In This Issue

News & Notes: Welcome to My Blog

Manager's Tip Sheet: Sticky Notes for the Brain

Personal Tip Sheet:  Reducing E-mail Overload

Difficult Conversations:  Addressing a Child's Low Self-Esteem

Workshops, Products, and Services 

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News & Notes:  Welcome to My Blog

What’s a blog?  Ask ten people and it’s likely you’ll receive ten different answers.  Blogs provide a venue for instantaneous online postings, so now I’m able to provide tips, solutions, and follow up training advice immediately. 

I’ll be offering content you won’t find elsewhere such as helpful links, additional suggestions, and immediate answers to your relationship questions.  In addition, you have the chance to post questions you want answered during upcoming workshops and conferences that will help me customize material. 

So, welcome to my blog!  Check it out at www.susanfee.blogspot.com and let me know what you think.  

Until next month,

Susan Fee

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Manager's Tip Sheet:  Sticky Notes for the Brain

After you’ve made a presentation, do people remember what you’ve said? What do you recall from the last meeting you attended?  The authors of a new book pose an important question for anyone who wants to influence others:  What makes your message memorable? 

Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath (Random House, 2007) draws on examples from politics to advertising to show that great speakers create pictures for the brain, turn facts into meaningful stories and make an emotional connection.  (Read the August Communication Tip Sheet for more on “How to Teach Through Stories”)

 

They sum up the elements of a memorable message with the following acronym (minus one “S”): 

S:  Simple

U:  Unexpected

C:  Concrete

C:  Credentialed

E:  Emotional

S:  Stories

It’s a simple formula, but that’s the point!  Messages that stick are simple, clear, and anchored with concrete examples.  Does your message past the test?  If not, what’s the point of speaking if no one remembers what you’ve said?  Learn how to make your messages stick with individual presentation coaching.

More tips for successful presentations

               

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Personal Tip Sheet: Reduce E-mail Overload

If you’re spending more time responding to e-mail than doing actual work, it’s time to reclaim your life!  Here are some helpful tips from The Hamster Revolution:  How to Manage Your E-Mail Before it Manages You (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2006).

Send fewer messages.  Reducing the amount of messages you send will result in fewer responses. 

Communicate the old fashioned way.  Rather than engage in endless back-and-forth online banter, it may be quicker to pick up the phone and have a conversation or walk across the hallway and actually talk in person.     

Be clear.  Writing messages that are clear and specific the first time reduces the amount of follow up questions you receive.  Review your messages for clarity before hitting send.

Use subject headers effectively.  Use the subject header line to succinctly reflect content and requested action.  (If you can’t summarize in a sentence, re-think your message!)  The authors suggest using one of the following terms:  action, info, request, confirmed, or delivery.

Incorporate shorthand.  Introduce your colleagues to the shorthand terms EOM (end of message) and NRN (no reply needed).  Placing these after your subject allows recipients to delete messages immediately. 

Choose the proper recipients.  Before hitting “respond all” or cc, ask yourself who really needs to receive your message.  If no response is requested, no reply is necessary.

Read additional tips on E-Mail Etiquette.  

 

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 Difficult Conversations: Addressing a Child's Low Self-Esteem

Q:  My eight-year-old son gets easily discouraged if he can’t master something immediately.  He cries, gets upset, and wants to quit.  How should I respond when he says, “I can’t do anything right!”       
   

A:  The foundation for healthy self-esteem is feeling capable and competent.  Problem solving and mastering new skills are part of the developmental process, as is his frustration.  It’s important not to solve or remove obstacles, but rather provide feedback to help him navigate his own way.

In this case, respond to his emotional message rather than his words.  You might say, “It’s hard learning something new and I can tell you’re frustrated.”  When he’s calm enough to continue say, “I see you have a good start on this project.  You’ve already done several things well.  Let’s do the next step together.”  Offer skills to coach him through the roadblock so that over time, his tolerance and patience will increase.              

Submit your difficult conversations to Susan_Fee@msn.com.     

   

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Workshops, Products, and Services

Upcoming Workshops and Appearances. 

“Creating Positive First Impressions”

Vermilion Business and Professional Women

February 7 6:00-8:00 PM

Vermilion, OH

“Interpersonal Skills Training”

Production Tool Company

February 16 & 23

Twinsburg, OH

“Responding to Adversity,” “Coaching Skills for Managers,” & “Emotional Intellingence”

OPRA Conference

February 8-9

Cleveland, OH

“Get Rid of Clutter and Get Organized”

TRW

February 15

Independence, OH

Products and Services

 

Stand and Deliver!  Improve your presentations today with tips from

Secrets for Successful Presentations: 81 Tips to Prepare and Deliver Every Speech with Confidence!

 

Order a PowerPack and save money!

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

Susan Fee is a licensed counselor, business and personal coach, and college adjunct faculty member.  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!  (Adams Media).  She can be reached through her Web site at www.susanfee.com or by email at Susan_Fee@msn.com. 

 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2005