Make It Happen

In a departure from my usual analysis and perspective, I thought that I would comment on some of the most useful gadgets that I regularly use. Each of them share one thing in common: they save me time, reduce frustration, and are generally very clever.

Not in any particular order:

The Flip: This is a cell-phone sized video camera that has one-button simplicity, as well as a built-in USB plug that "flips" out of the side. Time from filming to YouTube upload is measured in minutes. The Flip records one hour of YouTube quality video.

Olympus Digital Voice Recorder WS-210S: Like The Flip, this has a built in USB plug. It records up to 138 hours (or a bit less with higher quality) It's great for quickly recording ideas and practicing speeches.

Logitech remote pointer for PowerPoint, model R-R85: This small remote has all of the required functions, but doesn't overwhelm with buttons. Bonus: a count-down timer causes the unit to vibrant at present intervals, to give a sense of timing.

CardScan Executive: This handy device scans business cards, and then synchronizes them with Outlook. While the character recognition isn't perfect on cards with bizarre fonts, it is a truly clever timesaver.

Dymo LabelWriter 400: This printer only does one thing - print labels very well.

Tablet PC: In my case, I use a glacially slow ThinkPad X41T, but to be able to use a stylus to annotate, draw pictures, and highlight existing documents is huge - and cool.

iPod and iTunes: Any model will do; these clever devices allow a relaxing escape while travelling, or greater accessibility to professional development. And the iTunes store, while not a gadget in its own right, has opened up a world of music.

Meeting Magic

How many useless meetings have you attended? And how many have you been in charge of? Whether the meeting is a team status review, sales pitch, or interview, following a structured approach can make an appreciable difference. Consider this framework:

Define the purpose of the meeting: Before you even consider scheduling, define for yourself what the best outcome of the meeting will be. "The meeting will be successful if we ___________ ". At the end of the meeting, you can double check to see if the objective is met.

Plan the agenda (and distribute it). If participants understand how the meeting will be played out, they will be better able to prepare. Furthermore, developing the agenda based on the meeting purpose helps determine who should be invited.

Invite the right people. No one will show up unless they are invited. If the purpose of the meeting is to make a decision, then the decision-makers must be in the room.

Give Pre-work. Asking people to prepare - or at least review work that you have prepared - will mean that everyone hits the ground running.

Start and end the meeting on time. Keeping to the schedule shows respect for people's time and priorities. If you're late for a job interview, you probably will not get the job. Why should our mutual expectations change once we're on the job?

Set expectations and rules of order. Will the meeting be free-wheeling and informal, or be managed with Robert's Rules of Order?

Facilitate professionally. Great facilitation ensures that everyone participates, that the agenda is addressed, and that the meeting objectives are met.

Take minutes and note action-items. If you think that minutes are not required, maybe the meeting isn't either? Minutes document the discussions, decisions, and resulting action items.

Follow-up. Check with people just after the meeting to make sure they have what they need to move forward. Then circle back later to check status on their action-items.

While this framework is designed for regular business meetings, with some minor adjustments it also works for job interviews and performance reviews.

This week's action item: Look in your calendar, and commit to incorporating at least some of these items into your next meeting. If it isn't your meeting, reach out to the organizer, and make some suggestions: why not ask for the agenda or volunteer to take minutes? Or better yet, point them to this Tipsheet, and make some meeting magic.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Nickels and Dimes

If you had a choice to be paid either $50 or $100 for a service that you performed, which would you choose? Most of us would choose the greater amount; after all, if we have to do the work, why not be paid as much as the market will bear? Take the money and run!

Unfortunately, not everything may be as it appears. There is an unfortunate story about a man who boasted that his child was so "dumb" that when given a choice between a nickel and a dime, his child always chose the nickel. Later one day, someone asked the kid why they didn't choose the dime: "if I chose the dime, he would have stopped asking me which I wanted. As it stands, I've earned about ten dollars."

The father never looked at the situation from the child's perspective: instead, he made assumptions that in the end, made him look foolish. More importantly even the child knew that a continuous flow of nickels was better than just one dime. The kid knew not to kill the golden goose, so he played along.

Most people would not put up with the "dumb" label just to earn a few bucks, but the story illustrates an important point: whether you are putting together a deal, negotiating your next job, or just agreeing on your next year's performance objectives, remember that small greed succeeds. If you ask for too much, the risk isn't just that the other party may walk away, but that they will say yes - and no longer send any more "nickels" your way. On the other hand, if you ask too little, you are undervaluing your work.

This week's action item: Knowledge gives you tremendous leverage. Before you next negotiate anything, learn about the other party's motivations, investigate the market, and probe. Don't take the dime only to stop the nickels.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Improvisation

Recently I had attended the Montreal Jazz Festival. Over the course of several days, dozens of bands of all styles - blues, big band, dixie, fusion, to name a few - played to thousands of spectators.

For those not familiar with the genre, most jazz follows a similar story line: a melody is played, then individual musicians improvise on that melody, then the melody is reprised.

When asked what makes a great improvisation, many musicians will give different answers:

- It is suggestive of the melody.
- It is completely different from the melody.
- It uses the same rhythms.
- It uses differing rhythms.

Despite the seeming contradictions, there is one thing in common to all improvisations. The musicians are out there by themselves (although with the support of the band behind them), creating something that didn't exist before, and connecting with their audience in an emotionally expressive, impactful way.

Ironically, we don't think of this metaphor when we do a business presentation, or when we are in a job interview, or in a tough negotiation with a supplier. But in each of these situations, we need to stand on our feet, think on our feet, and deliver our message - while at the same time "fit" within the framework of our environment.

This week's Action Item: Musicians don't magically know all of their scales, nor are they always comfortable with public performance. They build up to it with practice, with warm-ups, and with feedback from their audience. This week, identify a time when you will be called to perform. But instead of doing "improv", rehearse, gain feedback, and then do your thing.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Formal presentations are critical to your career success: they are used during the job interview process, as a sales tool, and for key internal meetings.

When we were taught how to make a speech back in grade school, we were given the rudiments: write your notes on cue-cards, don't read your speech, and focus on the point that you wish to make. Has anything changed? Or have we simply forgotten these basics?

Probably the greatest boon to business communication is the PowerPoint program. Unfortunately, it is also the reason that so many presentations flop - or at least, why they rarely achieve their objectives. Think about it: how often have you sat through a dull, seemingly pointless presentation. Typically, the presenters hope to perk us up with snazzy transitions, animations, colorful fonts, and a strange typeface. Or they use a font that is either too big, or so small as to be illegible.

Instead of turning off your audience, before you even think about the first slide, go back to basics by answering two key questions:

1) What are the needs of the audience?

2) What are you hoping to accomplish by the end of your presentation?

The best way to engage a group is to have them focused on your ideas - and on you. Capture this focus by first crafting your presentation without PowerPoint or any visual cues. Once you've done that, consider which (if any) concepts are best presented visually, and create graphics for this purpose. Only then should you start working with PowerPoint.

Once your presentation is complete, rehearse it to check for timing, fluency, and impact. The rehearsal can be quick by yourself, or it can be with an audience. Ask your audience (or reconfirm yourself) whether your key questions are answered. If your presentation is worth delivering, then it is worth rehearsing.

This Week's Action Item: This precise technique (asking, crafting, rehearsing) works for every interaction that you have: with your colleagues, customers, suppliers and recruiters. Before your next meeting or presentation, try it - don't be PowerPointless.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

TILIS: Tell It Like It Is

hru? lol, the uv 2mi; gtg.

Does reading this text feel like reading another language? You may recognize this gobbledegook as text or instant messaging shorthand, used almost as an artform by those "younger" than you.

If you've figured it out, great, but don't count on your parent's (or grandparent's) generation to decipher it. (As an aside, you probably don't understand some of the nuances that this older generation uses either.) If you haven't figured it out, the message translates to "How are you? Laughing Out Loud at the Unpleasant Visual - too much information; got to go."

Whenever we communicate with other people, their understanding of our message will be influenced by their generation. So if you really wish to be understood, use generation-relevant expressions and style. When we don't do this, we either alienate or patronize the very people we wish to influence. This is true in a meeting with your manager, your subordinates, a sales prospect or a job interviewer.

A cautionary note: using generation-relevant expressions and style is only one part of the communications mix. In formal business correspondence - or a job interview - using informal language is often a quick route to disqualification.

This Week's Action Item: The next time you are in a meeting with someone much older or younger than you, pay attention to your words and style. But don't try to sound cool by using their lingo if it isn't your own: you'll sound inauthentic. Instead, be yourself and watch them closely for signs of comprehension and certainty: if you don't see it, adjust your message and try again. KWIM? (Know what I mean?)

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news