Meetings

Why Don’t They Appreciate Me?

March 24, 2024 By Tom Mungavan Leave a Comment

I was the top IBM salesperson in my branch office but was frustrated. Mike had much more of our leadership’s attention and help than I did.

Mike seemed to struggle to get business and had more than his share of crises in his accounts. Even my boss’s boss visited Mike’s customers to sell for him. Why?

When a new manager position became available … who got promoted? Right … it was Mike!

More than good ideas and good performance are needed. I was still in my nieve 20s, thinking performance was the way to success. Reality did align with my perception. Performance mattered, but so did relationships. I seldom asked for help nor made my boss’s boss feel needed. Mike did both. He was also very friendly and likable.

I want to say I immediately saw the light and changed my ways. The truth is, it took much longer and many more examples to convince me.

The “what” is performance, and the “how” is everything else.

Problem Solution

“What do I do when they steal my idea?” is another example. The idea you brought up in last week’s staff meeting was ignored, and Mike brought up the same basic idea this week—and the team loves it.

The “what” is the idea, and the “how” is the delivery and passion for the idea. How do you sell your idea?

Suppose you invented a great food product and placed it in a plain brown bag on the grocery store shelf without pictures or explanation. How well will it sell next to an enticing package next to yours? Not well – right!

To sell your idea, you must communicate how your product benefits others – not put it in a brown paper bag. Think about the other person’s point of view and how your idea will enhance what they want or avoid what they fear.

There are many Mikes in the world. Instead of getting angry, learn from Mike. What made the idea desirable based on how Mike communicated it?

Riding a Bike

May 21, 2020 By Tom Mungavan Leave a Comment

We learn young that riding a bike starts off a little off-balance and even a few scrapes and bruises. Because we get back on the bike after a fall, we soon are zooming around the neighborhood. It becomes a much more natural part of our everyday life. The truth is – riding a bike is not that difficult with a little practice.

There are a few helpful rules like “watch where you are going.” Wear a helmet. The bike may be an occasional personal way to play. It may become a way to go to work every day if you are a city commuter like my brother.

Videoconferencing is Like a Bike

The truth is – videoconferencing is not that difficult after a little practice. It does take some practice to become comfortable. We have clients who took the videoconference to work every day … even before that pandemic. The more they used it, the better they liked it as an effective tool.

If you can interact well in person, you are likely able to interact well on video. There are the same visual and vocal message queues that make in-person work better than audio-calls and email.

Visual Connection

Humans have evolved to use two-way visual queues to connect with each other. To optimize that communication, the picture needs to be clear and well lite. Good lighting and good camera position are important.

Eye contact is important. Look at the camera. Like riding a bike – it takes practice. We cheat a little. We use teleprompters to allow us to look directly at the image of the person and the camera at the same time. You can purchase teleprompters for $100 to over $1,000. YouTube videos describe making you own very cheaply.

Conference video call, remote project management, quarantine, working from home

Breathe to Relax

Nervousness is natural when doing something new. Deep abdominal breathing helps calm the nerves and provide more oxygen to your brain to think more clearly, There are even apps for that … Taking five or ten minutes to breathe – it can do wonders for your day as well as the videoconference participation.

Focus on helping the other person feel more comfortable like you are hosting a party. When you focus on others more than yourself, you have more executive presence and it is easier to relax.

Clear and Concise

Crafting your message is always a good idea. On a videoconference, it is even more important. Look at the Other Persons’ Point of View (OPPOV ™ ) to choose the most important information.

Particularly in larger videoconference meetings, clear and concise communication stands out in a very positive way. It is important to speak up clearly in group meetings with a firm voice to reach the other participants.

With a little more practice and a few key skills – you can become natural.

Masking Facial Recognition

May 10, 2020 By Tom Mungavan Leave a Comment

Humans make so many assessments based on facial recognition. Knowing if someone is happy or angry goes back to self-preservation at some level. In regular communication, we each give off many micro-communications that impact meaning and trust.

If you look at our book, “Seeing Yourself as Others Do – Authentic Executive Presence …,” it is built on those subtle messages that give meaning.

At the most basic level, we all can better understand what someone is saying by reading their lips. Those who are hard-of-hearing rely on seeing the mouth even more.

Masking of Nonverbal Cues

All of a sudden, this vital form of ongoing communication is covered up by a protective mask. Many stores have put up protective plexiglass windows to allow the cashiers to function with a lower danger of contamination. Sterilization is everywhere. Families are visiting loved ones in senior living locations by talking through a window. We are all adapting.

Effective communication becomes even more critical to make up for these missing cues. Giving context to the content is more important.

Remote Videoconferencing

“Zoom” went from oblivion to a household word for “Videoconferencing.” School children are conferencing with teachers, friends are meeting remotely over a beverage of choice, and working from home is the norm for many, many people. My principal strategic technologist reported that school teachers have done a fantastic job of learning how to use the same technology that they avoided before.

Virtual Executive Presence

I have been an advocate for the power of remote video for over a decade. In a matter of months, it has become a standard tool for most business people. I’m sad it took a pandemic to for adoption. I do believe it will be one of the benefits gained from adversity.

The coaching we do at Change Masters requires seeing facial communication in both directions. Coaching wearing a mask does not work. Fortunately, a quality videoconference provides a close to in-person experience without the need to wear a mask.

Our experience with teaching remote executive presence had intersected with today’s technology to make one-on-one coaching a powerful tool over video. Plus, the time and cost of travel eliminated. The experience allows our clients to learn even more about how to be productive remotely. Building the skills needed for the decade ahead is now easier than it has ever been. We can go there together.

Sound Authentic

March 24, 2020 By Carol Keers Leave a Comment

What do you sound like reassuring your team about the economy on an audio-conference? How do they interpret you?

People can quickly hear the sound of your voice to pick up on your attitude. It pays to be aware – everyone else is!

Fortunately, there is an excellent tool with you most of the time. You can record your voice or use video to see how you look in practice. You can also record the live event and review it later to enhance your awareness.

Improve how you are managing your vocal tone. Start by practicing your pitch variations, rate, and volume when saying the following sentence:

“Bill won’t be coming home today.”

Make it sound indifferent; make it sound exciting, and make it sound sad. Record yourself on your phone and do it until it seems authentic to you. It will instantly give you more vocal mastery!

Executive Presence Tip – Carol Keers