How are people reading YOU?

                                                   

The audience had a good laugh about how we can come across to people when I spoke at the Lake Washington Human Resource Association meeting last week. The topic was "Impression Management: Influencing Others" and I talked about the importance of getting feedback from mentors, managers, coworkers, family and good friends about our facial expressions and body language. I shared with them that I'm a frowning thinker and saw many nodding and laughing. We know who we are: people often ask us if we're OK! Told them I try to remember to lift my eyebrows while I'm listening. Of course, this may give me the look of a surprised listener, but that's better than a mad listener.

Then I shared with them an experience I had as a first year teacher. One of the boys was acting up a bit, so I was just looking at him. He raised his hands in front of his face and said, "Please, please stop looking at me like that; I'll do anything. A few weeks later I was visiting my parents and shared this story with my Mother. She said, "Oh honey. You were very intimidating as a baby." As a baby! That's enough to keep me asking for feedback─although perhaps not from Mom...

Just look at the woman in this photo. We rarely know the things we do that may cause people to interpret what they see completely differently than we intend. What about you?

Getting in Your Customers’ Way?

Take the time to evaluate the direction of your customer service and you may discover it's time to realign your compass. Policies, procedures or people may be getting in the way. We can't afford to lose customers because of these three crucial factors.

Policies
Just the word "policy" turns off customers. Consider how you do business─what policies you have in place and may need to revisit. Policies are often there for the company's convenience rather than the customers'. We need to focus on how to make it EASY for customers to do business with us.

Procedures
Procedures have often been in place since the inception of a business─or since the first person to do the job at the company created them. Many procedures are still followed simply because they've "always done it that way." We need to revisit our procedures regularly and make sure we're not simply creating hoops for our customers to jump through.

People skills
Take a close look at the people skills of those who work with customers─and those who lead them. Do you have employees who are rude or inept? Do managers override policies for certain customers and make front line employees look foolish? According to John Goodman, Vice Chairman and co-founder of TARP Worldwide, "Employees come to work wanting to deliver great service, but the processes and policies they work under, coupled with insufficient managerial support, are the real causes of customer dissatisfaction and disloyalty. Employees receive the customers’ anger for events they have no control over…and this is what makes employees unhappy."

Just as I call audiences to take action in my keynote, take the time to look closely at your policies, procedures and people skills. Our goal? Set a compass bearing in line with our customers' rather than creating obstacles they must overcome to do business with us.

A Brave New World

A recent move prompted me to venture into a brave new world. And for a member of a generation that is not designated by a single letter, this is rather monumental. I started by eliminating my land line and fax number. (Remember the world─not so very long ago─before we had faxes? And now they're nearly obsolete!) Then I eliminated my mailing address from my business card and added a QR code. Yes, that's the most fun part. Anyone with an app on their smartphone can scan the code and go directly to my website. (Try it─it works from a computer screen, too.) There you'll find links to my Blog, Twitter and LinkedIn sites. Of course, you'll find my snail mail address, too. It is, indeed, a brave new world─and I'm loving it!

Create a distinct, consistent image

Whether you own a retail store, an online enterprise or a professional service business, your image is crucial to your success. It is what draws in your target customer or client. And, when you─or your designer─create that image, it must be used consistently throughout all your marketing materials. This includes business cards, mailings, website and blog, stationery and order forms.

There are 7 design elements to consider:
1. Color─limit to two to three
2. Typography─or fonts─limit to two to three
3. Graphic elements─limit any design elements, such as lines, logos, graphic devices to three
4. Style of art─be consistent. Clip art makes it tempting to use a variety, but you must be consistent. Use a line drawing? Continue to use a line drawing.
5. Size of promotional piece─will vary dramatically, of course, from piece to piece. An unusual size is better─not based on an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet. And bigger is perceived as better.
6. Paper─considerations include elements such as recycled? Elegant feel? Inexpensive?
7. Grid─the layout used in your promotional pieces sends a message. Formal? Informal? Restricted? Easy to use?

Whatever you choose, you'll want to change no more than two to three elements in any given piece to maintain consistency. You'll notice I show two logos for my business. I use the outline version on the top when it will be printed by me or a client. The orange version uses up too much ink! The orange version works on a blog post or something less likely to be printed.

And there's another issue. I remember receiving a mailing from a bank and tossing it because I assumed they were soliciting me for another credit card. Turns out it was MY credit card statement; but I didn't recognize it because they had changed their name and logo. You guessed it! They had to absorb a number of late charge fees because most of their customers did the same thing. In design─and in the eye of your audience─it's crucial that you be recognizable and memorable to your target customer or client.

Do you speak too quickly?

There's a good chance you do─it's nearly epidemic today! You can get a variety of unwanted reactions from your listeners. They may think you want them to HURRY UP and decide you're rude. Or, they may succumb to emotional deafness─the inability to hear or comprehend what we're saying. You may have experienced this when someone YELLS at you, or stands too close or swears at you. Aggressive people use these ploys to intimidate and while the speedy talker may not intend to, they can cause the same reaction.

Check yourself and see how you do. The following passage is 140 words in length. The average speaking rate of Americans is 125 – 150 wpm. Read it out loud as though you were speaking to someone ten feet away—building in the appropriate pauses. You’re aiming for it to take you a minute to read the paragraph. Time yourself and see how you do:

There is no set rule for the rate of speaking of individuals. Some people can speak at a rate of one hundred ninety words per minute and be clearly understood, while others must speak as slowly as ninety words per minute to achieve the same understanding. Most experts feel, however, that there is more to be gained by speaking slowly. They have decided that a rate of about one hundred forty words per minute is a safe rate. The main disadvantage of speaking too fast is that you cannot be understood easily. Speaking too fast has other disadvantages. Your audience may get the impression that they are being pressured into something. In addition, they may get the impression that you are very rushed and concerned with time. To be really understood, we recommend that you speak slowly.

It's a hurry up, hurry up world and sometimes we need to slo-o-o-ow down rather than speed up so we can be heard─and understood.

The very essence of unconditional love

Today Margaret Smith would have turned 92. I've known her since the moment I was born and always as Pinky. She died this July. Pinky gave me─and by generously giving it to me taught me─unconditional love. In this picture, we are at a party celebrating her 90th birthday. Since she suffered from macular degeneration, her daughter asked me to read the cards she had received the day before. Cris had been reading cards to her for weeks─and fighting back tears just as I did that day. You see, Pinky touched many of us with her warmth and love.

My Dad and Pinky's husband met in college and she and my Mother became life-long friends. Pinky hosted the shower for my Mother when she was expecting me! As is true of many good friends, they couldn't have been more different. My Mother was exuberant and always wanted to help people improve, grow, learn. Pinky was calm and wanted you to know you were wonderful─just the way you were. I am who I am because they were both in my life. Those dearest to me know of Pinky because they receive my unconditional love. Well, that's what I intend to send their way! We are all always growing. To whom can you give unconditional love? Someone will cherish you for it─for their entire life.

How to Develop and Deliver Programs that Engage Your Audiences and Produce Results!

Join me on October 5, 2011, in the Bellevue area for Train-the-Trainer: How to Develop and Deliver Programs that Engage Your Audiences and Produce Results! Call Jan at 206.328.0080 for more information or email Jan@YourCommunicationConnection.com (Just copy this lo-o-o-o-ng email address and drop it in the To: line or click my name to the right, then click Email under Contact.

Who should attend?
Anyone who wants to engage their audiences when they deliver programs will pick up all kinds of great ideas during this workshop. In-house trainers who create curriculum, facilitate training sessions and design or lead webinars, eCourses or teleseminars will take away ideas they can put to use immediately.

Lots of feedback
Participants will have a number of opportunities to make short presentations and receive feedback from both the trainer and the other participants.

Terrific take aways
Besides all kinds of keepers, participants will receive a complete 29-page workbook and suggestions for finding more material online and in reference material.

After the course, participants will be able to:
• Design a training that meets the needs of participants
• Apply the principles of adult learning to make sure their key points stick
• Structure a presentation that is compelling and easy to follow
• Reinforce their training programs with appropriate visuals, props and activities
• Project a confident, professional delivery style that engages their audience
• Handle questions comfortably and effectively and deal with confrontation

Here’s what past participants have said:
“Thanks, Jan! I really enjoyed your workshop and learned a lot. It was nice to be with such a supportive audience while performing something where I felt so nervous, anxious and uncomfortable. Every mini-presentation seemed a little easier as the day went on with all the helpful information and feedback I received. Great class!”

“Jan is one of the best presenters we have ever brought in for this sort of training. She is clearly an expert in her field and is also very passionate about what she does. She found a way to deliver feedback (even when not necessarily positive) in a non-threatening but constructive way. I actually know I will utilize many of the lessons she taught me today in my everyday life.”

Be sure to be there!