Communication --- Improving Your Writing & E-mail Skills

Effective communication is one of the most difficult skills to learn. This is especially true because the majority of us has abandon the old fashion person to person, face to face communication that we all had to use in the 70’s and 80’s.

Today, most of us have a tendency to use e-mail as our primary communication channel. Yes, it is extremely efficient. It’s easy. But, there are sharks swimming in our pool of e-mails. It is often extremely difficult to really express our true feelings in an e-mail. They are often misinterpreted. It is difficult to be convincing and express our passion. But, e-mail and other forms of written communication are here to stay. So…. It would behoove us to create and develop better writing skills.

Follow these guidelines.

Before you type one word, ask yourself why the person you are communicating to should even want to read it. What will it do for them? Why do they need this information?

Express your thoughts based on their needs and not yours. Avoid using the “I” word.

Your first sentence should grab their attention but don’t make stuff up or try to be over dramatic. Be honest and truthful. Refer to common goals or common truths. Try to create an understanding.

Be careful of using the “Bold” key and capital letters. The reader may view words that are all caps like you are yelling at them.


Do not use words that try to show how smart you are. Write in the reader’s language. Try to write at a level no higher than high school. Nobody cares that you know what disingenuous means.

Keep your message as positive as possible. If you have to deliver a negative or extremely disappointing message, pick up the telephone and call the person. Most telephones still work.

Language – oh it can be so difficult. Use crisp clear words. Don’t use words that can be ambiguous or easily misinterpreted.

Close your message with a call to action. Let your reader know exactly what you would like them to do.

Good to Great

1. Look at life through your manager's or project sponsor's eyes. Treat your project sponsor's problem as if they were your own.
2. Respond to emails within 24hrs of receipt.
3. Know your colleagues and their preferences – Some people like the "personal touch" while others are "just business."
4. Smile. Use eye contact.
5. Communicate roadblocks early. Don't let an issue turn into a serious problem.
6. Know and follow the rules of proper etiquette – both domestically and internationally.
7. Show your appreciation to the people with whom you work.
8. Check emails prior to meetings to check for new developments that might affect the agenda.
9. Deliver a completed product without open items.
10. Prepare your To Do list at the end of each day. Continuously update this list as new tasks and responsibilities develop.
11. Set expectations for time frames on all work so you can prioritize. Obtain input from your project sponsor or manager as you develop a detailed plan for delivery.
12. Be responsive and meet deadlines – your project sponsor or manager should never initiate the follow-up.

Toyota Vs Ford

A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (Ford) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing. Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents, and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners, and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes, and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles. Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment.

The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing team was out-sourced to India.

Sadly, The End.

Here's something else to think about: Ford has spent the last thirty years moving all its factories out of the US, claiming they can't make money paying American wages.

TOYOTA has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants inside the US.

The last quarter's results: TOYOTA makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in losses.

Ford folks are still scratching their heads.

IF THIS WEREN'T TRUE, IT MIGHT BE FUNNY

Ever felt like you were in a rut?

Ever felt like you were in a rut?

That things were stalled or at a dead end?

Have you ever felt helpless or powerless to change your situation? You're not alone.

The bad news is that these emotions can have quite serious consequences to our happiness and quality of life. The good news is that there are some really effective techniques to turn these emotions around.

There are a lot of things you can do to change your state of mind, but none work faster or more effectively than just doing something different today than you did yesterday. Begin with small stuff. It's amazing how much of a difference you can create just by making a few small changes. For example, there's a large body of research indicating that changes in the colours, shapes and sounds around you can have immediate and profound effects on your mood. Happy and positive emotions can be stimulated with blue, green and pink colours; shapes that are curved (no sharp angles); lines that move upward from left to right; and sounds that are not too loud with higher pitches and fast rhythms. Energy and enthusiasm can be stimulated with orange and strong red colours, contrasting shapes and loud, strong rhythms. Even simple changes to your every day routines can begin to awaken a few neurons. Take lunch a half-hour earlier than usual.

Rearrange the order in which you do things. Mess with your schedule a bit.

Next, commit to yourself to take a new action every day.

Make a list of things you've been putting off or neglecting - things you like to do, or need to do. Set up a schedule to do one of them every day, then make sure you do them. Once you've begun to create a little forward motion, you will begin to feel more motivated, stimulated and positive. It's a wonderful thing.

The secret to all of this, though, is to get the ball rolling.

So do something now. Don't wait.

Don't procrastinate. Don't find an excuse.

Find something you can do in the next five minutes that's positive, and different than something you did yesterday. What do you have to lose?

Good luck!

Arun Leslie George

Yet another event conducted by the Corporate Wisdom team, saw the coming together of two eminent personalities from the Human Resource Management fraternity representing CII (Confederation of Indian Industry). The two speakers were Mr. Arun Leslie George and Mr. P. Padmakumar.Mr. Arun Leslie George who was part of the Murugappa Group since 1990 currently heads the HR function of the Farm Inputs Business i.e. Coromandel Fertilizers Ltd. and GFCL of the Murugappa Group. Mr. P. Padmakumar who also earlier worked with the Murugappa Group, is currently responsible for HR in the Flat Glass Business of Saint Gobain India Ltd.They started off the session stressing on the importance of the Human Resource, touted as the most important asset of the company, which could make or break a company. HR has been going through different phases as the differentiating resources have changed over time starting with land long ago to people in the current day scenario.Mr. Arun’s spirited speech interspersed with the right amount of humor, addressed how an Indian management could make a difference in foreign organizations. He started it by giving a concrete example aptly named ‘the Foskor Experience’, a strategic investment in a South African company. While elucidating responses from the audience, he spoke about how crucial showcasing capabilities and institutionalizing the knowledge process was. He also spoke about the various approaches to preparing the organization for such an event, managing the various stages of adaptation the executives undergo and also constantly monitoring the employees in order to minimize cultural shocks and maximize performance of employees. Mr. Padmakumar spoke on the HR aspect of creating a ‘World Glass Complex’ and how it was important to project India as a force to reckon with and showcase its blend of heritage and modernity. He elaborated on the role of HR across the organization in areas such as structuring, developing skills and culture etc through various frameworks. He concluded his presentation with an animation that chalked out the ‘Journey of Saint Gobain’ in India.

(Prof. Anantharaman (left) presenting mementos to Mr. Arun Leslie George (right) and Mr. P. Padmakumar (centre). )


This was followed by a Q&A session which brought out the merits of HR as a career option and also the importance of having a sound knowledge of the conceptual aspects and the correct application of this knowledge. All in all, this engaging session portrayed HR as a lucrative career option and one that would make students look at HR from a new perspective challenging their earlier beliefs

Silence

Desolation,
Wide open space,
Between the trees and me,
Emptiness and me,
Confusion and decisions,
Feelings hard to define,
And I say to myself,
Just a little longer,

Coldness seeps
Its way in,
I am falling deeper,
Into what I fear most,
As I reach out,
There is nothing there,
As possible there was something once,
Only to be gone,
And I say to myself,
Just a little longer,

The sun drops,
The last inch of light falls,
The squirrels more likely to be huddled up,
But not me,
Something I never possessed,
And I say to myself,
Just a little longer,

Then the sun has gone,
Darkness spreads its wings over me,
I see nothing so no one sees me,
Feeling of bitterness only,
And I say to myself,
Just a little longer,

An Owl peers down,
With question in her eyes,
She doesn't have a hope,
In helping me,
As she doesn't see my pain,
Spreads her wings,
Passes me by,
And I say to myself,
Just a little longer,

The soft earth,
Seems the only thing holding me up,
Even then I could slip,
And wondering takes me,
To why and how I got here,
Without even knowing it,
Yet no one notices,
As they didn't see before,
So I say to myself,
Just a little longer,

Shimmering in the darkness,
I see two moons,
Reflecting off a stream of thoughts,
Ongoing forever more,
Along a rocky road,
Slowly giving in to finding a way out,
I take the plunge under the river,
Then the wind carries a whisper,
Gently on a breeze,
'Just a little longer.'

Mind exercise

I am sending this only to my smart friends. I could not figure it out and had to look at the answer. See if you can figure out what these words have in common.

1 Banana
2 Dresser
3 Grammar
4 Potato
5 Revive
6 Uneven
7 Assess

Are you peeking or have you already given up?

Give it another try. Look at each word carefully.

(You'll kick yourself when you discover the answer.)
This Is Cool.

Everything I need to know about life

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's?Ark?

One?: Don't miss the boat.?

Two?: Remember that we are all in the same boat.?

Three?: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the?Ark.?

Four?: Stay fit When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.?

Five?: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done?

Six?: Build your future on high ground.?

Seven?:?For safety's sake, travel in pairs.?

Eight?: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

Nine?: When you're stressed, float a while.?

Ten?: Remember, the?Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.?

Eleven?: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting...

MIND SPA

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