Training Case Study using a Project Simulator

by Christine Petersen, PMP




The vital Importance of effective written communication



Understanding and Managing your Stakeholders



How Knowing Your Big Why Can Boost Your Team Results



How to make Email work for you



Having Difficult Conversations



Yes But vs. Yes And



Soft Skills are Crucial to Success



Talk Less, Listen More



5-Hour Workdays? 4-Day Workweeks? Yes, Please



10 Tips for dealing with difficult people



Jump to "Soft Skills are Crucial to Success" article



Jump to "Body Language - What are you REALLY saying?" article



Jump to "The art of excellence - happiness in the workplace" article



Jump to "Agile project management" article



Jump to "Shackleton's Way" article



Jump to "FOOD - Common Cross-Cultural Differences" article



Jump to "Breathe. Exhale. Repeat: The Benefits of Controlled Breathing" article



Jump to "Having Difficult Conversations" article



Jump to "Ingredients for Building a Great Team" article


At VIRAK, we understand the need to reinforce learning by integrating theory with practical relevant experience and emotions. By combining these aspects of our training solutions we ensure that learning is anchored and immediately useable in private and business environments.

It is largely due to the changing requirements of our clients which have encouraged us to provide innovative training solutions tailored to their specific environment and circumstances.

One such example is a large multi-national company whose headquarters are in Geneva. This company wanted us to come up with a training solution which was 100% aligned with their strategies, reflected their industry, integrated their project methodology and matched the availability of their staff, and of course their budget!

We set ourselves a goal to produce a training solution which integrated at least 70% practical exercises using appropriate technology. We approached the challenge using the following steps –
1) Our consultant worked with the client’s PMO to fully integrate their project methodology and templates – sometimes passing on lessons learned from our own industrial and commercial experience.
2) We integrated key messages which reflected the organisation’s key strategic goals in such areas as new product development, productivity improvement and compliance concerns.
3) We developed a specific case study which reflected a typical project which participants could encounter in their day-to-day work.
4) We structured and developed a 3-day training course aimed at both new project managers and project team members.
5) The training integrated project management theory and best practices using practical exercises always using the client-specific case study
a. Creating a project charter
b. Identifying and analysing stakeholders
c. Collecting stakeholder requirements
d. Defining the project scope and creating the WBS
e. Integrating qualityv f. Planning a realistic project schedule
g. Analysing project risks and taking appropriate action

6) As the client’s projects more than usually involved multi-cultural virtual teams, particular focus was given to the human aspects and challenges of project management
a. Treating the team as key stakeholders
b. Understanding roles and characteristics of team members
c. Building a multi-cultural, virtual team
d. Involving the team
e. Balancing the role of the project manager and his/her relationship with the team
f. Understanding and benefitting from cultural differences

7) A unique element of our training approach was to use a project simulator (Simultrain) to simulate the execution of the project – once again tailored to the client’s case study. Using this PC-based simulation we created a fun environment which also introduced an element of competition to make the experience and learnings memorable.

We have now delivered many courses for this client in many different countries and of course more recently using a virtual approach. And the feedback from the many hundreds of participants?

Fantastic course! - Hugely practical - Great fun - Perfect balance of theory and practical

Contact

VIRAK
Via Longhena 5
6900 Lugano
SWITZERLAND

The vital Importance of effective written communication

by Christine Petersen, PMP




Training Case Study using a Project Simulator



Understanding and Managing your Stakeholders



How Knowing Your Big Why Can Boost Your Team Results



How to make Email work for you



Having Difficult Conversations



Yes But vs. Yes And



Soft Skills are Crucial to Success



Talk Less, Listen More



5-Hour Workdays? 4-Day Workweeks? Yes, Please



10 Tips for dealing with difficult people



Jump to "Soft Skills are Crucial to Success" article



Jump to "Body Language - What are you REALLY saying?" article



Jump to "The art of excellence - happiness in the workplace" article



Jump to "Agile project management" article



Jump to "Shackleton's Way" article



Jump to "FOOD - Common Cross-Cultural Differences" article



Jump to "Breathe. Exhale. Repeat: The Benefits of Controlled Breathing" article



Jump to "Having Difficult Conversations" article



Jump to "Ingredients for Building a Great Team" article


Ineffective writing is also a pandemic !

Research across the top 1000 corporations shows that about 30% of written communications are requests for clarification of a previous written communication. This represents a great loss in productivity, but worse poor writing can cause costly or even deadly mistakes. Poor writing can lower staff morale, damage a company’s image and cause loss of revenues and customers.

During the years I worked as a management consultant, analysing huge business problems, nine times out of ten the root cause was a communication problem. Huge disasters such as the oil well explosion in the gulf of Mexico have been attributed to unclear written communication.

But why does this happen ?

During my work in executive development I discovered that most people, even with university educations, have not been taught to write, other than creative writing at school – sadly this not what is required in a business environment. So when we land in a new job or our first career post we tend to look around and figure out « how things are done around here ». Then we tend to adopt (cut and paste even !) the predominant writing style of that organisation. In this way ineffective, over-telegraphic or over- bureaucratic and pompous writing styles are perpetuated. Another epidemic is the frequent use of acronyms – a major source of misunderstandings, mistakes and alienation of readers.

In some organisations I have also noticed that people with a high level of education like to show their prowess by using long words and erudite phrases that are not in everyday vocabulary. I also know from research that the higher a person is in an organisation the more they prefer simple direct written communication.

What should we write ?

Know that, when your client, or your boss or colleague receive a written communication (Report, email, memo, proposal, letter….) the first thing they do is ask themselves three things :
1. What is this about ?
2. What are you telling me ?
3. What do you want me to do ?
So be sure to answer these points clearly, logically and directly.

Finally the golden rule is to write for the reader and do not make the reader have to figure things out.

At VIRAK we have designed an effective writing workshop for business professionals and executives which can change your life in half a day. See here for details:

For the first time, VIRAK is happy to propose a half-day training with an expert of communication, public speaker and experienced trainer in English writing skills. Thanks to the workshop format, you will actively participate and have a chance to improve your skills. The number of places is limited.

This half day virtual learning experience is designed for professionals who have to write proposals, reports, memos, letters, instructions, handbooks and executive summaries in English, whatever their mother tongue. Through short modules about the science of effective business writing, hands on practice and group work you will learn how to plan, structure, write, analyze and edit great business writing for maximum impact.

By the end of this half-day workshop you will:
• Know the basic science of effective written communication
• Recognize writing styles that communicate well
• Avoid common errors of style and language
• Write to a logical structure
• Analyze and improve your own writing
• Reduce the time you spend writing
• Add impact to obtain the results you want

Participants are asked to submit a one-page sample of their business writing before the course, that will be used during the workshop and will allow each participant to get personal coaching.

The proposed agenda is 3 hours as follows, delivered using ZOOM platform:09:30 am to 12:00 am
• Introduction, Protocol, Icebreaker, Objectives
• Why bad writing is bad for organizations and why it happens
• Reacting as a reader – participative workshop
• Four stage strategy for writing business documents
• Selecting your audience and material –using your case studies
• Planning your document – structure and layout –using your case studies
• Writing for clarity – hands on writing session
• Editing for readability –using your case studies
• Anchoring learnings – wrap-up

About your trainer:
Sally-Ann Moore is a BSC graduate from the university of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. After which she attended INSEAD and completed a masters. She worked on strategic techno-economic planning programs for 6 years at the prestigious Battelle European Research Institute, during which time she became interested in executive skills development. She went on to become head of Learning and development of Digital equipment corporation EMEA, and became a leading world expert on eLearning and competence management. She has published several papers on these topics and is a well-known international keynote speaker. Since becoming a management consultant Sally-Ann had developed and delivered numerous management seminars and workshops across Europe, Middle East, Asia and the USA.

Understanding and Managing your Stakeholders

, by Christine Petersen, PMP




Training Case Study using a Project Simulator



The vital Importance of effective written communication



How Knowing Your Big Why Can Boost Your Team Results



How to make Email work for you



Having Difficult Conversations



Yes But vs. Yes And



Soft Skills are Crucial to Success



Talk Less, Listen More



5-Hour Workdays? 4-Day Workweeks? Yes, Please



10 Tips for dealing with difficult people



Jump to "Soft Skills are Crucial to Success" article



Jump to "Body Language - What are you REALLY saying?" article



Jump to "The art of excellence - happiness in the workplace" article



Jump to "Agile project management" article



Jump to "Shackleton's Way" article



Jump to "FOOD - Common Cross-Cultural Differences" article



Jump to "Breathe. Exhale. Repeat: The Benefits of Controlled Breathing" article



Jump to "Having Difficult Conversations" article



Jump to "Ingredients for Building a Great Team" article


When I ask participants in my workshops what the most important reason for failure or success in a project is, most people tell me that it’s all about their five constraints: time, budget, scope, resources and risks.

Now once we started to analyze the root cause of the success or failure of their project, it was not directly how the five constraints were managed but how they managed their stakeholders’ – and most importantly, their KEY stakeholders’ expectations around these five constraints that made the difference. Project Managers did not identify or understand the key stakeholders in the first place, or the stakeholders did not take their responsibilities seriously.

So what is the difference? Can’t we just say that once we have defined our scope, time, costs, resources and risks, and made sure that these are then managed and kept under control, then the outcome will be a successful project?

Well, it is not that easy. Each of the five constraints need to be agreed upon by the key stakeholders at the start of the project. And once agreed upon – not easy to do – then they need to be managed throughout the project, in order to deliver what was expected.

And this is why I believe that rather than say that the critical success factor of a project is managing the five constraints, I prefer to say that the main route to project success is managing the expectations surrounding these constraints.

When we say we are managing projects, we are mainly managing people, in all their complexity. Their needs, wants, dreams, desires, pasts and futures. Their alliances, politics and goals. In summary: their expectations. And the goal is to find ways to manage our stakeholders’ expectations realistically.

So, how do we start? The first step is to analyse our stakeholders and manage the narrative. Decide who is a stakeholder, and most importantly, who is a KEY stakeholder – those people who can make or break the project. Understand these stakeholders, their concerns, constraints, requirements, expected benefits/disbenefits. Integrate their requirements, expectations and constraints in your plan, and make sure that the expectations that people have about the project can be realistically delivered.

Start as early as possible by communicating out what the vision for the project is, what are the goals, and the realistic boundaries of what we can achieve. If we let others define these for us, then we are already too late. People already have their own ideas that are then harder to change.

Once we have decided on who will be involved as well as the main vision, goals and boundaries (our “Charter”), then the third step is to spend time with each of our key stakeholders, understanding their point of view, their needs, wants and goals, and making sure that these are aligned with the realities of our project. This takes time. Time well invested in building relationships; creating energy around the project; ensuring common goals and how to achieve these; and clarifying roles and responsibilities.

This builds the foundation for the rest of the project. It helps us create dialogue, remain in contact with all our stakeholders, keeps them aligned with the project as it unfurls, and ensures that the results of the project are accepted. You ensure that you can keep close to them as their expectations change or your plan changes.

Many Project Managers tell me that it takes too much time, that they are told to “just do it” and get the project done (which usually means skip the planning and get straight to the execution phase of the project). But can they really afford to skip the planning and ignore the people who can make or break the project?

The last step is to keep communicating with your stakeholders throughout the project by continuously managing their expectations. I sometimes see projects fail because the stakeholders are not kept in the loop as the project progresses, they feel out of touch and sidelined, and feel that they are not heard. This will inevitably cause resistance and feelings of distrust, and finally, these stakeholders will stop cooperating, and start actively or passively sabotaging the results of the project. The Project Manager will wonder why the results of the project were not accepted and why they “failed” when the real reason was lack of communication and listening.

In summary, the five steps are: Define your stakeholders, manage the narrative, align the narrative to their expectations, create a dialogue and keep communicating. Each step is a brick in the road to success. So take the time you need, and keep communicating

Contact

VIRAK
Via Longhena 5
6900 Lugano
SWITZERLAND

How Knowing Your Big Why Can Boost Your Team Results

, by Christine Petersen, PMP




Training Case Study using a Project Simulator



The vital Importance of effective written communication



Understanding and Managing your Stakeholders



How to make Email work for you



Having Difficult Conversations



Yes But vs. Yes And



Soft Skills are Crucial to Success



Talk Less, Listen More



5-Hour Workdays? 4-Day Workweeks? Yes, Please



10 Tips for dealing with difficult people



Jump to "Soft Skills are Crucial to Success" article



Jump to "Body Language - What are you REALLY saying?" article



Jump to "The art of excellence - happiness in the workplace" article



Jump to "Agile project management" article



Jump to "Shackleton's Way" article



Jump to "FOOD - Common Cross-Cultural Differences" article



Jump to "Breathe. Exhale. Repeat: The Benefits of Controlled Breathing" article



Jump to "Having Difficult Conversations" article



Jump to "Ingredients for Building a Great Team" article


Why should you be concerned by the “Big Why”?

You might know the Ted Talk from Simon Sinek (one of the most viewed Ted talks): “start with why”. In this Ted Talk, Sinek explains that all the companies know “what” they do; most of them know “how”, however few know “why” they do it. Being aware that it’s not the profit the make but the impact they want to have on society, the intrinsic inspiration.

Because driving a business to excellence is not only about figures and profits but also about genuine motivation and inner vision. One of the best examples is the story of Steve Jobs asking the then-Pepsi president John Sculley : “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of his life or come with me and change the world?” Jobs asked. Jobs’s WHY was not to make computers but to create a new world and this is what gave him and his team the motivation to create “buttons on the screen that look so good you'll want to lick them”.

For some years now, consumers have expected companies to share a clear vision, not just products or services. But to clearly share a vision with others, you will first need to define it.

Why should every Team work on their “big Why”?

Meaningful tasks and projects, connection and human exchanges are the basis for a motivating and healthy workspace. Feeling worthy, being part of something bigger than you, knowing you can make a difference will get you going and eager to deliver, and make you more resilient.

When a team has a clear Why, everyone knows why they are working hard, they understand that their daily tasks are useful and impactful, and they know that they matter. They feel like human beings and not just human doings. And isn’t this our ultimate wish?

Why is the “big Why” even more important these days for business?

When you do not know what tomorrow holds, when uncertainty is the new normal, when strategies need to be changed by the week, people crave something to hang on to: the vision, the why. Your Why is your compass, the shore to reach, even if the sea is raging.

These new times demand even more flexibility, creativity and dedication from everybody. And to achieve this, you need a captain and team who know where we are going, how to get there, and most importantly, Why we are going there.

For more information, please check out our new 1-day “Team Motivation in Uncertain Times” workshop.

Contact

VIRAK
Via Longhena 5
6900 Lugano
SWITZERLAND

How to make Email work for you

by Christine Petersen, PMP




Training Case Study using a Project Simulator



The vital Importance of effective written communication



Understanding and Managing your Stakeholders



How Knowing Your Big Why Can Boost Your Team Results



Having Difficult Conversations



Yes But vs. Yes And



Soft Skills are Crucial to Success



Talk Less, Listen More



5-Hour Workdays? 4-Day Workweeks? Yes, Please



10 Tips for dealing with difficult people



Jump to "Soft Skills are Crucial to Success" article



Jump to "Body Language - What are you REALLY saying?" article



Jump to "The art of excellence - happiness in the workplace" article



Jump to "Agile project management" article



Jump to "Shackleton's Way" article



Jump to "FOOD - Common Cross-Cultural Differences" article



Jump to "Breathe. Exhale. Repeat: The Benefits of Controlled Breathing" article



Jump to "Having Difficult Conversations" article



Jump to "Ingredients for Building a Great Team" article


Email – we can’t live without it, we don’t know how to live with it. Our use of email has risen exponentially in the past years. Campaign Monitor estimates the number of business email users in 2020 at around 4.04 BILLION. The average office worker receives 120 work emails per day. Now, not all those emails are important. Up to 50% are spam or unwanted offers. However, those that are important sometimes get lost in the ocean of spam.

So, how can we make email work for us rather than against us and our sanity? First is to learn how to write emails so that the information comes across easily and quickly. People will read just the title of the email, so make sure the title says it all, or at least ensures that the reader opens the email to read the rest.

Second, make sure the “To:”, “cc:”, and “bcc:” is used in the right way. If you are sent an email with your name in the “To:” box, then it is because the person sending the email wants you to do something (action) or say something (comment). If your name is in the “cc:” box, then the email should be for information only and you are not expected to take action.

Thirdly, create separate folders so you can store your emails and be able to find them again easily. Once you touch an email, it’s recommended that you act, and either reply and delete or store, or place in an “Action Later” folder. This will make sure that you don’t have too many emails in the “IN” box, and it gives you a clear overview of the emails you do have and the actions you have to take.

Now we are ready to write our email. The problem is that when we write an email and when we read one, our perspectives and expectations change. When we read an email, we read it as a letter, however when we write an email, we often write it as we would speak. This causes untold confusion and possible conflicts. We write as we would speak, yet reading an email, we don’t get the intonation, the voice, and meaning that voice brings us, so we can easily take the email the wrong way. This means that when you write an email, you should think about how the recipient will read it, and re-phrase accordingly.

We also have a tendency to over react to emails. Have you ever come into the office on a Monday morning, still sleepy, and receive in your in-box an email that is just downright rude? You quickly bang out a reply, and send it off with a self-satisfied “hah”. 3 hours later, you re-read what you wrote and think “Oh dear – what have I just done?”. Well, to avoid this, then do by all means write the email, but send it to your “Draft” folder instead and then after lunch (when you are more awake and have more sugar in your blood) then re-read the mail, and change the wording before it starts World War 3.

If you can, answer the “Who, What, When, Where and How” questions that the reader will have in their minds. Also, always proofread your email for grammar, understanding, clarity and flow. This saves time later, in explanations and in answering questions.

Finally, if you want the recipient to read your email and understand quickly what you want to say, then put the information in an easy to read format. Bullet points. Short sentences. Facts, not pages of information. You can always attach the pages of information to the email in a document apart, if necessary.

So, if you want email to work for you rather than against you, then ensure that you actively do all you can do – or simply pick up the phone.

Contact

VIRAK
Via Longhena 5
6900 Lugano
SWITZERLAND

Having Difficult Conversations

by Christine Petersen




Training Case Study using a Project Simulator



The vital Importance of effective written communication



Understanding and Managing your Stakeholders



How Knowing Your Big Why Can Boost Your Team Results



How to make Email work for you



Yes But vs. Yes And



Soft Skills are Crucial to Success



Talk Less, Listen More



5-Hour Workdays? 4-Day Workweeks? Yes, Please



10 Tips for dealing with difficult people



Jump to "Soft Skills are Crucial to Success" article



Jump to "Body Language - What are you REALLY saying?" article



Jump to "The art of excellence - happiness in the workplace" article



Jump to "Agile project management" article



Jump to "Shackleton's Way" article



Jump to "FOOD - Common Cross-Cultural Differences" article



Jump to "Breathe. Exhale. Repeat: The Benefits of Controlled Breathing" article



Jump to "Having Difficult Conversations" article



Jump to "Ingredients for Building a Great Team" article


There are dozens of books on the topic of difficult, crucial, challenging, important kinds of conversations. Those times when you know you should talk to someone, but you don’t. Maybe you’ve tried before and it went badly. Or maybe you fear that talking will only make the situation worse. Still, there’s a feeling of being stuck, and you’d like to free up that stuck energy for more useful purposes.
What you have here is a brief synopsis of best practice strategies: a checklist of action items to think about before going into the conversation; some useful concepts to practice during the conversation; and some tips and suggestions to help you’re energy stay focused and flowing, including possible conversational openings.
You’ll notice one key theme throughout: you have more power than you think.

Working on yourself: How to prepare for the conversation

Before going into the conversation, ask yourself some questions:
1. What is your purpose for having the conversation? What do you hope to accomplish? What would be an ideal outcome?
You may think you have honorable goals, like educating an employee or increasing connection with your teen, only to notice that your language is excessively critical or condescending. You think you want to support, but you end up punishing. Some purposes are more useful than others. Work on yourself so that you enter the conversation with a supportive purpose.

2. What assumptions are you making about this person’s intentions?
You may feel intimidated, belittled, ignored, disrespected, or marginalized, but be cautious about assuming that that was their intention. Impact does not necessarily equal intent.

3. What “buttons” of yours are being pushed? Are you more emotional than the situation warrants?
Take a look at your “backstory,” as they say in the movies. What personal history is being triggered? You may still have the conversation, but you’ll go into it knowing that some of the heightened emotional state has to do with you.

4. How is your attitude toward the conversation influencing your perception of it?
If you think this is going to be horribly difficult, it probably will be. If you truly believe that whatever happens, some good will come of it, that will likely be the case. Try to adjust your attitude for maximum effectiveness.

5. Who is the opponent? What might they be thinking about this situation? Are they aware of the problem? If so, how do you think they perceive it? What are their needs and fears? What solution do you think they would suggest? Begin to reframe the opponent as partner. 6. What are your needs and fears? Are there any common concerns? Could there be?

7. How have you contributed to the problem? How have they?

4 Steps to a Successful Outcome

The majority of the work in any conflict conversation is work you do on yourself. No matter how well the conversation begins, you’ll need to stay in charge of yourself, your purpose and your emotional energy.
Breathe, center, and continue to notice when you become off-center – and choose to return again. This is where your power lies. By choosing the calm, centered state, you’ll help your opponent/partner to be more centered, too.
Centering is not a step; centering is how you are as you take the steps. (For more on Centering, see the Resource section at the end of the article.)

Step #1:Inquiry
Cultivate an attitude of discovery and curiosity. Pretend you don’t know anything (you really don’t), and try to learn as much as possible about your opponent/partner and their point of view. Pretend you’re entertaining a visitor from another planet, and find out how things look on that planet, how certain events affect them, and what the values and priorities are there. If they really were from another planet, you’d be watching their body language and listening for the unspoken energy as well. Do that here. What do they really want? What are they not saying?
Let them talk until they’re finished. Don’t interrupt except to acknowledge. Whatever you hear, don’t take it personally. It’s not really about you. Try to learn as much as you can in this phase of the conversation. You’ll get your turn, but don’t rush it.

Step #2:Acknowledgment
Acknowledgment means to show that you’ve heard and understood. Try to understand them so well you can make their argument for them. Then do it. Explain back to them what you think they’re really going for. Guess at their hopes and honor their position. They won’t change unless they see that you see where they stand. Then they might. No guarantees.
Acknowledge whatever you can, including your own defensiveness if it comes up. It’s fine; it just is. You can decide later how to address it. For example, in an argument with a friend I said: “I notice I’m becoming defensive, and I think it’s because your voice just got louder and sounded angry. I just want to talk about this topic. I’m not trying to persuade you in either direction.” The acknowledgment helped him (and me) to re-center.
Acknowledgment can be difficult if we associate it with agreement. Keep them separate. Even if I say, “this sounds really important to you,” it doesn’t mean I’m going to go along with your decision.

Step #3:Advocacy
When you sense that they’ve expressed all their energy on the topic, it’s your turn. What can you see from your perspective that they’ve missed? Help clarify your position without minimizing theirs.
For example: “From what you’ve told me, I can see how you came to the conclusion that I’m not a team player. And I think I am. When I introduce problems with a project, I’m thinking about its long-term success. I don’t mean to be a critic, though perhaps I sound like one. Maybe we can talk about how to address these issues so that my intention is clear.”

Step #4:Problem-Solving
Now you’re ready to begin building solutions. Brainstorming is useful, and continued inquiry. Ask your opponent/partner what they think would work. Whatever they say, find something that you like and build on it.
If the conversation becomes adversarial, go back to inquiry. Asking for the other’s point of view usually creates safety, and they’ll be more willing to engage.
If you’ve been successful in centering, adjusting your attitude, and in engaging with inquiry and useful purpose, building sustainable solutions will be easy.
Practice, practice, practice! The art of conversation is like any art – with continued practice you acquire skill and ease. You, too, can create better working and family relationships, ease communication problems and improve the quality of your work and home environment. You’re on the way, and here are some additional hints:

Tips and suggestions
A successful outcome will depend on two things: how you are and what you say. How you are (centered, supportive, curious, problem-solving) will greatly influence what you say.
Acknowledge emotional energy – yours and theirs – and direct it towards a useful purpose.
Know and return to your purpose at difficult moments.
Don’t take verbal attacks personally. Help your opponent/partner come back to center.
Don’t assume they can see things from your point of view.
Practice the conversation with a friend before holding the real one.
Mentally practice the conversation. See various possibilities and visualize yourself handling them with ease. Envision the outcome you’re hoping for.

Contact

VIRAK
Via Longhena 5
6900 Lugano
SWITZERLAND

Yes But vs. Yes And





Training Case Study using a Project Simulator



The vital Importance of effective written communication



Understanding and Managing your Stakeholders



How Knowing Your Big Why Can Boost Your Team Results



How to make Email work for you



Having Difficult Conversations



Soft Skills are Crucial to Success



Talk Less, Listen More



5-Hour Workdays? 4-Day Workweeks? Yes, Please



10 Tips for dealing with difficult people



Jump to "Soft Skills are Crucial to Success" article



Jump to "Body Language - What are you REALLY saying?" article



Jump to "The art of excellence - happiness in the workplace" article



Jump to "Agile project management" article



Jump to "Shackleton's Way" article



Jump to "FOOD - Common Cross-Cultural Differences" article



Jump to "Breathe. Exhale. Repeat: The Benefits of Controlled Breathing" article



Jump to "Having Difficult Conversations" article



Jump to "Ingredients for Building a Great Team" article


We have all been in this situation: someone asks us something and we answer with a “yes but”, not realising the impact this has on the conversation.
It’s all about your mindset. Many people will automatically say “yes but” when answering a question, thinking they are being positive because they are saying “yes” and in fact negating whatever was said before the “but”.
Improvisation is an art form, also known as “Improv Theatre” in which five to six actors arrive onstage and create a show without a script, props, or costumes. It only works because they are always thinking and saying: "Yes, AND…"
No matter what an actor says onstage ("I'm lost in the desert!"), she knows that not only will her troupe immediately accept and support the idea ("Yes, you're lost in the desert!") they will also add to it. ("And I'm a palm tree in a mirage.") By constantly accepting whatever is contributed onstage ("Yes"), then adding to it ("And"), an improv troupe can build entire one-act plays out of thin air. When this concept is applied to work situations, the results can be amazing: radical changes in business and positive engagement from employees. This is because when you apply "Yes, AND…" to life, people feel heard, valued, and accountable. When you say "AND" and get into the game, you're part of the success or failure of the project, conversation, or event. In other words, you're on board with what is taking place, and that brings a higher level of energy and involvement. "Yes, AND…" creates collaboration in times of conflict and engagement in times of trouble.
Have you ever shared a new thought with someone, and thought they were really on board with you? The listener says, "Yes, I get it!" There is a moment of excitement for you, but then they say, "But it will never work."
Or maybe they say, "Yes! What a wonderful plan. But we tried it three years ago and it didn't work."
Or consider performance review time. You're getting all this great feedback. Your manager is saying, "Yes! We loved the work you did on Acme. You were so thorough, and the client loved you. But …."
Torpedo. Energy and excitement are flattened. You feel not only denied, but also patronized. It doesn't really matter what comes next. After BUT, all you feel is that what came first was insincere.
“Yes AND…” people are those who focus on building something. They have a constructive thinking and they are used to providing their best contribution. The communication with them is easy, smooth and meaningful. They face potential obstacles looking for possible solutions. And if they disagree about a topic, they simply explain their opinion and the reasons why.
So, try it for yourself. How does it feel when you say “yes BUT”? Where does the conversation go? And now, try for one hour, one day, one week to substitute “BUT” with “AND”. See what happens. It’s not easy. It’s a habit that takes time to form. However you will most likely find that you will start to see possibilities where you only saw dead ends. You will start to find the positive in situations that you would normally see as neutral at best. People around you will start perceiving you as more positive and proactive. And once the habit is there, you will become aware of just how full the glass is.

Contact

VIRAK
Via Longhena 5
6900 Lugano
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Soft Skills are Crucial to Success





Training Case Study using a Project Simulator



The vital Importance of effective written communication



Understanding and Managing your Stakeholders



How Knowing Your Big Why Can Boost Your Team Results



Having Difficult Conversations



Yes But vs. Yes And



Talk Less, Listen More



5-Hour Workdays? 4-Day Workweeks? Yes, Please



10 Tips for dealing with difficult people



Jump to "Soft Skills are Crucial to Success" article



Jump to "Body Language - What are you REALLY saying?" article



Jump to "The art of excellence - happiness in the workplace" article



Jump to "Agile project management" article



Jump to "Shackleton's Way" article



Jump to "FOOD - Common Cross-Cultural Differences" article



Jump to "Breathe. Exhale. Repeat: The Benefits of Controlled Breathing" article



Jump to "Having Difficult Conversations" article



Jump to "Ingredients for Building a Great Team" article


Technical or financial skills have little value if you have poor soft skills. Of course, your expertise matters. But don’t be fooled by your technical skills or professional qualification. King of Linux, Champion of Oracle, Degree in Accounting?

You’ve got it made, right? Well, no; today, hard skills alone are no guarantee of success.

You have all the qualifications and certifications with solid work experience. You are the programming guru or the indispensable Master of Numbers. Therefore, you are on your way to becoming an outstanding achiever. Sadly no. Excellent technical activities, rapid knowledge acquisition and a collection of certificates are not the same thing as growth because technical skills alone do not lead to recognition, promotion, and most importantly: opportunity. Technical skills and expertise are important but even more so are your soft skills.

How well do you communicate with your colleagues, management, clients or your employer? How well do you interact in your team? Are you capable of solving problems that are not technical? Are you able to identify and recommend solutions that are soft and human? What is the readability index of your memos and reports? Are you able to stand up in a meeting and talk business without referring to the nuts and bolts of your profession?

In sum, are you perceived as a strategic contributor or just another techie?

So what are the soft skills that matter and how can you get them fast? More and more companies are taking project management more seriously. According to USA IT Industry research, 74% of all IT projects fail, come in over budget or are overdue. And 28% of projects fail all together. These statistics are alarming, especially in light of the current situation of the global economy. Companies are looking for qualified individuals that have the knowledge to successfully bring in projects on time and under budget. Technical competence was NOT the cause of failure.

So while technical skills absolutely matter, companies now need other core skills to succeed. Research by the European Union Leonardo de Vinci program across small and medium businesses in 79 regions provided a unanimous list of 5 core soft skills they say need most in recruits. None of these skills are taught in school and university, candidates rarely have them and the development burden often falls to companies. The core list from the EU research was:
• Oral presentation skills
• Written presentation skills
• Organization and planning
• Problem analysis and decision making
•Team working

To get started, it is a good idea to assess yourself using psychometric tools. This will help identify your personality type and the characteristics you already have that can be made to work to your advantage in “soft” situations. There are many such tools available covering aspects like Leadership styles, Team working styles, influencing styles and Leaning styles. Some can be found free on the internet. Many soft skills courses commence with such a diagnosis.

Then choose a course, Ideally in a workshop setting with other people with similar goals, and that helps you develop these new skills. We suggest that the course should be short, interactive and full of role playing exercises that give you lots of opportunities to try out your new skills in a safe environment. Even better is if you can find a soft skills course that combines all the core competencies listed above and has been designed for specialists and professionals who want to increase their productivity and effectiveness in the work place.

Finally, practice. Make a list of the 3 skills that you are weak on, and for the next 3 weeks, practice these skills every chance you get. You will very quickly see a difference in the way others react and respond to you, and this could be the first step to future success!

Contact

VIRAK
Via Longhena 5
6900 Lugano
SWITZERLAND

Talk Less, Listen More

by Kate Murphy - New York Times




Training Case Study using a Project Simulator



The vital Importance of effective written communication



Understanding and Managing your Stakeholders



How Knowing Your Big Why Can Boost Your Team Results



Having Difficult Conversations



Yes But vs. Yes And



Soft Skills are Crucial to Success



5-Hour Workdays? 4-Day Workweeks? Yes, Please



10 Tips for dealing with difficult people



Jump to "Soft Skills are Crucial to Success" article



Jump to "Body Language - What are you REALLY saying?" article



Jump to "The art of excellence - happiness in the workplace" article



Jump to "Agile project management" article



Jump to "Shackleton's Way" article



Jump to "FOOD - Common Cross-Cultural Differences" article



Jump to "Breathe. Exhale. Repeat: The Benefits of Controlled Breathing" article



Jump to "Having Difficult Conversations" article



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Good listeners ask good questions. One of the most valuable lessons I've learned as a journalist is that anyone can be interesting if you ask the right questions. That is, if you ask truly curious questions that don't have the hidden agenda of fixing, saving, advising, convincing or correcting. Curious questions don't begin with "Wouldn't you agree...?" or "Don't you think...?" and they definitely don't end with "right?" The idea is to explore the other person's point of view, not sway it.

For example, when trying to find out why people might go to the grocery store late at night, a focus group moderator told me, she didn't ask leading questions like, "Do you shop late a night because you didn't get around to it during the day?" or "Do you shop at night because that's when they restock the shelves?" Instead, she turned her question into an invitation: "Tell me about the last time you went grocery shopping late at night." This, she said, prompted a quiet, unassuming woman who had hardly spoken up to that point to raise her hand. "I had just smoked a joint and was looking for a ménage à trois - me, Ben and Jerry," she said. Grocers, take note.

You also want to avoid asking people personal and appraising questions like "What do you do for a living?" or "What part of town do you live in?" or "What school did you go to?" or "Are you married?" This line of questioning is not an honest attempt to get to know who you're talking to so much as rank them in the social hierarchy. It's more like an interrogation and, as a former C.I.A. agent told me, interrogation will get you information, but it won't be credible or reliable.

In social situations, peppering people with judgmental questions is likely to shift the conversation into a superficial, self-promoting elevator pitch. In other words, the kinds of conversations that make you want to leave the party early and rush home to your dog.

Instead, ask about people's interests. Try to find out what excites or aggravates them - their daily pleasures or what keeps them up at night. Ask about the last movie they saw or for the story behind a piece of jewelry they're wearing. Also good are expansive questions, such as, "If you could spend a month anywhere in the world, where would you go?"

Research indicates that when people who don't know each other well ask each other these types of questions, they feel more connected than if they spent time together accomplishing a task. They are the same kinds of questions listed in the widely circulated article "36 Questions That Lead to Love" and are similar to the conversation starters suggested by the Family Dinner Project, which encourages device-free and listening-focused meals.

Because our brains can think a lot faster than people can talk, beware of the tendency to take mental side trips when you should be listening. Smart people are particularly apt to get distracted by their own galloping thoughts. They are also more likely to assume they already know what the other person is going to say.

People with higher I.Q.s also tend to be more neurotic and self-conscious, which means that worry and anxiety are more likely to hijack their attention. If you fall in this category, it could be helpful to consider listening a kind of meditation, where you make yourself aware of and acknowledge distractions, then return to focusing. Rather than concentrating on your breathing or a mantra, return your attention to the speaker.

The reward of good listening will almost certainly be more interesting conversations. Researchers have found that when talking to inattentive listeners, the speakers volunteered less information and conveyed information less articulately. Conversely, they found that attentive listeners received more information, relevant details and elaboration from speakers, even when the listeners didn't ask any questions. How you listen can work like a self-fulfilling prophecy: If you're barely listening to someone because you think that person is boring or not worth your time, you could actually make it so. Moreover, listening to other people makes it more likely other people will listen to you. This is partly because it's human nature to return courtesies, but also because good listening improves your chances of delivering a message that resonates.

Listening is a skill. And as with any skill, it degrades if you don't do it enough. Some people may have stronger natural ability while others may have to work harder, but each of us can become a better listener with practice. The more people you listen to, the more aspects of humanity you will recognize, and the better your instincts will be. Listening well can help you understand other people's attitudes and motivations, which is essential in building cooperative and productive relationships, as well as discerning which relationships you'd be better off avoiding.

We are, each of us, the sum of what we attend to in life. The soothing voice of a mother, the whisper of a lover, the guidance of a mentor, the admonishment of a supervisor, the rallying call of a leader and the taunts of a rival ultimately form and shape us. And to listen poorly, selectively or not at all limits your understanding of the world and prevents you from becoming the best you can be.

By Kate Murphy - New York Times

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VIRAK
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5-Hour Workdays? 4-Day Workweeks? Yes, Please

by Cal Newport




10 Tips for dealing with difficult people



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A German entrepreneur named Lasse Rheingans has become a subject of attention since The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a novel idea he has put in place at his 16-person technology start-up: a five-hour workday. Mr. Rheingans is not just reducing the time his employees spend in the office; he's reducing the total time they spend working altogether. They arrive at 8 a.m. and leave at 1 p.m., at which point they're not expected to work until the next morning.

This distinction between time in the office and time spent working is critical. In our current age of email and smartphones, work has pervaded more and more of our waking hours - evenings, mornings, weekends, vacations - rendering the idea of a fixed workday as quaint. We're driven to these extremes by some vague sense that all of this frantic communicating will make us more productive.

Mr. Rheingans is betting that we have this wrong. His experiment is premised on the idea that once you remove time-wasting distractions and constrain inefficient conversation about your work, five hours should be sufficient to accomplish most of the core activities that actually move the needle.

To support this new approach, he has employees leave their phones in their bags at the office and blocks access to social media on the company network. Strict rules reduce time spent in meetings (most of which are now limited to 15 minutes or less). Perhaps most important, his employees now check work email only twice each day - no drawn out back-and-forth exchanges fragmenting their attention, no surreptitious inbox checks while at dinner or on the sidelines of their kids' sporting events.

Street Journal described Mr. Rheingans's approach as "radical." But as someone who thinks and writes about the future of work in a high-tech age, I've come to believe that what's really radical is the fact that many more organizations aren't trying similar experiments.

It's easy to forget that the way so many of us work today is new. The term "knowledge work" wasn't introduced until Peter Drucker's 1959 book, "Landmarks of Tomorrow," in which he argued that "work that is based on the mind" was poised to emerge as a major sector of an economy that was still at the time dominated by industrial production. He was of course right - by some estimates, close to half the United States work force is now engaged in these cognitive professions.

But early knowledge work was still quite different from our modern professional lifestyle. To get from the "Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" era of long lunches and secretaries screening calls to our current experience of constant frantic connection, we must wait until the arrival of networked desktop computers during the 1980s and 1990s, which connected us digitally through tools like email, followed by the smartphone revolution in the 2000s, which made this connectivity ubiquitous. The approach to cognitive work that Mr. Rheingans's "radical" plan seeks to upend, in other words, is at best 10 to 20 years old.

The history of technology and commerce teaches us that we should be skeptical of the idea that we've somehow figured out the best way to conduct knowledge work in the network age in such a short time. Consider an analogous revolution: the slow evolution of complex manufacturing. As late as 1913, Henry Ford, like most other automakers at the time, still built cars using the "craft method," in which each vehicle was constructed in a fixed spot on the factory floor, with workers bringing over the various pieces needed for its assembly. Complex components like the magnetos were still constructed by hand by a single skilled worker at a stationary work bench. Cars at this point, in other words, were still being put together in largely the same way that Karl Benz built the first practical automobile three decades earlier.

The craft method of manufacturing was simple and convenient - directly scaling up the natural approach artisans had always used to assemble complex artifacts. But then Ford launched a series of bold experiments to explore approaches to this work that would trade simplicity and convenience for vastly more effectiveness. These experiments, of course, were successful. In early 1913, the labor time required to produce a Model T was around 12½ hours. By 1914, after Ford instituted the continuous-flow assembly line supported by specialized tools, this time dropped to only 93 minutes.

I believe that knowledge work today is where automobile manufacturing was in 1913. The way we currently work is simple and convenient. Because everyone can talk to everyone at any time through email and instant messages, we just let work flow along as an unstructured conversation made up of missives flying back and forth through the electronic ether. This scales up the way we've always naturally collaborated in small groups.

What Lasse Rheingans is attempting, by contrast, is much less simple and convenient. If I can't simply reach you with a quick email at any time, my work is going to require more forethought; some things might even get missed, some clients occasionally made upset. But it's worth remembering that the assembly line was also much more complicated and much less convenient than the craft method it replaced.

To believe, in other words, that our current approach to knowledge work - which is brand-new on any reasonable scale of business history - is the best way to create valuable information using the human mind is both arrogant and ahistoric. It's the equivalent of striding into an early-20th-century automobile factory, where each car still required a half days' worth of labor to produce, and boldly proclaiming, "I think we've figured this one out!"

If I'm right and we're still early in this new phase of digital knowledge work, then more productive - and hopefully much more meaningful and much less draining - approaches to executing this work remain on the horizon. No one knows exactly what this future of knowledge work will look like, but I suspect, along with Mr. Rheingans, that among other transformations it will reject the idea that always-on electronic chatter is a good way to efficiently extract value from human minds.

This is why I am heartened to see stories like that of Mr. Rheingans's short workday and, as was reported this week, Microsoft Japan's experiments with a four-day week during the summer (which increased its productivity by 40 percent, according to the company). It's not yet clear that these innovations are exactly the right way to run technology companies, or whether they can scale to other business contexts. But what is right in this case is the exploratory mind-set that led to these experiments in the first place. If like many digital knowledge workers, you're exhausted by endless work and flooded inboxes, the good news is that better and more sustainable ways of producing valuable output with your brain might be coming - if we can find enough visionaries willing to try out "radical" new ideas about how best to get things done.

By Cal Newport

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10 Tips for dealing with difficult people





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Do you know any difficult people? Ever worked or lived with a difficult person? If you answered no to both questions, you're probably not getting out much! Seriously though, sooner or later we're all in the position of dealing with difficult people. Whether we're managing difficult employees, or dealing with a tiresome co-worker. Here are 10 easy tips you can put into practice immediately for dealing with difficult people.


1) Accept, change, or reject: Know that ultimately you only have three choices in a difficult situation, and when dealing with difficult people: A) Accept the situation knowing it may never change. B) Attempt to change your relationship with them by first changing how you perceive them, and how you react. C) Reject. In other words, if the situation with this difficult person is really affecting your well-being, it may be time to reject the situation and move on.


2) Don't lose emotional control. When dealing with difficult people like antagonists, who purposely press your buttons, it's imperative to stay calm. These folks are purposely trying to rattle your cage and ruffle your feathers. Don't give them the reaction they're trying to elicit from you.


3) Think before you speak. Once those words are out they're pretty hard to take back. And most likely, you have to live or work with these difficult people every day.


4) Listen more, talk less. Let them vent - within reason. Listening is the number one tool in communication, especially when dealing with difficult people. You know people who just need to vent. Often, once you've let them vent, they're more likely to listen to you because they've gotten it all out of their system.


5) Step back and analyze the situation from an outside perspective. When we're less emotionally involved and cool our jets, the answers come for how to effectively deal with these difficult people.


6) Write in a journal. Keep a pad of paper and a pen in your car. Whenever you're afraid you might say something you'd regret, go to your car and write out everything you'd like to say but never could. Writing is a cathartic, physical way of getting it out of your system. When you arrive home, tear it up or burn it. You wouldn't want them to find it and become MORE difficult!


7) Consider taking a seminar on dealing with difficult people. Practicing effective conflict-resolution skills is important both in the business world and in your personal life. Success is determined not just by what you know, or who you know, but by how well you get along with others.


8) If you're a manager, supervisor or team leader, consider training everyone in conflict-resolution. One of the main reasons teams fail is because the people on the team don't like each other. It's not necessarily the whole team. All it takes is a conflict between two people. And if they're not trained effectively in communication and conflict-resolution skills, they start focusing more on personalities than on completing projects.


9) In dealing with difficult people, sometimes you get what you give. Swallow your pride and give sincere, warranted appreciation to these difficult people when they deserve it. Sometimes difficult people are difficult because they feel under appreciated.


10) Choose your battles. Would you rather be right or would you rather be happy? There are times when you won't get your way. Let it go. Know when to speak up and when to move on when dealing with difficult people.


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VIRAK
Via Longhena 5
6900 Lugano
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Soft Skills are Crucial to Success





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Technical or financial skills have little value if you have poor soft skills. Of course, your expertise matters. But don't be fooled by your technical skills or professional qualification. King of Linux, Champion of Oracle, Degree in Accounting? You've got it made, right? Well, no; today, hard skills alone are no guarantee of success.

You have all the qualifications and certifications with solid work experience. You are the programming guru or the indispensable Master of Numbers. Therefore, you are on your way to becoming an outstanding achiever.

Sadly no. Excellent technical activities, rapid knowledge acquisition and a collection of certificates are not the same thing as growth because technical skills alone do not lead to recognition, promotion, and most importantly: opportunity. Technical skills and expertise are important but even more so are your soft skills.

How well do you communicate with your colleagues, management, clients or your employer? How well do you interact in your team? Are you capable of solving problems that are not technical? Are you able to identify and recommend solutions that are soft and human? What is the readability index of your memos and reports? Are you able to stand up in a meeting and talk business without referring to the nuts and bolts of your profession?

To summarise, are you perceived as a strategic contributor or just another techie?

So what are the soft skills that matter and how can you get them fast?

More and more companies are taking project management more seriously. According to USA IT Industry research, 74% of all IT projects fail, come in over budget or are overdue. And 28% of projects fail all together. These statistics are alarming, especially in light of the current situation of the global economy. Companies are looking for qualified individuals that have the knowledge to successfully bring in projects on time and under budget. Technical competence was NOT the cause of failure.

So while technical skills absolutely matter, companies now need other core skills to succeed. To get started, it is a good idea to assess yourself using psychometric tools. This will help identify your personality type and the characteristics you already have that can be made to work to your advantage in "soft" situations. There are many such tools available covering aspects like Leadership styles, Team working styles, influencing styles and Learning styles. Some can be found free on the internet. Many soft skills courses commence with such a diagnosis.

Then choose a course, ideally in a workshop setting with other people with similar goals, and that helps you develop these new skills. We suggest that the course should be short, interactive and full of role-playing exercises that give you lots of opportunities to try out your new skills in a safe environment. Even better is if you can find a soft skills course that has been designed for specialists and professionals who want to increase their productivity and effectiveness in the work place. We recommend our "Soft Skills for Project Managers" workshop.

Finally, practice. Make a list of the 3 skills that you are weak on, and for the next 3 weeks, practice these skills every chance you get. You will very quickly see a difference in the way others react and respond to you, and this could be the first step to future success!

Contact

VIRAK
Via Longhena 5
6900 Lugano
SWITZERLAND

Body Language: what are you REALLY saying?



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We all know the feeling of seeing someone stand or sit in a certain way, and we somehow automatically know what that person is feeling. Or when we see two people having dinner in a restaurant, without listening in (that would be rude!) we can listen in on their body language and get a good idea of what their relationship is, how close they are, even whether they have been together for a long time!

This is all about reading and understanding body language. It is a skill that we are often not even aware we have, and is innate. Even newborn babies can read the body language of their parents - and need to, in order to get the protection and love that they need.

So what is it that we do? Can we learn to do it better? Can we use it to get the "right" messages across?

Wikipedia defines body language as a term for communication using body movements or gestures instead of, or in addition to, sounds, verbal language or other communication. These body movements include facial expressions, hand, arm, feet and leg movements. They often underline the verbal messages given. If they are not supporting the verbal message then we tend to feel the incongruence in the person. They are saying one thing and doing another.

Whenever we give examples of body language and its meaning, we do need to be careful since trying to interpret just one signal may be misleading. Instead we should try to interpret what the experts call "cluster" of signals that all support one another in the final message.

An example would be when a person crosses their arms across their chest - we get a feeling of wanting to protect themselves, of holding back, of creating a barrier. Another example would be the way our feet will tend to point in the direction that we secretly wish to go, or when we see someone seated, and bouncing their foot up and down - a common signal for boredom or impatience and wanting to leave.

We have been told that rubbing our noses or placing a finger or a hand over our mouths may mean that we are lying or hiding something. This gesture comes from when we were children and we told a lie, and we quickly would cover our mouths with our hands to almost try to stop the lie from coming out. As adults, we have become more skilled at hiding the gesture, but it might still turn up discretely.

With practice, we can even tell if someone is giving us a real or a fake smile. The real smile will use the muscles around the eye, causing the sides of the eyes to crinkle. Fake smiles will only move the mouth muscles. A smile is almost impossible to fake.

Now, the question is: can we learn to do it better? I believe we can. As long as we stay consistent between what we say and what we think, and then are aware of what our bodies are doing and the message they are giving at any one time.

I believe that we can use our understanding of body language in two ways: both to help us better understand what people really think and feel, and also to help us underline our own messages. We can use it actively to make good first impressions by having an open, smiling face, open hands and gestures, leaning forward when listening to others, and nodding once in a while when listening to others.

So next time you go out to dinner, take a look around you and listen!

Virak proposes a Body Language workshop

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VIRAK
Via Longhena 5
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The art of excellence in the workplace



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"If we take the happiness agenda seriously and make the changes that would enhance well-being at work, we could see real bottom-line benefits in terms of sickness, absence and greater productivity from more engaged workers." - Stephen Bevan, Dir., the Work Foundation

"HAPPINESS", the up and coming buzzword, has taken the world by storm. The United Nations has decreed March 20 as "International Happiness Day", the United Arab Emirates have appointed a "Minister of Happiness", Bhutan has its "Gross Happiness Index", and many countries are looking to replicate Scandinavian countries, renowned for having the happiest citizens in the world!

Businesses are rapidly jumping on the bandwagon as well, bringing a culture of happiness to the workplace. But what does this mean and why is it becoming so crucial for the well-being of an organisation to make its employees happy? Why should decision-makers be concerned about the happiness of their employees - surely it is more than enough that they are offering a job and a salary?

The equation is in fact very simple - if your employees feel well and happy in their work environment, if they feel trusted and respected, and achieve job satisfaction, your company/organisation will see tangible benefits such as increased profits and an enhanced reputation - and it will also be in a privileged position to recruit and retain the best talent on the market.

Employees are the first public of any organisation and are their best ambassadors. A happy employee is a motivated employee who will want to produce more, will be absent less frequently, will be more creative and will contribute to a healthy atmosphere in the work-space.

Many companies have already understood this and are today turning to Happiness Consultants and even hiring in-house Chief Happiness Officers to guide them in putting together a coherent strategy. The solutions can be very diverse, from work spaces being reassessed for better functionality, comfort, productivity and even fun - perhaps by adding colour and design to an otherwise monotone environment - to redefining the company's culture and rethinking the relationship between management and employees by increasing dialogue; to offering trainings, yoga sessions and even having fresh fruits and treats delivered to the office every morning....

Every organisation is different, and each one needs tailor-made solutions, but one thing is for sure, those who recognise that employees are their greatest asset and are ready to do something about it will reap the benefits of a "happy" professional environment.

Virak proposes a The Art of Excellence in the Workplace workshop

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VIRAK
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Agile project management

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We are hearing more and more about Agile project management in the news. This is because Agile (and Scrum, one of the methods used) is suitable for any organisation that faces important and strategic product development and IT projects, with tight deadlines in ever more competitive markets. Scrum is an approach that enables the delivery of products that are fit for purpose and operational more quickly, via an iterative and incremental approach and teamwork which is facilitated by a constant dialogue between users and developers.

Success in an Agile project is about managing the outputs of teamwork, and not just the inputs. Together with the customer as a partner throughout the life cycle, who qualifies, prioritises tests and validates the requirements, the team takes responsibility for the results. The benefits are frequent deliveries of the most important outputs that are developed iteratively as prototypes and versions.

Project success with Agile methods requites tight cooperation between the stakeholders, articulated by roles such as Sponsor, Product Owner, Visionary, Technical Coordinator and Scrum Master, as well as a team empowered and equipped to make decisions.

Agile is a public domain user centred 'design to time' approach to developing business systems, which relies on a team-based, business oriented and iterative process. It enables Agile development, using Scrum; XP and other approaches that are based on tests, risk management and version management, with governance, roles, products and principles.

Based on eight principles, Agile covers the entire product or systems development life cycle and is supported by all the necessary technical and quality controls:

  • Focus on the business need - Manage a business "baseline" to guarantee alignment and integrity of the solution
  • Deliver on Time - Manage an evolving scope in order to create rapidly useful and usable versions
  • Collaborate - Synchronise progress and achieve synergy across functional and organizational boundaries
  • Never compromise quality - Define and align compliance, acceptance and operational criteria
  • Build incrementally from firm foundations - Elaborate a realistic solution that is validated, verified and pragmatic
  • Develop iteratively - Develop in small steps, in modular fashion and maintain the ability to adapt, change, re-focus and pivot
  • Communicate constantly - Ensure that communication between stakeholders supports and reinforces the project
  • Demonstrate control - Show evidence of the management of traceability, reversibility and adequate governance

The users of Agile methods can now be found in every industrial sector. Thanks to its governance structure and its focus on prototyping around user needs that are understood progressively and aligned with the business goals and benefits, the Agile approach is as well suited to product development and it is to software development.

Virak proposes a training for the PMI® Agile Certified Practitioner

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Shackleton's Way



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"Shackleton's Way" is a fascinating and practical case study of a leader who triumphed by putting people first and striving for the seemingly impossible.

"Twenty-eight ordinary-turned-extraordinary men", led by Shackleton's example, survived nearly two years of unimaginable hardship at the end of the Earth. It is an inspirational tale about finding strengths in individuals that they never knew they had in order to achieve goals.

This story of exploration and leadership theme incorporates exercises, group and class discussions plus case studies on: Leadership, Team Building, Communication, Decision Making, Conflict resolution, and Motivational Techniques, EQ, etc. It can of course be adapted to your specific needs.

It is a multi media, highly interactive and appealing seminar that is offered from 30/60/ 90 minutes talks to a two day interactive program depending on needs. Approved historic film and pictures are shown along with clips of a recent motion picture on the story. It has been run for business luncheon groups, teams, hotels, travel agency, airlines, sales conferences, motivational experiences, management teams, CEOs and Managers, and even MBA classes. It provides a solid learning experience that will result in leadership skills application in the work place. We parallel the lessons from the Shackleton expedition with business today - the human dimensions have not changed!

    Stages of the journey of the ship "Endurance"
  • The Path to Leadership
  • Developing Leadership Skills
  • Hiring an outstanding crew

Shackleton resonates with executives in today's business world. His people-centred approach to leadership can be a guide for anyone in a position of authority. Being a leader means developing yourself. You need to be strong and resourceful in order to make the journey, as the destination is never actually reached. As you become a leader, you find resources in yourself you did not know you had. You work your way into the forefront of a new field. You become more yourself, because a leader's influence comes from who you are, what you do, and the examples you set.

  • Creating a Spirit of camaraderie
  • Getting the best from each individual
  • Leading effectively in a crisis / crisis management

A leader inspires others, many diverse groups, in order to lead effectively in good and bad times. Building esprit de corps and leading by example in order to get the most from each individual and developing them at the same time. Leadership also develops oneself in areas of communication, understanding others, appreciating differences and gaining from them, developing rapport with your people and influencing others. Sir Ernest Shackleton led by example and used informal one-on -one talks to build a bond with his man. He inspired optimism, and at same time worked to keep spirits high in the team, especially in times of crisis.

  • Forming team for tough assignments
  • Overcoming obstacles to reach a goal
  • Leaving a legacy

Shackleton balanced talent and expertise in each team. He ensured all the groups were keeping pace. He was visible and vigilant. He kept sight of the big picture, and leaders need to look towards the destinations as well as paying attention to where they have been and where they are, to ensure all the group are keeping pace. He got the teams to help each other and built up the weakest links. Leaders must understand the system they are part of, to see beyond the obvious, the immediate situation and then sense how events connect to deeper patterns. Ultimately your leadership should have a lifelong impact of the people you work with.

With Richard Coles - Training & Development Consultant, Management Trainer, Facilitator, and Presenter In 2001, Richard Coles was known as one of the first trainers in the world, if not the first trainer in some regions to bring the leadership story of Sir Ernest Shackleton to the corporate business world. He has taken it around the world in many formats. Now it is in Europe as he is located here.


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FOOD - Common cross-cultural differences



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Table manners and expectations around the world can vary as widely as the types of food that people eat. For example, what's acceptable in one culture might offend someone from another, and a delicacy in one country could be frowned upon elsewhere. This diversity is part of what makes living, working and travelling abroad so interesting. However, it also presents a number of challenges. Below are some examples of food faux pas that might cause offence:

In Australia, a lot of relationship-building takes place in local pubs after work. Missing your turn to "shout for a round," or pay for drinks, will make a bad impression.

In Japan, teams often strengthen relationships with drinks and karaoke at the end of the day.

In France, you'll make a good impression by being enthusiastic about the food being served. Enjoy your meal, be vocal about it, and then talk about business. In Germany, on the other hand, it's common to discuss work before you eat.

India is home to Hindus, who don't eat beef, and Muslims, who don't eat pork. Both of these groups expect you to handle food with your right hand only, as the left is considered "unclean."

In Italy, it's common to be invited to a late dinner, which it's considered rude to decline.

In some countries, including Israel, people may only be permitted to consume kosher foods that conform to Jewish food law, or "kashrut."

Food is central to Malaysian culture; the common greeting "chiah pa bue" literally translates as "have you eaten?" However, a dinner invitation here might be slow to come. Show patience and wait, and avoid hosting your own meal until you've been a guest at someone else's.

Alcohol is an important part of relationship building in many cultures, especially in Russia and South Korea. Here, you'll strengthen your reputation and impress your colleagues by "holding your own," but avoid drinking more than you feel comfortable with! Alcohol is only served in restaurants in countries like the United Arab Emirates, and it is illegal in Saudi Arabia.

The quality of food also matters in many cultures. In Spain, for example, knowledge of gourmet food is often expected. You'll impress your colleagues by inviting them to an excellent restaurant, and by holding informed conversations about food and wine. However, in the United States and the United Kingdom, food is often less important, and many professionals eat lunch at their desks.

Virak provides a whole one-day training on working in a cross-cultral environment


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Breathe. Exhale. Repeat: The Benefits of Controlled Breathing



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An article from New York Times By LESLEY ALDERMAN NOV. 9, 2016

Take a deep breath, expanding your belly. Pause. Exhale slowly to the count of five. Repeat four times.

Congratulations. You've just calmed your nervous system.

Controlled breathing, like what you just practised, has been shown to reduce stress, increase alertness and boost your immune system. For centuries yogis have used breath control, or pranayama, to promote concentration and improve vitality. Buddha advocated breath-meditation as a way to reach enlightenment.

Science is just beginning to provide evidence that the benefits of this ancient practice are real. Studies have found, for example, that breathing practices can help reduce symptoms associated with anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and attention deficit disorder. "Breathing is massively practical," says Belisa Vranich, a psychologist and author of the book "Breathe," to be published in December. "It's meditation for people who can't meditate."

How controlled breathing may promote healing remains a source of scientific study. One theory is that controlled breathing can change the response of the body's autonomic nervous system, which controls unconscious processes such as heart rate and digestion as well as the body's stress response, says Dr. Richard Brown, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University and co-author of "The Healing Power of the Breath." Consciously changing the way you breathe appears to send a signal to the brain to adjust the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system, which can slow heart rate and digestion and promote feelings of calm as well as the sympathetic system, which controls the release of stress hormones like cortisol.

Many maladies, such as anxiety and depression, are aggravated or triggered by stress. "I have seen patients transformed by adopting regular breathing practices," says Dr. Brown, who has a private practice in Manhattan and teaches breathing workshops around the world.

When you take slow, steady breaths, your brain gets the message that all is well and activates the parasympathetic response, said Dr. Brown. When you take shallow rapid breaths or hold your breath, the sympathetic response is activated. "If you breathe correctly, your mind will calm down," said Dr. Patricia Gerbarg, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at New York Medical College and Dr. Brown's co-author Dr. Chris Streeter, an associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at Boston University, recently completed a small study in which she measured the effect of daily yoga and breathing on people with diagnoses of major depressive disorder.

After 12 weeks of daily yoga and coherent breathing, the subjects' depressive symptoms significantly decreased and their levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid, a brain chemical that has calming and anti-anxiety effects, had increased. The research was presented in May at the International Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health in Las Vegas. While the study was small and lacked a control group, Dr. Streeter and her colleagues are planning a randomised controlled trial to further test the intervention.

"The findings were exciting," she said. "They show that a behavioural intervention can have effects of similar magnitude as an antidepressant." Controlled breathing may also affect the immune system. Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina divided a group of 20 healthy adults into two groups. One group was instructed to do two sets of 10-minute breathing exercises, while the other group was told to read a text of their choice for 20 minutes. The subjects' saliva was tested at various intervals during the exercise. The researchers found that the breathing exercise group's saliva had significantly lower levels of three cytokines that are associated with inflammation and stress. The findings were published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine in August.

Here are three basic breathing exercises to try on your own.

Coherent Breathing

If you have the time to learn only one technique, this is the one to try. In coherent breathing, the goal is to breathe at a rate of five breaths per minute, which generally translates into inhaling and exhaling to the count of six. If you have never practised breathing exercises before, you may have to work up to this practice slowly, starting with inhaling and exhaling to the count of three and working your way up to six.

1. Sitting upright or lying down, place your hands on your belly.
2. Slowly breathe in, expanding your belly, to the count of five.
3. Pause.
4. Slowly breathe out to the count of six.
5. Work your way up to practising this pattern for 10 to 20 minutes a day.

Stress Relief

When your mind is racing or you feel keyed up, try Rock and Roll breathing, which has the added benefit of strengthening your core. 1. Sit up straight on the floor or the edge of a chair.
2. Place your hands on your belly.
3. As you inhale, lean forward and expand your belly.
4. As you exhale, squeeze the breath out and curl forward while leaning backward; exhale until you're completely empty of breath.
5. Repeat 20 times.

Energizing HA Breath

When the mid-afternoon slump hits, stand up and do some quick breath-work to wake up your mind and body. 1. Stand up tall, elbows bent, palms facing up.
2. As you inhale, draw your elbows back behind you, palms continuing to face up.
3. Then exhale quickly, thrusting your palms forward and turning them downward, while saying "Ha" out loud.
4. Repeat quickly 10 to 15 times.


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Having Difficult Conversations



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There are dozens of books on the topic of difficult, crucial, challenging, important kinds of conversations. Those times when you know you should talk to someone, but you don't. Maybe you've tried before and it went badly. Or maybe you fear that talking will only make the situation worse. Still, there's a feeling of being stuck, and you'd like to free up that stuck energy for more useful purposes.

What you have here is a brief synopsis of best practice strategies: a checklist of action items to think about before going into the conversation; some useful concepts to practice during the conversation; and some tips and suggestions to help you're energy stay focused and flowing, including possible conversational openings.

You'll notice one key theme throughout: you have more power than you think.

Working on yourself: How to prepare for the conversation

Before going into the conversation, ask yourself some questions:
1. What is your purpose for having the conversation? What do you hope to accomplish? What would be an ideal outcome?

You may think you have honorable goals, like educating an employee or increasing connection with your teen, only to notice that your language is excessively critical or condescending. You think you want to support, but you end up punishing. Some purposes are more useful than others. Work on yourself so that you enter the conversation with a supportive purpose.

2. What assumptions are you making about this person's intentions? You may feel intimidated, belittled, ignored, disrespected, or marginalized, but be cautious about assuming that that was their intention. Impact does not necessarily equal intent.

3. What "buttons" of yours are being pushed? Are you more emotional than the situation warrants? Take a look at your "backstory," as they say in the movies. What personal history is being triggered? You may still have the conversation, but you'll go into it knowing that some of the heightened emotional state has to do with you.

4. How is your attitude toward the conversation influencing your perception of it? If you think this is going to be horribly difficult, it probably will be. If you truly believe that whatever happens, some good will come of it, that will likely be the case. Try to adjust your attitude for maximum effectiveness.

5. Who is the opponent? What might they be thinking about this situation? Are they aware of the problem? If so, how do you think they perceive it? What are their needs and fears? What solution do you think they would suggest? Begin to reframe the opponent as partner.

6. What are your needs and fears? Are there any common concerns? Could there be?

7. How have you contributed to the problem? How have they?

4 Steps to a Successful Outcome from a Difficult Conversation

The majority of the work in any conflict conversation is work you do on yourself. No matter how well the conversation begins, you'll need to stay in charge of yourself, your purpose and your emotional energy.

Breathe, center, and continue to notice when you become off-center - and choose to return again. This is where your power lies. By choosing the calm, centered state, you'll help your opponent/partner to be more centered, too. Centering is not a step; centering is how you are as you take the steps.

Step #1:Inquiry

Cultivate an attitude of discovery and curiosity. Pretend you don't know anything (you really don't), and try to learn as much as possible about your opponent/partner and their point of view. Pretend you're entertaining a visitor from another planet, and find out how things look on that planet, how certain events affect them, and what the values and priorities are there.

If they really were from another planet, you'd be watching their body language and listening for the unspoken energy as well. Do that here. What do they really want? What are they not saying?

Let them talk until they're finished. Don't interrupt except to acknowledge. Whatever you hear, don't take it personally. It's not really about you. Try to learn as much as you can in this phase of the conversation. You'll get your turn, but don't rush it.

Step #2:Acknowledgment

Acknowledgment means to show that you've heard and understood. Try to understand them so well you can make their argument for them. Then do it. Explain back to them what you think they're really going for. Guess at their hopes and honor their position. They won't change unless they see that you see where they stand. Then they might. No guarantees.

Acknowledge whatever you can, including your own defensiveness if it comes up. It's fine; it just is. You can decide later how to address it.

For example, in an argument with a friend I said: "I notice I'm becoming defensive, and I think it's because your voice just got louder and sounded angry. I just want to talk about this topic. I'm not trying to persuade you in either direction." The acknowledgment helped him (and me) to re-center.

Acknowledgment can be difficult if we associate it with agreement. Keep them separate. Even if I say, "this sounds really important to you," it doesn't mean I'm going to go along with your decision.

Step #3:Advocacy

When you sense that they've expressed all their energy on the topic, it's your turn. What can you see from your perspective that they've missed? Help clarify your position without minimizing theirs.

For example: "From what you've told me, I can see how you came to the conclusion that I'm not a team player. And I think I am. When I introduce problems with a project, I'm thinking about its long-term success. I don't mean to be a critic, though perhaps I sound like one. Maybe we can talk about how to address these issues so that my intention is clear."

Step #4:Problem-Solving

Now you're ready to begin building solutions. Brainstorming is useful, and continued inquiry. Ask your opponent/partner what they think would work. Whatever they say, find something that you like and build on it.

If the conversation becomes adversarial, go back to inquiry. Asking for the other's point of view usually creates safety, and they'll be more willing to engage. If you've been successful in centering, adjusting your attitude, and in engaging with inquiry and useful purpose, building sustainable solutions will be easy.

Practice, practice, practice! The art of conversation is like any art - with continued practice you acquire skill and ease. You, too, can create better working and family relationships, ease communication problems and improve the quality of your work and home environment. You're on the way, and here are some additional hints

Tips and suggestions

  • A successful outcome will depend on two things: how you are and what you say. How you are (centered, supportive, curious, problem-solving) will greatly influence what you say.
  • Acknowledge emotional energy - yours and theirs - and direct it towards a useful purpose.
  • Know and return to your purpose at difficult moments.
  • Don't take verbal attacks personally. Help your opponent/partner come back to center.
  • Don't assume they can see things from your point of view.
  • Practice the conversation with a friend before holding the real one.
  • Mentally practice the conversation. See various possibilities and visualize yourself handling them with ease. Envision the outcome you're hoping for.

Published in our April 2015 Newsletter. Written by Judy Ringer


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Ingredient for Building a Great Team



Great teams that have multiple superstars possess the following:
  1. Consistency - "Greatness, we say, is consistency." - Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra
  2. Sacrifice - "Mutual sacrifice is a resounding vote for teamwork."
  3. Talent - "It's a huge bet that, in the end, talent will prevail."
  4. Short-term Loyalty - "For the most sought after talent, company loyalty has given way to a desire for a big, bold short-term project - developing a breakthrough product, pursuing a new market."
  5. Sacrifice - "The team's leaders have done what stars need to do when they merge: show a willingness to sacrifice."
  6. Familiarity - "New hires perform better when they bring a former colleague with them" - Boris Groysberg
  7. Value - "Because the Heat had something special to offer them (the supporting cast), it signed most of them at well below market value."
  8. Commonality - "Nothing brings a team together like a common enemy."
  9. Bonding - "The real bonding didn't occur until the Heat Troops began to shed blood on the battlefield."
  10. Identity - "Under duress, Miami found its identity."
  11. Gift of Struggle - "As the adversity that bound the players together waned, the chemistry faltered."
  12. Collaboration - "Camaraderie doesn't necessarily translate in seamless collaboration."
  13. Cohesion - "Miami's talent is no match for cohesive team play."
  14. Specialties - "When you assemble a team of experts, it's better to have complementary, not competing, specialties." - Groysberg
  15. Space - "In business, you probably wouldn't hire two CEOs to work together." - Steve Kerr
  16. Integration - "To achieve the proper balance, it's crucial to map out a strategy. Acquiring a player of (LeBron) James's caliber is like acquiring a company. You need a whole integration plan." - Groysberg
  17. Decision Making - "Probably what I've learned from Pat (Riley) the most is that coaching in this league is about managing personalities, more than managing Xs and Os...Some players get to that conclusion differently than others." - Spoelstra
  18. Credibility - "There is no more fragile commodity than the credibility of a team leader."
  19. Success - "The most successful superstar teams embrace shared leadership." - Richard Hackman
  20. Time - "They (superstar teams) need time to crystallize. They need consistency, the same people butting heads, compromising, collaborating, day after day." - Spoelstra