Coaching to Success

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Stress

The 9 Hit list of common time-management mistakes … Prt 2 of 2!

Part 2 of 2: A fortnight ago we started off by discussing the first 5 parts of mistakes so commonly made in managing the tasks we have in the time to achieve them. How we manage the task is what is imperative. Time continues regardless and there are always 60 minutes in an hour, 24hrs in a day and 168hrs in in week no matter how you look at it.

See how many you’re guilty of! Here’s to the start of insuring you spend your time wisely and, in turn, create wealth for your business or time for the family or friends…

  1. PROCRASTINATION

This is the mother of all distractions from taking us away from important tasks. There are a myriad of reasons why we put things off and find other, often menial in comparison. Maybe you’re dreading the task or find it’s too big. I will often create an action plan to break the task into smaller, manageable components, work for half hour on each and then spend a last element joining the pieces together. Another is to set a time break when you will start/finish regardless of where you are. Repeat this until it is complete!

  1. MULTITASKING

So you can multi-task eh? Here’s some data for you, as a result of not concentrating on one task or another, or speaking on the phone while emailing a reply to someone, you can actually take up to 40% MORE TIME to complete a task as you are not focused on it. Also, the person on the other end of the call realises you are not giving them your full attention and we won’t even go in to mistkaes yuove made in yur emails (or article in this case)! Become aware of the traits of Multitasking to insure you don’t fall into the trap.

  1. FAILING TO COPE WITH DISTRACTIONS

I used to be forever reading emails as they pinged through or picking up the phone as yet another FB message found its way there. Now it’s different! I’ve turned off all email alerts and my phone goes on silent, as if I was in a meeting, when I have something important to accomplish. Manage your distractions as well as interruptions

  1. NOT TAKING BREAKS!

We are not robots and can’t produce the best quality work over an 8hr+ stint. This is treasured downtime which enable our brains to gain a chance to breath. We feed our bodily engines with food so feed your brain with frequent breaks. Create time in your diary to go for a walk, do some exercise anything to stop your brain focusing on what you are currently doing and when you return, you’ll be surprised as to how things become so much clearer.

Coaching to success specialise in time-management to help their clients become much more productive in work while freeing up time for family and friends. If you wish to know more, simply take 10 minutes out to contact Neil on 07761 187238 or email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk and discover who we can help you make those changes.

Top 8 tips on delivering truly powerful presentations

I was recently fortunate enough to watch Chris Packham displaying his photography while presenting his passion for saving wildlife around the world.

His fervour was evident through his deliverance which then got me thinking about how, as businesses people, we frequently have to do presentations. Although I now have no worry of standing up in front of an audience, I remember the days of sweating palms, nerves managing to evaporate moisture from my throat and constantly fumbling for loose change in my pockets!!

So here are Coaching to Success’ top 8 tips on how to deliver that all important presentation.

  1. Establish Credibility

Forget the long intro, keep it short and relevant. Share past involvements that lead to this presentation.

  1. Write the dialogue

Preparation to a presentation is the key! Write the whole dialogue, rehearse then rehearse again. Another tip (having learned through being a mason) is to recite it out loud, not just in your head.

  1. Deep breathing

This helps slow the racing heart down. Pace the speech to insure you don’t deliver too quickly. Try to mimic conversation speed.

  1. Jackanory time!

I may be showing my age here. Jackanory was all about storytelling and they say stats are interesting, facts convincing but stories are engaging so tell one that encourages the audience to join in with the journey!

  1. Tonality & Emphasis

When wishing to get a point across, elevate your volume and use gestures whilst altering your tone. When wishing to get facts and figures across, slow down, lower the volume so the audience needs to really listen

  1. Visual aids

Don’t play around with something you need to draw their attention to later. Keep the attention on yourself and remember (through rehearsing) when the next slide is to be shown without having to look at it.

  1. Don’t pace up and down

It’s off-putting to see someone pacing around a stage. A trick I learned was to stand on one side when delivering and to stroll to the other when asking! The audience subconsciously recognise when they are to listen or to participate. By strolling you are seen to be comfortable.

  1. Q&A Time

Always allow time for feedback. Also, members of the audience may have other questions raised as a result of what you delivered. The better you answer these with re-affirmed interest, the greater it reflects point 1. Prepare for questions that attempt to derail you. Be confident in your reply without getting personal. Plan answers for questions you feel may fit this criteria. No questions asked? Eek! No problems, have a few up your sleeve to help them. “You may still be wondering about…”, “one thing I’m often asked is..”

This is but an overview of areas to be considered but is a great foundation for getting the message across positively and confidently. You can’t be expected to know all the answers all of the time but when it comes to your presentation, this is one area you can shine in and remember, the audience are here for themselves primarily!

If you have any questions or would like to discuss how Coaching to Success can help you with that all important presentation, take the first step by contacting Neil either be email, neil.nutburn@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or call 07761 187238 where you are assured a warm welcome.

5 Chairs to conflict resolution!

I got myself into a potentially heated discussion the other day through a dismissive comment I made that hit a raw nerve!

After receiving a barrage of aggression, I realised how easy it is to upset someone. So what did I do? Stand and fight back, but to what end? Just to prove I was superior in the use of the English language (that’s not to say I was!), only to create the catalyst for a break down in our relationship over a petty remark?

Now, I realised that I was at fault and should have refrained from using flippant remarks. The situation dispersed straight away when I put my hands up and announced “my bad, I only meant to make light of the situation”. At this point, the hypothetical inferno that could have potentially gone out of control was eliminated.

All too often, we allow simple situations to spiral with both parties wanting the upper hand. It’s not a sign of weakness to back down, more of strength, as long as you are doing it for the right reason, ie I was in the wrong, not to simply appease the other person.

So what happens when it’s gone beyond the niceties and there is a definite issue, with seemingly little resolve due to the fact that “I’m not in conflict, they’re simply WRONG!”

This tool is best handled with someone to arbitrate and ask the questions. It involves 4 chairs facing in on each side of a square and 1 chair to the side.

  1. Person one. Directly opposite is…
  2. Person two. The chairs on either side will be…
  3. The company/boss/family and opposite…
  4. Outsiders looking in.

The 5th chair is for person ‘2’. Observing only.

Person ‘1’ sits in chair 1. Questions are asked concerning their views, reasons and thoughts behind what has started this conflict. The arbitrator’s task is to ask questions while insuring person 2 doesn’t interrupt.

Once person 1 has exhausted their thoughts, they are then asked to sit in chair 2 and express how they think person 2 feels about the situation. This is the critical stage for person 2 to listen and realise how their actions affect the other person.

When complete, asked them to move to chair 3. How would the company/boss or family look at what it going on and eventually to chair 4 representing someone who could potentially be effected by this.

Once complete, the whole exercise is repeated with Person 2 starting off in chair 2, then 1, 3 and 4 and the first participant in the observation chair.

When completed, all parties are brought together having a clearer understanding of cause and effect, working to resolve issues as logic has had an opportunity to step in rather than allowing emotion to gain full control.

The physical movement between chairs is an NLP trick that triggers the brain to realise they are leaving one post behind and can see clearer in the next post.

Debate adds energy to new potential ideas. Conflict dampens the thought process and the potential of moving forward. This can be costly not just for business but the morale too.

Coaching to success know the right ‘incisive’ questions to ask as we’re trained in this process to alleviate the tension and build on answers given. If you have conflict and are looking for a resolve, then make your initial enquiry with Neil either via the phone on 07761 187238 or email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk for a friendly, informal chat to see how we can help.

What are your ‘Stress Factors’?

Stress is becoming more apparent both at work and home these days, so how do we recognise the symptoms?

Thinking ‘errors’ is one place to start

  • PREDICTION – Negatively forecasting future events, ie “I have to submit this report and I know the boss just won’t be happy with it”
  • LABELLING – Allow negative thoughts about ourselves, ie “I’m not the sort of person who can handle this”
  • STANDARDS – Setting of unrealistic standards for ourselves to meet, ie “Unlike last time I SHOULD be able to do this, I MUST improve this time. You know, I CAN’T manage this”
  • MAGNIFYING – Talking things out of proportion, ie “I didn’t win that contract, my career is over!”

It could be said we’re all under pressure in some way or another, however, ‘Pressure’ is a prerequisite of ‘Stress’ but on its own it’s a healthy place to dip into but prolonged, we take to burn out or breakdown.

2yrs ago the average life expectancy was 80.5yrs compared to those in high pressure jobs at 69! Now, most jobs in one form or another are moving in that direction so it’s imperative we get control and remove external pressures that result in US suffering stress.

This control is referred to as ‘Locus of control’. Those with Internal locus believe they have control over what happens in their lives. Those with External locus believe it’s others, chance or even fate that have control. Internal locus consequently manage to reduce their heart rates.

In the 1950s, cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman looked into Personality types. Type A & B with the former being more prone to heart disease!

Type A: Can be impatient, critical or aggressive. When under pressure, they find themselves in conflict with others and what they say is final! The positive aspect is that they’re generally high achievers making great leaders but not necessarily team players.

Type B: Laid back, calm, friendly and don’t allow things that frustrate others to affect them. Generally dealing with tasks calmly. Working to a high standard and compliment others via praise while allowing individual’s their weak areas.

Recognise these traits in yourself or others? It’s never black or white but we normally lean towards one or the other.

Consider the frame of mind you adopt when under severe pressure or stress… what affect does this have on those around you? What about others such as bosses or team members? How do their words or actions affect you? Do you allow their negativity to alter your positive state?

What are you going to do to control your stress? Start by assessing what your stressors are. Think about situations where your levels of stress have risen. About circumstances that you were happy enough and someone else changed the way you were feeling.

To help, type up the following 3 headings creating your personal stress management contract, answer each in turn.

  1. I could ease the impact of stress if I were to start…
  2. I could ease the impact of stress if I were to stop…
  3. I will recognise my personal management when I find myself…

We recognise how demotivating stress can be. Making lives intolerable and work non-productive. That’s why we focus on the cause and then help find a way of Management rather than Cure. Often, cure is the external locus that our internal locus has to deal with!

Contact Neil to arrange your free consultation either by email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or calling 07761 187238 and let’s move towards a stress free, positive thinking and highly motivated life.

“Ready, Steady, G… Hang on, before I do, maybe if…”

How many times have I historically set about doing something then haven’t due to those voices in my head telling me otherwise (these are different from those other voices in horror films … but then again!), well, it’s a rhetorical question but how many times have you considered

  • Changing your job/career
  • Writing that report you know will be a massive task … but I’ll just clear my desk first
  • Needing immediate gratification” – Procrastination loves this as it gives you an excuse to do something more interesting.
  • “I could do with some help on this”. You end up waiting until somebody else takes over. Some do this their whole lives.
  • Wait on something else – “I can’t complete this report until John gives me the figures” (Guilty! Rather than go get them, I’ve used this excuse)
  • Be passive, wait for fate or circumstance to rescue you from having to act.

 

Then there’s the factors that cause us to cease moving forward:

  • “I don’t have anyone to go to for advice, support or encouragement.”
  • “I didn’t know I was supposed to do that.” (Ignorance)
  • “What if I fail?”, then again, “What if I succeed?”
  • “No one really cares whether I do this or not.” (Apathy)
  • “It’s too risky. In this economy I can’t take the chance to…”
  • “This other opportunity will never come again, I can’t pass it up.” (Delay tactic)
  • “I’m too old. I wish I had thought about this 20 years ago.”
  • “I don’t know how to do it.” (Skill Deficiency)
  • “I just can’t seem to get started (Inertia)

This is a definite mix of both areas where confidence is lacking and procrastination, which comes in many guises, and is the mother of all temptresses to take us away from the tasks we really do need to do.

So how do we beat these? Consider these to give some focus:

  • Learn what you’re good at – Recognise your skill-set and build confidence through competence. Ask work colleagues what they see as your strengths.
  • Play ‘Follow the leader’ – Look at those who have gone before you, gain confidence from what they have achieved
  • Evidence! – One of my favourites. Work from hard facts of what you have achieved as opposed to what you think will happen. Positive affirmations every time.
  • “What exactly am I supposed to do?” – Gain clarity
  • “Why have I been given this?” – Establish the facts
  • “How does this fit into the big picture?” – Relevance of ideas
  • “How it will be measured” – Give it worth and value for the time put in
  • “How will my efforts affect the work of others?” – Responsibility.

If you or members of your team wish to move forward, we’re here to help. Simply call to arrange your free consultation and see how you can help make those changes! Neil looks forward to hearing from you either by calling 07761 187238 or email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk. We’re affiliated to the Growth Accelerator scheme, so some businesses can obtain government funding too!