It's like a bad dream: You arrive at a negotiation without the tools and tactics you need to produce a win-win outcome. Things go horribly wrong, and everyone leaves with a bad taste in their mouth. In fact, you're sure that the other party wants nothing more to do with you. Even if you technically "won" the negotiation, it's not a true win. We call this a lose-lose outcome.
How do you avoid a repeat? First you need to know what not to do. There are many ways to lose a negotiation. Here are the Top 10:
- Fail to plan ahead
- Go in with a combative attitude
- Have no idea what you can offer and when to walk away
- Arrive without responses to the other party's likely objections
- Assume you know what the other party wants
- Fail to address the other party's questions and concerns
- Ignore the underlying power balance
- Fail to neutralize the other party's negative tactics
- Narrow down the negotiation to only one issue
- Negotiate a win for you that results in a loss for the other party
One or more of these are probably familiar to you. We all have to start somewhere, right? The worst part is, any one of these actions is enough to sabotage a negotiation and possibly the whole relationship.
Now that you know what not to do, how do you create a roadmap to success?
Last time, we talked about your presentation conclusion. I promised I'd go into more detail about question/answer sessions in another blog, and here it is!
Many people see the great challenge as the presentation itself. When the questions begin, the presenter breathes a sigh of relief and relaxes. This is when trouble can begin. Responding to a question with an appropriate, efficient answer is the real challenge!
Preparation
The first step to successful Q&A sessions is preparation. Your audience expects you to be prepared for your talk, but they do not expect you to be prepared for the Question and Answer session. If you are, you will undoubtedly enhance the success of your entire presentation. The key to preparing for questions is to anticipate all questions that may be raised. Ask yourself:
- What questions will my audience be likely to ask?
- Who will be likely to ask questions?
- Are there any provocative ideas that might threaten individuals in the audience?
- What are the tough questions?
- What are the questions I hope no one will ask?
Anticipation
To help you anticipate all questions, it is a good idea to review your presentation with:
- Peers: who may be able to think of questions you overlooked.
- Insiders: someone in the same industry as your audience will be able to think of questions from your audience’s perspective.
- Outsiders: someone who is not in either your or your audience’s industry will be able to think of questions from a completely fresh perspective.
To assist you in anticipating questions, here is a list of commonly asked questions:
- Do we really need this?
- What are the alternatives?
- What will happen to us if we don’t?
- What will it cost?
- Can we do it for less?
- Is it in the budget?
- What is the ROI?
- How do we do it?
- Who will do what?
- How long will it take?
- Will this action create new problems?
Once you have anticipated all questions, prepare answers for them as thoroughly as you prepared the presentation itself.
Remember
Q&A sessions give you an opportunity to continue making your point. The purpose of your presentation is to induce action. Be sure each answer you prepare will contain information that will help your audience take the action you want them to take. Always be sure your answers include benefits so your audience will understand what’s in it for them.
Karen Holmes is a U.S.-based CGWA Senior Consultant and Trainer, delivering programs such as Building a Culture of High Accountability™, Coaching, Interpersonal Communication Skills, Positive Power and Influence®, Presentation Skills, and many more.
Sometimes it seems like health and fitness is all anyone's talking about. Sure, Americans as a whole aren't nearly as healthy as we should be. But what can be done? We seem to have all the advantages: we know that exercise, a wholesome diet, and work-life balance are all keys to good health. So why are so many of us overweight, stressed out, unhappy and unhealthy?
There are so many answers to these questions, including such challenges as no time, lack of motivation, boring exercise routines, poor food choices, high stress, overcommitment, and so on. While I can't pinpoint the exact reasons you may not be at your peak, I can tell you why healthy habits = career success! It's tough out there, so give yourself an edge...
1. Exercise
Let's start with a major health issue most Americans face: lack of exercise. We've all been told how important it is to "get moving!" We know it's true, but how will more exercise help your career? I mean, it's hard to find time in your busy workday for a workout routine—so there had better be some good reasons! Here are a few reasons to exercise:
- Improves brain function: alertness, concentration
- Helps to control stress: endorphins
- Supports heart health: cardiovascular
- Helps you reach and maintain a healthy weight: muscle to fat ratio
Now who wouldn't want all this? Not to mention that all these things will make it easier to get up each day with a fresh outlook so you can go achieve all your goals and more. What company wouldn't want their employees to be alert, happy, healthy, and in great shape? You can use exercise to your advantage in so many ways!
2. Wholesome Diet
Here's another big challenge: getting the right food into your body. Why is it so hard? There's a long list of reasons, but we all know we should eat right. This is a major part of your overall health. We've all heard the phrase, "You are what you eat!"
A few ways a wholesome diet can help your career:
- Makes you look younger: antioxidants, vitamins, essential nutrients
- Keeps your immune system in balance: healthy digestion + see above
- Supports brain function: omega-3s, lean protein
- Battles fatigue: good nutrition = energy
Everyone wants to look younger, so that's a no-brainer! Healthy eating can minimize sick days by giving your immune system the boost it needs, and your brain is crying out for the building blocks of cell growth and maintenance in order to give you that competitive advantage. I think we all know how hard it is to maintain our energy throughout the workday when you're hungry, so why not choose healthy foods while you're at it?
3. Work-Life Balance
It's almost a cliché now. What is this magical thing? It simply means getting your priorities in order. Each person's definition of work-life balance is unique, and you probably know what yours is. Achieving it is difficult to say the least, with so many demands on our time. With that project deadline looming, the emails flying in, kids' soccer games, and wondering what's for dinner, it seems impossible that we could find balance in this crazy-hectic world. If you prioritize well, though, here are some ways work-life balance can improve your career:
- Minimizes stress: balanced commitments, important stuff first
- Diminishes distractions: be "present" at work and at home
- Provides fresh perspectives: varying activities = new viewpoints
- Improves sense of well-being: caring for you, caring for others
Prioritizing commitments means you can be organized and efficient in whatever you do, creating an aura of calm. Unnecessary distractions melt away and you can focus on the moment. Making sure you don't get buried in any one aspect of your life creates new pathways in your brain, allowing creativity to flourish, and who couldn't use a little more of that? The bottom line is, you will feel in control! That feeling will translate to everything you do, and your confidence will be obvious to those around you.
There are so many ways these 3 healthy habits can create career success (and an awesome life), I couldn't possibly list them all here. Who knows? You might discover a few no one has thought of!
Looking for more resources to help you become your best self? We're giving away 5 free copies of Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Sorry! We've given away all our free copies. Check out our other posts for more freebies!
The vast majority of people probably feel that they do an above average or excellent job in their job. Unfortunately, in most cases, we don't get to decide the issue. Instead, a series of supervisors—some good and some bad—decide for you. This can lead to a fair amount of job insecurity.
It need not be so. Most managers would agree that being worried about whether or not you are doing a good job is the first sign that you are, indeed, doing a good job. Concerns about performance and overcoming insecurity are key traits of successful employees everywhere.
Still, measuring your success with the people you work with requires an understanding of the coworkers surrounding you. There are three distinct types of people when it comes to inter-office relationships, and each possesses a different standard to determine whether or not you are fulfilling your role competently.
Understanding the needs and motivations of these three types will inevitably lead to improved communication, performance of your job, and of course, to more confidence!
Type 1: Those Who Rely on Your Abilities to Ease Their Own Burden
Every workplace has these types of employees, and they are easily identified. They are the ones who appear most concerned but actually do the least when a problem surfaces. Their answer to every problem is to lay it on someone else's doorstep. We all know who these people are!
This “syndrome” is not limited to any one job function or team. You probably know from experience that there are lots of employees out there who are, themselves, insecure. Their solution is to simply shunt their responsibility onto others. An ambitious person (I'm talking about you here!) can and should take advantage of this fact. Done right, this can be an opportunity to shine and ease any lingering insecurities about your own job performance.
Type 2: Those Who Test Your Abilities Due to Their Own Insecurities
On the other end of the spectrum is the coworker who is an “expert” in every field. Their modus operandi is to relentlessly question every action that you take and evaluate it against their (mostly uninformed) opinion. This makes for an incredibly frustrating relationship.
Successfully negotiating a truce with these experts while also solving the problems they lay at your feet is the real challenge in this case. But if you can pull it off, you will build your own security quotient. You may even find that this challenging person becomes a "friend for life"!
Type 3: Those Who Simply Need and Trust Your Abilities
By far, the most difficult type of coworker to deal with is the one who trusts you and expects you to properly perform your job duties. This type of coworker is usually your supervisor or someone you report directly to. Supervisors have many responsibilities of their own, and they expect a certain level of competence from you.
Identifying and satisfying the needs of this class of coworker leads to the greatest and longest lasting feelings of job security. You should maintain constant, relevant communication—but don't overdo it! Your supervisor should not expect you to read his mind, but instead assume that once the responsibilities have been described, you should be able to perform them with a degree of independence.
Figure out how to meet the needs of your supervisor, and everybody wins! Your confidence will shoot through the roof.
The End Product
Overcoming insecurity at work is a job in itself. It does not necessarily require its own task list, but it should include an accurate, constantly updated self-appraisal of your work. This is the first step in overcoming job insecurity, and it will guide you on the path to superior performance!
Are you stuck in the gap between truly great sales and the reality that your sales and leadership team is struggling?
Most of the data on sales success and sales best practices in the field inevitably leads to the conclusion that your sales force is only as strong as the sales leadership they get. Any lasting change has to start with the Vice President and roll like a wave all the way through the often-overlooked Regional/District Managers.
Not sure your team needs outside help? Some indicators that your sales leadership may need some intensive work on alignment and performance enhancement are:
- You have a high number of Region Managers that are recent field promotions, i.e. very successful sales reps that you have promoted to Region Manager positions.
- You have a high level of turnover at the Region/District Manager level.
- You get very good results on a certain set of products from one region and completely different results from another region (inconsistent execution on your product portfolio).
- You have too many Territory Managers/Sales Reps that underperform to their sales plan and are not engaged in an aggressive developmental plan to correct the issue.
You need a proven process for sales leadership development that will help your organization achieve better numbers on the following metrics:
- Percent achievement of sales plan
- Full product portfolio sales execution
- Number of conversions during product launches
- Reduced undesired sales rep turnover
At CGWA, the journey from mediocre to great looks something like this:
- We do a very careful analysis of the current state of your sales leadership performance
- We ask you to define your vision for what great would look like for your business
- We customize a solution and get it to the sales leadership team as quickly as possible, up to the standard of performance and execution that you would like to see
Our research indicates that a lot of our potential clients are spending literally hundreds of thousands of dollars training their sales force as a whole, but spending very little to train their Region Managers, which is a sadly misdirected allocation of funds. Repeated studies into how organizations invest in sales execution lead us to this conclusion: The most important investment you can make is to ensure that your sales leadership is aligned, motivated, and focused on the right best practices and disciplines to drive successful sales to your business.
When I consult with sales leaders, I always recommend one of my favorite books. I'd like to give you a head start by sending you a free copy today! This is a limited-time offer, so take advantage while it lasts...
Greg Wright founded CGWA in 1977 on the principle that customized, skill-based training provides the best learning experience for employees, as it incorporates a company’s culture, business trends, and “real life” situations into the structure of the training.
We talk a lot about our experience and offerings in general terms, simply because we have been privileged to work in so many industries throughout the world. We can't choose a favorite, but today I'd like to talk a little about the rewarding relationships CGWA has formed in the life sciences community, encompassing the biotech, healthcare, medical device, and pharmaceutical sectors.
Since our founding in 1977, we have focused on helping every organization, team, and individual we work with to become the best in their industry. We do this through both consulting and education, achieving organizational goals with immediately applicable, customized tools for enhanced performance.
Over the years, we have been fortunate to work with many successful and innovative life science organizations, giving our training and consulting team a unique perspective on the challenges they face.
A sampling of the organizations we have worked with:
What attracts the life sciences community to CGWA? Word of mouth! With direct recommendations from their respected colleagues, leaders know we can dive right in to their unique problems with no indsutry learning curve. In this tight scientific community, knowledge and experience is everything, and we've done it all: Making the rounds with sales reps, problem-solving in the C-suite, and everything in between.
But you don't have to wait for someone to let you in on the secret...
We've all done it: used a really bad cliché to illustrate a point. But could it actually damage our ability to communicate? Sounds a bit far-fetched, but it's important to use caution.
Are Clichés Really so Bad?
It's so easy to fall back on a familiar saying, or idiom, in order to convey your meaning (message) when speaking or writing to someone else. What you're trying to do is shorten the length of time it takes to convey that feeling or idea. Often these sayings are trite and overused, and therefore taken for granted. You guessed it: They become cliché!
The problem is, the meaning you (the sender) assign may not be the meaning understood by the other person (the receiver). Many variables can interfere with the message the receiver hears, such as:
- Sender or receiver's native language
- Receiver's familiarity with your choice of phrase
- Differences in regional dialect
- Overall tone of the conversation
- Power inequalities, i.e. boss to employee
- Using mixed metaphors
One of the characteristics of great communication skills is being able to tailor your conversation to the person(s) you're speaking to. To that end, you must know when it's okay to use certain phrases and when they should be "avoided like the plague." Idioms can cause a lot of confusion and even offense, especially when conducting international business.
Some Clichés to Avoid
- Barking up the wrong tree
- Burn your bridges
- Burning the candle at both ends
- Come hell or high water
- Cut off your nose to spite your face
- Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
- Get your ducks in a row
- Go with the flow
- Keep your eye on the ball
- No pain, no gain
- Push the envelope
- The big picture
- The whole nine yards
- Think outside of the box
- You can take that to the bank
- You can't squeeze blood from a turnip
These are just some of the sayings that are easily misunderstood or misused in conversation. Occasional use is okay, as long as you're sure the phrase is appropriate to your topic, will be understood by the receiver, and helps to illuminate your meaning.
What are some of your favorite sayings? Are they classic clichés, or unique to you? Ask yourself: Are my words conveying my true meaning, or do they add confusion? What else can I say to get my point across clearly?
CGWA is proud to offer our Interpersonal Communication Skills program, which expertly guides participants through the process of becoming savvy communicators.
Every executive, at some point, will be faced with making a career change to either a new company or new position. In some cases, the change will be made voluntarily and in others it will be required. In either case, the use of executive coaching can broaden the marketability of the candidate, strengthen their leadership skills, and advance their career.
The use of executive coaching should not be viewed as a remedial exercise, because it's really an exercise in self-improvement and career advancement. Self-analysis is often difficult, especially for those who rarely hear an unbiased view from their peers or subordinates. In short, constructive feedback is the essence of executive coaching and leads to greater self-awareness.
Finding the Right Coach
The use of executive coaching is a soul searching journey that will require some demanding insights from both the coach and the person being coached. For this reason, it is extremely important to find a coach who can not only make fair criticisms of your abilities and suggestions for improvement, but can communicate these effectively.
There are 3 key considerations in the hiring of an executive coach:
- Competence
- Chemistry
- Flexibility
First, competence is important so that you, as an accomplished professional, feel comfortable accepting their appraisal. The coach must have extensive experience in their field, working with professionals at your level, and be well-versed in a variety of coaching methods and tools. You should ask about past coaching engagements in general terms and evaluate your potential coach's background. Do they have a track record of success? If your coach doesn't possess the "right stuff," executive coaching is simply a waste of time.
Secondly, as in any other occupation, coaches have different personalities—and their personality may not mesh well with yours. Since executive coaching is about effective revelations of (sometimes painful) information, it is imperative that the coach can deliver the message in a positive and professional manner. If the executive and the coach do not establish a good rapport, enlightenment cannot follow. The sessions will seem interminable, yield little in the way of results and, ultimately, fail.
Lastly, executives lead full business lives in which they are routinely asked to deal with emergencies or to reprioritize their time. Most take for granted that their carefully prepared schedules can be interrupted at any time. A good executive coach recognizes this fact and will have a reasonable degree of flexibility in their schedule to accommodate the executive.
To this end, executive coaching can also be effectively performed by phone or video conference. Often a quick session is all that a busy executive needs to get them through a key presentation and the coach should be available for this need. A superior coach should put the needs of their client ahead of their own convenience.
The Benefits
Executive coaching is an investment in your career. Valuable insights can be gained that will maximize your strengths and provide real solutions to minimize or eliminate any weaknesses you may uncover. Coaching adds significant value to your skills as a communicator, negotiator, and leader. Perfecting these skills will also enable you to strengthen your team to be more effective, more responsive, and more independent.
The career benefits are as obvious as your talents will be! You'll find your new skill set is in demand across a wider variety of positions and industries. In addition, the value you bring as a leader will benefit the organization as a whole. In short, executive coaching is an excellent opportunity for even the most capable executive to increase their career opportunities, earning ability and leadership potential.
CGWA is proud to offer Coaching: Executive, Leadership, and Individual Performance, helping professionals achieve the next level!
Over the last few months, we've discussed many of our workshops—expertly designed to make you a better communicator, influencer, manager, performance coach, presenter, sales rep, and more. The topics are diverse, but they all have one essential in common: classroom training.
Why not virtual training? Why not self-directed learning? Both of those methods have value, but as the famous Chinese proverb states, "Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand." In order for any participant to truly internalize learning, three elements are required:
- Face-to-face interaction
- Customized knowledge and exercises
- Quality feedback
Face-to-Face Interaction
Human beings are inherently social. This is why a videoconference just doesn't feel the same as a personal meeting, and why we walk down the hall to speak to a co-worker instead of simply picking up the phone. Being physically present with a group of fellow learners is extremely valuable. In a group, you can experience new concepts, be exposed to different perspectives, and help each other reach understanding—all under the guidance of an expert instructor.
Meeting in a classroom setting, when done right, also minimizes distractions from the outside world. Emails, phone calls, and text messages can all serve to derail the training process. As an individual, it's easy to give in to these things. But we find that groups are happy to agree to a distraction-free learning environment. This restraint is rewarded when learners leave the workshop feeling inspired, refreshed, and armed with immediately applicable skills!
Customized Knowledge and Exercises
Once a concept is presented, anyone can practice their skills using a generic case study or exercise. However, off-the-shelf material can only go so far. Building new cognitive pathways is challenging enough! You need the support of an instructor who is knowledgeable about your industry and organization, along with custom examples to practice with. Our highly educated instructors have years of real-world, industry and workplace experience, and collaborate with leadership to gain an in-depth understanding of your organization. Then they carefully design customized exercises, allowing the group—and each individual—to apply their learning in a direct and meaningful way. This is one of our secrets to achieving proven and lasting results.
Quality Feedback
Here at CGWA, we believe that real learning demands much more than a training manual and a well-presented lecture. For real learning to take place, personal feedback must follow each customized exercise, and should be given in an atmosphere of trust and respect. Peer and instructor feedback during the practice phase, including careful observation, praise, and constructive criticism, creates a complete picture for each participant. The observer must be able to see non-verbal communication, i.e. body language, and hear tone of voice—and reflect them back to those receiving feedback.
Bottom Line
When you think about all the aspects of human interaction and how they relate to learning, it seems obvious that classroom training is essential. Great leaders everywhere use this powerful tool to meet and exceed their group and organizational goals. At CGWA, we believe that classroom training should be a part of every organization’s learning and development curriculum.
Perhaps you know what training topics you want bring to your organization, but how do you know if your group and/or organization is ready for classroom training?
Last time, we finished up your presentation body, explaining how to piece together supporting information in a way that really speaks to your audience. Now that you've finished the bulk of your presentation, it's time to address the conclusion. It is just as important as the rest of your presentation, and should be considered carefully. Remember, the conclusion is the last thought you share with your audience, and what they are most likely to remember.
Unfortunately, many presentations do not conclude—they just stop, sputter and die, or worse, ramble on and on. Many excellent presentations have been ruined by a weak conclusion. The purpose of the conclusion is to summarize and ensure that you’ve met your objective. A good strong conclusion adds the finishing touch to an excellent presentation. There are four important steps to an effective conclusion:
- Summarize key points
- Restate action steps
- Ask for questions
- Give a final conclusion
Summarizing Key Points
This is the first step when concluding. In a clear, concise manner, you must tell the audience what you just told them. When you restate the key points, you should be as brief as you were in the agenda. Do not bring in any new points! You don’t want to introduce anything new at this point in time.
Restating the Action Step
Reiterate the action request you made in the introduction. Be sure your action step is assertive and positive, such as, “I’m sure you’ll agree...” or, “As I have explained...” Restating your action step at the conclusion ensures a strong, active finish. It encourages your audience to move ahead on your request.
Asking for Questions
When you reach your conclusion, it's important that you open up your presentation to questions from the audience. They may need clarification or more information, and it's a great way to make them feel included. We will go into more detail on question/answer sessions in our next Presentation Skills blog post.
Final Conclusion
Yes, this whole article is about your presentation conclusion, but your final conclusion is the "end of the end." You should restate your action request once more, and be sure to thank your audience.
Remember to have your conclusion clearly in your mind before you begin your presentation. You want to be sure you conclude as strongly as you began.
Delivery Tips for the Conclusion
Use a flip chart to summarize your key points. It will keep you and your audience well organized.
Use assertive, positive language when stating the action you want them to take, i.e., "I believe," "I know," "I’m confident," "I’m sure," not "I think," or "I hope."
CGWA is proud to offer our Presentation Skills workshop, helping professionals reach their potential everywhere we go! I personally believe it is essential to get hands-on, practical training in the classroom to bring these concepts to life.
Karen Holmes is a U.S.-based CGWA Senior Consultant and Trainer, delivering programs such as Building a Culture of High Accountability™, Coaching, Interpersonal Communication Skills, Positive Power and Influence®, Presentation Skills, and many more.