Author Archive
But What If They Don’t Like It? Strategies for Persuading People to Agree With and Support Your Ideas (Introduction)
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Radio News: Conversations Live With Vicki St. Claire
RADIO NEWS: Get that idea you've been mulling over in action now! I'm so excited! Going to be a featured guest on "Conversations Live, With Vicki St. Claire" on Seattle Washington's KKNWam 1150 (and livestream online) on Monday, Aug. 20, 2012. It's a 20-minute slot on radio – that's big! From 3:35pm-3:55pm Eastern Time. If you've ever had an idea and done little about making it a reality, listen in. We'll base the conversation on my book, "Hey, That's MY Idea! How to Speak Up and Get Recognized for What You Know and Think". Get your autographed copy at www.IdeaSuccessNetwork.com. I'm adding my "10 Tips and Strategies for Implementing Your Ideas" as my gift to you when you order before Monday afternoon. Be part of the idea conversation!
Ideas to IMPACT: The IMPACT Process Overview
This is the first of my seven-part series of short videos about the IMPACT process, which I describe in my new book, "Hey, That's MY Idea! How to Speak Up and Get Recognized for What You Know and Think". Subscribe to my Youtube channel to watch all the upcoming videos in this series.
Table Your “Money Idea”
Your money idea is the idea on which you will focus your time,
energy, and resources. When you get so bogged down with details
and choices that you have trouble actually choosing your money
idea, try using a table matrix to get clear about which idea
you choose.
Draw a table matrix – rows and columns. List your ideas in the
rows in the left-most column.
Write the following questions in the columns in the top-most row.
- What problem will I solve / issue will I address with this idea?
- Why do I need to address it?
- What roadblock(s) will I encounter with this idea?
- What is the cost (to me/to my organization) of not addressing the issue?
Then answer each question for each of your listed ideas. The
resulting table matrix may reveal the idea that you deem most
important to work on based on your answers to the questions.
My goal is to serve you with resources and strategies that help you clarify, organize, and implement your ideas.
Stay connected with me for more Idea Discoveries.
IdeaSuccessNetwork.com
Sylvia Henderson, Your Idea Coach
Author: "Hey, That's MY Idea! How to Communicate and Get Recognized for What You Know and Think"
Idea Discovery: Article – “How One Word Can Kill Your Career”
Make your IMPACT(c) … one idea at a time!
Here's my Idea Discovery for today to help you do just that.
Idea Discovery: Article: How One Word Can Kill Your Career
In today's business world it sometimes is just not enough to do what is required at your place of employment. I came across this article which discusses how coming up with ideas to save your employer money, time, etc., could give you the upper hand if and when cutback time comes around. You can use my entire IMPACT(c) process to put those ideas to work for you AND your employer!
Click this link to read the article:
"How One Word Can Kill Your Career"
My goal is to serve you with resources and strategies that help you clarify, organize, and implement your ideas.
Stay connected with me for more Idea Discoveries.
IdeaSuccessNetwork.com
Sylvia Henderson, Your Idea Coach
Author: "Hey, That's MY Idea! How to Communicate and Get Recognized for What You Know and Think"
The Path Runs Both Ways: Mentoring to Support Someone Else’s Ideas
Chances are, at some point in your life, a friend, family member or colleague will come to you for advice or guidance on an idea that they have. You should view this as the ultimate compliment, because this person values your opinion and respects what you have to say. They are looking for you to be a mentor in their life.
Being in a position of mentorship is not only honorable, but also comes with great responsibility. No matter what your relationship with the person, or how much you like their idea, agreeing to be a mentor is a significant commitment of your time and energy. You’ll need to be prepared to make the most of both.
To help you build and sustain a successful mentoring experience, here are a few tips for you to follow the next time someone comes to you for support:
• Communicate clearly. As you have discussions with your mentee, listen with full concentration on what is said. What is the underlying message? Periodically relay back what you think you have heard to be sure you understand. Remove distractions from your environment (home, office, classroom, etc) to make sure you can hear and understand everything. In addition, make eye contact with the person and observe their body language for cues on how they feel.
• Be quiet. Allow the person to say all they need to say, without interruption. As you communicate and work together to clarify parts of their idea, avoid jumping to conclusions. Also, pause before responding, so that you can be impeccable with your word.
• Involve the person you coach in identifying issues and setting goals. Likewise, involve him or her in solving problems and making decisions. As much as they want you to be an integral part of supporting their idea, you want them to feel like they were just as much a part of the development process.
• Set high standards. The standards you set and emulate are the most you can expect from the mentee, so raise the bar and see it through to the end.
• Define what “positive results” look like and how performance is measured and tracked with the person. Discuss and write down the end goal of the idea, and set milestones along the way that hold you both accountable.
• Explain why a particular approach is being taken, especially if the approach differs from that which was mutually determined. Sometimes, we need to deviate from the original plan. Be sure to communicate if and when this is the case, so you can maintain a clear objective.
• The more you delegate to others, the more others learn. Provide resources so that others can succeed. Develop your own secession plan by delegating to and growing others’ roles.
•Involve people in your thinking so that others will know, understand, learn, and support the process leading to a particular decision. You can generate outside support for the idea by communicating to others who are likely to support and facilitate it.
Remember, when someone seeks you out as a mentor, they do so for a reason. Should you choose to assume that role, adopting these tips will not only help the mentee reach their goal, but will also help you grow and learn through the experience.
Motivational Music: “Believe”
Every now and then I will share a song – popular, past, or just pleasant – that I find to be motivating. When you are in the process of implementing your ideas and you hit that wall, having music that motivates helps you knock down the wall and brick-by-brick. Music spans generations, cultures, and many other demographics. While I'll share with you music I find and categorize as "success music", you must find that which inspires and motivates you to succeed. Create a playlist of such music and when you need it, you'll have it.
"Believe". Recorded by Josh Groban
Success with Sylvia™: Starting Conversations With Those You Don’t Know
When you meet someone for the first time, what do you say? How do you start a conversation with someone you don't know without using "small talk?" Sylvia discusses the 3 techniques used to easily start conversations.
You’re In Charge. It’s Your Idea. What’s the Problem (With Everyone Else)?
Our personal and professional relationships are sometimes less than supportive and convinced of our ideas. For some of us, adversity is more of a daily occurrence than a once-in-a-while situation. When you are in a position of authority, it is the moment of crisis that can be the most difficult (and important) time to communicate your ideas.
We see examples of crisis situations whenever prominent people or major organizations announce a change in their financial commitments or support. Usually the change is perceived as negative to the public, and then a horrendous backlash ensues. The individual’s or organization’s actions further feed the negative reactions, and then have to be managed by consultants or public relations experts.
When you are in a position of authority in your family or in your company, it is important that you know how to communicate your ideas and solutions during uncertain times. Understanding your role and the influence that role carries with and over others is imperative to the outcome of the situation. You can directly affect how well your idea will be acknowledged and then followed.
Here are a few approaches to keep in mind to communicate your ideas and solutions during difficult and stressful times:
1. You are a “regular person”, too. Yes, you are in a position of authority because of your expertise, experience, initiative, enterprise, longevity, or birth order. Yet you are a “regular person” with your own personal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Not only does this help you to understand how others may feel about the situation and your ideas, it also guides you in formulating the best words and actions to spur your team to action. If your authority position makes you responsible for public safety, health or security, then your situations can be especially demanding. In this case, communication for your ideas should be – and is expected to be – abrupt, pointed, and geared toward effecting quick and safe action.
2. Don’t make matters worse. Everyone is on alert in a crisis situation. All of your emotions and reactions may be “off the scale”. It is for this reason that you must avoid taunting, teasing, and tempting others, as well as making inappropriate comments and actions. There is no place for sarcasm and exaggeration when you communicate. Tense situations call for a calming presence, and your ideas must resolve and reassure.
3. Manage your anger. In stressful situations, it is easy to let anger rule your tongue. The downside to expressing that anger is that your people become less willing to help you implement an idea, or even listen to it in the first place. Work to immediately calm yourself down and step away from the situation (figuratively and/or physically) even if just for a few moments. Then be rational and assess your situation realistically, without the exaggerated feelings and reactions that anger can manifest. Before you speak, make sure you give yourself time to slow down, listen, and think through a response before communicating it. Finally, clearly articulate your ideas and how you want them acted upon.
Following these suggestions in a crisis will help you assert your ideas in difficult or crisis times. You will also garner the support of those around you who are instrumental in helping to resolve the situation and possibly ensure that your ideas become standard operating procedures for avoiding the next crisis situation.
Idea Discovery: Website – Springwise.com
Make your IMPACT(c) … one idea at a time!
Here's my Idea Discovery for today to help you do just that.
Idea Discovery: Website – Springwise.com
I came across this website recently and just about got lost inside once I was there. You can spends hours reading all the ideas that are LOADED into this website. Springwise collects data sent in by "Springspotters" across the globe and compiles and publishes the info into one website. They also publish a newsletter which you can subscribe to for free.
Here is the link. Enjoy! http://www.springwise.com/
My goal is to serve you with resources and strategies that help you clarify, organize, and implement your ideas.
Stay connected with me for more Idea Discoveries.
IdeaSuccessNetwork.com
Sylvia Henderson, Your Idea Coach
Author: "Hey, That's MY Idea! How to Communicate and Get Recognized for What You Know and Think"