The IT Leadership Deal

Oh what a circus, oh what a show - everwhere I go, everyone I listen to, every organisation with a challenge, aways one word is at the heart of it all - communication.

A word that has so many meanings it has become meaningless - so here are the top ten tips on business and personal communication - not in any particular "order"...Brief and to the point so that you can put them into action today.

1 of 10 - Business (can also be used in personal!)

Write the e-mails that you would want to receive - today, take time to write an e-mail that is friendly, professional and to the point...

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Not a very good crossword clue - 13 lettes - "It means nothing and it means everything and we do it all the timer"

Commmunication

A word that has so many meanings it has become meaningless - so here are the top ten tips on business and personal communication - not in any particular "order"...Brief and to the point so that you can put them into action today.

2 of 10 - Business (can also be used in personal!)

It is impossible not to communicate - so be careful with what you don't say or share with people - by not doing so you are communicating that you do not communicate...

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Hey, get this - everyone feels that communication needs to improve, and yet everyone has a different definition not only of how to do this, also of the meaning of the word itself!

What to do

This

3 of 10 - Business (can also be used in personal!)

Communicate with the receiver in mind - ask what do THEY want to know, NOT what do YOU want to tell them

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"We must improve our communication"

Five inspirational and meaningless words

What do you mean? - This? (Do click you will love it)

4 of 10 - Business (can also be used in personal!)

Do this - Ask people what communication means to them - and ask for specific examples on how to "improve it".

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Communication -

Bless

Is there such a thing as this?

Yes

It's this

5 of 10 - Business (can also be used in personal!)

In your team, your project, your organisation, does everyone know where to go to find out information they seek, without fear or favour? If so, you have mastered communication - and removed people's excuses about people not being communicated TO - communication is a many-way thing, and everyone must play their part.

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6 of 10 - Business (can also be used in personal!)

When you are communicating officially - on project progress, on system availability, on problem resolution, find out how long people want you to tell them what is happening, and communicate a litle bit more than they ask - even if there is nothing to say!!! in which case, you tell them that, because it shows you are still woking on their issue, and that they are important.

Silence, in these situations, is far from this ...en

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7 of 10 - Business (can also be used in personal!)

Never e-mail when you can pick up the phone, and never pick up the phone when you can speak with someone in person

How welcome is your help-desk and IT department to visitors?

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8 of 10 - Business (can also be used in personal!)

When you are presenting - here's when to use Powerpoint.

NEVER - EVER

Unless you want to read what people can already read, or, worse still, point out there are so many points on this slide that people won't be able to read it (in which case you are now deemed a plonker) or WORSE STILL, try to cram 50 slides into your 15 minute slot and then you can come out with the classic - "I won't show all the powerpoints I have prepared" in which case this will happen to you. And you will deserve it.

Send this to anyone and everyone who ever uses Powerpoint NOW...

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9 of 10 - Business (can also be used in personal!)

When you are given a speaking slot, or a time period to make a point or in an agenda item in a meeting - overrun, and pretend not to notice.

Genius! You are telling everyone that not only don't they matter and that in your world, only you exist, and better than that, you are demonstarting a complete inability to read or tell the time.

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10 of 10 - Business (can also be used in personal!)

Ask a question, and then be silent.

For so long it hurts, for so long it seems like an eternity, it seems so long as you wait for them to speak - that'll be about three seconds then

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