Personal Note From Anne:

Happy Holidays!

Wii. IPhone. ITouch. Rock Band. Last year brought us novel and new gifts we had to get our hands on. We didn't want to be left behind or to have our children left behind.

So what is new this year? Nothing. There is really no new gift that we have to have. In today's economy that is a death knoll. Even TVs aren't flying off the shelves this year as many people are choosing until February to see what happens with HDTV before they buy a new TV.

Unfortunately I think many people will look at the slowing sales this Christmas and say it is due to the economy. I think that innovation is as much at fault. I found last years Best Buy ads for December under a pile of magazines at my house (okay so know you have an idea of how good of a house cleaner I am!) and I started to thumb through them to see what items were new. Unfortunately if I put last year's ads down next to this year, you would be hard pressed to tell which was from 2007 and which was from 2008.

So how are you doing this year with being innovative and creative with your life, your work and at home? Have this be the year for differentiation!

Be holly, be jolly and enjoy this festive season!

- Anne

P.S. If you want to take this one step further, join us for our IMP Webinar Series. See the Outcome Focus® Webinar Series section to find out how you can sign up for our December 17th live webinar: The Top Ten Sales Mistakes: Are You Culpable?

How to Structure a Universal Presentation/Meeting

Use as a training tool: Present the situation below to the group and have them brainstorm how they would best handle the situation. Then share the Outcome Focus® answer and see how it relates or differs from solutions the group found.

Situation:

Dear Anne,
I was recently called upon to give a talk to a group of leaders from different divisions of our company. I found it very difficult to relay the information to such a diversified group. Next time I want to reduce the amount of misunderstandings that followed the meeting. Do you have any tips on how to structure my next presentation and make it more universal?

Outcome Desired:

You want everyone to take in and implement the new information as intended. Your goal is to avoid misinterpretation and confusion so that the entire company can move forward together. You also want to take on your new leadership role and help produce positive results.

Other Person's Perspective:

People want to know how the new information you are sharing will impact them, as well as, their teams. It's sometimes difficult to have time to think about how "what I am doing" relates to another division- hence they need you to DIRECTLY relate it for them. They need to have the material presented in a clear and consistent style so that they do not waste time on misunderstandings.

How to Handle:

If all people were the same, this would be an easy question to answer. There are four different communication styles at least, and actually several hundred combinations of communication styles. Each style has a way they need to hear information in order for them to absorb it and process it.

It is often very hard to get one message out to all people. But there is a way to minimize the misinterpretation that can happen:

KEEP IT SIMPLE!
Step One: You need to make sure you have great clarity in what you want the audience to do and what information they need in order to do it. Don't add fluff. Don't add facts that are unnecessary. And don't have a lot of justification.

Step Two: You then need to think about which medium most people have access to and would rely on or refer back to for the type of communication you're doing.

Ask Yourself:
Does everyone have e-mail and read it daily? If so, is this information appropriate to share via e-mail? If it is something that is highly controversial, there is a high probability that it will be misunderstood if done by email. For something that can make a large impact on your corporate culture, I recommend that you deliver the message in person, followed up by an e-mail or memo that reinforces what you said. This is far better than just sending out an e-mail which can be easily misinterpreted.

Will they need to refer to this information again and again? If so, it is probably best to provide it in written form for their use. Think about when they would need to use and that will help you determine if it should be an email, memo, small post it note for their desk, etc.

Is it a message you expect them to deliver to customers? If so, it is best to have a written message they can refer to that is written in the way they would have to speak it to the customer. This is so important I am going to repeat it again: If this is a message you expect them to deliver to the customer, it is best to have it written in the way they need to speak it to the customer. This will minimize misinterpretation due to personal style differences.

Anne's Outcome Insights:

Quotable Quotes “Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to.” - Unknown See Anne’s latest video "How to Make a Big Impact at a Sales Meeting" http://bzdo.tv/watch/?channel=I23105BC12   How To Become One With Your Audience Most books don't tell you HOW to say it, they just tell you what to do. How To Become One With Your Audience, is part of a series of insightful, inspiring and invigorating question and answer style books customized from what executives around the world have been asking. Anne Warfield has put together actual scripts that you can use to understand and connect with your audience. Order Here: https://www.impressionmanagement.com/cgi-bin/store/checkout.pl?product=EBOOKS

Outcome Focus® Guest Column Lighting your way with new perspectives!

December 3, 2008 One of the Most Important Strategies to Remember ...Especially During This Holiday Season The following true story (from Linda, a participant in one of my seminars) contains one of the most important reminder lessons that can make the critical difference in our lives as well as the lives of others. "A while back, my husband and I ordered pizza. After 45 minutes we called to find out when we could expect delivery. We called again after an hour and finally after an hour and fifteen minutes we called and cancelled our order. As we were walking out the door to go grab a bite, our pizza delivery lady showed up with our pizza. My husband and I told her we called and cancelled our order and now we didn't want the pizza. She apologized for being late and told us we could have the pizza for free. We told her "No, thanks. We decided to go out to eat." All of a sudden she started to cry, "My father died last week and today is the first time I've really felt that he's gone." She couldn't stop crying while she told us how she was getting lost in our neighborhood all night even though she delivers pizza there all the time. She said the people in the last home she delivered to started yelling at her for being late and she felt terrible about that, too. I threw my arms around her and hugged her tight. My husband stepped up and did the same. We paid for the pizza and invited her in to have dinner with us. "A couple of weeks later, there was a knock on the door and there stood Vicky the pizza lady. She told us she wanted to buy us a gift but there was no gift that could ever express the appreciation she felt for our kindness that night. Instead she said when she drives by our home she sends good wishes our way." "One night my husband and I were driving home and we happened to be behind Vicky. We live on a corner and while she drove straight ahead, I'm sure she didn't know we were behind her when we turned onto our street. As we watched her drive by, we could see her arm waving toward our home -- throwing good wishes our way." "Vicky gave us an immeasurable gift ... she gave us an unforgettable life lesson." Maybe someone who is not returning our calls is not trying to be disrespectful, maybe they just didn't receive the messages because they were out of town and did not change their voice mail accordingly. Maybe they did receive our messages but are embarrassed to call and let you know they are behind schedule. Or maybe did not do what they said they would do, and by not calling, they are avoiding the anticipated conflict. Maybe when someone snaps at us, it has nothing to do with us. Maybe instead they are having some personal problems at home (i.e. like an elderly parent who is sick, or a child who is not doing well in school, or maybe they are suffering from marital problems). Maybe they are under stress or feeling extreme pressure about work issues. The result is they take it out on us...but it really has nothing to do with us. I am not making a judgment about the behavior being right or wrong. I am just saying that things are not always as they appear... And of course we all know, starting the conversation with accusations or with "an attitude" does not inspire someone to open up to let us know what is really going on (or even to change their behavior). So remember, check things out with a little compassion and understanding before acting. Doing so can produce wonderful dividends in our life as well as in others. Give that gift and if you want email this tip to friends, family and co-workers and Linda and Vicky will inspire us all to have the best holiday season ever. Copyright, 2008, Steven Gaffney Company, All Rights Reserved About the Author Thousands credit Steven Gaffney's keynote addresses, breakout sessions and intense seminars with making the critical difference in helping improve communication, boost teamwork, increase productivity and generate new business. Gaffney's speeches and seminars, combined with his print interviews and media appearances for his two books - Honesty Works! Real-World Solutions to Common Problems at Work & Home (2006) and Just Be Honest: Authentic Communication Strategies that Get Results and Last a Lifetime (2002) - have enabled him to help individuals and organizations make a significant impact. His clients include the Marriott, SAIC, American Cancer Society, American Express, Lockheed Martin, Citigroup, Raytheon, Texas Instruments, the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA and the U.S. Navy. Learn more at www.StevenGaffney.com