STAGING A DISPLAY An effective display should stop people, arouse their interest, stimulate their thoughts and cause action. Most fail to do this.             Too many displays are cluttered and contain conflicting messages.             Displays should contain a simple message – the fewer the words the better. People are lazy readers and eager lookers.             …

  TROUBLESHOOTING  Problems tend to get bigger if they are not dealt with promptly. The best way to escape from a problem, and stop worrying about it, is to troubleshoot it fast and solve it as soon as possible. It’s so easy to procrastinate and hope the problem will go away.             First examine all…

 STIMULATING CREATIVITY Creativity requires the freedom to doubt the worth of common practices. Creative people often see familiar things as old-fashioned and out-of-date and want to create something new and worth-while.           Managers and CEOs cannot order staff to be creative, but they can provide working conditions where creativity can flourish.           By building a…

   SEEKING PROMOTION To advance your career and to achieve success is an exciting quest.  Success occurs when opportunity and preparation meet. Success comes when you do things right, when you learn how to make the best use of your time and how to deal with people. These tips will help you promote yourself; help…

PERSUASIVE WAYS  Be aware of some of the techniques people use to influence you, or to persuade you to buy a product. You may be able to turn them to your advantage. Five techniques used to influence you * Testimonials by famous people           Actors, sports persons, TV personalities or famous people with high profiles…

 SPEAKING TO A FOREIGN AUDIENCE Thorough preparation is essential when making a speech, or a presentation  in countries where English is not the main language.             If possible, get to know your audience first, their customs and habits, before you prepare your presentation.  You must be adaptable and flexible and…

  GETTING THINGS DONE Overcoming Procrastination   The world is cluttered with unfinished projects that have been put aside to do later when we have time.             The longer we put off  difficult tasks the harder they become. We say – we are too busy, or the job is  too big to start now. Why…

 Improving Recall How many speeches can you remember? Who spoke at the last  meeting you attended? What did they tell you?             Having carried out well over 100 recall exercises, (in  many countries) I realised the spoken word is a poor way to instruct and to teach. The results of these exercises have been disappointing.…

 REACHING AN AGREEMENT Successful leaders need well developed negotiation skills. So plan your negotiation strategy with care.           The ability to ask simple questions and listen intently to the replies are very important when trying to reach an agreement.           If necessary find out the traditional negotiation requirements of other cultures. Seek advice before you…

  BE YOUR OWN BOSS   To start your own business and succeed you must fulfil a need. Finding that need is your starting point.             It is easy to start a business but to keep it growing takes much work, skills and persistence.             To set up your own business you need a competitive…