taking our information. After several minutes a golf buggy pulled up next to the reception and we were driven the 100 yards to our villa on the complex.
As we entered our room we were hit by the smell of fresh flowers and the sight of crisp, fresh, white sheets on the bed. We opened our luggage, which had been placed carefully by the wardrobe, grabbed our bathing costumes and immediately headed for the pool.
At the pool we were greeted by a member of staff that had not only reserved a seat in the shade for us, but also provided clean white towels for us to lay on. While we relaxed, our every whim was met by a smiling member of staff who seemed to instinctively know when you were getting too hot and needed a complimentary drink or one of the hotels famous 'alcoholic ice pops'.
Now I'm not just saying this to make you jealous, there is a message to this story because this service was way above anything I had ever experienced in my life. I simply had not been treated so well at any point up until that time. It truly was the 'exceptional customer experience' that you hear what seem to be urban myths about. By the third day I was starting to get really used to it, I stopped with please and thank you and began to really just relax and enjoy the experience. That's about the same time things took a turn for the worse...
On the fourth day we turned up at the pool and the staff member was not there. The towels had been carefully laid out at a table for us to collect and my partner and I managed to get our usual sun lounger with the parasol above it (although I had to put it up). When the staff member turned up about 1 hour later I called him over as by then I really needed a drink (there was a bar by the pool, but I didn't feel inclined to walk over to it). I asked him why he had not been there first thing and he explained to me that he had to help out at the front desk as a large party of guests had arrived and there was not enough cover. I was pretty irritated by this and it was only when my partner suggested that if I didn't stop complaining to her she was going to throw me in the pool that I relaxed again. I have to say it spoiled things somewhat though and from that point on I started to look for things that weren't quite right.
Now, I consider myself an easy-going type of person, one who is level-headed and fair. I am not the type to get easily agitated and if I'm honest I would say that whilst writing about my 'bad' experience I am a little embarrassed by my thoughts at the time. However, this for me is the true issue as far as customer care is concerned.
When a business, quite rightly, attempts to exceed customer expectations then they have to be prepared to accept that very soon this becomes the norm. If the hotel that I visited had not made my experience so fantastic in the first place I would have been none the wiser. However, once they had made that expectation any slip in standards would be deemed 'bad service'. This is the challenge that all businesses face, which I call, 'Minding the GAP's'.
GAP stands for Good, Accepted and Poor, which are the three levels of standard that customers grade a business by. Unfortunately, customer care is not as easy as always staying in the ‘good’ area. As you will have seen from my example, after a while the good merely becomes the accepted, which if not met, becomes poor.
It truly is a conundrum, which can only be resolved by hard work, determination and a little bit of inventiveness.
Firstly we need to ensure that the people providing customer care appreciate that the GAP process happens. Once they understand the concept, they can be more prepared to realise why customers become seemingly ‘ungrateful’ for the wonderful service they provide and therefore maintain a positive mindset.
In any business we need to have an element of ‘thick skin’ and if the person providing service does not see the benefits and reasoning behind effective customer care and the value that working in the ‘good’ area provides, then the battle is lost. The concept of exceeding expectations must be valued by the individual and they need to appreciate how working in the ‘good’ area will improve their personal working experience.
Once the team understand the concept of GAP, they can start to identify what the specific ‘good’ and ‘accepted’ are for the business; this will help them to relate to the customer experience in a way that they probably hadn’t considered before. It is no good telling members of staff what must be done. If they have no reason to buy into this concept, then it will not happen it’s as simple as that. To buy into something you have to feel part of it. This can be achieved by allowing the team to develop their own thoughts on the matter.
The team should also be encouraged to develop the next ‘good’ elements. What are the extras they can do to further exceed the customer expectations? What will provide that wow factor? If the culture of inventiveness can be developed within the values of a team, you will create a wonderful working environment and truly become masters of customer care and perhaps then you can holiday in Thailand off the proceeds!
Visit Trainer Bubble where you can download our fantastic training resource on Effective Customer Care, which gives you all the course materials you need to run an exceptional training event.
I had decided to take a holiday in a 5 star resort in Thailand. My partner and I were greeted at the baking hot airport by a hotel driver in an air conditioned Mercedes and taken directly to the foyer of the luxury hotel. While we signed in our luggage was ferried off to our room and we were asked to relax in the comfortable chairs with a chilled, refreshing drink. The air conditioning above gently pumped out cool air as the smiling receptionist quietly enquired about our trip, whilst efficiently taking our information. After several minutes a golf buggy pulled up next to the reception and we were driven the 100 yards to our villa on the complex.
As we entered our room we were hit by the smell of fresh flowers and the sight of crisp, fresh, white sheets on the bed. We opened our luggage, which had been placed carefully by the wardrobe, grabbed our bathing costumes and immediately headed for the pool.
At the pool we were greeted by a member of staff that had not only reserved a seat in the shade for us, but also provided clean white towels for us to lay on. While we relaxed, our every whim was met by a smiling member of staff who seemed to instinctively know when you were getting too hot and needed a complimentary drink or one of the hotels famous 'alcoholic ice pops'.
Now I'm not just saying this to make you jealous, there is a message to this story because this service was way above anything I had ever experienced in my life. I simply had not been treated so well at any point up until that time. It truly was the 'exceptional customer experience' that you hear what seem to be urban myths about. By the third day I was starting to get really used to it, I stopped with please and thank you and began to really just relax and enjoy the experience. That's about the same time things took a turn for the worse...
On the fourth day we turned up at the pool and the staff member was not there. The towels had been carefully laid out at a table for us to collect and my partner and I managed to get our usual sun lounger with the parasol above it (although I had to put it up). When the staff member turned up about 1 hour later I called him over as by then I really needed a drink (there was a bar by the pool, but I didn't feel inclined to walk over to it). I asked him why he had not been there first thing and he explained to me that he had to help out at the front desk as a large party of guests had arrived and there was not enough cover. I was pretty irritated by this and it was only when my partner suggested that if I didn't stop complaining to her she was going to throw me in the pool that I relaxed again. I have to say it spoiled things somewhat though and from that point on I started to look for things that weren't quite right.
Now, I consider myself an easy-going type of person, one who is level-headed and fair. I am not the type to get easily agitated and if I'm honest I would say that whilst writing about my 'bad' experience I am a little embarrassed by my thoughts at the time. However, this for me is the true issue as far as customer care is concerned.
When a business, quite rightly, attempts to exceed customer expectations then they have to be prepared to accept that very soon this becomes the norm. If the hotel that I visited had not made my experience so fantastic in the first place I would have been none the wiser. However, once they had made that expectation any slip in standards would be deemed 'bad service'. This is the challenge that all businesses face, which I call, 'Minding the GAP's'.
GAP stands for Good, Accepted and Poor, which are the three levels of standard that customers grade a business by. Unfortunately, customer care is not as easy as always staying in the ‘good’ area. As you will have seen from my example, after a while the good merely becomes the accepted, which if not met, becomes poor.
It truly is a conundrum, which can only be resolved by hard work, determination and a little bit of inventiveness.
Firstly we need to ensure that the people providing customer care appreciate that the GAP process happens. Once they understand the concept, they can be more prepared to realise why customers become seemingly ‘ungrateful’ for the wonderful service they provide and therefore maintain a positive mindset.
In any business we need to have an element of ‘thick skin’ and if the person providing service does not see the benefits and reasoning behind effective customer care and the value that working in the ‘good’ area provides, then the battle is lost. The concept of exceeding expectations must be valued by the individual and they need to appreciate how working in the ‘good’ area will improve their personal working experience.
Once the team understand the concept of GAP, they can start to identify what the specific ‘good’ and ‘accepted’ are for the business; this will help them to relate to the customer experience in a way that they probably hadn’t considered before. It is no good telling members of staff what must be done. If they have no reason to buy into this concept, then it will not happen it’s as simple as that. To buy into something you have to feel part of it. This can be achieved by allowing the team to develop their own thoughts on the matter.
The team should also be encouraged to develop the next ‘good’ elements. What are the extras they can do to further exceed the customer expectations? What will provide that wow factor? If the culture of inventiveness can be developed within the values of a team, you will create a wonderful working environment and truly become masters of customer care and perhaps then you can holiday in Thailand off the proceeds!
Visit Trainer Bubble where you can download our fantastic training resource on Effective Customer Care, which gives you all the course materials you need to run an exceptional training event.
Tuesday 14 August 2007
Energiser, for just a little training fun.
Here's a little test you can use during breaks or lunchtimes to add a little fun to your training sessions.Doctors have concluded that if you can find the face in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, the right half of your brain is better developed than most people. If you find the face between 3 seconds and 1 minute, your right half of the brain is developed normally. If you find the face between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. If you have not found the face after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger!
Monday 6 August 2007
Developing Well-Formed Outcomes with NLP
An outcome is a goal that you develop in such a way that conforms to your subconscious mind. A goal is usually quite general, whereas an outcome is specific to the individual and provides a very clear understanding of what to do. The structure of an outcome should activate our personal resources in such a way that it becomes actionable.
Going through the six questions creates a detailed internal representation in your mind - an important step in creating a belief in your objective. It may not be necessary to go through all of the questions for every objective. Use your discretion and apply the questions that are appropriate at the time.
1) State you outcome positively
You need to be very clear about what it is that you want so that you can remain focused. You should be precise about what you want as ambiguous definitions will not provide you with the direction you need. If you say, ‘I want to be happier’, then a good joke might suffice! However, if you were to say, ‘I want to lose 2 stone’, the intention is clear.
You should also avoid negative statements as your brain cannot process them. If you say, ‘I don’t want to work here anymore’, all your subconscious can here is, ‘work here’. If you start to think, ‘I don’t want…’ consider what you do want instead and write that as your outcome.
A useful technique when coaching is to ask the coachee what the present situation is and follow this up with what the desired future outcome is.
Where are you now? Where do you want to be?
2) State your outcome in sensory terms
The term representational system refers to how we use our five senses of smelling, tasting, hearing, seeing and feeling to represent or experience events. Everyone has a preferred representational system; some are more visual others are more feelings based. Consider what you will see, hear, feel and so on.
As a coach you should quickly establish the preferred representational system of the coachee and adapt your language to suit.
3) Evidence Procedure
Evidence procedure is another way of asking ‘How will you know that you have achieved your goal?’ The following questions should help you to understand this.
How will I know that I have achieved my outcome? What will I be doing once I have achieved it? What will I see, hear, feel etc. when I achieve it?
4) Is it ecological?
This stage is to ensure that the outcome fits in with all areas of your life. You should consider how it will affect your career, family, health etc. What will be gained? What will be lost?
5) Is it self initiated and are you in control of it?
It may be that someone else wants you to change, but it’s really not something that you want. Of course the likelihood of you achieving your outcome in this case is lessened and so you should ensure that the outcome is driven from within.
You may also find that you achieving your outcome is not solely in your control, this could make it difficult for you to achieve your outcome. Try the following questions to help at this stage.
Who is this outcome created for? Is the outcome solely down to me to achieve?
6) Is the context clearly defined?
The context is the way your outcome will happen. When, where how and with who do I want this? Asking these questions will help you define steps that need to be taken to achieve your outcome.
7) What resources are needed?
What people, knowledge, skills, attributes do you need to help you reach your outcome? Some questions to consider…
What resources do I currently have? What resources do I need to acquire? Have I achieved anything like this before? What can I learn from that? What if I act as if I already had the resources I need?
Using this process will ensure you achieve effective results each time.
This is an excerpt from the training course 'Coaching with NLP', which you can purchase and download from our website at Trainer Bubble.
Going through the six questions creates a detailed internal representation in your mind - an important step in creating a belief in your objective. It may not be necessary to go through all of the questions for every objective. Use your discretion and apply the questions that are appropriate at the time.
1) State you outcome positively
You need to be very clear about what it is that you want so that you can remain focused. You should be precise about what you want as ambiguous definitions will not provide you with the direction you need. If you say, ‘I want to be happier’, then a good joke might suffice! However, if you were to say, ‘I want to lose 2 stone’, the intention is clear.
You should also avoid negative statements as your brain cannot process them. If you say, ‘I don’t want to work here anymore’, all your subconscious can here is, ‘work here’. If you start to think, ‘I don’t want…’ consider what you do want instead and write that as your outcome.
A useful technique when coaching is to ask the coachee what the present situation is and follow this up with what the desired future outcome is.
Where are you now? Where do you want to be?
2) State your outcome in sensory terms
The term representational system refers to how we use our five senses of smelling, tasting, hearing, seeing and feeling to represent or experience events. Everyone has a preferred representational system; some are more visual others are more feelings based. Consider what you will see, hear, feel and so on.
As a coach you should quickly establish the preferred representational system of the coachee and adapt your language to suit.
3) Evidence Procedure
Evidence procedure is another way of asking ‘How will you know that you have achieved your goal?’ The following questions should help you to understand this.
How will I know that I have achieved my outcome? What will I be doing once I have achieved it? What will I see, hear, feel etc. when I achieve it?
4) Is it ecological?
This stage is to ensure that the outcome fits in with all areas of your life. You should consider how it will affect your career, family, health etc. What will be gained? What will be lost?
5) Is it self initiated and are you in control of it?
It may be that someone else wants you to change, but it’s really not something that you want. Of course the likelihood of you achieving your outcome in this case is lessened and so you should ensure that the outcome is driven from within.
You may also find that you achieving your outcome is not solely in your control, this could make it difficult for you to achieve your outcome. Try the following questions to help at this stage.
Who is this outcome created for? Is the outcome solely down to me to achieve?
6) Is the context clearly defined?
The context is the way your outcome will happen. When, where how and with who do I want this? Asking these questions will help you define steps that need to be taken to achieve your outcome.
7) What resources are needed?
What people, knowledge, skills, attributes do you need to help you reach your outcome? Some questions to consider…
What resources do I currently have? What resources do I need to acquire? Have I achieved anything like this before? What can I learn from that? What if I act as if I already had the resources I need?
Using this process will ensure you achieve effective results each time.
This is an excerpt from the training course 'Coaching with NLP', which you can purchase and download from our website at Trainer Bubble.
Monday 23 July 2007
Meetings or Work? – A Modern Dilemma
What is it with business people and meetings? I’ve lost count of the mundane, ineffective and downright pointless meetings that I have had the misfortune to attend so far this year. If one more person drags me half way across the country to attend a meeting about the meeting before it I’m pretty sure I will throw myself out of the meeting room window.
I’m not against meetings per se, but it seems that people are pre-occupied with talking about issues rather than getting their hands dirty and actually dealing with them. I guess it’s easier to imbed yourself in a days worth of appointments talking about ‘the state of the business’ than it is to spend time actually trying to resolve anything.
The trouble with this abundance of dross gatherings is that it turns people off to the worthwhile meetings that really do help to address ‘real issues’, which can create a positive benefit to the future of the business.
So, for those of you that are interested only in positive meetings with purpose, let’s lay down some guidelines…
1) Never call a meeting if the information can be distributed or matter resolved by alternative, simpler means.
2) Provide a clear agenda and any relevant information to those due to attend the meeting. If they are required to prepare information, let them know.
3) Only invite people that absolutely need to be there.
4) Always start and end the meeting on time.
5) Stick to the topics on the agenda.
6) Be clear on the goals of the meeting and work towards them.
7) Do not allow AOB to become inane ramblings. If people want to have a general chat, ask them to do it elsewhere.
8) Prepare for the meeting and be clear on the content. If you have not prepared adequately then postpone, avoid bringing people together to ‘chat around the topic’.
9) Avoid ‘satellite’ meetings. If you can combine topics and all relevant people are due to be there, do so.
10) If the meeting becomes no longer necessary, don’t have it!
See, simple really isn’t it? So stop calling a meeting every time you need a break from the real work and start planning for successes. If you want to have a moan, save it for the water cooler!
You can download our new training resource on 'Leading Meetings' at our website www.trainerbubble.com
I’m not against meetings per se, but it seems that people are pre-occupied with talking about issues rather than getting their hands dirty and actually dealing with them. I guess it’s easier to imbed yourself in a days worth of appointments talking about ‘the state of the business’ than it is to spend time actually trying to resolve anything.
The trouble with this abundance of dross gatherings is that it turns people off to the worthwhile meetings that really do help to address ‘real issues’, which can create a positive benefit to the future of the business.
So, for those of you that are interested only in positive meetings with purpose, let’s lay down some guidelines…
1) Never call a meeting if the information can be distributed or matter resolved by alternative, simpler means.
2) Provide a clear agenda and any relevant information to those due to attend the meeting. If they are required to prepare information, let them know.
3) Only invite people that absolutely need to be there.
4) Always start and end the meeting on time.
5) Stick to the topics on the agenda.
6) Be clear on the goals of the meeting and work towards them.
7) Do not allow AOB to become inane ramblings. If people want to have a general chat, ask them to do it elsewhere.
8) Prepare for the meeting and be clear on the content. If you have not prepared adequately then postpone, avoid bringing people together to ‘chat around the topic’.
9) Avoid ‘satellite’ meetings. If you can combine topics and all relevant people are due to be there, do so.
10) If the meeting becomes no longer necessary, don’t have it!
See, simple really isn’t it? So stop calling a meeting every time you need a break from the real work and start planning for successes. If you want to have a moan, save it for the water cooler!
You can download our new training resource on 'Leading Meetings' at our website www.trainerbubble.com
Wednesday 11 July 2007
Dress the Room - by Wolfgang Halliwell
As soon as I walked into the room I knew this would be no ordinary training event.
Colourful posters adorned the wall. The tables were arranged into a cafeteria style. Each table had a small bowl of fruit instead of the usual mints. There were also a few colourful toys together with some coloured pencils and marker pens.
I also distinctly remember the lively and positive music being played – ‘I feel good’ by James Brown.
Never before had I experienced anything quite like this, and I really did feel good. This warm and welcoming atmosphere put me in exactly the right mood to participate and to learn and was the start of one of the best three day courses I have ever attended.
The experience had a big effect on me and from that time onwards I have always paid a lot of attention to setting up the venue before any training event. The aim is to help participants get into the right learning state in rich and multi-sensory way.
Although some people arrive looking a little puzzled and even suspicious I find that they soon put this to one side. Most soon have smiles on their faces and tend to respond positively when we start work.
Of course, it is not only the participants who benefit from this. By setting up a positive atmosphere it really does make me feel good and puts me in a positive mental state. This in turn benefits the learners who always get the best from me.
If you struggle to generate ‘life’ into your courses try giving extra thought into the way you set up the room. And, don’t forget the lively and positive music. This won’t breathe life into a lifeless but it’s a good start. Soon you will find yourself being more adventurous in the things you try during your training, and that will be to everyone’s benefit.
Wolfgang is an author of training course materials and resources for Trainer Bubble.
Colourful posters adorned the wall. The tables were arranged into a cafeteria style. Each table had a small bowl of fruit instead of the usual mints. There were also a few colourful toys together with some coloured pencils and marker pens.
I also distinctly remember the lively and positive music being played – ‘I feel good’ by James Brown.
Never before had I experienced anything quite like this, and I really did feel good. This warm and welcoming atmosphere put me in exactly the right mood to participate and to learn and was the start of one of the best three day courses I have ever attended.
The experience had a big effect on me and from that time onwards I have always paid a lot of attention to setting up the venue before any training event. The aim is to help participants get into the right learning state in rich and multi-sensory way.
Although some people arrive looking a little puzzled and even suspicious I find that they soon put this to one side. Most soon have smiles on their faces and tend to respond positively when we start work.
Of course, it is not only the participants who benefit from this. By setting up a positive atmosphere it really does make me feel good and puts me in a positive mental state. This in turn benefits the learners who always get the best from me.
If you struggle to generate ‘life’ into your courses try giving extra thought into the way you set up the room. And, don’t forget the lively and positive music. This won’t breathe life into a lifeless but it’s a good start. Soon you will find yourself being more adventurous in the things you try during your training, and that will be to everyone’s benefit.
Wolfgang is an author of training course materials and resources for Trainer Bubble.
Wednesday 4 July 2007
Ten Rules for a Successful Life
Why are some people more successful than others? Is it just that some people get all the luck and that’s just the way it is? Or is there more to it? Gary Player the famous golfer once said, “The harder I work, the luckier I get” and I think this statement has a lot of truth to it. I believe that success is a mindset and if I’m right, then that means that anyone can achieve it.
If you listen carefully to people you will notice that they become very adept at providing reasons for their ‘bad luck’. It’s the upbringing, the schooling, the boss, the partner and many other reasons including the fact that there are not enough hours in the day (eh?). I’m of the opinion that these limiting beliefs are a way of avoiding the simple truth; some people just don’t want it enough. It’s a lot easier to sit in your lazyboy chair and proclaim to the world that you didn’t get the breaks, than it is to get up and do something about it.
Now I’m not saying that everyone should want to be the best at everything they do, but I do think that those people who decide to live life in the slow lane forego their right to complain about it. If you really care that much then it’s up to you to change things.
So for those people that want to get out of the rut and move on in life, I’ve put together ten rules. If you follow them, I see no reason why success shouldn’t follow.
1. Nobody else is to blame for the way you are. Those things that happen to you (good or bad) simply create choices. You are a product of your own making.
2. The world owes you nothing. If you want the stars, buy your own ladder and climb. Nobody will give you a leg-up.
3. Thinking is not doing. Good luck rarely comes to the inactive. Hard work is a dream-maker.
4. Failure is progress. Every mistake is a step closer to success, as long as you learn from it.
5. Focus on the important things in life. If you spend too long worrying about the small things, that’s all you’ll end up with.
6. Take pride in what you do. There’s no shame in thinking positively about yourself. If you don’t love you, nobody else will.
7. Celebrate success. If it goes right, shout it from the roof-tops. You can learn from good stuff too.
8. Take what works and build on it. If you find success in one area, model it and apply the learning to other areas.
9. Stick with it. There will be moments when it all seems like too much hard work, that’s when you’re getting closer.
10. Share your success with others, there’s enough to go around. Successful people work together and build winning relationships.
There you have it, ten simple steps to achieving your dreams. So stop looking for reasons not to succeed and start working towards your goals. I’ve never once heard an elderly person complain about the things they did in life, but I’ve heard a few regrets about the things they didn’t.
Visit Trainer Bubble now, where you will find two great training resources on Success; 'Make a Difference to Your Life' and 'Think Your Way to Success'.
If you listen carefully to people you will notice that they become very adept at providing reasons for their ‘bad luck’. It’s the upbringing, the schooling, the boss, the partner and many other reasons including the fact that there are not enough hours in the day (eh?). I’m of the opinion that these limiting beliefs are a way of avoiding the simple truth; some people just don’t want it enough. It’s a lot easier to sit in your lazyboy chair and proclaim to the world that you didn’t get the breaks, than it is to get up and do something about it.
Now I’m not saying that everyone should want to be the best at everything they do, but I do think that those people who decide to live life in the slow lane forego their right to complain about it. If you really care that much then it’s up to you to change things.
So for those people that want to get out of the rut and move on in life, I’ve put together ten rules. If you follow them, I see no reason why success shouldn’t follow.
1. Nobody else is to blame for the way you are. Those things that happen to you (good or bad) simply create choices. You are a product of your own making.
2. The world owes you nothing. If you want the stars, buy your own ladder and climb. Nobody will give you a leg-up.
3. Thinking is not doing. Good luck rarely comes to the inactive. Hard work is a dream-maker.
4. Failure is progress. Every mistake is a step closer to success, as long as you learn from it.
5. Focus on the important things in life. If you spend too long worrying about the small things, that’s all you’ll end up with.
6. Take pride in what you do. There’s no shame in thinking positively about yourself. If you don’t love you, nobody else will.
7. Celebrate success. If it goes right, shout it from the roof-tops. You can learn from good stuff too.
8. Take what works and build on it. If you find success in one area, model it and apply the learning to other areas.
9. Stick with it. There will be moments when it all seems like too much hard work, that’s when you’re getting closer.
10. Share your success with others, there’s enough to go around. Successful people work together and build winning relationships.
There you have it, ten simple steps to achieving your dreams. So stop looking for reasons not to succeed and start working towards your goals. I’ve never once heard an elderly person complain about the things they did in life, but I’ve heard a few regrets about the things they didn’t.
Visit Trainer Bubble now, where you will find two great training resources on Success; 'Make a Difference to Your Life' and 'Think Your Way to Success'.
Sunday 1 July 2007
Think Your Way to Success
One issue that our subconscious has is that it cannot process negative thoughts. In other words if I were to say to you now…
“Don’t think of a blue duck”
What do you think of? That’s right…
A blue duck.
We commonly make this very mistake with children. Let’s say they have a glass of milk and we say, “Don’t spill that milk.” What happens next?
Of course, in order to think of not spilling the milk they have to first think of spilling it. That’s the exact same time that your carpet gets ruined!
If one small statement like this can have an impact, imagine what happens when we have months or even years of conditioning. Once we realise that our subconscious cannot differentiate between a negative and positive statement it becomes clear why we tend to fail with the goals we set ourselves.
Picture the person that decides to lose weight, every time they look in the mirror they think ‘fat, fat, fat’. Each time they open the fridge they think ‘don’t eat this, don’t eat that.’ Their subconscious is only hearing fat, fat, fat as if that is the way things should be and if it’s receiving a message of ‘don’t eat’ and it can’t process negative thoughts, what is the message it’s getting?
…Eat, exactly. So with this one typical example we realise how our desire to get fit can become an exercise in getting bigger.
You may not even realise it when you use negatives words and phrases. Regardless, if you use them enough, they can condition you to think negatively, too. Before you know it, little negatives will clutter up your mind, as well as your conversation.
You now know that our subconscious needs positives to work on and if you want positive outcomes, then you must…
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT, NOT WHAT YOU DON'T
“Don’t think of a blue duck”
What do you think of? That’s right…
A blue duck.
We commonly make this very mistake with children. Let’s say they have a glass of milk and we say, “Don’t spill that milk.” What happens next?
Of course, in order to think of not spilling the milk they have to first think of spilling it. That’s the exact same time that your carpet gets ruined!
If one small statement like this can have an impact, imagine what happens when we have months or even years of conditioning. Once we realise that our subconscious cannot differentiate between a negative and positive statement it becomes clear why we tend to fail with the goals we set ourselves.
Picture the person that decides to lose weight, every time they look in the mirror they think ‘fat, fat, fat’. Each time they open the fridge they think ‘don’t eat this, don’t eat that.’ Their subconscious is only hearing fat, fat, fat as if that is the way things should be and if it’s receiving a message of ‘don’t eat’ and it can’t process negative thoughts, what is the message it’s getting?
…Eat, exactly. So with this one typical example we realise how our desire to get fit can become an exercise in getting bigger.
You may not even realise it when you use negatives words and phrases. Regardless, if you use them enough, they can condition you to think negatively, too. Before you know it, little negatives will clutter up your mind, as well as your conversation.
You now know that our subconscious needs positives to work on and if you want positive outcomes, then you must…
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT, NOT WHAT YOU DON'T
This short excerpt comes from our training resource, 'Think Your Way to Success', which you can purchase from our website for just £47.
Wednesday 27 June 2007
Training Game Idea - Let's play poker!
Here's another training game idea called, 'Let's play Poker!'
Sometimes getting people to answer questions and get involved during training can be difficult. This game is perfect for overcoming this issue.
At the start of the session, advise the participants that you are going to hand out a playing card each time you get a correct answer to one of the questions you pose throughout the session. This card then becomes part of their 'hand' and at the end of the session you will all play a game of poker. The person with the best hand wins a prize.
The participants soon realise that to get the best hand and stand a chance of winning a prize they will have to answer some questions! You'll never have a quiet group again!
Visit Trainer Bubble to download a free instruction sheet for this game.
Sometimes getting people to answer questions and get involved during training can be difficult. This game is perfect for overcoming this issue.
At the start of the session, advise the participants that you are going to hand out a playing card each time you get a correct answer to one of the questions you pose throughout the session. This card then becomes part of their 'hand' and at the end of the session you will all play a game of poker. The person with the best hand wins a prize.
The participants soon realise that to get the best hand and stand a chance of winning a prize they will have to answer some questions! You'll never have a quiet group again!
Visit Trainer Bubble to download a free instruction sheet for this game.
Sunday 17 June 2007
Influencing Sales via 'The Contrast Principle'
My partner and I had taken my son, Quinn, out for a trip to the zoo recently and as we entered we came across the usual ‘souvenir’ store complete with an array of animal related toys. Of course my son went crazy at this point and wanted everything. I explained that we could return after our walk around the zoo and that I would consider buying him something then. Although disappointed, he seemed to agree that this was fair and we managed to prise him away and into the zoo.
We had a fantastic time, looking at all the animals and stopping for a bite to eat. However, as we drew closer to the exit I began to remember my promise about the souvenir store. It seems Quinn had not forgotten either. “Dad?” He said, as he finished the remains of an ice cream “How much money can I have for toys?” I contemplated this for a second or two and said, “I think £5 should be enough”. “£5!” He said, “That’s nothing, how about £200?” “£200 is a lot of money for toys son, even for you. In fact, that would buy up the whole souvenir shop. How about £10?” His response was immediate “Ok dad”.
It was only when I reached the souvenir shop that I realised my mistake. I had been duped by my son and what is known as “The contrast Principle”. Of course, after my sons initial request of £200, the £10 counter offer didn’t seem so bad, yet he had managed to double his initial request.
The contrast principle is a powerful way to increase the odds of getting what you want. In fact, once you recognise it, you realise it is used in many different scenarios and is yet another example of our brain using a mental shortcut i.e. ‘The offer must be fair, it is much less than the other’.
Car salesmen demonstrate an example of the contrast principle used in a business context. They will sell us a car and only after you have accepted the purchase will they start trying to sell you the extras (Metallic paint, Sat Nav etc.)
This can also be seen in a clothing retailers, common sense would tell us that it would be easier to try and sell a customer a small item (like a belt) and then ‘once they are warmed up’, try to sell them a larger item. However, this actually works better in reverse. The idea is that once the customer has bought the expensive sweater, the cheaper belt and t-shirt don’t seem as much...in contrast.
This excerpt is included in the Trainer Bubble training course material 'The Power of Influence'. Download this fantastic training resource at Trainer Bubble
We had a fantastic time, looking at all the animals and stopping for a bite to eat. However, as we drew closer to the exit I began to remember my promise about the souvenir store. It seems Quinn had not forgotten either. “Dad?” He said, as he finished the remains of an ice cream “How much money can I have for toys?” I contemplated this for a second or two and said, “I think £5 should be enough”. “£5!” He said, “That’s nothing, how about £200?” “£200 is a lot of money for toys son, even for you. In fact, that would buy up the whole souvenir shop. How about £10?” His response was immediate “Ok dad”.
It was only when I reached the souvenir shop that I realised my mistake. I had been duped by my son and what is known as “The contrast Principle”. Of course, after my sons initial request of £200, the £10 counter offer didn’t seem so bad, yet he had managed to double his initial request.
The contrast principle is a powerful way to increase the odds of getting what you want. In fact, once you recognise it, you realise it is used in many different scenarios and is yet another example of our brain using a mental shortcut i.e. ‘The offer must be fair, it is much less than the other’.
Car salesmen demonstrate an example of the contrast principle used in a business context. They will sell us a car and only after you have accepted the purchase will they start trying to sell you the extras (Metallic paint, Sat Nav etc.)
This can also be seen in a clothing retailers, common sense would tell us that it would be easier to try and sell a customer a small item (like a belt) and then ‘once they are warmed up’, try to sell them a larger item. However, this actually works better in reverse. The idea is that once the customer has bought the expensive sweater, the cheaper belt and t-shirt don’t seem as much...in contrast.
This excerpt is included in the Trainer Bubble training course material 'The Power of Influence'. Download this fantastic training resource at Trainer Bubble
Thursday 7 June 2007
Sales Culture – Beware of the broken window
There’s a park I walk through on the way home each day. It used to be a very pretty park with vast areas of green freshly clipped grass, commemorative benches with gleaming plaques, pristine toilets that won countless awards, trees that have been there for decades and freshly painted playground equipment for the kids to climb over.
About a year ago I happened to notice that one of the windows of the toilets had been smashed, I could have been wrong, but it looked like someone had thrown a stone through it. I tutted to myself and continued on my way. The next day as I was walking, I noticed that someone had added to the broken window with another and someone else had scrawled their name next to it in giant, sprayed on letters.
Over the year, things have got worse. The green grass has yellowed and is littered with rubbish, the benches have become worn and broken in places and the playground is more rust than paint and seems held together by the marker pen graffiti.
A sad tale of urban decay you may be thinking, but what the heck has it got to do with sales?
The thing that tripped off this series of events was the broken window. I would argue that had that broken window been fixed the day after it’s breaking then the person who broke the second window and left graffiti would not have done so. Consequently the park would not have become an area where it was ‘ok’ to treat with disrespect and it would not have fallen into steady decline.
Again I hear you thinking, I get it, but what the heck has that got to do with sales?
Let’s say you have a team and in the majority they are pretty successful with sales. They are all doing ok and you can see that their skills are developing progressively. However, there is one member of the team that is not on board with the concept. They are disruptive, they complain, they challenge every product by comparing it negatively against competitors and they do their utmost to undermine the process at every opportunity.
Many managers will ignore this person in the hope that they will get so fed up that they move on to another part of the business or even to the competitors they so admire. They’ll invest little time in them and ignore their development. This is a mistake. The person we have described is your ‘broken window’ and all the time they are left ‘un-mended’ they will encourage the same negative behaviour in others, until your business looks as tired and worn as the park I go through every night.
Other people will start to model the behaviours displayed by the broken window and you will notice a steady decline in sales development, after all, ’if they can get away with it, maybe I can too’. It is far easier to change the methods of one than it is to alter the habits of one hundred.
I would even go further than this and say that they are the catalyst and, if turned around, they will move your culture of sales on to the next level. When negative obstructers, who generally court a lot of influence, become flag wavers for the business, you have found a method of ensuring that things happen even when the boss isn’t looking.
Like mending a broken window, it’s not fun and nobody wants to spend the time, money and effort on it, but it’s a lot better than having to re-develop the whole damn park.
Trainer Bubble provide some very useful sales training resources, why not visit and see what we have? Trainer Bubble - Training Resources
About a year ago I happened to notice that one of the windows of the toilets had been smashed, I could have been wrong, but it looked like someone had thrown a stone through it. I tutted to myself and continued on my way. The next day as I was walking, I noticed that someone had added to the broken window with another and someone else had scrawled their name next to it in giant, sprayed on letters.
Over the year, things have got worse. The green grass has yellowed and is littered with rubbish, the benches have become worn and broken in places and the playground is more rust than paint and seems held together by the marker pen graffiti.
A sad tale of urban decay you may be thinking, but what the heck has it got to do with sales?
The thing that tripped off this series of events was the broken window. I would argue that had that broken window been fixed the day after it’s breaking then the person who broke the second window and left graffiti would not have done so. Consequently the park would not have become an area where it was ‘ok’ to treat with disrespect and it would not have fallen into steady decline.
Again I hear you thinking, I get it, but what the heck has that got to do with sales?
Let’s say you have a team and in the majority they are pretty successful with sales. They are all doing ok and you can see that their skills are developing progressively. However, there is one member of the team that is not on board with the concept. They are disruptive, they complain, they challenge every product by comparing it negatively against competitors and they do their utmost to undermine the process at every opportunity.
Many managers will ignore this person in the hope that they will get so fed up that they move on to another part of the business or even to the competitors they so admire. They’ll invest little time in them and ignore their development. This is a mistake. The person we have described is your ‘broken window’ and all the time they are left ‘un-mended’ they will encourage the same negative behaviour in others, until your business looks as tired and worn as the park I go through every night.
Other people will start to model the behaviours displayed by the broken window and you will notice a steady decline in sales development, after all, ’if they can get away with it, maybe I can too’. It is far easier to change the methods of one than it is to alter the habits of one hundred.
I would even go further than this and say that they are the catalyst and, if turned around, they will move your culture of sales on to the next level. When negative obstructers, who generally court a lot of influence, become flag wavers for the business, you have found a method of ensuring that things happen even when the boss isn’t looking.
Like mending a broken window, it’s not fun and nobody wants to spend the time, money and effort on it, but it’s a lot better than having to re-develop the whole damn park.
Trainer Bubble provide some very useful sales training resources, why not visit and see what we have? Trainer Bubble - Training Resources
Thursday 24 May 2007
Improving Sales Effectiveness – The Question is Why?
Achieving sales success is crucial to every business, after all sales is the only revenue generating function within a company, everything else costs money. So what do we do to ensure that our key players in the sales arena are doing all they can to develop this most important of areas?
Much is said about the process and techniques of sales and there are many books and courses written on the topic of sales strategy. However, I believe the key to improving sales is not what we tell our sales people to do or even how they should do it (although I agree they cannot be overlooked). No, for me the answer is not aligned to things you can teach or processes you can explain. I believe the answer is much simpler and at the same time much harder. The simple fact is that most businesses do not achieve the sales they expect through their people because they never answer the why, or to put it in clear terms ‘Why should I sell this product if I am not motivated to do so by my leaders?’
I have seen many a sales meeting where the sales manager carefully explains what the product does and how it works without once explaining why it is important that the team sell the product at all. What’s in it for them? What’s in it for the business? Why should I sell this product!?
We’ve all heard of features, advantages, benefits and you can be sure that the customer is only interested in the benefit to them of buying a product, so why should this be any different for a salesperson selling a product? They need to know the benefit to them of selling the product, otherwise why should they?
Now I know there are some cynics reading this who will answer the question, ‘Why should I sell this product?’ with the much fancied response of ‘…because you are a salesperson and that’s your job.’ To that I say ‘great’, if you are getting results in this way then carry on doing things just the way you are, but if you’re not getting results using this method I have another response…
…If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.
Now I mentioned earlier that what a product does and how a product should be sold should not be overlooked and I think that is very true, but when you only focus on these you will be left scratching your head as to why your sales team aren’t getting the results. So, a simple way to deal with the issue is to use the following formula…
What + How + Why = Sales
In this formula, ‘What’ is the clarity around the product or service, i.e. do they know the features and benefits of the product? ‘How’ is the capability to sell the product, i.e. do they have the correct skills and techniques? ‘Why’ we can call motivation, i.e. do they understand the benefits to them and the business of selling the product?
You may find that results still come in with one of these elements missing. However, when you combine the elements you will be truly blown away by what you can achieve.
So next time you hold that sales meeting, remember the reasons why.
Much is said about the process and techniques of sales and there are many books and courses written on the topic of sales strategy. However, I believe the key to improving sales is not what we tell our sales people to do or even how they should do it (although I agree they cannot be overlooked). No, for me the answer is not aligned to things you can teach or processes you can explain. I believe the answer is much simpler and at the same time much harder. The simple fact is that most businesses do not achieve the sales they expect through their people because they never answer the why, or to put it in clear terms ‘Why should I sell this product if I am not motivated to do so by my leaders?’
I have seen many a sales meeting where the sales manager carefully explains what the product does and how it works without once explaining why it is important that the team sell the product at all. What’s in it for them? What’s in it for the business? Why should I sell this product!?
We’ve all heard of features, advantages, benefits and you can be sure that the customer is only interested in the benefit to them of buying a product, so why should this be any different for a salesperson selling a product? They need to know the benefit to them of selling the product, otherwise why should they?
Now I know there are some cynics reading this who will answer the question, ‘Why should I sell this product?’ with the much fancied response of ‘…because you are a salesperson and that’s your job.’ To that I say ‘great’, if you are getting results in this way then carry on doing things just the way you are, but if you’re not getting results using this method I have another response…
…If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.
Now I mentioned earlier that what a product does and how a product should be sold should not be overlooked and I think that is very true, but when you only focus on these you will be left scratching your head as to why your sales team aren’t getting the results. So, a simple way to deal with the issue is to use the following formula…
What + How + Why = Sales
In this formula, ‘What’ is the clarity around the product or service, i.e. do they know the features and benefits of the product? ‘How’ is the capability to sell the product, i.e. do they have the correct skills and techniques? ‘Why’ we can call motivation, i.e. do they understand the benefits to them and the business of selling the product?
You may find that results still come in with one of these elements missing. However, when you combine the elements you will be truly blown away by what you can achieve.
So next time you hold that sales meeting, remember the reasons why.
Monday 14 May 2007
Trainer Bubble Sponsors Develop the Developer Survey 2007
Trainer Bubble are proud sponsors of the Develop the Developer 2007 survey.
To find out more about the survey and the history of the project click here
Background
A lot of research as gone into looking at the skills people need to fulfil occupational roles. Little has been done to explore the skills required for people who develop others but are not in the role of teacher or trainer. Even the role of trainer and coach has changed dramatically.
In 1991 AMED were involved in carrying out such research for the government. Now over 15 years on we will be running a similar survey and need your help.
If you consider yourself to be a people developer we would like you to complete the survey.
Developing the developers is a project with an aim of researching the current and future needs of people developers. As the business world progresses so does the role of people developers. At one time this was the remit of the HR or training team. Now with an increasing pace within the world of business, most of us have some responsibility for the development of others. But do we have the necessary skills?
What skills do we need and where can we get them?
This project sets out to answer these questions. So if you manage, mentor, coach, train teach, educate or develop people in any way we want to know how you develop these skills and most importantly how you learn new skills, just when you need them.
What and who are Developers?
Developers are people that help other people to grow. Other titles you may be more familiar with include: Manager, Trainer, Coach, Facilitator, Mentors, Team Leaders etc.
Over recent years more emphasis has been placed on people development than ever before, with the responsibility of learning handed to individuals the eye has been taken of the ball in providing the skills to those involved in support the learning of others. This project seeks to identify what the current responsibilities are and to identify the development and training needs of this audience.
We welcome your involvement in this ambitious project. All you need to do is to take the survey!
The Survey goes live on 21st May.
The project is the largest independent survey of people developers, trainers and managers.
MANAGERS, TRAINERS, DEVELOPERS, COACHES, TEAM LEADERS
The focus for the new research project looks at the current and required skills for people that develop others. - to develop the developer.
MANAGERS, TRAINERS, DEVELOPERS, COACHES, TEAM LEADERS
The focus for the new research project looks at the current and required skills for people that develop others. - to develop the developer.
To find out more about the survey and the history of the project click here
Background
A lot of research as gone into looking at the skills people need to fulfil occupational roles. Little has been done to explore the skills required for people who develop others but are not in the role of teacher or trainer. Even the role of trainer and coach has changed dramatically.
In 1991 AMED were involved in carrying out such research for the government. Now over 15 years on we will be running a similar survey and need your help.
If you consider yourself to be a people developer we would like you to complete the survey.
Developing the developers is a project with an aim of researching the current and future needs of people developers. As the business world progresses so does the role of people developers. At one time this was the remit of the HR or training team. Now with an increasing pace within the world of business, most of us have some responsibility for the development of others. But do we have the necessary skills?
What skills do we need and where can we get them?
This project sets out to answer these questions. So if you manage, mentor, coach, train teach, educate or develop people in any way we want to know how you develop these skills and most importantly how you learn new skills, just when you need them.
What and who are Developers?
Developers are people that help other people to grow. Other titles you may be more familiar with include: Manager, Trainer, Coach, Facilitator, Mentors, Team Leaders etc.
Over recent years more emphasis has been placed on people development than ever before, with the responsibility of learning handed to individuals the eye has been taken of the ball in providing the skills to those involved in support the learning of others. This project seeks to identify what the current responsibilities are and to identify the development and training needs of this audience.
We welcome your involvement in this ambitious project. All you need to do is to take the survey!
Friday 11 May 2007
What makes 100%?
Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer the question, what makes 100%?:
If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26, then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
and,
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
But, A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
So there you have it. The key to hitting 100% is attitude, but it doesn't end there...
Now we've all been at the meeting where our boss tells us they want more than 100% (Huh?). Well, the mathmetical formula will help you once again, because...
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T 2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%
and, look how far ass kissing will take you:
A-S-S--K-I-S-S-I-N-G 1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%
So, one can then conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hardwork and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, Bullshit and Ass Kissing will put you over the top!
If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26, then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
and,
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
But, A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
So there you have it. The key to hitting 100% is attitude, but it doesn't end there...
Now we've all been at the meeting where our boss tells us they want more than 100% (Huh?). Well, the mathmetical formula will help you once again, because...
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T 2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%
and, look how far ass kissing will take you:
A-S-S--K-I-S-S-I-N-G 1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%
So, one can then conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hardwork and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, Bullshit and Ass Kissing will put you over the top!
Wednesday 2 May 2007
The Silent Negotiator - By Wolfgang Halliwell
A few years ago my friend Jane sold her house. She decided not to use an estate agent and advertised in the local press.
Before long a mother and her young daughter came to visit, and it was obvious they were interested in buying. So Jane offered them a cup of coffee and the three of them sat down at the kitchen table.
After exchanging a few pleasantries the visitor explained that she was interested in buying and made an offer of £170,000. This was £10,000 below the asking price and was a little less than Jane was hoping to get. Nevertheless, the offer was not unreasonable so Jane spent a moment or two thinking before responding.
Whilst she was deciding how to reply she heard her visitor say, ‘Or perhaps I could meet you half way.’
Up to this point Jane had said nothing in response to the offer and yet it had just been increased by £5000. What should she do now?
Once again, Jane suspended her reaction. This gave her valuable thinking time. During this time she pondered how readily her buyer had moved on her initial offer. It occurred to her that this person was very keen to buy. With this thought firmly in mind, Jane was now ready to speak. She explained that she had only just placed the house on the market and was expecting a lot of interest. In view of this she was not ready to reduce her asking price quite yet. The buyer instantly responded by agreeing to pay the full price, and the sale was finalised a few weeks later.
At this point, it is worth mentioning that Jane is a very experienced negotiator who is very aware of just how useful silence can be. On this occasion, she chose not to reply instantly to the first offer. She had two reasons for this.
1. She wanted to take a moment to consider what was being proposed.
2. It was obvious that the buyer was keen to buy and she did not want to frighten her off by responding immediately and negatively.
She was also aware that many people are uncomfortable with silence and will often fill a quiet spell with words. This often results in them modifying their original offer, as happened on this occasion. This was not the effect that Jane was trying to achieve this time, but she was certainly not unhappy that it happened.
All too often negotiators are too quick to respond. The pace of their negotiations get faster and faster and before they know it they have reached a deal they are not really happy with.
We could probably all take a leaf from Jane’s book and slow down a little. Silence at the right time in a negotiation can be a very powerful tool.
Visit Trainer Bubble, where you can download the full training materials for 'The Art of Negotiation' for just £49.
Before long a mother and her young daughter came to visit, and it was obvious they were interested in buying. So Jane offered them a cup of coffee and the three of them sat down at the kitchen table.
After exchanging a few pleasantries the visitor explained that she was interested in buying and made an offer of £170,000. This was £10,000 below the asking price and was a little less than Jane was hoping to get. Nevertheless, the offer was not unreasonable so Jane spent a moment or two thinking before responding.
Whilst she was deciding how to reply she heard her visitor say, ‘Or perhaps I could meet you half way.’
Up to this point Jane had said nothing in response to the offer and yet it had just been increased by £5000. What should she do now?
Once again, Jane suspended her reaction. This gave her valuable thinking time. During this time she pondered how readily her buyer had moved on her initial offer. It occurred to her that this person was very keen to buy. With this thought firmly in mind, Jane was now ready to speak. She explained that she had only just placed the house on the market and was expecting a lot of interest. In view of this she was not ready to reduce her asking price quite yet. The buyer instantly responded by agreeing to pay the full price, and the sale was finalised a few weeks later.
At this point, it is worth mentioning that Jane is a very experienced negotiator who is very aware of just how useful silence can be. On this occasion, she chose not to reply instantly to the first offer. She had two reasons for this.
1. She wanted to take a moment to consider what was being proposed.
2. It was obvious that the buyer was keen to buy and she did not want to frighten her off by responding immediately and negatively.
She was also aware that many people are uncomfortable with silence and will often fill a quiet spell with words. This often results in them modifying their original offer, as happened on this occasion. This was not the effect that Jane was trying to achieve this time, but she was certainly not unhappy that it happened.
All too often negotiators are too quick to respond. The pace of their negotiations get faster and faster and before they know it they have reached a deal they are not really happy with.
We could probably all take a leaf from Jane’s book and slow down a little. Silence at the right time in a negotiation can be a very powerful tool.
Visit Trainer Bubble, where you can download the full training materials for 'The Art of Negotiation' for just £49.
Friday 27 April 2007
Monday 23 April 2007
Is Time Management Training Worthwhile? - Wolfgang Halliwell
When a friend of mine announced that she did not think time management training was worth doing, I had to take notice. She is an experienced trainer who had just started working for a large company and usually knows what she is talking about. Her comment did, however, cause me to question her, so she expanded on her statement.
She went on to explain that she had nothing against time management training in itself. Her issue was the way in which it was being used in her organisation.
Typically, line managers would send their staff on time management training whenever issues about efficiency or productivity cropped up. Little thought was being given to whether time management training was the right approach.
Her frustration stemmed from the fact that managers were effectively trying to fit the problem to the solution rather than the other way around. They were not making any real attempt to work with individuals to find the root cause of the issues they were having.
The outcome was that people were attending whole day training courses run by my friend but getting very little out of this. The training she inherited was generic and had not been tailored to the needs of the business, let alone the individual participants.
Over a bottle of wine we spent sometime discussing how to fix this problem, and came up with a plan.
Step One: My friend would contact all managers requesting time management training for their staff, and probe them so she could understand the need. This would include revisiting what has been discussed with individual staff members so far. In many cases individuals were not aware that their efficiency was in question.
Step Two: Where necessary, she would conduct some on job observation to understand the situation first hand.
Step Three: She would design a new training solution based on the needs of the business areas and linked to specific business issues. However, she would also make alternative recommendations in individual case where she considered time management training would not be appropriate.
Step Four: Individual nominees would be briefed by their line managers three weeks before the training. Both parties would agree the outcomes to be achieved. The individual participants would also be briefed to complete a daily time log for two weeks, to help identify how they use their time now. A key part of the training event would be to link with the briefing and the time log. Individuals would not be allowed to attend the training without completing this step.
Step Five: The training event itself would end with each individual producing a plan of action.
Step Six: Follow-up one to one coaching linked to the action plan produce during the training. . In some cases this would be carried out by the line and in some cases by my friend. The amount of time spent on this phase would depend on the needs of the individual. This important step ensures that the training is set down to practical outcomes.
With a proper structure now built around time management training my friend confessed to being confident of success. She also admitted that time management training is worthwhile after all. Or was that just the wine talking?
Wolfgang Halliwell is a learning and development consultant who has authored a number of courses for Trainer Bubble. You can purchase his one day course on Time Management at www.trainerbubble.com
She went on to explain that she had nothing against time management training in itself. Her issue was the way in which it was being used in her organisation.
Typically, line managers would send their staff on time management training whenever issues about efficiency or productivity cropped up. Little thought was being given to whether time management training was the right approach.
Her frustration stemmed from the fact that managers were effectively trying to fit the problem to the solution rather than the other way around. They were not making any real attempt to work with individuals to find the root cause of the issues they were having.
The outcome was that people were attending whole day training courses run by my friend but getting very little out of this. The training she inherited was generic and had not been tailored to the needs of the business, let alone the individual participants.
Over a bottle of wine we spent sometime discussing how to fix this problem, and came up with a plan.
Step One: My friend would contact all managers requesting time management training for their staff, and probe them so she could understand the need. This would include revisiting what has been discussed with individual staff members so far. In many cases individuals were not aware that their efficiency was in question.
Step Two: Where necessary, she would conduct some on job observation to understand the situation first hand.
Step Three: She would design a new training solution based on the needs of the business areas and linked to specific business issues. However, she would also make alternative recommendations in individual case where she considered time management training would not be appropriate.
Step Four: Individual nominees would be briefed by their line managers three weeks before the training. Both parties would agree the outcomes to be achieved. The individual participants would also be briefed to complete a daily time log for two weeks, to help identify how they use their time now. A key part of the training event would be to link with the briefing and the time log. Individuals would not be allowed to attend the training without completing this step.
Step Five: The training event itself would end with each individual producing a plan of action.
Step Six: Follow-up one to one coaching linked to the action plan produce during the training. . In some cases this would be carried out by the line and in some cases by my friend. The amount of time spent on this phase would depend on the needs of the individual. This important step ensures that the training is set down to practical outcomes.
With a proper structure now built around time management training my friend confessed to being confident of success. She also admitted that time management training is worthwhile after all. Or was that just the wine talking?
Wolfgang Halliwell is a learning and development consultant who has authored a number of courses for Trainer Bubble. You can purchase his one day course on Time Management at www.trainerbubble.com
Friday 13 April 2007
Poems in training - A metaphor for success
Poems and stories can provide powerful metaphors in training, particularly when you are trying to get a motivational point across. If you think about the things you remember from your past education, you will probably note that most of them have come from rhymes or stories of some kind. I mean how did you learn to say your A,B,C's? I bet you're even saying the rhyme in your head right now!
I find that participants respond extremely well when you sum up a topic with a rhyme that fits the occasion and there are so many wonderful examples to be taken from past literature that it really doesn't have to take too much time looking for them either. An example of this for me was the subject of 'procrastination'. I really struggled to get the point across to learners when approaching what is a pretty dry topic. However, once I added the concept of 'Swallow the frog' (shamelessly stolen from Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn) they really started to get it. Now I quite often here people saying "Come on, just swallow the frog!" In case you are wondering, the phrase relates to a section in the book where Tom Sawyer says, "If you have to swallow a frog, don't look at it too long." (i.e. the more you delay doing a bad task, the worse it gets).
When there is no useful metaphor to be found, I sometimes come up with my own. It really isn't that hard to do and takes me back to my 'poetry time' sessions in school. Here is an example of one of my poems to get you going.
I find that participants respond extremely well when you sum up a topic with a rhyme that fits the occasion and there are so many wonderful examples to be taken from past literature that it really doesn't have to take too much time looking for them either. An example of this for me was the subject of 'procrastination'. I really struggled to get the point across to learners when approaching what is a pretty dry topic. However, once I added the concept of 'Swallow the frog' (shamelessly stolen from Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn) they really started to get it. Now I quite often here people saying "Come on, just swallow the frog!" In case you are wondering, the phrase relates to a section in the book where Tom Sawyer says, "If you have to swallow a frog, don't look at it too long." (i.e. the more you delay doing a bad task, the worse it gets).
When there is no useful metaphor to be found, I sometimes come up with my own. It really isn't that hard to do and takes me back to my 'poetry time' sessions in school. Here is an example of one of my poems to get you going.
My Friendly Enemy
You pick me up,
You put me down,
I’m controlled by your desire.
You’ve made me friends,
You’ve caused me fights,
I’ve even been your liar.
No solitude when you’re around,
No bitterness or tears,
Cause and solution to my struggles,
Both creating and easing fears.
I think it’s time I took control,
I don’t mean to be rude,
I’m the boss, you have to learn,
My bittersweet attitude.
You pick me up,
You put me down,
I’m controlled by your desire.
You’ve made me friends,
You’ve caused me fights,
I’ve even been your liar.
No solitude when you’re around,
No bitterness or tears,
Cause and solution to my struggles,
Both creating and easing fears.
I think it’s time I took control,
I don’t mean to be rude,
I’m the boss, you have to learn,
My bittersweet attitude.
Try adding poems and stories into your own training sessions, you'll find it really helps the subject stick and if you're struggling for ideas, visit my website and pinch some of mine!
Wednesday 11 April 2007
Influence - The Human Shortcut, powerful but imperfect
Psychological research has shown that the human brain often uses shortcuts to solve problems. Rather than fully digesting all information before producing an exact answer, the brain sometimes uses tools to quickly generate an estimate. These estimates, however, aren’t always accurate.
This picture is a good example of how shortcuts can cause the brain to be tricked. Although the lines are identical in length, the line on the right appears to be longer because the brain uses a shortcut that leads it to believe it is solving a three-dimensional problem. The brain is tricked into believing the line on the right is farther away. And in a three-dimensional problem, items that are farther away appear longer than items that are closer.
Vision is not the only problem that the brain solves by using shortcuts, psychologists have also realised that we make use of shortcuts in our everyday judgements. Consider, for example, a plane crash in England in 1989. The plane, a Boeing 737 was in trouble due to its left engine not working, which in itself is not an insurmountable problem as a plane could still be landed safely on just the one engine. However, the black box flight details from the plane tell us an interesting story.
Shortly before crashing, the captain, when asked which engine is not working, is heard to say: “It’s the le…...right one”. The right engine (the only good one) was then switched off and the plane crashed.
Now this story does over simplify what was a complex issue. However, we can draw an interesting line of thought. In the cockpit with the captain were several other members of the crew who would have been well aware that it was in fact the left engine that was not working. So why did they follow the orders of the captain?
This demonstrates the shortcut rule that goes, “If an expert said so, it must be true.” In human interactions there is an unsettling tendency for people to follow orders simply because somebody in perceived authority tells them to.
This is a snippet from Trainer Bubble training materials. Look for the 'The Power of Influence' in our trainer resources section of Trainer Bubble.
Thursday 5 April 2007
Two new courses added!
Trainer Bubble today proudly announce the addition of two more training course materials to our growing selection.
These courses are; Time Management and The Power of Influence.
The first of these, 'Time Management', looks practically at the topic of personal effectiveness and how you can help your participants stop and take stock of how they are working and then make the best use of their time.
The second is 'The Power of Influence', which has been developed to help your participants understand the core principles of influencing and how they can be practically applied.
Both courses are priced at just £68, have never been available before and will make an excellent addition to your training resources. Visit us at http://www.trainerbubble.com/ to view the contents of these and our growing selection of Trainer Resources.
These courses are; Time Management and The Power of Influence.
The first of these, 'Time Management', looks practically at the topic of personal effectiveness and how you can help your participants stop and take stock of how they are working and then make the best use of their time.
The second is 'The Power of Influence', which has been developed to help your participants understand the core principles of influencing and how they can be practically applied.
Both courses are priced at just £68, have never been available before and will make an excellent addition to your training resources. Visit us at http://www.trainerbubble.com/ to view the contents of these and our growing selection of Trainer Resources.
Friday 30 March 2007
Leadership and Football - a worrying survey
A recent Franklin Covey Harris Poll surveyed 23,000 people in key industries and the results were staggering.
If the results from the poll were for a football team, you would end up with the following scenario:
If the results from the poll were for a football team, you would end up with the following scenario:
- Only 4 in 11 players know what the objective of the game is
- 7 in 11 players don't know which goal is theirs
- 9 in 11 players don't care
- 9 in 11 don't know what position they play in the team
- Only 1 player feels that the players would be held accountable for the team's performance
- 1 in 11 are actively trying to score goals for the other team
These are truly sobering facts. The resulting organisational cost doesn't even bear thinking about.
If you want to ensure you are providing your leaders with effective training, take a look at our course 'Leading Effective Teams'. It's only £53, even Leeds United can afford that!
Thursday 22 March 2007
Achieving Sales on the Telephone - Effective outbound calls
The key to making effective outbound calls is structure. The most effective telephone sales person will have a set process for contacting customers and will stick to it, no matter what the temptation to alter their methods. Most outbound call agents will use a ‘working list’ to contact customers, it is important that you approach this list methodically and the following approach will help you to remain effective.
Define your ideal customer – The best way to predict who your future customers will be is to understand who your past customers have been. For instance, if by looking at your past client base you realise that the majority of your orders have come from the 18 – 30 year old bracket, then this would likely be the best people to focus your attention on. Of course age isn’t the only consideration to make. You may also want to look at geography, past buying patterns, interests etc.
Develop a good ‘script’ – A good script or series of specific questions is the most important thing you can do to improve your effectiveness when selling on the telephone. This becomes even more important when you are making outbound calls.
Some people resist the idea of using a script. They argue that it is better to sound natural and this will help build the relationship with the customer. The trick is to use the script as a series of prompts or reminder of what to say rather than reading it verbatim. This way you can concentrate on how you say things as opposed to what you are saying. More importantly, it allows you to focus on what the customer is saying and helps you tailor your conversation to suit.
The script should be seen as a method of allowing you to be flexible in your approach as opposed to being a restraint.
Eliminate – The trouble with making outbound sales calls is you usually have absolutely no idea of the level of interest of the recipient until you have called them. It may be that the first ten people you call are all interested in what you have to sell. Alternatively, it may be the last ten! You role is simply to find those people that are interested and temporarily eliminate those that are not. It is useful to methodical in your approach to calling customers.
It is tempting to disregard the customers that you couldn’t reach or did not show an immediate interest. However, a good salesperson will ensure that they follow-up on all of these opportunities. In order to ensure you keep track of the customers you have previously called, it is useful to create a system of note-taking. If a customer is not available then you should make a good clear note of this next to their contact details, or you could mark their level of interest from 1 – 3. By using this system you will ensure that you are fully prepared when it is time to call them again. Although this may seem tedious, it is a lot better than having to call a prospect ‘cold’.
Persist – A good telephone salesperson will develop a thick skin throughout their career. You will need to accept rejection as part of the job and consider each new call as a new opportunity. Even the most hardy individual will get despondent at times, it is useful to set your expectations early on and realise that you will not be able to convert the large majority of calls you make. This does not mean that the customer will never buy from you, just not today.
By making clear notes on your call list, you will be able to re-work an old list and even convert some previous rejections. The key to outbound sales is to never give up!
You can find valuable training material on Achieving Sales on the Telephone on our website Trainer Bubble. These course materials include everything you need to develop your sales team and can be downloaded instantly.
Define your ideal customer – The best way to predict who your future customers will be is to understand who your past customers have been. For instance, if by looking at your past client base you realise that the majority of your orders have come from the 18 – 30 year old bracket, then this would likely be the best people to focus your attention on. Of course age isn’t the only consideration to make. You may also want to look at geography, past buying patterns, interests etc.
Develop a good ‘script’ – A good script or series of specific questions is the most important thing you can do to improve your effectiveness when selling on the telephone. This becomes even more important when you are making outbound calls.
Some people resist the idea of using a script. They argue that it is better to sound natural and this will help build the relationship with the customer. The trick is to use the script as a series of prompts or reminder of what to say rather than reading it verbatim. This way you can concentrate on how you say things as opposed to what you are saying. More importantly, it allows you to focus on what the customer is saying and helps you tailor your conversation to suit.
The script should be seen as a method of allowing you to be flexible in your approach as opposed to being a restraint.
Eliminate – The trouble with making outbound sales calls is you usually have absolutely no idea of the level of interest of the recipient until you have called them. It may be that the first ten people you call are all interested in what you have to sell. Alternatively, it may be the last ten! You role is simply to find those people that are interested and temporarily eliminate those that are not. It is useful to methodical in your approach to calling customers.
It is tempting to disregard the customers that you couldn’t reach or did not show an immediate interest. However, a good salesperson will ensure that they follow-up on all of these opportunities. In order to ensure you keep track of the customers you have previously called, it is useful to create a system of note-taking. If a customer is not available then you should make a good clear note of this next to their contact details, or you could mark their level of interest from 1 – 3. By using this system you will ensure that you are fully prepared when it is time to call them again. Although this may seem tedious, it is a lot better than having to call a prospect ‘cold’.
Persist – A good telephone salesperson will develop a thick skin throughout their career. You will need to accept rejection as part of the job and consider each new call as a new opportunity. Even the most hardy individual will get despondent at times, it is useful to set your expectations early on and realise that you will not be able to convert the large majority of calls you make. This does not mean that the customer will never buy from you, just not today.
By making clear notes on your call list, you will be able to re-work an old list and even convert some previous rejections. The key to outbound sales is to never give up!
You can find valuable training material on Achieving Sales on the Telephone on our website Trainer Bubble. These course materials include everything you need to develop your sales team and can be downloaded instantly.
Tuesday 20 March 2007
Free Training Course Material Offer for Charities
If you are a training representative for a UK registered charity or charitable institution, Trainer Bubble are very pleased to offer you one free training course pack from any of our current collection of training resources from our website Trainer Bubble. If you would like to apply for this offer, please contact our sales team, head your email Charity offer and inform us of which training course you would like for free.
Please note: We will require proof of your UK charity status to provide this offer.
You can view our full list of materials at Training Products.
Sunday 18 March 2007
Communication - A common problem
Communication is one of the key problems areas for businesses today, but hopefully things don't get as bad as the story below... (click image to view full size).
Sunday 11 March 2007
Continuous Improvement - One small step...
There's a true story about a group of Japanese managers of a steel manufacturing plant that visited a UK plant. Both plants were very similar only the Japanese one was making profit and the UK one was losing money.
At the end of the visit, the owner of the UK plant turned to the Japanese boss and said, "There's obviously something you've got right, that we haven't. What 's the big difference?"
The head of the Japanese steel plant politely turned and said, "There is not one big difference, but we do have one or two suggestions..." He then proceeded to list 124 ways the manufacturing plant could improve! An example was this...
When the blast-furnace doors opened to let a steel ingot roll out, the Japanese doors opened two inches less than the UK doors. So less heat was lost and it took less time (and money) to heat the furnace back up again. It wasn't much, but over time the saving was worthwhile. Added to the other 123 examples, the changes made a profit.
The moral?
Stop looking for the one big thing that's wrong with your business or even your life and realise that sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference.
At the end of the visit, the owner of the UK plant turned to the Japanese boss and said, "There's obviously something you've got right, that we haven't. What 's the big difference?"
The head of the Japanese steel plant politely turned and said, "There is not one big difference, but we do have one or two suggestions..." He then proceeded to list 124 ways the manufacturing plant could improve! An example was this...
When the blast-furnace doors opened to let a steel ingot roll out, the Japanese doors opened two inches less than the UK doors. So less heat was lost and it took less time (and money) to heat the furnace back up again. It wasn't much, but over time the saving was worthwhile. Added to the other 123 examples, the changes made a profit.
The moral?
Stop looking for the one big thing that's wrong with your business or even your life and realise that sometimes it's the little things that make a big difference.
Wednesday 7 March 2007
Training Game Idea - Coming up trumps!
I'm always on the look out for new training games to add to my training courses and I just recently had a great idea for helping participants learn a topic that includes technical data or a lot of information to it.
You probably remember the popular game Trumps. Well this training game is based on that theory. The instructions are as follows...
1. Cut out 20 or so playing card sized pieces of white card (you may create more or less as needed).
2. At the top of each card, write the name of the topic you wish participants to learn about (we will use the mythical 'Peculiar Bank' Credit Card as our example)
4. Write the categories shown below on each of the cards and place the 'facts' next to each category. For Example:
You can find many other free training games and tools on our website. Click the logo at the top of this page to visit us.
You probably remember the popular game Trumps. Well this training game is based on that theory. The instructions are as follows...
1. Cut out 20 or so playing card sized pieces of white card (you may create more or less as needed).
2. At the top of each card, write the name of the topic you wish participants to learn about (we will use the mythical 'Peculiar Bank' Credit Card as our example)
4. Write the categories shown below on each of the cards and place the 'facts' next to each category. For Example:
5. Create a card for each topic you wish the participants to learn about (in our case we would select different companies credit cards)
6. Introduce the cards at the correct time of the session.
7. Shuffle the cards and hand at least one to each of the 'players'
8. The first person should pick a category and read out their score
9. Moving round the group, each player reads out their score for that category. The person with the highest score wins the round and collects all the losing cards. They then put the cards to the bottom of their pile and select the category for the next round.
10. The winner is the person who ends up with all the cards.
Getting across a lot of information can often be difficult during training and it is easy to fall into the trap of just 'telling' the participants. This training game will add a bit of fun and help the participants get the learning in a relaxed way.
I hope you have fun playing!
You can find many other free training games and tools on our website. Click the logo at the top of this page to visit us.
Thursday 1 March 2007
Achieving Your Goals - Keeping things on track
Apparently when riding the underground people look up at the map and check their progress on average every 40 seconds. Most of these people know exactly where they are going and when they will get there, so why do they do it? I suspect the answer has a lot to do with the need to track advancement and ensure that they are indeed reaching their destination, which is a bit strange considering they are on a rail and the likelihood of them not getting there is pretty much zero.
Now let’s translate this to our own goals, whether they are in life, work, sport or whatever, we are consistently told how important they are and I am sure that most people set them in one way or another. However, the question is this…
‘How often do you track your progress and ensure that you are indeed reaching your destination?’
Individuals, businesses and even parents have become great at developing goals and targets, whilst not only ensuring they are smart, but also placing them in a gorgeous laminated folder and filing them under ‘G’. The same can also often be said for business strategies. People seem to enjoy setting them (or more likely feel they have to), but when it comes to implementation something falls down.
Let’s go back to that underground journey. Imagine you realise that you’re on the wrong train and are not going to make your destination. What do you do? Well of course, you would get off and find the next available train that gets you to your stop. Maybe you would need to adapt your journey a bit and perhaps even get more than one train, but it’s far better than staying on the original train and ending up somewhere you don't want to be.
Seems obvious really, doesn’t it? Yet, in business and in life we continually fail to do this very thing. It’s as if we set our goals and then forget we ever did them. Only once we’ve reached our destination (the wrong one) do we turn around and look for someone to blame.
You see it couldn’t be your fault; you set the goal, so the hard part was done, surely? Well no, just as the driver is not to blame for the fact you are on the wrong track, your team, your friends, your enemies are not to blame for your failure to achieve your goal. If you didn’t check your progress, it’s your fault you end up in the wrong place.
Visit Trainer Bubble, where you can download complete course materials on Commerciality, which focuses on developing business goals. At just £53 you can't afford not to!
Now let’s translate this to our own goals, whether they are in life, work, sport or whatever, we are consistently told how important they are and I am sure that most people set them in one way or another. However, the question is this…
‘How often do you track your progress and ensure that you are indeed reaching your destination?’
Individuals, businesses and even parents have become great at developing goals and targets, whilst not only ensuring they are smart, but also placing them in a gorgeous laminated folder and filing them under ‘G’. The same can also often be said for business strategies. People seem to enjoy setting them (or more likely feel they have to), but when it comes to implementation something falls down.
Let’s go back to that underground journey. Imagine you realise that you’re on the wrong train and are not going to make your destination. What do you do? Well of course, you would get off and find the next available train that gets you to your stop. Maybe you would need to adapt your journey a bit and perhaps even get more than one train, but it’s far better than staying on the original train and ending up somewhere you don't want to be.
Seems obvious really, doesn’t it? Yet, in business and in life we continually fail to do this very thing. It’s as if we set our goals and then forget we ever did them. Only once we’ve reached our destination (the wrong one) do we turn around and look for someone to blame.
You see it couldn’t be your fault; you set the goal, so the hard part was done, surely? Well no, just as the driver is not to blame for the fact you are on the wrong track, your team, your friends, your enemies are not to blame for your failure to achieve your goal. If you didn’t check your progress, it’s your fault you end up in the wrong place.
Visit Trainer Bubble, where you can download complete course materials on Commerciality, which focuses on developing business goals. At just £53 you can't afford not to!
Sunday 25 February 2007
Understanding People's Behaviour - Banging your head against a wall?
I just came home to find my 13 month old son giggling loudly to himself whilst banging his head against the living room wall. My immediate response was to say, "Son, you're an idiot." and only once I'd managed to distract him from this pain inducing activity did I consider the possible consequences of my words.
Maybe this one time I was right to call him an idiot. Certainly banging your head against a wall is not the action you would expect from a sound mind. However, let's consider I call my son an idiot consistently over the next few developmental years. The likely outcome is.......an idiot.
You see everyone's behaviour is driven by their own self-image, and that self-image is built around the adult influences they receive in their childhood. These influences come not only from parents, but grandparents, uncles, aunts, teachers, sports coaches and pretty much anyone that they have regular contact with.
It is these influences that create our attitudes and ultimately our behaviours. For example; somebody that has always been told that they should stand up for themselves may ultimately become aggressive when placed in a stressful situation. Or somebody that is encouraged to always share and make others happy may develop a need to please people and will display submissive behaviour at times. I experienced this last type of behaviour with an old colleague of mine. Whenever we held a meeting he would wonder why he always walked away with more action points than anyone else!
Think about your own experience. Is there something you believe about yourself, which has been influenced by others? You may find that hard to do, as these beliefs have become a part of you and are shaping your behaviour all the time. However, they are there in all of us in varying forms.
Now, these drivers are not in themselves a problem. We all need drivers in our life, without them we would not achieve anything. It is when these drivers become negative or destructive that issues arise. There may have been times in your own experience where a person’s behaviour has seemed out of control or perhaps it was just that their driver was conflicting with yours.
So what can you do?
One thing you have to accept is that every person’s behaviour makes perfect sense to them at the time. Nobody sets out to make their life difficult and often it is because they feel they have no alternative in the given situation. No matter how bizarre the person’s action seems, it is rarely something they have manufactured.
Now you know that these drivers exist. The best thing you can do is start to identify them in yourself. Realise when you are being driven by an inner desire to react in a certain way and prepare for it. Once you know why you might be acting in a certain way, it becomes a lot easier to adapt and understand the consequences in an effort to minimise their impact.
Next, be prepared to spot behaviour drivers in others. If you can tell that they are being driven by an inner belief, consider how you might be able to have conversations that will provide antidotes. Often we do not consider how we present a message before we do so. Taking a little time to consider how the message is going to be received can really save a lot of time in the long run…otherwise your just banging your head against a wall.
You can find training course materials that help you get the best out of people from our website www.trainerbubble.com.
Maybe this one time I was right to call him an idiot. Certainly banging your head against a wall is not the action you would expect from a sound mind. However, let's consider I call my son an idiot consistently over the next few developmental years. The likely outcome is.......an idiot.
You see everyone's behaviour is driven by their own self-image, and that self-image is built around the adult influences they receive in their childhood. These influences come not only from parents, but grandparents, uncles, aunts, teachers, sports coaches and pretty much anyone that they have regular contact with.
It is these influences that create our attitudes and ultimately our behaviours. For example; somebody that has always been told that they should stand up for themselves may ultimately become aggressive when placed in a stressful situation. Or somebody that is encouraged to always share and make others happy may develop a need to please people and will display submissive behaviour at times. I experienced this last type of behaviour with an old colleague of mine. Whenever we held a meeting he would wonder why he always walked away with more action points than anyone else!
Think about your own experience. Is there something you believe about yourself, which has been influenced by others? You may find that hard to do, as these beliefs have become a part of you and are shaping your behaviour all the time. However, they are there in all of us in varying forms.
Now, these drivers are not in themselves a problem. We all need drivers in our life, without them we would not achieve anything. It is when these drivers become negative or destructive that issues arise. There may have been times in your own experience where a person’s behaviour has seemed out of control or perhaps it was just that their driver was conflicting with yours.
So what can you do?
One thing you have to accept is that every person’s behaviour makes perfect sense to them at the time. Nobody sets out to make their life difficult and often it is because they feel they have no alternative in the given situation. No matter how bizarre the person’s action seems, it is rarely something they have manufactured.
Now you know that these drivers exist. The best thing you can do is start to identify them in yourself. Realise when you are being driven by an inner desire to react in a certain way and prepare for it. Once you know why you might be acting in a certain way, it becomes a lot easier to adapt and understand the consequences in an effort to minimise their impact.
Next, be prepared to spot behaviour drivers in others. If you can tell that they are being driven by an inner belief, consider how you might be able to have conversations that will provide antidotes. Often we do not consider how we present a message before we do so. Taking a little time to consider how the message is going to be received can really save a lot of time in the long run…otherwise your just banging your head against a wall.
You can find training course materials that help you get the best out of people from our website www.trainerbubble.com.
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