The Tuesday Business Corner: QUICK WINS 3 – more simple ways to improve quickly

I’ve had some more requests for quick wins. Here are another five sets for you…

Improve your presentations

1. Engaging start – spend longer preparing your start than anything else. The wording must be enticing ; the delivery must be impactful
2. Interesting content – think what audiences love – interactivity, stories, humour, visuals, trivia etc; then include some of them
3. Directing end – don’t end with “thank you” – this just makes people say “you’re welcome”. Instead, give them a clear Call To Action, directing them what to do next

Improve ‘Update Meetings’

1. If the call isn’t needed, stop having it. Ask yourself “what harm would it do if we stopped this?” If the answer is “none”, you know what to do
2. Re-name them ‘Improve Meetings’ – “the reason we’re here is to improve things, not just swap news”
3. Inject variety, to break the tedium of the same thing every week. Change the timing, duration, frequency, format, who chairs it, who sits where… anything

Reviewing other’s communications

1. Go straight to the Call To Action. If it isn’t clear (or there), people won’t act
2. Then, look at the title/introduction. It must be captivating, so the reader wants to read on
3. Review the contents page. Is the flow clear? And do the titles draw the reader in?

Get a “yes” (BO)

1. Think of the benefit to them of saying “yes”. This will be them getting more of a good thing, e.g. more time, or less of a bad thing, e.g. less hassle
2. Identify a couple of options as to how they accept, so it’s a yes/yes choice, rather than a yes/no
3. Practise until the BO (benefit options) sounds natural. Examples:

• For my daughter: “(B) It’s time for your favourite story upstairs. (O) Do you want Daddy to carry you; or are you going upstairs on your own?”
• When selling: “So, we can help you achieve your #1 priority of exporting into Belgium. There are two ways we can do this – doing XYZ for £100,000 or just XY for £65,000. Which do you prefer?”

Getting good results from challenging conversations

1. Remember, it’s more important to find a solution than it is to be right
2. So focus on (1) the future and (2) the word “we”, rather than the past and “you v. me”
3. Start well (script and practise your opening line) and end well (know in advance what outcomes you want, so you work towards getting them)

Action point

Use the above tips that will give you the quickest wins. If they work, keep using them. If they don’t, adjust to suit your circumstances; then try them again until they do.

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Written by NativeEnglish

Native English Spain is dedicated to make learning English simple, fun and affordable for Spanish people.