Laura Benjamin's June 11 Newsletter on Interpersonal Communication

LAURA'S LETTERS ONLINE MAGAZINE
"It's never 'just business' - it's always personal"
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Vol. 8, Number 6 - June 11, 2007
Editor: Laura Benjamin
http://www.LauraBenjamin.com
Published continually since 2000
Copyright©Pinehurst Press Ltd., 2007

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IN THIS ISSUE:
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1. What's Laura Been Up To?
2. Funny Quotes
3. Layoff First Aid & Job Search Strategies
4. Rest & Relaxation
5. Discussion Point: Communication Gaps
6. Top 10 Tips Consultants Should Know
7. Resources
8. Humorous Article

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1. WHAT'S LAURA BEEN UP TO?
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Jun 27, Jul 11, Aug 27, Air Academy Federal Credit Union
Employee Event: "Networking Know-how", Colorado Springs & Denver CO

Aug 11-12 Colorado Auctioneers Association Summer Conference, "Website Basics for Non-tekkkies, Dillon/Frisco CO

Recent new private clients:

• DMA Employee Benefits Consulting of Colorado Springs, RFP writing
• Linda Seger, ThD, Author, "Jesus Rode a Donkey", website strategy, copywriting
• Steve Louden, Louden Office Furniture, web strategy, copywriting
• Holly Arabians, Arabian Horse Breeder, website strategy

Bring one of Laura's CARLA Concept Programs to your installation, agency, college, professional association or next company event!

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2. QUOTES & FUNNY QUOTES
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"Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise."
(Ted Turner)

-Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you in trouble
-There is no greater loan than a sympathetic ear
-Opportunity’s favorite disguise is trouble
-We can’t move ahead if we’re trying to get even
(Author, Frank Tyger)

"Coach them through it, instead of preaching them to it."
(Laura Benjamin referring to her CARLA Concept Coaching Model)

More quotes at www.LauraBenjamin.com/teamworkquotes.htm

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3. LAYOFF FIRST AID AND JOB SEARCH STRATEGIES
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It's that time again. Companies are being acquired, merged and
re-engineered, which means folks are looking for new positions.
But not everyone has the self-marketing skills needed for a
successful search. Here are some tips to help you market more
effectively:

-Record yourself doing a practice interview. There's nothing
more powerful to help you self-edit and improve communication
skills than hearing yourself on a recording. You can either ask
a friend or hire a marketing coach to conduct a mock interview.
Then have them play it back and critique as you go in order to
prepare for the "big day". You can do the same with video if you
have the fortitude. I find audio is a great first step.

-Quantify, quantify, quantify. The more you show depth, breadth
and scope of achievements, the more powerful an impression you
make. You don't have to be in sales to be able to show how you
saved money, time or resources. If you make the effort to do this,
especially on your resume, you will outshine the competition.

-Use the CARLA Concept Model to prepare for behavioral interview
questions. (Didn't I tell you CARLA had universal applications?)
So when they say, "Tell me about a time you had to tell your boss
no", you can state:
-the challenge you faced
-the action(s) you took
-the result(s) you achieved
-the lesson(s) you learned
-another approach you'd take in the future (now that you know
what you know)

-Remember that networking and referrals are the lifeblood of
career and business marketing success. Get on the phone and set
up those coffee meetings so people know what you're up to and
what you're after. Monster shouldn't take up all your waking
hours.

-Remember also that despite "the dark days", you have valuable
skills, experience and personality traits which make you quite
marketable. We're not a fit for every job opening, but every "no"
or lack of response just moves you toward the inevitable "yes".
If you don't hear back from someone, just say out loud "Next!"
and move on. Otherwise, you'll get too bogged down in feeling
bad which will sap the energy and enthusiasm you need to seize
future opportunities.

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4. REST & RELAXATION
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36% of 1562 employed American adults said they are either unsure
about taking a vacation this year or don't plan to take one.
Source: Spherion Corp. Survey

Of 2800 workers asked when they plan to leave their current jobs:
-26% said in less than 12 months
-24% said within one or two years
-9% in two years
-8% in three years
(I'm assuming the rest are staying put) Source: SWNS Group, London

Right Management has conducted a Career Confidence Index for the
past four years. The results are in and worker confidence in job
security is at an all-time high:
-81 percent of workers predict little or no chance they would lose
their jobs in the coming year
-23 percent felt it would be easy to find a similar job at the same
pay should they be laid off, up from 18 percent from the survey of
six months earlier.
However, Doug Matthews, Executive VP of Operations for Right Mgmt.
Philadelphia location says job advancement has not improved due to
organizations being flatter today due to past mergers, acquisitions
and downsizings.

There are some who aren't quite so confident, however. In a survey
of 1000 British adults, 65 percent of women and 43 percent of men
reported waking up in a cold sweat, worried about their jobs.

Those who routinely lose sleep may experience:
-emotional mood deterioration
-irritability and short temper causing outbursts and violence
-stress and anxiety that could grow to full blown depression
-difficulty focusing eyes properly
-difficulty performing fine-motor functions
-drop in muscle strength and endurance
-inability to follow through with teamwork
-loss of passion for the job (and probably a few other things too)
-increase in appetite leading to weight gain in some people
(Source: Human Resource Executive Magazine, Feb 2007)

Solution: Take a nap! Even 20-30 minutes is enough to refresh and
re-energize you. Set your cell phone alarm, go out to your car at
lunchtime and get some zzzzz's to return to work more productive.

Communication idea from Elaine Dumler on how to improve the way
you talk with your spouse or S/O, courtesy of one of her workshop
participants: If you want to discuss an emotionally charged issue
say, "I can't talk to you as my spouse now, but I'll talk to you
as my best friend." This change of perspective may work wonders!
(www.imalreadyhome.com)

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5. DISCUSSION POINT: COMMUNICATION GAPS
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A short discussion module to improve communication, knowledge
sharing, critical thinking and decision making

DISCUSSION POINT #6: Communication Shortcuts
A frontline supervisor told me her employees are starting to talk
to one another (and to her!) using the same abbreviations they use
when texting messaging one another on the cell phone.

If you're not familiar with text messages, it began in Finland in
1991. Nokia and other telecom companies created a new protocol, a
small part of which was "short message service" or SMS, primarily
as a sales tool to help carriers make announcements to customers.

Now, fifteen years later, text messaging is one of the most popular
methods of communication among young people - your workforce. It's
cheap, fast, easy to adopt and serves as code language. (You know,
like the words Starbucks uses to describe their drink sizes)

Shortcuts make the world go round - or do they?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
-What acronyms are commonly used that could be barriers to
communication between co-workers, departments and customers?
-What's lost when we shorten communication to the point that
others don't understand what we're saying?
-What changes can you make to avoid the inevitable communication
gaps that occur when people don't understand the "code words"?
-In addition to "who else needs to know?", what other reminders
can you use to make sure the communication loop is complete?

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6. TOP 10 TIPS CONSULTANTS SHOULD KNOW
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While conducting research to find out why some consulting firms
got the business and others didn't, I discovered some themes. Do
any of these apply to your business?

1. Avoid the 'bait and switch'. Clients want to know who they'll be
doing business with. Avoid bringing in the big guns for the proposal
meeting, then assign novices to cut their teeth on the project.

2. Know-it-all's can sink your ship. Bring people to the meeting who
can establish rapport. Clients say they've consciously avoided firms
where one person was such a know-it-all that it turned them off from
the entire team.

3. Namedropping may backfire. While you may think it helps to mention
clients who are big or growing bigger, prospects may wonder if they'll
lose their "A Team" should you get busy serving others. It might also
make them feel like the second string.

4. Personalize - my favorite topic! Clients want know you're willing
to take the time to get to know more about them. This shows up in the

5. Listen and ask questions. You're not there to do all the talking.
Keep a 25/75 ratio in mind. Speak up at appropriate times, but avoid
monopolizing the conversation. You might miss important information.

6. Avoid off-the shelf proposal templates. Horror stories abound of
firms that forgot to replace the name of one client with the name of
the new prospect in the body of the proposal, email, letter, etc.

7. Recognize the power of informal references. While we all strive to
present the best references possible, savvy prospects know how to get
on the phone and tap into their network of contacts. They will give
more credibility to the informal references than those you provide.

8. Stay in touch, but not too much! After a while, it gets annoying
to have you call every two weeks just to "check in". Better to use
low-key methods to stay top of mind, like a regular newsletter, tip
sheet, legislative update, etc. Make it educational.

9. When you send out those educational tools, make sure to include a
list of the projects you're currently working on. If you have client
permission, include their names also. Why? Because you may be working
on a project that prospects hadn't thought of before or didn't know
you did. This may plant a seed for future work.

10. Send a thank you, even if you don't get the business. There's
nothing better for your reputation than being a gracious good sport,
and it may put you higher on the list for the next go-round.

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7. RESOURCES
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Brand Hijack by Alex Wipperfurth will turn your opinion on how to
build your business upside down. The book's premise is this - your
customers should tell you what to do with your products or services,
if you're open to listening, that is. It provides an alternative to
conventional mktg wisdom and helps you rise above the overcrowded,
media saturated mkt-place. (I'm using SMS to avoid the filters!) If
you have a control issue, this book is not for you, but I am finding
it fascinating, intuitive and right on.

Want a list of more good books for your summer reading?
Go to "Tools" on my website for the full reading list.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN ROCHESTER WHEN...
I grew up in Rochester NY and worked for the Rochester Institute
of Technology, so couldn't resist posting a "You know you're from
Rochester when..." humor piece on my site. Enjoy!

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8. HUMOROUS ARTICLE
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IT WAS LIKE HERDING CATS
You know how cats can be when they get energetic. They chase each
other around the house. Up and down stairs. In and out of rooms.
During one of these romps, Missy got her head caught in a plastic
shopping bag and took off like a bat out of you-know-where. Then
Fuzzy freaked out and it got pretty darned tumultuous around here
as they ripped through the house in a panic.

I finally managed to coral them in an upstairs room and shut the
door, thinking it would slow them down enough to free her from the
bag. But it wasn't to be. Before I could catch her, she made a
leap out the window screen and into mid-air. Her sympathetic buddy
took one more lap around the room and went right out after her.

I was afraid to look. I approached the window and slowly leaned out.
Thank goodness the cats were okay, but it was more than my neighbors
could take. There they were, staring straight up at me with mouths
wide open. It was supposed to be a peaceful stroll, they said, until
they got to my place and saw cats leaping, one after another, right
out the window.

They wondered what was going on inside. They said it was the
funniest thing they'd ever seen.

Now when neighbors walk by my house, they pause. They all look up.
Sometimes they point. You've got to be famous for something!

Until next time,
Warm regards,
Laura

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Copyright(C)Pinehurst Press Ltd. 2007

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