What's New....
“If you want them to listen, you have to talk their language!”
Too often workplace stress comes down to a lack of communication. Communication at home and in the workplace is vital for good relationships and good results.
Managers today need to have good communication skills. Skills which are more than just talking at staff members. Skills which enable them to understand the best way to reach and motivate individuals to deliver the performance and productivity required.
In April, Geoff completed a new executive training programme called the Process Communication Model ®, a programme which delivers “human factors” skills to managers. Werner Naefis a Swiss-born former international airline pilot, who has become a specialist in Process Communication. With a post graduate degree in psychotherapy, he has worked with the Swiss Airforce, Swiss Rail, Swiss Air, Air New Zealand, Sydney Ferries and other prominent New Zealand and Australian companies. He knows that when people are placed under stress at work, they revert to their personality type, formed when they were children. Training often goes out the window when people are put under pressure. Werner’s message is simple and concise. Recognise the personality and you can successfully inform, direct and motivate…
Geoff completed the advanced PCM course in September this year, and is currently working to help Werner’s company, Kahler Communications Oceania, to expand their base in New Zealand and Australia. Geoff will be speaking about communication and stress at the Leadership Evolution in Executive Supportconference at the Novotel Hotel, Ellerslie on November 25, as part of the nationwide speaking programme on this new methodology.
The Process Communication Model ® shows how to identify behaviour patterns of individuals within a group, and how to respond to them in the most effective way. It is an important management tool which can benefit every business.
The right result…. so now for the test of competitive ACC…
The National Government has won the election, with the help of ACT and United First. National promised to bring competition and choice back into the provision of injury prevention and injury management. Whilst the EMA said it didn’t really matter to employers, any cost on business in this current economic environment is a real cost, and more bureaucracy.
Now the ball is in the court of the Government to deliver its timetable for the introduction of competitive ACC. The introduction of private providers in this market will increase competition, drive down costs and improve service and efficiency. Employers with good health and safety records and low claims history will be rewarded with more competitive rates. That is the way it should be.
Geoff worked with clients in the previous regime of competitive ACC back in 1999. This was changed back to the ACC monopoly in 2000 so the “experiment” didn’t really have sufficient time to prove itself, but several outcomes did reveal themselves - employers paid lower premiums as a result of competition; good employers who invested in health and safety for their workforce benefited from their good claims experience; and nobody suffered from less care or attention if injured at work in the competitive environment.
The expectation is that the competitive environment might be introduced from either 1 July or 1 October depending upon how long it takes to get legislation ready, and to pass it through the House of Representatives. The Act itself won’t change but the delivery of the services will, and that is where competition will come in.
Competition worked wonders in our domestic airline industry a few years ago. There is every reason to expect it to be just as meaningful in the provision of ACC workplace insurance and injury management.
Everyone benefits from rehearsal…
Getting business in a small market can be tough, so there is nothing wrong with planning and rehearsing your new business presentations.
About 20 years ago Geoff helped the insurance broking industry into the business of pitching for new business with a presentation. Then it was flip charts and diagrams. Today of course, most new business proposals come with a presentation and now it is power point with video clips, sound over and all types of other fancy refinements.
But however you do the power point (and remember simple is best and less stressful for the presenter), it is the actual people and what they say which makes or breaks the presentation.
Geoff is quite upfront about the need for rehearsal. Even the most experienced and seasoned businessmen still benefit from a rehearsal. Getting the words right, conveying the right messages and presenting the information in a logical order and in bite sized segments helps the audience, and wins their support. You only have once chance to get it right!
Whatever new business you may be after, think about what you are going to say and when. Write it down. You don’t need a full blown script but at least make sure you cover the key points and don’t forget anything. Then rehearse and rehearse. If you have more than one presenter, rehearse them all. Let them hear each other and interact. Everyone needs to be alert and interested even if they are not actually doing the speaking. Their body language is just as important as the words that are being spoken.
Remember, success is when preparation, planning and execution collide. And even if you don’t win the business, you can accept that if you know you gave it your very best shot!