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May 9th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
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Driving Your Workforce to Excellence

Supervisors and managers looking to improve the output of their workforce and increase the retention of your employees. Your communication skills are the key ingredient to maximizing the output of your workforce. Be sure to check out the video and leave your comments after you go through the article.

Communication Skills Easy Steps -part1/8 of Cheesy Video Series

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Ways To Develop Your Communication Skill

It is a tough world out there and unfortunately many individuals think a lot more of their skills than they are really worth. In most cases, it is not their fault as their shortcomings have been overlooked so as not to hurt anyone’s feelings, but in reality by not being upfront and honest with them about their performance, they simply do not know any better.
The majority of employees simply want three things out of their job. Fair pay, training for the job they are expected to perform and feedback about how well they are doing their job. Evaluating someone’s job performance can be a stressful experience not only for the employee but also for the business owner or supervisor. If performance reviews are given annually, there should be no surprises at the end of the day. Consistent communication throughout the year should have provided the employee with specific things they need to do better so when evaluation day rolls around they have a good idea of what to expect.
If the supervisor goes the entire year without offering any corrective measures needed, or praise for doing a good job, the employee is going to believe they are performing at least up to expected standards. If they walk into an evaluation and find out you are not happy with their work, you will drastically undercut their morale. They have gone a year not knowing if they were underperforming or overachieving and waiting until the last minute is not going to do much for employee retention.
That is not to say you need to sit down with the employee every month, or even every quarter, but if an issues comes up it should be addressed immediately. Yelling and screaming is never the right way to handle an employee discipline issue, but sitting with the employee in a private setting, where their co-workers can not see or hear what is going on, explain how the associates behavior, attitude, productivity or whatever the issue is affecting the company as a whole.
The supervisor should never attack a person with phrases beginning with the word you. Instead, all problems need to be addressed by focusing on the problem and not the person. When it comes to offering praise or thank you, those should be done in front of their peers, and as often as it is deserved. Over praising one employee may make others believe they are the favorite and can spark charges of favoritism.
Bad behavior breeds bad behavior and you have one employee that is constantly slacking off or late for work and nothing is done, not only will that employee believe their behavior is acceptable, other employees, who may have never had a problem, will begin to resent the person getting away with their actions, blaming you for allowing them to get away with it and themselves for continuing to do their best with no apparent rewards. All of your employees need to know that anything that affects the business negatively will result in consequences to equal the affect on the business.

About the Author:

Obinna Heche. Los Angeles - California Delivering the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home successfully.. http://www.homeincomeportal.com/obhmy365

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March 29th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
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The Value of a Written Thank You

Here is a good article discussing the importance of a thank you note. For either your business or your personal network. The value of a personal touch thank you note to your network can be immeasurable. Please leave your comments about thank you notes at the end of the following article.

Thank You Cards: What Do I Say?

Sending a thank you card is a great way to build and maintain a business or personal relationship. It can be simple and to the point, yet still pack a punch with the receiver in demonstrating that you are a sharing and
caring person. In our impersonal world, the simple act of saying “thank you” is very powerful.
When is a Thank You card appropriate to send? Certainly after any business meeting where you have been introduced to ore met someone for the first time is very appropriate. If someone has gone out of there way to give you a “random act of kindness” this certainly warrants a Thank You card as well.

More importantly, there are many people in our lives that we take for granted that never hear the word “thank you” from anyone. Who do you come in contact with that deserves a heartfelt “thank you”. Could it be a teacher, family member who lives far away, a retired coach, a bank teller, or hairdresser?
Thank You cards are appropriate for anytime you want to let someone know they are special and you appreciate the contribution they make to your life. When should Thank You cards be sent? A Thank You card should be sent out no later than 24 hours after a business meeting. Especially if you are going for an interview, follow-up with a card the minute you return home.

In a random act of kindness, Thank You cards can be sent out at anytime. In fact, Thank You cards can be a way for you to start focusing on the positive things in your life and turn your attention away from yourself and start thinking of others. For example, if you have had a bad day, take a moment to write down five people who are always there for you and send them a Thank You card. Let them know how important they are to you and that it doesn’t have to be a holiday to get a card from you. What do you say in a Thank You card?

Since Thank You cards are usually only about 3-4 sentences, you have to get to the point quickly. If you are like me, the first sentence is the most difficult to write, so I developed a formula for writing Thank You cards that works. Here is my formula for writing Thank You cards after a business meeting or interview.

1. Start all Thank You cards with this phrase:
“It was a pleasure to meet and visit with you today.”
2. Remind them what your meeting was about:
” Thank you for taking time to tell me more about the XYZ company.”
3. Give them some feedback on your experience:
“I enjoyed meeting the team members and getting a sense of what XYZ is all about.
4. Close with:
“Thank you, Mr. Jones. I look forward to hearing from you soon.” Sincerely, Jack Smith
So let’s look at the final Thank You letter:

Dear
Mr. Jones,
It was a pleasure to meet and visit with you today. Thank you for taking time to tell me more about the XYZ company.I enjoyed meeting the team members and getting a sense of what XYZ is all about. Thank you, Mr. Jones. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Jack Smith

What about e-cards Thank You notes?? My advice is to always send a REAL card. An e-Card is very impersonal and may get lost in the spam filter. Stand out in the crowd. Your potential employer deserves a real card. Now, if you were asked to provide additional information via email, go ahead and send it but send a real Thank You card too. Now let’s examine a sample for a simple random act of kindness Thank You card:

Dear Sue,
Thank you for taking the time to visit with me today. Your words of encouragment lifted my spirits and I have a much better perspective on “the big picture”. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Thank you,
Valerie

The Thank You card may be a simple little card, but it can open doors to new business opportunities or mend a friendship. Make it a habit to send out cards on a daily basis to friends and business associates to build and grow relationships. I hope this article was useful and that you will print and save it for future.

About the Author:

Karen Miller makes it a habit to send at least five cards to friends and family every day. Learn more about how to use greeting cards to connect to one another and enrich lives with positive messages. My Heartfelt Cards

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