How to Remain Safe and Healthy at Work?
With people spending up to 9 hours at their workplaces, the office of today has become the new home while away from home. Hours of daily interaction, organizational stress, long shifts in front of computers, risking shortcuts to meet deadlines, consumption of junk food and handling of equipment or machinery without proper training are just a few pointers towards why workers are increasingly becoming unhealthy and unsafe at work. That is why occupational health & safety is a matter of great importance in the current job sector. Unhealthy and unsafe personnel are not only liabilities to themselves, but as well to their co-workers and their organizations.Unfortunately, no statistics concerning occupational health and safety are currently accessible in Pakistan, because a greater part of accidents are not reported to the Labor Department. Diseases and accidents in the Pakistani work places are an appalling tragedy. The frequency of occupational diseases and injuries is very high because thousands of workers are regularly exposed to unsafe practices at work. However, remaining safe and healthy at work is an individual struggle. With some common sense and attentiveness, we cannot only care for ourselves, but also for our co-workers and our workplaces. Following are a few tips on how to remain safe and healthy at work.Learn to Say “NO” to a Task that’s UnsafeIf you’re asked by your supervisor or the manager to perform a task; which you think is too risky or just unsafe, remember that you have the legal right to refuse. Saying “No” can at times save yourself and other people’s lives. However, the trick is to say it in a professional manner, so as not to offend the boss and potentially risk your career. Inform your supervisor why you think the job is too risky. Maybe it’s because there are too many potential hazards, or you might not have received proper training in performing the task. Ask the supervisor his/her viewpoints on why they consider the task safe? Are they able to show you how it can be done properly? Let them know of your doubts and request assistance or extra tools to help you, if necessary. Always remember that if you are going to put yourself in a tight spot, with prior knowledge, you are solely responsible for all the outcomes.Learn to Identify & Report Workplace HazardsIn order to point out potential hazards at your workplace, get training on standard occupational health & safety and also learn basic First Aid. Furthermore, ask your company on their policies and procedures for identifying, reporting and eliminating internal risks and hazards. Sometimes, all it takes is good use and co-ordination of your senses to recognize vulnerability at your workplace. Make sure that all the electrical equipment that you handle has been checked and properly installed by a professional. Furthermore, enquire questions like, is their a fire extinguisher handy and does someone know how to use it? Does the office have a first aid kit? You may feel hesitant asking these questions at first, but remember they are your right to know, as they concern your own well-being and life.Don’t let Stress take the Better of YouCorporate stress is something we all have to endure at sometime within our careers. However, job pressure regarding deadlines is one thing but mental stress leading to psycho-social problems is something completely different and alarming. Apart from making workers increasingly distressed, irritable, anxious, insomniac, depressed & tired, work stress can cause personality disorders, as it severely affects the immune system, leaving psychological impacts. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Histrionic Personality Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder are a few examples of such psychological impacts caused by work stress. Proper stress management training and organizational management is needed to avoid the development of stress factors at the workplace. If you feel you’re stressed out or one of your co-workers is, immediately notify the supervisor with proper reasoning. Take work, duties and responsibilities with reasonable enough time-frame. Remember never to over-burden yourself or let your job take over your physical and mental well-being. A good tip to take your mind off the stress at work is to treat yourself with a bit of chocolate or anything sweet.Enjoy Healthy Food Practices at WorkInstead of opting for coffee and smoke breaks, do yourself a favour by quitting both. Plus, smoking is just something you would really want to avoid, especially at work. Eat a wide selection of foods, including plenty of fresh and seasonal fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Reduce junk food, takeaways, saturated fats and processed foods to the minimum. Make sure that you drink plenty of water and possibly try some herbal teas in its place of coffee and tea. Keeping a water bottle on the desk is a great and simple way to stay healthy. Plus, it helps in constantly reminding you that you need to drink plenty of water to keep yourself from dehydration. Another advantage is that water detoxifies our body systems, maintaining our health along the way. Furthermore, drinking water at regular intervals will help you fight fast food cravings.Stay Fit not Fixed to the ComputerIf you’re spending too much time sitting fixed to the computer, you’re possibly going to end up with muscle pain in the arms, stress and redness in the eyes and probably some weight gain. Turn off the monitor every couple of hours for five minutes. This will give your stressed eyes a much needed rest. Utilize these five minutes to loosen up, close your eyes or else direct your attention on other things. You could also take time off to get away from your desk and if possible go for a quick walk outside. Also consider stretching your arms and legs, while at break. Stretching helps by keeping your body loose and flexible; it increases suppleness and blood circulation; plus, it sets your metabolism in motion and keeps your body warm.Most importantly, keep your family and loved ones in view at work. Remember, they are one of the reasons we are at work, and that someone is waiting for us at home to arrive safe and healthy back from work.
How to Survive the Workplace Bully
When we are young, a bully at school can make us terrified of going to school. However, as we grow older, we get better adapted at dealing with such people in life and once we enter the professional field, we feel safe and know that the years of bullying are over. Yet, the fact is that we often face bullies at work, the only thing different is that the techniques have changed. There are all kinds of office bullies who can make your professional life difficult and make sure that whatever you do, you do not get a good response.What Is Workplace Bullying?
The term workplace bullying is used to describe aggressive and unreasonable behaviour at work designed to negatively impact or destroy a colleague. A workplace bully can be anyone; a manager, a co-worker, a subordinate and even a client. The workplace bullies are basically insecure people who make every possible attempt to mask their insecurity by exhibiting control and domination over anyone and everyone they can.In most of the cases, workplace bullies target people whom they envy, such people have the traits and talents that the bully wishes he/she possessed but does not. So the bully just attempts to harm the skilled and more talented colleague which helps them feel more secure in their employment.Tactics Employed By Workplace Bullies:Most of the workplace bullies arm themselves with the following tactics to make sure that you do not make a good career for yourself as long as they are working with you:- Intimidating the other person by any means available
- Interfering with a colleagues projects
- Sabotaging a colleagues projects
- Criticising the work or personality of a colleague
- Undermining the work of a co-worker
- Constantly finding mistakes in someone else’s work
- Threatening work status or reputation of a colleague
- Laying about a subordinate’s performance during the evaluation process
- Making unrealistic and unachievable demands and deadlines
Dealing with Bullies at Work:Most of the employees do not report the workplace bully as they fear that the attitude of the bully will further worsen and they might end up losing their jobs. However, the fact remains that ignoring such a problem will not solve it but it will give more confidence to the bully as he/she will know that you are not going to do anything about it.If you have been a victim of an office bully, you can handle him by following these tips:1. Perform your Tasks Well:As an employee, it must be your foremost duty to make sure that you are performing all your duties properly and to let others know you are doing your job well. Workplace bullies basically target you so that you get disturbed emotionally and mentally which will inevitably take a toll on your performance. So make sure that whatever he or she is doing, you do not let it affect your output. If you are not performing your tasks properly, he/she can easily get you fired.2. Don’t Take it Personally:When workplace bullies criticise and ridicule their target, the main purpose is to make the other person feel bad. The best way to deal with such people is to make sure that you do not take these comments personally and realise the agenda of the bully. If you start taking these comments seriously, they will bring you down and consequently affect your performance.3. Gather Proof:When you are being bullied at work, it is best that you gather witnesses, who can be co-workers and friends, who can come up to your defence if the need arises. This part might be easier said than done as most of the bullies are your bosses, you might not find people willing to be on your side when the time comes.4. Avoid Private Interaction:A bully might refrain from indulging in bad behaviour openly, especially if you are the only target of his bullying. So if you have observed that the office bully only mistreats you when you are alone with him, try to avoid such interactions at all costs. Even if he starts insulting you in public, at least you will have witnesses of his bad behavior.5. File an Internal Complain:One of the best ways you can get rid of a workplace bully is by filing a complaint against him with your HR department. As the HR department is usually concerned with maximizing the output of the staff members, they will take an action on your complaint. However make sure that you provide documentation and witnesses of the incident so that you can backup your claims.6. Look for Another Job:When nothing else works and you can do nothing about the bullying, it is probably time to start looking for a new job. When someone is bullying you at work, he is basically after your job and wants you to either leave or get fired. So if you think you can take the pressure, it is best that you stay on and exhaust the bully so that he/she knows that his tactics are not working. However, if you feel like the pressure is too much for you to handle and your performance is being negatively affected, it is best that you start looking for a new job and get a new start in life.
How to Remain Safe and Healthy at Work?
With people spending up to 9 hours at their workplaces, the office of today has become the new home while away from home. Hours of daily interaction, organizational stress, long shifts in front of computers, risking shortcuts to meet deadlines, consumption of junk food and handling of equipment or machinery without proper training are just a few pointers towards why workers are increasingly becoming unhealthy and unsafe at work. That is why occupational health & safety is a matter of great importance in the current job sector. Unhealthy and unsafe personnel are not only liabilities to themselves, but as well to their co-workers and their organizations.
Unfortunately, no statistics concerning occupational health and safety are currently accessible in Pakistan, because a greater part of accidents are not reported to the Labor Department. Diseases and accidents in the Pakistani work places are an appalling tragedy. The frequency of occupational diseases and injuries is very high because thousands of workers are regularly exposed to unsafe practices at work. However, remaining safe and healthy at work is an individual struggle. With some common sense and attentiveness, we cannot only care for ourselves, but also for our co-workers and our workplaces. Following are a few tips on how to remain safe and healthy at work.
Learn to Say “NO” to a Task that’s Unsafe
If you’re asked by your supervisor or the manager to perform a task; which you think is too risky or just unsafe, remember that you have the legal right to refuse. Saying “No” can at times save yourself and other people’s lives. However, the trick is to say it in a professional manner, so as not to offend the boss and potentially risk your career. Inform your supervisor why you think the job is too risky. Maybe it’s because there are too many potential hazards, or you might not have received proper training in performing the task. Ask the supervisor his/her viewpoints on why they consider the task safe? Are they able to show you how it can be done properly? Let them know of your doubts and request assistance or extra tools to help you, if necessary. Always remember that if you are going to put yourself in a tight spot, with prior knowledge, you are solely responsible for all the outcomes.
Learn to Identify & Report Workplace Hazards
In order to point out potential hazards at your workplace, get training on standard occupational health & safety and also learn basic First Aid. Furthermore, ask your company on their policies and procedures for identifying, reporting and eliminating internal risks and hazards. Sometimes, all it takes is good use and co-ordination of your senses to recognize vulnerability at your workplace. Make sure that all the electrical equipment that you handle has been checked and properly installed by a professional. Furthermore, enquire questions like, is their a fire extinguisher handy and does someone know how to use it? Does the office have a first aid kit? You may feel hesitant asking these questions at first, but remember they are your right to know, as they concern your own well-being and life.
Don’t let Stress take the Better of You
Corporate stress is something we all have to endure at sometime within our careers. However, job pressure regarding deadlines is one thing but mental stress leading to psycho-social problems is something completely different and alarming. Apart from making workers increasingly distressed, irritable, anxious, insomniac, depressed & tired, work stress can cause personality disorders, as it severely affects the immune system, leaving psychological impacts. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Histrionic Personality Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder are a few examples of such psychological impacts caused by work stress. Proper stress management training and organizational management is needed to avoid the development of stress factors at the workplace. If you feel you’re stressed out or one of your co-workers is, immediately notify the supervisor with proper reasoning. Take work, duties and responsibilities with reasonable enough time-frame. Remember never to over-burden yourself or let your job take over your physical and mental well-being. A good tip to take your mind off the stress at work is to treat yourself with a bit of chocolate or anything sweet.
Enjoy Healthy Food Practices at Work
Instead of opting for coffee and smoke breaks, do yourself a favour by quitting both. Plus, smoking is just something you would really want to avoid, especially at work. Eat a wide selection of foods, including plenty of fresh and seasonal fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Reduce junk food, takeaways, saturated fats and processed foods to the minimum. Make sure that you drink plenty of water and possibly try some herbal teas in its place of coffee and tea. Keeping a water bottle on the desk is a great and simple way to stay healthy. Plus, it helps in constantly reminding you that you need to drink plenty of water to keep yourself from dehydration. Another advantage is that water detoxifies our body systems, maintaining our health along the way. Furthermore, drinking water at regular intervals will help you fight fast food cravings.
Stay Fit not Fixed to the Computer
If you’re spending too much time sitting fixed to the computer, you’re possibly going to end up with muscle pain in the arms, stress and redness in the eyes and probably some weight gain. Turn off the monitor every couple of hours for five minutes. This will give your stressed eyes a much needed rest. Utilize these five minutes to loosen up, close your eyes or else direct your attention on other things. You could also take time off to get away from your desk and if possible go for a quick walk outside. Also consider stretching your arms and legs, while at break. Stretching helps by keeping your body loose and flexible; it increases suppleness and blood circulation; plus, it sets your metabolism in motion and keeps your body warm.
Most importantly, keep your family and loved ones in view at work. Remember, they are one of the reasons we are at work, and that someone is waiting for us at home to arrive safe and healthy back from work.
When we are young, a bully at school can make us terrified of going to school. However, as we grow older, we get better adapted at dealing with such people in life and once we enter the professional field, we feel safe and know that the years of bullying are over. Yet, the fact is that we often face bullies at work, the only thing different is that the techniques have changed. There are all kinds of office bullies who can make your professional life difficult and make sure that whatever you do, you do not get a good response.What Is Workplace Bullying?
The term workplace bullying is used to describe aggressive and unreasonable behaviour at work designed to negatively impact or destroy a colleague. A workplace bully can be anyone; a manager, a co-worker, a subordinate and even a client. The workplace bullies are basically insecure people who make every possible attempt to mask their insecurity by exhibiting control and domination over anyone and everyone they can.
In most of the cases, workplace bullies target people whom they envy, such people have the traits and talents that the bully wishes he/she possessed but does not. So the bully just attempts to harm the skilled and more talented colleague which helps them feel more secure in their employment.
Tactics Employed By Workplace Bullies:
Most of the workplace bullies arm themselves with the following tactics to make sure that you do not make a good career for yourself as long as they are working with you:
- Intimidating the other person by any means available
- Interfering with a colleagues projects
- Sabotaging a colleagues projects
- Criticising the work or personality of a colleague
- Undermining the work of a co-worker
- Constantly finding mistakes in someone else’s work
- Threatening work status or reputation of a colleague
- Laying about a subordinate’s performance during the evaluation process
- Making unrealistic and unachievable demands and deadlines
Dealing with Bullies at Work:
Most of the employees do not report the workplace bully as they fear that the attitude of the bully will further worsen and they might end up losing their jobs. However, the fact remains that ignoring such a problem will not solve it but it will give more confidence to the bully as he/she will know that you are not going to do anything about it.
If you have been a victim of an office bully, you can handle him by following these tips:
1. Perform your Tasks Well:
As an employee, it must be your foremost duty to make sure that you are performing all your duties properly and to let others know you are doing your job well. Workplace bullies basically target you so that you get disturbed emotionally and mentally which will inevitably take a toll on your performance. So make sure that whatever he or she is doing, you do not let it affect your output. If you are not performing your tasks properly, he/she can easily get you fired.
2. Don’t Take it Personally:
When workplace bullies criticise and ridicule their target, the main purpose is to make the other person feel bad. The best way to deal with such people is to make sure that you do not take these comments personally and realise the agenda of the bully. If you start taking these comments seriously, they will bring you down and consequently affect your performance.
3. Gather Proof:
When you are being bullied at work, it is best that you gather witnesses, who can be co-workers and friends, who can come up to your defence if the need arises. This part might be easier said than done as most of the bullies are your bosses, you might not find people willing to be on your side when the time comes.
4. Avoid Private Interaction:
A bully might refrain from indulging in bad behaviour openly, especially if you are the only target of his bullying. So if you have observed that the office bully only mistreats you when you are alone with him, try to avoid such interactions at all costs. Even if he starts insulting you in public, at least you will have witnesses of his bad behavior.
5. File an Internal Complain:
One of the best ways you can get rid of a workplace bully is by filing a complaint against him with your HR department. As the HR department is usually concerned with maximizing the output of the staff members, they will take an action on your complaint. However make sure that you provide documentation and witnesses of the incident so that you can backup your claims.
6. Look for Another Job:
When nothing else works and you can do nothing about the bullying, it is probably time to start looking for a new job. When someone is bullying you at work, he is basically after your job and wants you to either leave or get fired. So if you think you can take the pressure, it is best that you stay on and exhaust the bully so that he/she knows that his tactics are not working. However, if you feel like the pressure is too much for you to handle and your performance is being negatively affected, it is best that you start looking for a new job and get a new start in life.
Resolving Conflicts Within The Team Successfully
It is quite understandable that a lot of conflicts arise among the team members every now and then. There are many disagreements in the team when they are working on a certain project and sometimes these disagreement can build into full fledge conflicts which end up affecting the performance of the entire team. An effective team manager and team member is one who can handle such conflicts calmly and successfully. When you are working in a team, the performance of every team member is under scrutiny and the boss will notice whether you were a part of the problem or the one who controlled the problem.Conflict management is not as difficult as some people think and you can very easily learn to handle different kinds of people and conflicts if you follow these simple tips:
Avoid Pointing Fingers:
Most of the conflicts arise when there is a problem with the project and something goes wrong. In such a situation, most people start pointing fingers at the team members in order to avoid taking the heat for the mistake. Putting blame on others is the worst attitude in a team member and creates more problems rather than resolving any problem. Instead of pointing fingers at others, it is better to discuss what went wrong and then figure out a way to remedy it rather than wasting time in trying to pin the blame on someone else.
Don’t Be Bossy:
When you are working in a team, you need to treat each team member as an equally important colleague and listen to their advice and suggestions. When you act like you are the boss, you not only alienate them but also create a hostile working environment which is more prone to conflicts. So don’t be extremely pushy and bossy, instead be a good team member who is ready to listen to the suggestions of his team mates.
Be In Control:
While it is true that you should not be bossy when you are managing a team, it also goes without saying that you need to be in control of the situation and when a conflict arises you have to remain calm at all instances. Losing your temper and shouting on your team members will not only create a bigger problem but you will also lose the respect and trust of your team members.
Be Direct:
When there are problems and conflicts at work, it is best to be direct and address the real issue then and there. Beating about the bush gets you nowhere and complicates the issue more than it needs to be.
Don’t Run Away From The Problem:
When you face a conflict within the team, the best approach is to tackle it hands on. Some people try to run away from the problem and hope that it will fade away eventually. The fact remains that the conflicts have to be resolved and the sooner you start making amends the better. If you are hoping that it will go away by just ignoring it, you are in for a huge disappointment.
Pinpoint The Source:
Whenever a conflict arises within a team, it is the duty of the team leader or manager to identify the source of the conflict and then address the issue accordingly. Sometimes this source can be a particular team member who is not willing to cooperate and creates a lot of problems during the working hours. So a good team leader not only has to identify the problematic person but also deal with him and discusses the issue clearly.
Listen to Others:
Not only in conflict resolution but also in managing a team properly, it is important to make sure that you listen to the problems and suggestions of other people. If you act like you know everything and do not pay any attention to the ideas being floated by other people, you are bound to increase the level of conflict within a team and create more problems rather than solving any. In order to become an effective team manager, you should be able to foster trust and to do so you need to be able to listen to the problems that other people are having when they are working on your team.
Act to Solve Problems:
Most of the problems arise when you fail to take action as soon as issue comes up and resolve it instantly. If you want to resolve the conflicts that are arising in your team, you need to address the issues without any delay and make sure that you are doing this in such a manner that everyone is satisfied with your decision. It is understandable that being a team leader you might have to take some tough decisions but you can do so without offending anyone in the team and by making them understand why you took a particular approach.
Avoid Being Defensive:
When you are a team leader or even working in a team without being the leader, you need to make sure that you are open minded and relaxed. You should be able to listen to criticism and be able to handle the criticism very well. Some people get extremely defensive when they are criticized for something and fail to take the high road. You need to keep in mind that being defensive will only create more problems for you and your team members and will eventually reflect badly on the outcome of the team. So whatever you do make sure that you remain calm and are able to take criticism with a pinch of salt. You need to analyze the criticism and see how much of it was fair and what can you learn from such criticism.
Conclusion:
By following these simple tips, you can make sure that your team performs well without any problems and if there is any conflict within the team, you can resolve it without getting into much trouble.
Dealing with a Negative Work Environment
Having a positive work environment is extremely important if you want to give your best at work. If you are working in a negative environment, it not only brings down your productivity but also has an effect on your motivation level. While most of us hope that we will be provided with a healthy and positive working environment, not all of us are that lucky.
Sometime you might find yourself trapped in a negative environment which is detrimental to the quality of work and the management might not be doing anything to change the circumstance. So what can you do in such circumstances? It is not an option to leave the job as the job market in Pakistan is already tough and those who have a job want to keep holding on to their jobs. The best option in such a situation is to make some effort of your own to create a positive working environment which will boost your productivity.
Here are a few tried and tested methods which can help in building a positive atmosphere, minimizing negativity and boosting your overall morale:
Establish Trust:
The most important aspect of having a positive working relationship is establishing a bond of trust between yourself and the other employees. If you lie to them and act as an office gossip no one will be able to trust you and as a result you have to work in a negative environment where no one trusts you and will not share anything with you. Try to be as honest as possible and do not gossip about your colleagues as it creates a negative impression on others.
Be Positive when Communicating:
When you are discussing a presentation or brainstorming an idea, make sure that you listen to what others are saying and be positive in communicating in them. Do not give a negative comment on every idea and if you have to shoot down an idea, be polite and explain why you think it will not work. Keep all your team members in the loop and let them share their thoughts as well.
Share Credit:
When the entire team works on something, everyone should get the credit and if you try to get all the credit for yourself, you will make more enemies with every group assignments. Not only does that make others hostile but also creates a bad impression on the superiors as the employers like to have team players in the company.
Bond with the Co-workers:
When you are working in a professional set up, you end up spending more hours at work than you do at home. There are many people who like to keep to themselves as much as possible and do not socialize at all, as they think that they are better off remaining neutral. However, this is the wrong approach as you can make many friends at work which can help you in taking stress out of your life. You can take small breaks during the day to chat with them and feel rejuvenated afterwards. However make sure that you do not disturb any of your co-workers and only go to chat with them when they are also on a break.
Don’t Play the Blame Game:
No one likes a co-worker or a manager who cannot accept his fault and take responsibility for his actions. So if you make a mistake, do not try to pin it on your juniors or colleagues. Just accept that it was your fault and promise never to repeat it again. After all, everyone is human and nobody can be perfect all the time. Accepting your mistake and owning up to it speaks strongly about your character and will win you the respect of your colleagues.
Be Appreciative:
When a co-worker performs well you should appreciate and encourage him rather than feeling envious. Hard work and special achievements should be recognised and due credit should be given. So always be thoughtful and appreciative of others and you will also be appreciated for your work.
Help Your Colleagues:
One of the best ways to make sure that you are working in a positive environment is to foster a culture of helping out your colleagues when they need your expertise and getting their help when you are stuck at a particular job. By helping each other, co-workers enhance the overall performance of the team and create a positive impression on the bosses.
Decorate your Cubicle:
Sometimes all the negativity that is surrounding you can be because of the physical environment you are working in. Sitting in a standardized cubicle all day long can be depressing and a source of negative energy for many people. You can address this issue by changing the look of your cubicle and turning it into a more pleasant place for you to sit. Put framed pictures of your loved ones beside your computer and place a small plant near your table so that you can feel relaxed and more energetic when you are working.
Celebrations can do Wonders:
Many people do not include their co-workers in celebrations as they consider it against the professional norms. However, by simply bringing in a cake to celebrate your birthday, you can bond with the co-workers and enjoy the time you spend talking to them. Such small acts break the monotony of the day and help you in promoting a positive environment.
Last Words:
The place where you work needs to be a positive and welcoming environment otherwise you might hate getting up in the morning and dread the 8 hours you have to spend at work. By following these simple tips you can enjoy your work by eliminating the negative energy from your working environment.
Polish Your Presentation Skills
Everyone has to give a presentation at some point during his professional life and whenever the time comes, it grips one with fear, apprehension and anxiety. Some people cannot get rid of this fear even after giving presentations many times. Some of us give average presentations, some below average and some are so good that their presentation skills become exemplary.
The fact is that with a little practice, patience and hard work, you too can improve your presentation skills considerably. If you are properly prepared and know what you have to do, you will feel little or no anxiety when giving your next presentation. The skills needed to give a good presentation are very basic but most people are unaware of their importance.
We have compiled a list of some golden rules that will help you in improving your presentation skills considerably and open the doors of a successful career for you. Even if you have not had the chance to deliver a presentation as yet, you should be prepared in advance as there is no knowing when you might be asked to give a presentation. If you are unprepared you might panic and fail to do a good job.
Golden Rules For A Great Presentation:
These tried and tested rules will ensure that you are able to give a smooth and impressive presentation.
Be Prepared:
For giving a good preparation you need to be well-prepared and organized. Know what material you have to include in the presentation and what should be excluded. Moreover you need to organize all the available information in such a manner that it has a smooth flow and easily understandable by the audience.
Use Visual Aid:
If you want to create a lasting impact on the audience and wish for them to retain more information, avoid bulleting and replace with images instead. Researchers have indicated that using images and visual aid has a much better effect on the audience rather than plain text.
Personalize:
In order to engage you audience in to the presentation completely you need to personalize with them. You can relate incidents from your past experiences to explain or elaborate a certain point in your presentation. Choose something which the audience can relate to, so that they can connect to your story and understand the point you are trying to make.
Remain Calm:
Nervousness is something which can be easily sensed by the audience and if you become too nervous you might end up sending the entire presentation down the drain. You must be ready to handle pressure and answer questions that the audience poses at the end of the presentation.
Work On Your Body Language:
For any presentation or speech, body language plays an important part in making it successful or a disaster. Your gestures say a lot about the level of confidence you have in your presentation. If you are nervous it will be reflected by your gestures and the audience will fail to connect with you properly. You must maintain eye contact with the audience and talk to them rather than staring at the back wall.
Know The Specifics:
You must know what kinds of audience are you presenting to, what do they expect and what kind of information they need to understand your presentation better. Get the details and work on them so that you do not have to face any unpleasant surprise at the 11th hour.
Be Moderate:
While some people believe that a long presentation is necessary to make their point and try to extend it for more than an hour. There are others who believe that a short presentation is the way to go and do not extend it for a period more than 15 minutes. The fact is that one should decide on the duration of the presentation based on the type of audience, the topic of the presentation and the purpose of the presentation.
It is better to keep the presentation short, but not too short. You have to be able to make your point clearly during the time allocated for the presentation. Don’t try to rush too much information in too little time as this will accomplish nothing and the audience will have retained very little information.
The Trio Rule:
Many researchers have agreed upon the fact that most of the people are able to retain three main points in any presentation. So in order to have the maximum effect on the audience it is advisable that you concentrate on three main points which can best explain the purpose and aim of your presentation.
If you break down the presentation into too many small points, it will fail to have a lasting impact on the audience. It is better to keep the presentation concise and to the point.
Make A Video
If you are too nervous about the presentation and there is too much on stake, it is a good idea to video tape yourself when you are rehearsing the presentation and carefully go through it. See what mistakes are there and which moves are making your presentation unimpressive. Work on these deficiencies and you will be able to give a great presentation.
Know What’s Next
If you have prepared a multimedia presentation you should be familiar with the content and the order of appearance of the slides. This way when the slide changes you know what is appearing next and you can start talking about what you are about to show. This gives you command over the presentation and enhance the confidence level.
Familiarize Yourself With The Surroundings:
If possible you should visit the room where you have to give the presentation and familiarize yourself with the surroundings. This will boost your confidence and you will feel comfortable at the time of the presentation.
Bottom Line:
Giving a presentation does not have to be a difficult and threatening task. If you are well prepared and have attained the basic skills needed to give a presentation, it will be a piece of cake. Keep in mind, no matter how good of a presentation you have put together, there will be no effect if you fail to give the presentation properly.
Enhance Your Performance With Advanced Education
Once a person has completed his college education, all he can think about is getting a job and making the most of the experience he can gain in practical life. There are many who become successful in professional life as soon as they set foot in their industry but for others professional life is a continuous battle. They have to work very hard and attain all the potential skills which can help in securing a better job and strengthening their career in the long run. Continuing your education even after being in the practical field for years is the most significant factor in improving your performance at work by simply enhancing your skill set.
Why Advanced Education Is Important?
Since the economic recession has affected the job markets and companies have terminated millions of employees, survival of the fittest has become the rule of the day. If you want to survive in the corporate culture you need to be the best at your job otherwise those who are better will take your position and you’ll end up taking the axe.
The last two decades have seen tremendous growth in advanced education programs as more and more people have realized the importance of these programs in shaping their careers and improving their expertise. As all multinationals and even small companies have revamped their infrastructure by installing the latest technology, it is important that the employees are trained accordingly and know what they are dealing with. Advanced education helps the individuals in adapting to the latest professional trends and hence improves their chances of success in the professional life.
Informal & Formal Training:
There are two ways in which an individual can get advanced education to improve his skills, i.e. formal and informal training. The formal training includes proper courses and programs that are aimed at teaching the relevant skills to the students. It is important to recognize the fact that these educational programs are for adults, so the person does not have to be uncomfortable when enrolling in a course for advanced education. Informal training refers to other modes of educating oneself such as getting online tutorials and learning skills that are relevant to your job. Informal training also includes seminars, workshops and other such events which are organized to help the participants improve their j0b related skills.
Benefits of Advanced Education:
The main reason why enrollment in the continued education programs has been multiplying over the years is that there are many benefits of getting additional training which can enrich the skill of the employees to a great extent. If a person does not work on his skills and constantly upgrade his education in this regard, there is a good chance that the employer will replace him with someone who is more qualified and skilled.
Improves Chances of Promotion:
Even if you are not facing any immediate threat to your job, getting enrolled in an advanced education program can increase your chances of getting a promotion and even a pay raise. If you get enrolled in an advanced education program to improve your job related skills, it will clearly reflect in your performance and give you an edge over your colleagues. Without these skills, the chances of your promotion will be much lesser and you might have to work twice as hard to prove yourself.
Understanding Your Job Better:
By acquiring advanced education you can improve your analytical skills and have better understanding of your responsibilities which will help you in dealing with projects and daily chores without any hassle or trouble. Advanced education prepares you to resolve any issues that arise without affecting your performance negatively rather your efficiency level will improve.
Open Up New Choices:
By taking advanced courses in any field you can not only improve your existing skills but also learn new skills which were unavailable to you during the college years. You can thus open up many job opportunities which would not have been available to you otherwise.
Upgrades Your Skills:
When you enlist for an advanced education course, you learn new skills and understand how to perform your duties better. As new technologies are becoming a part of the corporate life on a regular basis, it is important that you also upgrade the skill set frequently.
Moreover in any field, new discoveries and inventions modify the mechanism of operations so the educational courses for that particular field are also upgraded and changed from time to time. If a person does not pay attention towards improving his education on a regular basis, he will fall behind the others who are newer to the field and can perform these jobs at a better rate due to the latest educational facilities.
How To Manage Advanced Education Courses With a Full Time Job?
The main reason why most of the people tend to avoid taking courses in advanced education is that they cannot manage to study and work at the same time. While it is true that taking on advanced educational courses in addition to a 9 to 5 job can increase the burden, one can easily manage both only by finding the proper balance.
When you choose an advanced educational course, be sure to check the timings so that they do not overlap with your work hours. Moreover try to take courses that have lesser credit hours as they will be easier to complete and you will not feel overburdened.
The positive aspect of advanced education is that you do not have to meet a deadline so you can take easier courses that may take more time but in the end you will have acquired more skills and knowledge. You can even enroll for courses which make it possible for you to attend classes only once or twice a week.
Last Thoughts:
Learning does not stop at any age or any phase of life so you have to keep updating yourself with the latest developments in the fields that are relevant to your field. Advanced education helps a person by improving his performance in the professional field considerably which means you not only perform your tasks better but also acquire better time management skills
Self Assessment: Finding Your Niche
Finding the career that is perfect for you is not as easy or simple as most of us expect it to be. Some have to switch from one career to another in search of the profession of their choice. Being stuck in a job which is not in accordance with your natural capabilities can lead to a burn out very soon in the professional life.
A person can only perform his tasks well if he is good at the job, which means possessing the skills and natural inclination towards that job. The dilemma in Pakistan is that students are not provided any proper counseling which can help them in finding which career will be right for them. Most youngsters get enrolled into Medical and Engineering because their parents want them to enter the specific field and others get enrolled wherever they can. The limited educational opportunities available in Pakistan do not allow these students the luxury of choosing a vocation of their choice.
Still, it is never too late to get on the right track and self assessment is the most important tool that can help in getting this done.
What Is Self Assessment?
Self assessment is the first step in anyone’s professional career as one cannot lead a successful professional life without choosing the career path that is appropriate for him. Self assessment helps a person in reviewing his capabilities and skills and determines a professional path which suits his personality so that maximum output can be delivered.
Focus Areas:
Self assessment basically focuses on certain aspects which reveal a lot about the person’s orientation in professional life.
These aspects include:
Goals:
What you want from your professional life both in the long term and the short term, helps in determining profession is suitable for you. It can be money, fame, stability, status, or anything else that you feel is the reason you want to enter a profession.
Interests:
Interest and hobbies are important in selecting a professional field as you can work much better if you have an interest in what you are doing. Otherwise, you end up getting stuck in a job that has no attraction.
Personal Traits:
Your personality such as what you like, what motivates you, etc are also important in determining what profession is good for you.
Skills:
During the course of education, the skills that one has acquired such as writing, computer programming, organizing, managing etc., help in choosing a specialized field.
Effective Steps For Self Assessment:
You do not necessarily need a professional career expert to carry out self assessment. Self assessment can be done by anyone and at any time during the educational or professional life. The important thing is to be prepared to handle the challenges of professional life and self assessment prepares you for this.
By following some basic steps, you can carry out the much needed self assessment yourself and benefits from the results. These steps are:
Preparation:
Simply put preparation is the key to success in every sphere of life. You cannot execute any plan or complete any project unless you are well prepared. When you enter the professional life, you must be aware of which steps are necessary to achieve your long term and short term goals. Preparation includes having a list of your priorities, job choices, skills and other important factors that can affect your professional life. So in essence when you prepare for self assessment, you are actually making a long term career plan as well.
Make A List:
The first step in self assessment is to make a list of all the previous experiences you have, places you have worked at and the positions you have held. This will give you a general sphere of interest as you can highlight the jobs that you liked best. If you are a fresh graduate, you can make a list of the major subject, project completed, achievements and the internships you have done.
Set Your Goal:
The next step involves making a list of your short term and long term goals. The best way to go about it is to think of your long term goal and then make a list of the short term goals or all the steps involved which will help you in achieving the long term goal. The best option is to write the titles or actual positions which you want to be working at in 5 years from now and the position you would love to work at within the next six months or so. You can include two or three alternate positions in this list.
Skills & Achievements:
In the next step, you need to focus on your additional skills and academic achievements which can help in a specific field or at any job in general.
Screen & Select:
Now, you need to evaluate the three lists made under these directions and see which skills match the job title of your choice. By a careful evaluation process you can narrow down the ideal job position that is suitable according to your skills and your interests.
Customize Your Resume:
Keeping in mind the positions you have chosen, modify your resume and add the skills and achievements that cater to a specific job title. A generic resume can never land you the perfect jobs as the employers attention is only caught by specific resumes that are tailored for the job in question.
Conclusion:
Self assessment can help you in finding the perfect job within no time. So if you are languishing in a job where there is no interest, motivation or success, it is time to go through self assessment and see which career suits you best.
If you feel that you are not going to be able to carry out self assessment on your own, you can ask a friend or family member to help you. Otherwise, there are many online self assessment tests which you can take and determine which career or industry suits you better.
Communicate Effectively at Work
Being able to communicate effectively at work is essential to any professional’s success regardless of which department he is working in. Most people do not pay much attention to their communication skills and as a result get easily overlooked at the time of annual promotions. Communication skills are not only important for interacting with the clients but also when interacting with co-workers and the boss.
Each and every day an employee has to interact with dozens of people, both inside the office and out of it. These people might be clients, colleagues, superiors, juniors, vendors, etc. Interacting with all of these people requires some level of communication skills as one has to interact with each person differently in order to get the best results.
Here are some tried and tested rules which will help you in learning the ropes of proper communication:
Keep It Simple & Clear:
Clarity and simplicity are the two most important aspects of being a good and effective communicator. Using too many confusing words and uttering speeches in long sentences serve no other purpose than to confuse the listener. Be direct in whatever you have to say. If you made a mistake, there is no need to spin a story on the reasons why it happened. Just admit your fault, excuse and make sure it never happens again. When dealing with a client, give a direct assessment of the situation so that the client can understand and participate in the discussion rather than confusing him with useless gibberish.
Make Your Point:
Talking about things that are not directly related to your agenda can have a negative effect as the listener will lose focus. You should state the agenda soon after you have set the ground and dwell on the important topics only. When you are articulate, the clients, boss and coworkers will take you seriously and pay more attention to your ideas.
Engage The Listener:
While being professional and articulate are important for a communicator, you need to make sure that you don’t sound cold or distant. When you are holding a conversation make sure that the listener is at ease and comfortable with the way you are talking and let him be relaxed so that he does not completely block you out.
Be a Good Listener:
The key to being an effective communicator is to become a great listener as well. Being a good listener enables you to hold the attention of the other person much longer as the other person feels involved. Whenever you are communicating with someone make sure that you give the other person a chance to express his views as well.
Communicating on the Phone:
Communication on the telephone requires you to be tactful, attentive and prepared. When you call someone you have to answer to his questions, pose your questions and make sure that you jot down all the important points of the conversation.
Before you make the call, you should have all the points you want to discuss organized and written on a sheet of paper. Also you should be expecting that the person you are calling might ask some questions so you need to be prepared to answer any relevant questions posed by the other person.
Make sure that you are concise and to the point when having a conversation on the phone since it is very important to make sure that the person you are talking to understands what you are saying perfectly. If you keep talking without waiting for input from the other end, the conversation will end without any fruitful results as you will not get your point across to the other person.
When you are talking on the phone make sure that the other person understood what was said by you and ask if he has any questions or issues he wants to discuss.
The most important part of a telephonic conversation is to make sure that you are not wasting the other person’s time. Whether you are conversing with your colleagues, boss or clients, make sure that you make your point without wasting any time at all.
Communicating via email:
Since the advent of modern technology and availability of internet in all parts of the world, email has become a very important mode for official communication. Many employees are not fully aware of the etiquettes involved in sending a professional email and hence make some very big mistakes.
The first rule of communicating via email dictates that the person writing the email should have a good command over the language. It does not mean that you need to use a lot of fancy and difficult words in the email. On the contrary, a well written email contains simple and direct language where there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes in it.
Spell check is a very important part of sending a professional email since a spelling mistake in the email is unacceptable and will create a poor impression on the reader. Always use the spell check before sending the email and if you feel more convenient, write the email in a word file and then copy it to the email box as you can format the email easily in word.
The content of the email is the most important part so make sure that you are concise, short and direct when writing an email. Writing long emails will serve no purpose as professional people do not have much time on their hands and reading lengthy emails will not only be a waste of time but the reader will also lose focus along the way and the email will fail to make an impact.
Formatting the email correctly is very important part of professional communication. Always keep in mind to use a standard font such as Arial or Times New Roman, which most people are comfortable reading. Also use a normal font size ranging between 11 and 14 depending on the font type and use only BLACK as the font color since it looks professional and is easy to read.
Conclusion:
Communication skills are vital for career success in the highly competitive job market and the better we are at communicating with the coworkers, clients and the boss, the higher are our chances for success. Without effective communication, the flow of information from one department to the other stops and affects the overall performance of the organization.