A.  Even though you might think “sales” and “marketing” are taboo in the government, we all do marketing at some level or another – reaching out to others to let them know about your capabilities, usually in the form of a product or service.  Your team decided that your organization needs to create awareness in your “marketplace” so that people who need your services can avail themselves.  When buyers are interested in a product or service they are aware of, then the “sales” process begins, creating alignment between a specific need and product or service you have to offer.

And you’re right!  Nobody likes to do the inverse where sales precedes marketing; where the seller is searching for a buyer and then has to justify why they are a good fit for the buyer.  Now that’s S&M!

If you don’t like using traditional words, try “creating awareness among our current and potential clients.”  By using this terminology, you are positively focusing on being proactive in the specific marketplace you choose to operate.

Once you agree on the goal, then develop your marketing strategies.  To start, list your current customers or clients.  If you can, describe the common demographics.  This description can help you identify predominant characteristics to look for in future clients.

With this description in mind, list potential clients by organizational name and appropriate point of contact.  When aiming at a target, the more clearly you can see the target, the greater your chances for success!

Now, brainstorm all the different ways to successfully create awareness among this current and potential client listing.  Generally, these ideas will fall into specific groupings such as: advertising, direct mail, exhibitions, networking, publications, publicity, speeches, telemarketing, website, etc.

For your next step, you have two options: 1) For each grouping, develop an awareness strategy and next steps.  Then prioritize your strategies based on importance and feasibility.  Or, 2) for a more customized approach, develop an awareness strategy and next steps for your top ten current and future clients.

Take your top three to five strategies or clients and task out the next steps to specific individuals on your team to take the lead on accomplishing the tasks.  Before you know it, you’ll be creating awareness where it matters most!

Question:  How successful are you when it comes to sales and marketing?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

Brad Hooper with Booklist, the premier book review journal says “The author’s qualifications are important for a book on public speaking (where authorial experience in practicing what is being preached is crucial). Arnold’s background as a facilitator and speaker is extensive, capped by her new role as the incoming president of the National Speakers Association. Her focus is on presentations in the workplace, but the fluidly presented and dynamically toned pages soon make it obvious that her techniques and methods can be used by all who are required to give presentations, whether it be in their public or private lives. Her ideas are underscored by the basic premise that a dull, sleep-inducing program is intolerable, not to say detrimental, to the effectiveness of the presentation. How to engage your audience is the key to speaker success, and the author presents a series of increasingly sophisticated techniques to involved the audience, from employing the right tone of voice to breaking the audience out into smaller discussion groups. Hers are not pat responses to the issue of good programming but are well-thought-out, robustly tested, and greatly practical techniques.”

Stephen Forte’s Blog, said “I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advanced copy of Kristin Arnold’s book Boring to Bravo and I highly recommend it.  It stands out because it is the first book that I have seen that acknowledges the generational change of the audiences and what the consequences of those changes are (like embrace folks twittering in your meeting rather that have them switch off their cell phones.)  I have been a public speaker for 15 years, a professional one for over 13, and found this book very useful. I learned several things while reading it, including many things I am doing wrong! Based on the advice in the book, I am going to use some of the techniques at my two talks at VSLive in Redmond next week.”

Ian Griffin commented in his blog Professionally Speaking, Arnold gives us a smorgasbord of techniques we can start using today. Tips range from straightforward suggestions on how to deliver a well-crafted introduction to more subtle hints about which side of the stage to enter (stage right, from the left side of the room).  She lists a range of ways to break the mold of the “boring” presenter and become someone who will elicit “bravos”. Refreshingly, she does not attempt to bake all the references you need into the book. Instead, in current social media style, she links to her dynamically maintained website where references are continually updated and readers comment on their experiences using the book in her lively blog.  You just know from how she writes that she has first-hand experience of all of the techniques she suggests. Checklists and chapter recaps provide an easy way to move from reading to implementation.”

Andrew Dlugan read the book on his recent vacation, saying “It’s a perfect summer read. Not only is it organized into easily digestible chunks (read a section or two while sipping lemonade on the deck), it is also packed with techniques which will energize your presentations. His verdict in his blog, Six Minutes is that Boring to Bravo will help you become a more complete speaker and will improve your ability to handle a diverse set of speaking situations. I recommend you get yourself a copy today.”

Public speech coach, Nick Morgan at Public Words said “Reading Boring to Bravo, I found myself agreeing with something on just about every page.  The book is packed with tips for making speeches more interactive and memorable.  I recommend it highly if you want to improve your speaking game.”

Thanks to all who are following our progress on facebook, twitter, and Linked In – and for those of you who have bought the book!

Consensus means that everyone lives with the decision AND supports it upon implementation.  By using the “silence implies agreement” rule, you might have  consensus, but then again, you might not.  Some common pitfalls:

Guessed Incorrectly.  By listening to the discussion, reading the body language and making some inferences, the team leader is making a decision for all to abide by.  Unfortunately, the team leader might be wrong and is asking people to have the courage and visibly object to the decision.

Power Play.  Sometimes the team leader is intentionally pushing the decision through and doesn’t want to hear any objections.  In reality, the team leader may achieve “pseudo-consensus” in the meeting, but will face resistance or sabotage during implementation.

Too Rushed.  In the interest of time, the team pushes on without checking for agreement.  Although, there will always be time to reemphasize and rework the issue when it becomes apparent the team is not committed to the decision.

No Voice.  Quieter members certainly aren’t going to voice their opinions and extraverted members may venture a comment or two without trying to rock the boat.  Unless the team leader is attuned to these subtle nuances, these unvocalized objections indicate a lack of consensus.

Ask Me Later.  When the “silence implies agreement” rule is invoked, people simply reserve the right to object later.  They don’t commit to the decision right then and there.  Instead, they agree that they don’t object RIGHT NOW.

If your team is a victim of “pseudo-consensus,” take a moment to go around the room and ask each team member’s opinion. 

Sarah Sheard, a systems engineering expert, found two things happen when you poll your team members:

1. Build a Better Solution.  Those who have reservations state the reservations, which they might not do if silence were an option.   Often, their reservations change the whole direction of the group.  Either they think of something no one else has, and thereby add to the quality of the product, or they have a real problem with it which the group has to address to ensure buy-in.
2. Internal Buy-in.  If a team member is required to respond to a request for buy-in, they have to make a commitment to the decision internally.  If you have to say publicly “yes”, “no” or “I can live with it” (note, you can use a quick thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs sideways for quick polling), then you actually decide at that point that your decision is what you say it is.  Otherwise, you might reserve judgment.

A quick poll of the participants can improve the quality of the decision, ensure all team members are heard and help them make an internal commitment to the decision.

Question:  Are you getting real consensus from your team members?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

Download it here.

In This Issue:

• The Correcting Economy
• The Future of Meetings
• What’s New with Kristin & Joseph
• Practical Team Activities: The Team Metaphor
• The 4Cs: Critical Skills for the Future
• From the Bookshelf:  Never By Chance
• Quote of the Quarter

Please enjoy the newsletter and feel free to forward it on to your teammates.

Question:  Have you read our Summer newsletter yet?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

Know Your Phone.  Whether you are using your office phone, cellular or conference phone, know how to use it, mute it, and connect to others without disconnecting.

Use a Moderator.  One person (typically the person who initiated the call) should be the moderator.  Start with a “roll call” of attendees and their location so that everyone knows who is on the line and announce when new members join in.  Give a short, precise overview of the purpose and goal of the call, followed by a simple, clear agenda.  Ask the participants to follow the agenda and conference call ground rules.

Keep Up the Pace.  Most participants usually speak very slowly, careful of what they say and how they say it.  But the average person is able to decode verbal information four to five times faster than the average speaking rate.  This makes for a very long, tedious meeting!  The moderator should set the tone of the conference call by speaking at a regular rate with good inflection and intensity.  Other participants will then follow the leader in style and rate.  The moderator should also ask the participants to limit their contributions to a reasonable length (for example one or one and one-half minutes) and allow questions for clarification.

Manage Voice Traffic. The more people you have on the line, the greater the potential for overload and domination of a few people.  Limit the number of people involved in the conference call to team members and one or two scheduled speakers.  Ask the participants to state their names and location each time they speak.  Recognize that one individual at one location will have more “air time” than several people huddled around a speaker phone at another location.   If possible, questions should be directed to specific individuals.  For example, “John, will you share your perspective on this issue?” or “Mary, could you please clarify that issue?”  The moderator may serve as a “gatekeeper” to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate.

Take a Poll.  At critical moments in the meeting, poll the participants for their input.  Call out each name and ask for their opinion, comment, or vote.  Recognize that this will take time, especially for larger groups, but is worthwhile for critical issues where the team must make a decision to move forward.

Use Handouts.  Where possible, mail or fax information to be used during the conference call.  Quantifiable data such as sales forecasts, trend charts, and other descriptive data is helpful to have prior to the meeting so that everyone is looking at and commenting on the same information.

Phone conference calls can save time, travel costs, energy and hassle–especially if the team follows these basic ground rules to enhance the effectiveness of your next conference call.

Question:  Do you have any more helpful advice for conference calls?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

Traditions include casual Fridays, potluck lunches, pizza parties, family picnics, birthday and holiday celebrations, team outings, and other activities that the team expects on a regular basis.  One of my favorites is “tea time” at 3 pm, every day.  For 10 or 15 minutes, we grab a cup of tea, coffee or soda and gather together to share what’s going on with us at work, home, or leisure.  When starting my consulting practice, I recognized the importance of  our team “connecting” each day–regardless of what’s going on in the office–because we are often moving in a million different directions.  Tea(m) time allows us to focus on the people side of teams, not just the great work.

At WorldNow, Mark Zagorski started a monthly ritual to recognize individuals for the great work that they do.  Every month someone is presented with The Team Drill, a clunky old tool that he picked up at a garage sale.  The monthly winner is expected to perform a few simple tasks:  Personalize the drill in some way and devise a new rule for how to care for it.  One team member added a Bart Simpson trigger.  Another made the drill wireless by adding an antenna.  At the end of the monthly staff meeting, the current winner passes the drill to next star.  Mark observes,  “Okay, it’s just a goofy $2 purchase.  But the dented old drill captures our unofficial mantra of  ‘drilling down to solve problems.’  You can implement culture initiatives through new-hire training sessions, but when you create a company icon–no matter how silly–you’re carrying on the conversation from one generation of the company to the next.”

In his book, How to Become an Employer of Choice, Roger Herman shares the “nice catch” ritual at Modern International Graphics for those who spot a problem with a customer’s printing job.  When someone catches a mistake and calls it to the team’s attention, the ritual begins.  First, over the public address system comes the honk of a bicycle horn.  Then the team parades through the plant with balloons and kazoos until they reach the workstation of the problem-finder and presents them with Ohio Lottery tickets.  The tickets could be big winners–or not–but it’s fun getting the recognition and a chance at some big money.

Question:  What ritual are you known for?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

I was on the third leg of a trip starting at 6:30am in Philadelphia, connecting through Toronto, then Ottawa and then on to PEI.  I have been on my fair share of Air Canada and Star Alliance flights, so I wasn’t really expecting anything special.

Until I was greeted by an extraordinary flight attendant, Kryan (I think I got the spelling correct).  This guy obviously loves his job.  He greeted each passenger with a cheery hello, asked if we were from the island, regaled some visitors with little tidbits of island lore.  As we were flying, he pointed out key landmarks such as the Confederation Bridge and noted the various patchwork colors of green and red on the island.

All in all, a very pleasant experience for the passengers.  But what really struck me is how much fun HE was having.  I truly believe he decided that he was going to have a great day – and we were all infected with his enthusiasm.

Trust me, after 7 hours in the air and three stops, I arrived much more relaxed and happy to be back home in PEI!

Sick teams have symptoms that will help you diagnose the root cause of the problem.  Rather than “band-aid” the symptom, treat the cause to get your team healthy again.  Watch for the following symptoms and potential prescriptions:

Confused.  Team members appear bewildered and lost.  They do weird things that don’t seem to contribute to the team’s success.  When dazed and confused, create a conversation around the team’s “vision” or destination.  Where does the team want to go?  What’s the ultimate destination?  Search for common agreement on the team’s vision.

Ethically Challenged.  Team members not only do weird things, but they do peculiar, questionable things that affect team success.  Different individual values seem to influence team behavior.  Consider having a frank discussion about what values are important to the team.  Get agreement on explicit rules of behavior or “ground rules” on how to move forward.

Scattered.  If your team members are acting on their own accord, working at odds with each other, or in a haphazard fashion, you are lacking a clear strategy on how to move forward and be successful.  Brainstorm different possible strategies, narrow down the list to the top three, and then discuss the “pros and cons” for each strategy.  As a team, come to a mutual agreement on how to move forward.

Frustrated.  Your team is annoyed by every little thing.  Little things become big things.  Team members may even start sniping at each other.  It feels like the team has quit smoking cigarettes and is going through nicotine withdrawal!  Chances are your team is suffering from a lack of resources.  They just don’t have the tools to do the job.  Ask the team, “What necessary resources (human talent, money, time, machinery, equipment, etc.) are we lacking?  Develop a plan to access or request these vital resources.

Stalled.  The team is moving at a snail’s pace.  Rather than watch the snail writhe in a salt bath, ask each team member the “WIIFM” question  (What’s In It For Me). “What would inspire you to act positively on behalf of the team?”  Don’t settle for global, patronizing, motivational balderdash.  Probe for meaningful, specific, concrete ideas.  Then figure out how to tap into these stated WIIFMs.  Provide the jet fuel for the team to blast forward!

Tired.  Sometimes the team just doesn’t have the right talent.  They don’t have the skills or capabilities to accomplish the mission.  You can see inability by the fatigue in their faces.  They are tired of trying to push the rock up the hill, only to have it fall back to the original position.  Or they don’t even have the strength to try.  Either provide appropriate skills training or recruit the additional talent on the team.

Doubt.  The team is mired in the quicksand of doubt.  Can they be successful?  Will they be successful?  Does management really care?  Allow the team to vent their issues and concerns to the team sponsor, champion, or big kahuna.  Someone up the food chain needs to acknowledge the concerns, give meaningful and genuine feedback to the team, and resolve to remove any barriers facing the team.

Question:  Have you taken your team’s temperature lately?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com

If all you are going to do is pass information up or down “the food chain,” there are other, more efficient ways to transmit information among your teammates:

Send Info Out Early.  In advance of the team coming together, send the information via electronic mail, voicemail, “snail mail,” memos, letters, briefing notes, etc.  More importantly, expect team members to have read the information and come prepared to discuss it.  Many teams agree that the agenda and “read ahead” material should be sent out at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.

Have an Exec Summary.  Initially, spoon-fed teams may balk at the notion that they should read all their “stuff” prior to the meeting.  After all, they are used to being briefed!  To ease their pain, send the information out before the meeting, but also have an “executive summary” available for the team read.  Then begin discussion.  If a team member needs further detail, you can politely point out that more information can be found in the “stuff” that was sent to them.  Keep moving.  Don’t get bogged down by the one person who didn’t do their homework.

Hand Key Info Out.  If you find yourself in a situation where you must spoon feed them, have a key information handout for people to follow along.  Don’t read off the handout – people can read much faster than they can listen.  Simply highlight the key information the team needs to know in order to begin discussion.  You may opt to provide more detail in the handout than in an executive summary, but don’t speak to it, unless the team (not just one person) raises it as an issue.

Keep Time.  If you must take time to present information, use a timekeeper.  Allot a specific amount of time to each topic.  Have a timekeeper provide a subtle “countdown” (e.g., five minutes to go, two minutes to go).  At the end of the time, the team moves on to the next topic.

Attach It.  Another way to share information and save everyone’s time is to attach the information (brochure, website address, spreadsheet, etc.) to the team’s meeting minutes.  Now everyone can read the documents at their own pace.  Identify a point of contact in case there are any questions.

Question:  Are your team meetings efficient and effective?

To book Kristin to speak or view her products go to www.ExtraordinaryTeam.com