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Susan Fee

In This Issue

News & Notes: Breaking the Rules

Manager's Tip Sheet:  SCAMPER Through Roadblocks

Personal Tip Sheet:  Stealing Scenes from Will Ferrell

Difficult Conversations:  What Was Your Name?   

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News & Notes: Breaking the Rules

There’s at least one in every crowd:  a naysayer.  This is the person who rejects every new idea and innovative suggestion and is fond of phrases such as “That will never work” and “You can’t do that.”

I imagine that’s what artist Dale Chihuly heard the first time he suggested the main attraction for the Indianapolis Children’s Museum should be made of glass.  “Kids and glass?  You can’t do that!”  But he did.  The result is the appropriately named, “Eye Candy” and it’s simply spectacular!

Presenting new ideas can be risky.  To be creative, an idea must be new and valuable.  But, responding to out-of-the-box thinking can be challenging too.  If you’re the resident naysayer, here’s my challenge for you:  Instead of automatically saying, “That won’t work” ask, “How would that work?” To see how Dale Chihuly would answer, take a look here

and look under "Eye Candy."

Until next month,

 

Susan Fee

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Manager's Tip Sheet: SCAMPER Through Roadblocks

Manage people long enough and you’ll hit a few roadblocks.  They could come in the way of dysfunctional work teams, resistant employees, or a great team existing in a bad system.  These roadblocks can leave you stumped unless you find a different way to approach the problem.  The SCAMPER technique can be helpful in jump-starting some creative problem solving.  The next time you encounter a roadblock, consider these options to get around it:

S:  Substitute.  What can you substitute?  Even the smallest change can yield big results such as substituting “Yes, and” for “Yes, but.”

C:  Combine.  What would happen if you add something new to the mix?  You could combine systems, people, labor, or ideas.  The addition of one thing leads to a different outcome.

A:  Adapt.  Technology is adapting to changing needs all the time.  For example, the need for maps still exists, but now GPS allows us to access them in a different way.

M:  Modify.  Most people-problems can be addressed by simply modifying negative or inappropriate behaviors.

P:  Put to other uses.  There’s no better example of this than Post-It Notes that resulted after a “mistake” in attempting to make a stronger adhesive.  But, look what can happen by shifting the use!

E:  Eliminate.  What can you take away that would allow you to move past the roadblock?  For instance, eliminating the use of email for the first hour of every day might make people more productive.

R:  Rearrange.  What would happen if you kept the same elements, but just rearranged how they were put together?  Some of the best office design problems have been solved this way.

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Personal Tip Sheet: Stealing Scenes from Will Ferrell

I attended a dinner party the other night where the conversation was flowing between all the guests, except for one.  No matter what the rest of the group was discussing, she changed the subject.  It was awkward and eventually caused others to ignore her. 

She could have benefited from studying actor Will Ferrell and other stars of Saturday Night Live who are able to improvise conversation on the spot.  Although it may not seem as if improv comedy would have rules, it does.  By following a few simple guidelines, you too can keep the conversation flowing.

Listen:  The number one rule is to listen closely to the other speaker.  Listen for the person’s viewpoint, information offered, and a good time to add something to the conversation without interrupting. 

Agree:  Observe a pro of improv and you’ll notice he or she always agrees with the speaker because disagreeing stops the flow of the scene.  In real life, you may not always agree with someone else’s ideas in which case you can say, “I agree this is a subject with a lot of viewpoints.”  Think of it as entering a flow of traffic before veering off to another lane.

Add:  After agreeing, add something new.  This gives the other person something to respond to and therefore keeps the conversation fresh. 

You may not end up being a stand up comedian, but following these rules can make you the star of the party!

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 Difficult Conversations: What Was Your Name?

 

Q:   I have trouble remembering names.  What should I say to someone whom I've met but whose name I've forgotten?

A:  First, stop telling yourself and announcing to others that you can't remember names.   It's like saying, "I'm telling you right upfront, you are not important to me."   Hardly a good first impression!   I'm guessing that you can rattle off your home phone number, cell phone, work phone, bank pin, and social security number without missing a beat, right?   So, you definitely have the brain-power to remember a name. 

                                                                                                 

In the future, choose to remember names; it will make you more attentive.   As soon as you are introduced, repeat the name and associate it with something memorable.   It could be a physical feature or interesting personal tidbit.   If you forget, be honest.   Start by offering your name and say, "My name is Susan Fee.   I know we've met before, please remind me of your name."   If you met thirty seconds ago, you can say something like, "I'm sorry, my mind just went blank.   Would you please tell me your name again?"   Of course this tactic only works once in a conversation!

Submit your difficult questions to Susan_Fee@msn.com.  If your question is chosen for publication, you’ll receive a complimentary copy of Dealing With Difficult People.

   

   

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Interested in booking training or coaching?  Let me know how I can help, Susan_Fee@msn.com. 

 

Susan Fee is a licensed counselor, personal coach, and national speaker.  She is the author of Positive First Impressions, Dealing with Difficult People, Building Resiliency, Secrets of Successful Presentations, and the college survival guide, My Roommate Is Driving Me Crazy!  She can be reached through her Web site at www.susanfee.com or by email at Susan_Fee@msn.com. 

 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2008