tse - season’s greetings

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Season’s Greetings

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At TSE we believe that clear communication is an important key to success. We hope this collection of useful communication tools helps you to have a successful 2012.

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Page 1: TSE - Season’s Greetings

Season’s Greetings

Page 2: TSE - Season’s Greetings
Page 3: TSE - Season’s Greetings

At TSE we believe that clear communication is an important key to success. We hope this collection of useful communication tools helps you to have a successful 2012.

Best wishes for a prosperous 2012 Olympic Year! Season’s Greetings from all of us, The TSE Consulting Team

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How to network effectively

Conferences, congresses, conven-tions; sports professionals often find themselves in such gatherings where they take the opportunity to mingle with industry colleagues. These types of events are a unique occasion to network and meet (new) people; therefore, it is important to think ahead about what to do and how to do it in order to maximise the return on the time spent at such events. Here are some hints to assist you in networking effectively.

1Each event has its specific focus, speakers and target audience, so, in order not to waste time in going to any conference in the hope of randomly meeting people, take some time to think about what you want to achieve by attending that event. Set your goals, look at the par-ticipants’ list and identify those you would like to meet. It is before the event that you will set the foundations for a productive networking session.

Create an action plan

2Choose a networking approach that suits you and you feel comfortable with. Be aware of what kind of networker you are - clear-cut goals and avoids wast-ing time on people who do not serve your needs; naturally sociable and friendly but unsystematic; considerate and strategic ? -whatever your style, ex-ploit your traits accordingly and consider partnering with a colleague who has a different style to make sure you are doubly as effective.

Play to your strengths

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Play to your strengths

3When describing what you do, keep it simple so that anyone can understand it. Try giving real practical examples to illustrate your occupation. Additionally, avoid technical terms and do not be too specific as you talk about your business.

Be brief about your business

4Do not be afraid to keep quiet at times; good listeners give trustworthy impressions and are often seen as interested, smart and self-assured. Networking is as much about hearing from oth-ers as them hearing you.

Listen to others

5Whether you are using business cards, handouts or any type of material, they should be clear and brief to guarantee that all those who receive it actually read it and ultimately keep a good and precise impression of who you are and what you do.

Make your publicity material shine

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PowerPoint – three major problems, three simple solutions

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Eight hints for a high impact speech

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Page 8: TSE - Season’s Greetings

Sports professionals are commonly travelling to meet with event organ-isers, to sell sponsorship packages, meet with colleagues in different countries, etc. In such an interna-tional environment, communica-tion is extremely important - and it all starts with the ability to listen properly. Listening skills are funda-mental to building great business relationships. Here are some hints to assist you in becoming an effective listener.

1Different than the physical ability of hearing, listening is an acquired skill that cannot be practiced passively. As you engage in a conversation make sure you stay focused. Remember to maintain eye contact and pay attention to additional conversation dimensions such as body language, facial expressions, etc.

Take an active role

2Regardless of your own views on what is being dis-cussed, while you listen stay positive. As a listener, this means tuning into the message being said in spite of your personal opinion. When you start a conversation, try to free yourself from any existing prejudice that may interfere with the discussion in order to guarantee you listen and understand the other person’s point of view.

Listen with positive regard

How to be an effective listener

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Listen with positive regard

3As a listener, it is your role to make the speaker comfortable and to let him/her know that you understand and follow what is being said. This ‘speaker validation’ may come in different forms such as a head nod, leaning toward the speaker, or even a simple ‘uh-huh’. Such expressions make it clear to the speaker that you are paying attention and therefore give him/her confidence to continue talking.

Acknowledge the speaker

4Nobody likes to be interrupted. In some cases, this may be interpreted as disrespectful and inconsiderate behaviour. So, when discussing, make sure you write down any thoughts or com-ments you may have during the talk and, when the person concludes, share those views with him or her.

Do not interrupt the speaker

5When the speaker has finished, do not take his words as final. To make sure you have fully understood, repeat your inter-pretation of what was said and confirm with him/her that you have grasped the arguments presented. In doing so, rather than assuming you understood you can be assured to know exactly what was said and with which intentions. At the same time, the person speaking will be pleased that you paid attention and understood what was being said.

Confirm understanding

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When a report lands on someone’s desk, the most common reaction is ‘Do I really have to read this?’ Many reports don’t get read because they are too long and the main point is hidden at the back. Often they are also written in technical language which isn’t user friendly. Here are some hints, inspired by writing expert, Robert Gentle, to help you write reports that are both read and understood.

1A good title tells your audience instantly what your report is about. The title ‘Report’ merely states the nature of the document, which is pretty apparent anyway, but doesn’t highlight the content which is what people are interested in. A good title clearly describes what the report is about and contains a complete message. Don’t just present the subject of the report, but your conclusions as well.

Have a meaningful title

2The purpose of the table of contents is to break the report down into logical, digestible sections for the reader. Right away the reader should be able to see the logical flow of the document which makes it more digestible. If the report is short, only one or two pages, forget about the table of contents but make sure that headlines are used so the reader can see the same logical flow through the report.

Have a logical table of contents

How to ensure that your report gets read

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Have a logical table of contents

3The reader is after your main point, so don’t hide it in the back of the report. Putting your conclu-sion up front allows the reader to understand the report quickly and so he or she can act on it quickly. It also allows the reader to read the entire report with more productivity instead of spending time wondering where your arguments are headed. For long reports include a summary where the main point is highlighted and for a short report your point should be apparent in the main headline.

Make your point right away

4Your reader should be nodding their head all the way through your report. Not necessarily because they agree with you, but because there is a logical flow. Headlines help pull your reader through the report and allow them to catch your key points at a glance. They are particularly useful in unscram-bling long or complex paragraphs to ensure your key point is seen and understood. The heading should be descriptive and let the reader know what is about to come.

Use lots of headlines

5White space is important in making a report inviting and user-friendly. It makes headlines and graphics stand out and enables you to draw attention to key paragraphs. Really, it just makes your document ‘readable’ and that is what is most important. You aren’t wasting paper if you are improving the readability of your document. A few extra pages won’t increase the price of printing all that much, but it will certainly help to achieve your reports aim. Using simple language is also important to ensure that the report is inviting and user-friendly as well.

Use a clean, airy layout

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[email protected] I www. tseconsulting.com

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