E-Mail Success - By Wolfgang Halliwell

I returned to work today after a 2 week Christmas vacation and opened my inbox with some trepidation. After a similar break last year I had returned form holiday with over 400 e-mails awaiting my attention. It took me a couple of days to deal with these so I vowed there and then that this would never happen again.

One of my New Years resolutions at the beginning of 2007 was to take control of my e-mail inbox. Today would prove one way or the other whether the action I took worked.

I opened my inbox and found only 32 items awaiting me. Thirty minutes later and my inbox was empty. Complete success!

So, what did I do to achieve this? The good news is that this is not rocket science and a few simple steps have achieved this result. The action I took in 2007 included:

1. Always remembering to set my out of office message when I was away for more than a day.


2. Unsubscribing to newsletters and update services unless I really needed them.


3. Agreeing a few ground rules with colleagues about when and when not to use e-mail.


4. Using the telephone a lot more to avoid those unproductive games of e-mail tennis.


5. Delegating or redirecting some of my e-mail to other people when appropriate.

None of this took very long to do but the results have been really spectacular for me. If you suffer from an overfull inbox you might find some of the techniques I have listed are of some help.

Of course, there is also a need to manage your e-mail once you have got it, but that is the topic for another posting.

This article relates to our training course material, 'Managing E-Mails', which you can find on our website by clicking here.

Why bother with training?

Motivational quotes

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.

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.

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.

What the Customer Actually Wanted?

Consultants don't always get it right and this picture above may provide some insight into how problems occur...seem familiar?

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.

Nodes - Bubble Game

Another bubble related game - just for fun!

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.

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.