Cyber Poems

We are a society of people who work hard at the art of persuasion. We work to persuade our customers and prospects, our co-workers, our children, and just about any one else we can get to listen to us. But we’re not too good at listening and that is a shame because opportunities come when you listen hard.

The customer will tell you about a problem they have. Solve it and you will have a long-term customer and maybe even a raving cheerleader. The prospect will tell you why they are holding back in purchasing your product. When you overcome their objection they will buy from you. The co-worker will tell you about an idea to build your widget better. If you utilize that idea you can do a better job of satisfying your customers. The child will tell you - I can tell you lots here from personal experience but this is the business section of the newspaper and anyhow, I’m not qualified to write about parenting.

Business is a constant learning experience. The best teachers are those around us, those we rely upon and those who rely upon us. But often do we actually listen to these teachers. How often do we treat conversations as learning experiences? How often do we ask questions, then probing questions for clarification? How often do we create opportunities to have these conversations, how often are we “too busy” to take the time to create these opportunities?

I’d like to challenge you this week. I’d like you to create just one listening opportunity with someone knowledgeable about an aspect of your company. Ask one question, “what can we do to improve (whatever that aspect is)” and then just listen. Perhaps ask a deeper question to better understand the issue or to clarify the message. Please do not start a debate, just listen. I think you will be impressed because the people who purchase or make or deliver your product may know much more about it than you do. They work or live with the product and they have probably thought of improvements but won’t speak unless someone listens. Create that opportunity and then… listen for a change.

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Don’t you just love meetings? Everyone comes; some talk, some take notes,
everyone leaves…and then? What happened? Most of us just consider meetings a necessary evil - a major waste of time! Meetings are also forum for power. Someone wins - someone loses. Sometimes, we don’t even know WHY we are meeting! There IS a better way!

Being a conductor who must prepare for a rehearsal, I fell into an opportunity that
opened my eyes to a more effective use of time when groups gather to make
decisions, work out conflict, or formulate a plan. Some refer to this style of running
a meeting as Visually Displayed Thinking, Compression Planning, Creative Planning,
or Visual Mapping. But, for me, it is closely aligned to my skill as a conductor,
bringing out the best in each participant and building a sense of unity through the
process. The leader, in this case the facilitator, controls the PROCESS and the group
provides the CONTENT. How great this is! I always hate going to a meeting where
someone shoots off their mouth to get their way and the rest of the group lets it
happen! Or, the group, with no clear directive, uses up the allotted time with no
tangible result. The meeting expands to fill the allotted time, no matter what the
agenda! No wonder we all hate meetings!

Let me offer you a better way, one that coincides with the skills of a conductor.
Equip yourself as a knowledgeable facilitator, or hire an outside facilitator. In some
cases, only an outside facilitator can achieve the desired results. If you have time to
plan the process, do it. If not, hire an expert in process management.

Here’s a definition of terms:
Facilitator - This person plans the meeting, leads the meeting, and remains neutral.
Remaining neutral is central to the process. If the group feels that a facilitator
controls the content, then it will not function effectively. The ratio of planning to
meeting time is like that of a musical rehearsal. Two to three hours of planning for
each hour of the meeting is the norm. This is a minimum requirement if you expect
results.

The facilitator controls the process, the participation of members, and keeps the
group focused and on track. The pace of the meeting is crucial to the creative
planning process. Always stand, always look people in the eye, always listen
carefully to exactly what people are stating, always try to involve each person in the
process.

The facilitator also plans the design for the meeting. Notice I used the term
“design” rather than “agenda.” This implies that you’ve done more than write down
some words on a piece of paper, gathered people, and called it a meeting.

The Project Team - This team may be one already in place. If not, then select a team
that is not completely of one mind. For example, if you are planning a public
musical event, then include a non-musical person in the process. Too many similar
perspectives make a group blind to other tastes or opinions. An “outsider” or non-
expert can sometimes allow the group to experience a paradigm change which
could be most beneficial, not only to that ministry, but maybe to the whole
organization!

Another important issue is that of enabling groups of individuals, with all of their
individual perspectives and needs, to think and function as a team. Whether your
facilitation is a one-time project with a team you’ve selected only for this task, or if
you use these principles with an ongoing staff team, getting people to envision
themselves as part of a larger entity is the principle goal. Work for the win/win
situation in which individuals are fulfilled as the group’s success is manifest.
The “Meeting”

The following points are essential to a successful meeting:

• Always start and end on time! Even plan the meeting for times that imply
punctuality, i.e., 9:02 to 10:32 a.m. Promise to start and end punctually - and do it!
Always!

• Seat the group facing the visual support, usually around three sides of a table
with the facilitator at the fourth side. Some facilitators use chart pads. I use
storyboards and various cards of various sizes and colors. With cards, you can have
more flexibility. Print them with your computer and place emphasis on different
items by using different sizes and colors.

• Appoint or seek a volunteer to be a scribe or recorder. Record the actions and
ideas of the group where everyone can see. This helps the group stay on track, and
reminds them of what they have created so far.

• Tell groups not to take notes. Instead, I send summary notes to them within 48
hours. This enables everyone to participate equally (if they aren’t taking notes, then
they can pay attention) and ensures that everyone has the same details in their
notes.

• Ideally, the group should be small - 7 to 10 people. This allows for full
participation from each person. If the group must be larger, then allow
opportunities for splitting the group for discussion, brainstorming, problem solving,
and other activities. When the group comes back together, each section reports on
its results.

• If someone has a dominant personality or has a known strong bias, don’t seat
them in a dominant place. Choose a corner of the table. It makes a difference,
really.

• Plan a timeline that includes each part of the meeting. Be conservative. Things
take longer than you might think. Allow for a summary or debriefing at the end, or
time to set up the next meeting.

The essence of facilitation is different than that of a meeting.

The essential parts are as follows:

• Clarify - Give sound, clear reasons for the meeting. People want to know WHY
they are there and WHAT they are to do. Also give a time-line for the overall
project. Is it going to take 3 months or just one meeting of two hours? Give the
project a name or title, such as the title of a book. Choose the words carefully; they
will begin to set the focus for the team.

Examples:

• Planning the Best Choir Retreat Ever
• Building an Awesome Music Ministry
• How to Recruit, Equip and Motivate Members in Ministry
• Define - Prepare a concise statement defining the overall objective(s) of the
team. Be specific. Then define the measurable objectives for the immediate
meeting. Separate the long-term and immediate objectives as well as defining what
will NOT be discussed at this meeting. Make the objectives reasonable for the time
frame allotted.

Examples of Deliverable Objectives: (where to focus our energy)

• Identify 10 unique ways to attract new choir members.
• Define 5 concerts that will pack the church.
• Identify and prioritize all the tasks for the Choir Council.

Examples of Off-Limits Items: (where we can waste time)

• Dwelling on past failures
• Discussing all the fine details of each event identified
• Picking on personalities of those not present

Communicate - Tell the group HOW the process will work. They need to know
the total picture and how they are expected to contribute to the end result. This is
most important if each person is expected to contribute.

Examples:

• First, we will explore all the options for question (topic)#1.
• Next, we will sort and prioritize those options.
• After the group gives weight to the options, we will develop a plan.
• All of these steps satisfy the first objective.

Validate - Determine the common facts about the subject and present them to
the group. How many times has a group spent time debating something that was
unclear from the start? Make the playing field level - give everyone the same data to
begin. This will save enormous amounts of time. This could be called Background
Information or Givens or Common Knowledge Facts.

Examples:

• List ALL of the known facts about the subject.
• Don’t forget to identify the level of decision making ability this group is
allowed.
• Agree - Allow time for every participant to review the common facts you just
presented, review the objectives for THIS meeting as well as the list of ways to get
off track. It is just as important to identify what the group is NOT going to do
during this gathering as to identify what they will accomplish. Ask if there are any
changes, additions, or deletions to the common facts. Then ask if they are ready to
proceed with the objectives for today’s meeting. Wait for comment. If you have no
comment, state that you will be moving forward by general consensus. Bringing the
group to continuing consensus is an important guideline. It is much better to work
by general consensus than to vote on issues. Make this your continuing goal.

Allow for this point to sink in. Bringing the group to one focus is crucial to building
the team. Consensus does not mean that everyone always agrees on every point.
Individual power must yield to group needs. The process builds the team. Eye
contact is essential here, as well as a pause for opportunity to comment. Once the
facilitator has determined there is general consensus, state the fact, looking at
everyone. Say that, because of the general consensus, the group can move ahead.
At the end of the session, ask again if there are any exceptions. Hearing none, or
after addressing the comments, ask the group to keep faith with the team by not
speaking contrary to the actions of the group when outside of the group.

Process builds team trust.

• Prioritize -Get right to the first issue to solve or first question to ask. Here’s
where the facilitator earns his or her keep! In planning the meeting, ask first what
the end result should be. (The question to ask yourself in planning: “What do you
want to walk away with at the end of the session?”) Plan the meeting by addressing
the objectives for this meeting, keeping in mind the big picture - the overall goal of
the team. Therefore, keep it manageable by exploring ways to address the issue or
question.

Example:

• Set specific, measurable objectives
• Bad - Enlarge the choir
• Good - 5 ways to increase numbers in the choir 15% in 3 months
• Address the objective by having the group answer a question
• Ways to have people clamor to checkout our choir
• Reasons people might be interested in choir
• Possible changes needed to attract people to choir
• Sort the ideas; pick the best 5 (or more),
• Use sticky dots (price stickers) for participants to “vote” for their best choices
• Use markers to “dot” favorite ideas
• Use a matrix (cost vs. difficulty or time vs. importance)

Focus - This could be “FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS.” The facilitator is in charge of
keeping the group on track. If you have written objectives and off-limits items, then
it could be as simple as pointing to those lists when things begin to get out-of-
hand. Address side conversations and irrelevant comments as they occur.

HELPFUL
HINT: Purchase small bells and give each member of the team one of them with the
instruction to use the bell if the group begins to violate any of the rules. Most of
the time the group will police itself. Keep the group energized by varying the
routine.

Examples:

• Divide into groups of 3 or 4 people.
• Have each group bring back 3 solutions and present to the team.
• Put a time limit on break-out groups (1 minute per idea expected.)
• After a long period, have everyone stand, stretch, and change places.

Formalize - When finished with a brainstorming and fine-tuning, move the
cards into some kind of order or priority. Figure out a standard of measurement
(cost, time, difficulty, etc.) to judge the ideas. You can buy colored price stickers
and let each person use them to vote for his or her choice.

One sticker for each ten ideas - this forces choices for the BEST ideas, and then the
group’s energy becomes clear to everyone. Bad or radical ideas receive no votes, so
it becomes clear to everyone that they are less valuable ideas. After this process of
sorting the ideas, you should have the makings of a plan.

Example:

• Action Plan
• Communication Plan
• Next Steps in the Process
• A Matrix of Options
• A Plan for Reconciliation
• And more

Review - Give time for the group to sit back and look over what they’ve done,
making sure that it all makes sense and is practical. Assign responsibility for any
action items or communications, and schedule the next session. Here is a good
opportunity for each person to take a turn in making a 30 second comment about
what they’ve experienced in the session. This can prove to be most valuable, and
will unite the group as they move on to their next event.

• Follow-Up - Be sure to check on all delegated items before the next session.
Delegation does not mean you can forget about it. It means you don’t have to do it,
so you have time to check on it and assist, if appropriate. Be sure to send out the
meeting notes and follow through with any other commitments from the session.

• Celebrate - When the objectives are successfully met, take time to celebrate.
This adds momentum and gives belief in process for future projects. Remember,
you are a team!

There are multiple benefits from running a meeting in this manner. There must be
a major reward since so much preparation must go into making the process
successful. After all, don’t we want to make the best use of each day God has given
us?

Benefits of running a meeting with neutral facilitation:

• Creates positive team building and bonding
• Builds trust through the consensus process
• Gives the team common ownership in goals
• Provides a safe communication environment (attack ideas, not people)
• The goal-setting process boosts the synergistic characteristics of the team
• Promotes an understanding of contrasting views
• Empowers the team to respond within pre-set parameters
• Gets things done

Types of facilitation projects and results:

• Long-range Planning = Long-term Goals
• Project Team = Action Plan
• Budget Building = A Budget We Buy Into
• Evaluation = Future Planning Resource that We Believe Is Valuable
• Schedule Planning = A Team Calendar
• Conflict Resolution/Problem Solving = Consensus

Running Meetings as a Transformational Process

The leader, in this case the facilitator, controls the PROCESS and the group provides
the CONTENT. Plan the meeting.

Note: Facilitation Design Worksheet downloadable at http://www.hughballou.com

HUGH BALLOU is an independent consultant, facilitator, executive coach and
motivational speaker. He has served as director of worship ministries for 40 years
in churches up to 12,000 in membership. As an independent and external presence,
he is able to assist in building strong ministry teams, minimizing conflict and
mapping clear strategies for success. His book Moving Spirits, Building Lives:
Church Musician as Transformational Leader can be found at Cokesbury bookstores
and Cokesbury online at http://cokesbury.com/bookstore.aspx?pid=525651 His
book Transformational Leadership Workbook has just been published. Other
information and articles on leadership are available at
http://www.synervisioninternational.com and http://www.worshipfulworks.com

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For the past several weeks, we have focused on some wonderful but (to my way of thinking) rather fancy ideas about life. I wrote about motivation (I don’t believe in it). I wrote about sorting out priorities (I do believe in that!). And I wrote about the 4 traits of highly successful people. I love that stuff! But I believe most of you subscribe to TIP’s for help in actually running your office from day to day. Most of you have told me you’re professionals in private practice, or owners of small businesses, or a manager. And that means you must attract clients or customers, serve them very well, and earn their return business - and do it every single day.

So. Let’s talk about some practical steps that my clients have used to build their referral business quickly and systematically. I call it the “5-by-5″ process. Let’s walk through it.

Monday: Take care of, clean up, and get rid of 5 tolerations in your office or work. Make a list! Look around your space, your car, your desk or office, and commit to spending an hour taking care of at least 5 small, daily annoyances that have been bugging you, robbing your energy, or making life difficult. Do that filing! Repair that broken light, or throw out those old magazines. Buy a new desk chair, or a whole new desk! You can’t afford to be distracted by these things. Fix them. Do it on Monday!

Tuesday: Contact 5 former clients or customers. Send them a letter, call them, even send them flowers or a small gift in cases where that might be appropriate. Invite them back, offer them a free follow-up or consultation. Ask them to help you evaluate your service by completing a questionnaire or ask them to come in for an interview. Tell them you value them as customers and want them to come back - and refer their friends! You can do this! Schedule an hour and do it on Tuesday.

Wednesday: Contact 5 current clients. Follow a similar routine from yesterday. Call them up, or send a card or letter telling them they are valued customers. Invite their comments on how you can improve your service or expand your business. Let them know you appreciate their trust and value their ideas. Do it nicely, with tact and sincerity, but ask them to help you build your business. You practiced on Tuesday, so you know you can do this. Schedule an hour and do it on Wednesday!

Thursday: Contact 5 potential customers or clients who have never used your services, and make them an offer they have to respect. Go through your rolodex, your list of friends, colleagues, associates and members of organizations you belong to - use the Yellow Pages if you have to - but pick up that phone and invite 5 people to check you out! If it’s appropriate, tell them you want to grow your business and offer them a free sample (who could turn down a free massage or a free oil change, or….?) If that’s not appropriate, tell them you want to grow your business and you’d love to meet with them, buy them lunch, whatever it takes. You’ve been practicing for two days, so you know you can do this. Schedule an hour and do it on Thursday!

Friday: This is the hardest one of all: Do 5 wonderful things for yourself! You’ve worked hard all week, taken risks, put the word out that you are ready and eager to handle more business. That means you need to be healthy, energized, relaxed and ready. So, go for a walk. Take a long lunch and visit a friend. Read a great novel - or a trashy one, your choice! Enjoy the sunshine, or relax and listen to the rain. Spoil a neighbor’s kids, then give them back! Schedule TWO hours, and do it on Friday!

This week, take 25 specific, measured steps to create more room and build your business. If you wanted practical, this is it. Now, it’s your choice. My advice? Go get ‘em!

Have a wonderful, productive and delightful week!

© Copyright 2003 by Philip E. Humbert. All Rights Reserved. This article may be copied and used in your own newsletter or on your website as long as you include the following information: “Written by Dr. Philip E. Humbert, writer, speaker and success coach. Dr. Humbert has over 300 free articles, tools and resources for your success, including a great newsletter! It’s all on his website at: http://www.philiphumbert.com

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College years cannot be forgotten easily. Why? Because it is one of the hardest and the toughest stage in a person’s life. It entails lots of preparations and adjustments.

College life is full of challenges. College students are faced of mountainous confrontations and obstacles that must be faced. These students must work hard to prove not only to themselves but to other people that they are worthy of getting into college and finishing successfully.

To do and accomplish all the challenges and dares that are facing the college students, proper time management is necessary. College student should know how to manage time properly and how to consume time for worthy things.

The ability to manage and schedule time wisely makes college life easier. Missing important deadlines and appointments may cause difficulty and complications to both the academic and social life of the student. These things can also result to guilt, anxiety, stress, frustrations and other negative feelings.

The following are some of the tips for college students on how to manage time their time successfully.

• Learn how to prioritize. Prioritization is one of the most important aspects of time management. Proper prioritization of engagements and responsibilities is very necessary. There are too many college students that are ignorant and do not know how to set prioritization. This can often lead to procrastinations.

• Make use of ‘to do list’. This does not necessarily mean making a schedule. This is only listing the things that are important to be done. List things according to their importance.

• Stop being a perfectionist. Nothing is perfect. God created no perfect things and individuals. When you try to be perfect, you are only setting your self up for defeat. Many difficult and hard tasks lead to avoidance and procrastinations.

• Set goals. Setting goal is good in managing the time of college students. You should set goals that are not only attainable but should also be challenging.

• Try to combine several activities. Trying to combine many several activities in one sitting. Example of these are the following:

when watching a sit-com, try to compute your bills in between commercials; when taking a shower, list in your mind the things that are needed to be done; while you are commuting on the way to school, listen to taped notes. These things can save you some of your time that could have been set aside for other things.

• Survey your personal time. Making personal time survey help in estimating how much time is consumed and spent in many typical activities. This is very important if you are wanting to manage your time properly. Do these by tracking the time you spent for a day or a week. This gives you an idea on how much time you are consuming in different activities and things. This will also allow you to realize and identify the time wasters.

• Make a daily schedule to be followed. There are many different styles of time schedules that you can use. Try to make use of the time schedule that can fit into your personality. The common styles of time scheduling are through engagement books, cards, a piece of poster board tacked to a wall and many other styles. Once you are know what style to use, construct it soon. Put in the time schedule all the things that are necessary, including your personal needs.

• Take some notes and review them before the end of the day. This will help identify the things that you have done properly and the things that you have failed to do. This can help you develop proper time management skills.

• You should learn how to say no. There is nothing wrong in saying no in some instances and cases. For example, somebody invited you to watch a movie at a time when you have got something to do. Leave out the movie and prioritize your task. You can do that later on.

Learning proper time management for college students is very important. Learning these things early on will prepare them for the life that lay ahead of them. These will be their tool in achieving the life they are dreaming of.

Gord Shin is web designer who loves to build high quality content based website on specific niche topics. Please visit Time Management For College Students or Free Asthma Information or Baby Shower Planning for more information on these topics.

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As I finish up my workday and settle in to compose this article (the last item on my to do list today) it is approaching 10:00 PM. But, I remind myself that I did arrive in the office a bit late today. It was almost 7:45 AM which helps me feel a little better about the hours worked today. And of course, there was that breakfast meeting that lasted almost two hours. Well, it did at least include food.

As I listen to my own rationalizations, sometimes I wonder if I have gone mad. Then
as I look around, I think the whole world has gone mad with me! The increasing
time investment in the workday seems to be a problem not only for the self-
employed types like me, but for my internal colleagues too. Everyone today seems
tethered by the technology that allows us to extend the workday to include our drive
time, home time, even vacation time. There seems to be little true “down time.”

A surprising new trend among the French (one of the few civilizations that still
knows how to really live) suggests that they too may be getting caught in this web
and are exploring if they work enough! Sadly with the interconnectedness of our
world today business trends tend to spread rapidly regardless of whether or not
they offer a best practice.

One voice of reason, however, has been sending a radically different message out
there. The “Take Back Your Time” folks who have authored a book by that same
title, indicate that we here in America actually work more than medieval peasants
did. And it also turns out that we work more than the citizens of any other
industrialized country. In fact, on the average, we work nearly nine full weeks longer
per year than our peers in Western Europe do!

The “Take Back Your Time” folks seem to think we have given up time to have more
“stuff.” Most of us seem to have more stuff than we can ever use in our lives. Have
you noticed the proliferation of the storage unit businesses? Do you know what is in
all those storage spaces? The stuff that doesn’t fit in peoples houses! Imagine the
only country in the world with so much stuff, we can’t even fit it in our own closets.
Do you remember when you lived in this country you use to be called a citizen? Have
you noticed that more and more, you are referred to as a consumer?

I guess the question is, are you okay with this? If you are consciously desiring to be
a “consumer” and you are willing to work more so you can consume more- great! It
is those of you who feel trapped in an endless cycle of more and more activity that I
wish to challenge, especially if you believe deep down you might actually be happier
with less stuff. The truth is, stuff makes life more complex. You have to clean it,
store it, learn how to use it, move it, etc. You know exactly what I am talking about;
stuff can overwhelm you and take your joy away.

Are you feeling tired lately? Or worse yet, do you feel guilty about feeling tired? Be
honest. If so, think about how your buying habits and lifestyle are playing into this.
Ask yourself if this is what you want. There is not a right or wrong answer, only your
answer to this question counts. As one of my favorite motivational speakers Jim
Rohn says, “Life is not a practice session.” This is it friends: the real deal. Be sure
you are spending it that way that you really want, a way that brings you more joy
and personal satisfaction.

Susan Stamm joined her husband Rick Stamm as a Partner in The TEAM Approach,
http://teamapproach.com
and claims that after working together all these years they are still best friends. To
see more articles written by Susan, visit The TEAM Approch’s blog: http://teamapproach.typepad.com/the_team_approach/

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