Do Business Well

Here are some guidelines for directing your thinking about television.

Rule 1. Keep it simple. Use your micro-creativity. Get inside your visual and maximize it. One idea explored in depth is more effective than superficial exploration of a dozen visual ideas.

Rule 2. Make your first scene audience-involving. You have four seconds or less to capture your viewers’ attention. If you haven’t accomplished it, your competition will.

Rule 3. Be larger than life. Exaggerate. Get as close to your product and the action as you can. If you stand back at a medium distance, you never really come in contact with your product. And neither does your audience. Continue Reading »

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This probably falls under the theory that there are two kinds of people. Those who make lists. And those who don’t. Actually, there are three kinds of people. Those who make lists. And conveniently misplace them.

1. Amass and digest everything. Great ideas abhor a vacuum. That is to say, the first thing you need to do is gather as much information as is available. Read it. Understand it. Then…
2. Ignore everything. Except for the research finding that is the most relevant. Except for the one finding that is the most interesting. Hopefully, they are one and the same. Because if it’s not interesting to you, your chances of an interesting idea appearing are as long as the odds in a casino. Find that one thing, and everything will fall into place.

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To increase the effectiveness of your presentation, allow your audience to get involved: to question, clarify, or to redirect what you are saying. You can allow questions before, during, or after your presentation; each time has certain advantages.

Taking Questions at the Beginnings

This assumes your audience knows a good deal about your subject and has questions before you begin. By getting these questions out ahead of time, you get an idea of what people want to know and can reassure them that their questions will be answered during your presentation. It allows you to tailor your material to the needs of a particular group. Continue Reading »

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Here’s what to keep in mind when preparing the visual part of your presentation:

1. Everyone in the group should be able to see and read the visuals easily. Think about the size of the group. The number of people will determine the technology you should use.
2. You want to be able to keep a tight focus on what is presented when. You don’t want to display too much information at any one time. Keep to three or four main ideas on each sheet. You don’t want your audience to get confused or overloaded.

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What greeted you when you arrived in your office this morning? Those reports, notes, letters and memos that I just have been discussing. By the time you have waded through it all, it’s nearly lunch break.

Did you know that the average person spends 45 minutes a day aimlessly searching for something lost on a desk? Moreover, an untidy desk may well cost you a contract, a new client or a project missed because you fail to react soon enough.

How did you fare? Did you find that you’re losing the battle? If so, you will need to implement all the ideas below to get on top of things. Continue Reading »

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2. Gather as much information as you possibly can in the time available. Ask questions of those who are likely to be affected. Give a call to someone who you believe has faced a similar dilemma. Go to the library and bookstore to see what may have been written on the subject. Call your CPA, attorney, or other professional who may have insight into the situation.

A few years ago, our product liability insurance policy was canceled. This was during one of those times when the commercial insurance companies were losing their shirts. The company who had written our policy decided to get out of commercial insurance altogether. The obvious first call was to an insurance agent, and then another, and another. It soon became clear that the normal method of securing new insurance was not going to work. No one thought we had a chance of getting a policy. Continue Reading »

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In an attempt to encourage more communication with her staff, a manager institutes a policy of taking a different employee to lunch each week. She also makes it a point to make the rounds every couple of days for informal chats. After a while she finds that employees are canceling their lunch dates. She also discovers that they find her visits intrusive and artificial.

In order to review the status of ongoing projects, keep everyone informed, and provide a forum where employees can speak their minds, a department head schedules daily 9:00 a.m. meetings. After the first week, attendance declines.

An administrator who advocates participative management sends employees a detailed questionnaire designed to elicit suggestions for improvement and announces a series of follow-up meetings. Employees respond with an “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude, and their response level is very low. Continue Reading »

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