Reminders

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During a course, Attendees may learn a number of new ideas. However how many of the Attendees remember them – let alone put them into practice. These REMINDERS aim to provide Organisations with some one-page pieces that they can send out to Course Members after they finish a course to remind them of the ideas. This approach also hopes that a Reminder will also encourage the Receiver to put the ideas in the reminder into practice. (25/3/10).

A LIST OF ALL THE REMINDERS. This file lists all the Reminders – in the order shown on these pages. (27/3/10)

RECOMMEND SOLUTIONS, NOT PROBLEMS.A Reminder about the use of Competed Staff Work. (27/3/10)

THE ART OF WASTING YOUR SUBORDINATE'S TIME

Managers can waste the time of their Subordinates by insisting that they receive material by a certain time and they do not use it for several days. (27/3/10)

CONVENIENT TO SPEAK TO YOU

A reminder about the possibilities of saving the time of people who you ring and the people in the office of the call receiver. (27/3/10)

HANGING THE GROUP ON THE RULES OF DEBATE.

In any formal meeting it helps to set aside the rules and have a round-table discussion. This reminder discusses this possibility. (27/3/10)

B LAME YOURSELF FOR UNSUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATIONS

Our culture tends to blame the Receiver for unsuccessful communications. This reminder encourages Readers to recall the advantages of blaming the Sender. (27/3/10)

TURN PROBLEMS INTO OBJECTIVES AND DRAW HIERARCHIES.

This reminder helps Readers to remember to start all objectives with a verb and use objectives to draw hierarchies. (27/3/10)

GIVING AND OBTAINING ANSWERS. A reminder on some ideas that will help Senders to obtain answers to the questions they ask. (27/3/10)

RATE YOURSELF AS A COACH.

This reminder asks Readers to consider how much (if any) they have improved the performance of each of their Subordinates. Can Managers ask their Subordinates to tell them what they have learnt from their Manager in recent months? (27/3/10).

WHAT TYPE OF FORECAST DO YOU WANT?

Readers should remember to check whether their conversation about forecasts refers to what they EXPECT will happen or what they DESIRE to happen. (27/3/10)

IDENTIFYING UNCERTAINTY SOMETIMES HELP CERTAINTY.

This reminder recalls the usefulness of asking the question – With what degree of certainty do you make this recommendation? (27/3/10)

DO YOU ASK APPROPRIATE QUESTIONS?

This reminder lists twelve questions that Readers will find useful to ask to help them improve their decision making. (27/3/10)

ALL GROUP DISCUSSION MEMBERS SHOULD TAKE LEADERSHIP ROLES.

Readers need to recall that a discussion consists of content contributions (add ideas) and procedure contribution (influence the way the group conducts itself). This reminder suggests that all members of a group should offer procedure contributions – especially where it proves difficult to know what procedure to adopt to move the discussion toward its objective. (27/3/10)

HOW MUCH BUTTERFLYING HAVE YOU DONE RECENTLY?

In any group discussion, members jump all over the place and rarely stay on one topic. Most members just want to make points on the sub topics that interest them most. They tend not to listen to the contributions made by others and do not comment on them. Readers need to remember that they should reduce their butterflying. (27/3/10)

THE "POINT OF NO RETURN" IN TRAINING.

Formal Training Courss need to train people in particular techniques to the stage where they can carry out the techniques with greater ability than the previous techniques that they used. This reminder explains this idea. (27/3/10)

ADVANTAGES OF SAYING – "I DON'T UNDERSTAND".

Everyone would benefit if more people said that they do not undersstand what the Sender said. Senders would learn how poorly they communicate. Further, Receivers often say they DO understand when they do NOT. This reminder explores this topic. (27/3/10)

LEAVE MESSAGE TO SAVE TIME OF SENDER AND RECEIVER. Executives who phone other Executives will save time if they leave messages with the Assistants or Secretaries of the people they call. This reminder explores this topic. (27/3/10)

DISTURB CONFERENCES RARELY.

If you allow a disturbance in a group of eight people and it takes three minutes, you have wasted 24 person minutes. This reminder suggests that you take steps to stop allowing others to disturb your conferences. (29/3/10)

ROLE PLAYING CAN ASSIST IN MORE THINGS THAN JUST SALES TRAINING.

YOU ALREADY HAVE MOTIVATED PEOPLE

People need to remember that people already have an existing motivational pattern. Thus people do NOT have to get people motivaated. However they may have to alter the exisitng motvational pattern. This reminder discusses this topic.(27/3/10)

HAVE YOU BACKED OFF RECENTLY?

Should Managers insist that their Subordintates use the method that the Manager prefers to achieve a particular obkjective? Managers should back off on some occasions and let their Subordinates use the method that the Subordinate prefers. This reminder discusses this topic. (28/3/10)

SUGGESTING TO YOUR BOSS THAT YOU MAKE THE DECISION.

A Subordinate can suggest to his Boss that the Boss let the Subordinate make a particular decision instead of the Boss. This reminder suggests that Subordinates might well take this approach more often than they probably do. (29/3/10)

A LITTLE MORE TOLERANCE WILL HELP YOU TO LEARN AND CO-OPERATE BETTER.

Do NOT expect others to rate as perfect. Do NOT expect yourself to rate as perfect. If you have such expectations probably you will have a more tolerance of the mistakes of others. If you have more tolerance probably you will learn to co-operate better. This reminder discusses this topic.(29/3/10)

ASK A QUESTION AND SHUT UP.

How many times do you ask a question but then do not allow time for the Receiver to answer. Worse still do you answer your own question! This reminder discusses this topic. (29/3/10)

CHECK YOUR ADVERTISEMENT DOES NOT USE UNWISE RESTRICTONS

Do you write advertisements for personnel that state so many restrictions that few people can really apply if they take notice of your restrictions? This reminder discusses this topic. (29/3/10)