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Sir Anthony Jay thought: " A presentation is an exercise in persuasion". But how do we persuade and prepare for an event that, recent research reveals, is feared by some as more frightening than death itself? In this, the first of two articles by Presentation Skills expert, Nina Lovatt, she takes us through the mnemonic 'PANIC' to help us ensure that each preparatory step is given full consideration.
We share a fear!
In the first two articles in this series, we looked at the need for thorough preparation before interviewing and getting the questions right when you are interviewing. Now, in the final instalment, we turn to interacting with the candidate: exploring why two interviewing heads are so much better than one, and why it might be wrong to concentrate on just the filling in your sandwich!
Clunky. It's a great word. We're not quite sure what it means but it does describe what happens in the, shall we say, less professional interview.
In the second of three articles, we build on the careful preparatory activities explored in Part One by looking at how questions can be carefully structured. Why? Well, it should be our candidate who is talking most of the time. Good questions make sure that happens!
Now you're ready. You've been through the job description and analysed the skills needed for the job. You've decided which skills you particularly want to explore, and compiled a list of questions that will help you find out if the candidate has the experience you're looking for.
Many people enjoy job interviewing. Yet many think of it as a nightmare: a cat's cradle of legislation and booby-traps all cunningly designed to ensnare the unwary. But does it have to be like that? In the first of three articles, we lead you through key moments of the process to help you get it right every time.
There are many frightening facts about wrong appointments. Facts like the recent research that calculated that every manager or professional who resigns costs a company up to 18 months' salary.
All good managers give feedback. But how many managers welcome feedback about their performance? 360-degree feedback is a proven method of finding out what people really think about us, but some managers prefer not to ask...
Apparently it was gnarly old Oliver Cromwell, who was waiting to have his portrait painted, who gave us the phrase 'Warts and all".
The artist Peter Lely was busying himself preparing paints and palette when the Lord Protector looked him straight in the eye and demanded that Lely painted him “Warts and all”.
So how can I get from - what has apparently now come to be labelled - ‘Mummy Porn’ to mentoring? Not having read the smash-hit novel it might prove difficult, but here goes...
Everybody mentors. You might not think of giving advice or offering a listening ear in such grand terms, but it’s true; we all share our thoughts, recommendations and assertions with whomever will listen. Some people’s wisdom, insights and comments are always welcome, and some aren’t. So what’s the secret of those whose words and attention we do hang on?
Last month we showed that the initial stage of dealing with a difficult person was to first encourage the individual to acknowledge his or her own behaviour; then they can move towards taking full responsibility for changing it. This month we explore how, by using a structured three-step approach, ownership and commitment can be passed from the manager to the difficult employee.
John Whitmore once wrote:
"When I want to, I perform better than when I have to. I want to for me, I have to for you."
Whether you've inherited a difficult person or - to your lasting regret - appointed them yourself, most managers come up against a difficult individual whom they've had to manage. Does it always have to come to blows? Well, we're not saying it's easy, but in this, the first of two articles on the subject, we'd like to suggest how all is definitely not lost.
