Team Leader Personal Development

Key skills and tips to improve your leadership

This resource is designed to be a practical approach to

cover some key skills you need to focus on in order to
be successful in the world of work. The structure will
enable you to grasp the core skills required. These core
skills are:
• High achievement
• Time management
• Personal effectiveness
• Solving problems and decision making
• Effective communication skills

Instructions
Quickly skim through the document to gain an over-
view of each section and a feel for the content and the
http://www.accel-team.com/ format.
Contact: Cliff F. Grimes
Then work through each section in more detail
Email: [email protected]
Ph: +44 (0)1946 82 3191
by completing the forms and checklists. Once you have
completed all sections you will have an inventory of
where you are and where you want to be. The gap be-
tween these two states is what you have to focus on in
order to improve your leadership and achieve success
by improving business performance.
Be patient, and remember that success is often
achieved through failures. Don’t be deterred but rather
go back through your inventory and re-evaluate.
1.0 High Achievement
1.1 Analyzing yourself
The essential ingredients for success are to:
• Decide what personal success you want
• Create a personal vision of success
• Adopt a quantum leap approach
• Believe success will happen
• Focus on success goals
• Be undeterred by set-backs.
The starting point for high achievement in your personal and business life
is to review positively your strengths and weaknesses. A basic self-assess-
ment should review:
• What am I good at?
• What do I enjoy doing or would enjoy given the chance?
• What kinds of business would I like to work in or to own?
• What are my assets?
• What work situations, frustrations and stresses do I wish to
avoid?
Questions such as these should be asked of ourselves at regular intervals
to provide opportunities to focus on what we would like to make happen
and to aim for the high achievement of desired results.

1.2 Setting goals

High achievement depends on first of all identifying and setting goals,
then setting about making them happen by addressing and dealing with
those key issues on which success or failure depend. Use the ‘Goal setting’
form to set your goals and the reasons that motivate your desire to achieve
success.

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Goal setting
Three year goals
The goal(s) I will
achieve within three
years are:

• Sub-goal(s) which
need to be achieved
are:

One-year goals
The goal(s) I will
achieve within one
year are:

• Sub-goal(s) which
need to be achieved
are:

In setting these goals you should adopt a quantum leap approach to achieve dramatic results, e.g. to triple profits
within three years.
Achievement Motivation
You must fix on these goals and use iron determination to make them happen by focusing on the reasons for achiev-
ing success:
My success goals
are important to me
because:

My success goals are

achievable because:

The obstacles to be
overcome are:

The priorities to focus

on are:

page | 3
2.0 Time-management skills
2.1 Assessing your time-management skills
Time management is not an end in itself. It is the means to an end. It has to be linked with
setting and meeting goals and, in this way, it provides the way to leverage really high achieve-
ment out of you and others with whom you come into contact.

How do you rate your time management skills? Do you:

1. Have success goals written down?
2. Agree your success goals with your boss wherever he / she should be involved?
3. Give the impression to people that you are well organized, really on top of your job, and still have time for
people?
4. Find enough time to tackle the important projects?
5. Have a reputation for invariably meeting deadlines??
6. Ask your secretary which jobs she / he could do for yon?
7. Work away from the office occasionally to concentrate on a particular job?
8. Reply to correspondence quickly?
9. Regularly return telephone calls sufficiently promptly?
10. Do you make enough use of technology and office equipment to save you time?
11. Deliberately decide to leave certain jobs undone, until someone complains?
12. Make a list of what jobs and telephone calls must or should he done today?
13. Often take work home or go into the office at weekends?
14. Feel it is better to do a job yourself than to train someone else to do it for you?
15. Allow people to waste your time by dropping in for a chat?
16. Do you literally open the post each morning?
17. Write things in longhand for your secretary to type?
18. Spend time doing jobs which a junior person could do as well as you?
19. Arrange your own meetings
20. Waste time filing things or finding files and information?
21. Sometimes go home feeling the day has been consumed by interruptions?
22. Accept telephone calls during informal meetings?
23. Spend too much time in unproductive meetings?
24. Arrive late for meetings quite often?
25. Spend too much time being chased by others and chasing others about missed deadlines?
26. Are you too much of a perfectionist for your own good?

To be rated a 100 per cent effective manager, you should have answered YES
to questions 1 to 12 and NO to questions 13 to 27. How did you perform?
Is there room for improvement?

2.2 Focusing on results and opportunities

In order to use time management techniques, it is vital to be results-driven and to do this ef-
fectively means identifying key results and assessing major opportunities. Use the table opposite
to formulate your key results and major opportunities assessment.

4 | page
Key results and major opportunities analysis
Key results to be achieved in order of importance (time spent on them, ranked 1 to 5):
Ranking Key result

Deadline

Deadline

Deadline

Deadline

Deadline
The major opportunities to be pursued in order of importance (time spent on them, ranked 1 to 5):
Ranking Major opportunities

Deadline

Deadline

Deadline

Deadline

Deadline

page | 5
 2.3 Using your diary for better time management
The trick is to plan your year first and your day last. Use the checklist below to improve your
planning using your diary or day planner system.

Diary planning checklist

(1) Enter key year planning dates in • regular meetings for the year
your diary: • known one-off events (e.g. AGM, Sales Conference, trade fairs, budget preparation)
• holidays
• family occasions
• key tasks (e.g. strategic workshop, Far East visit, customer visits).
(2) Plan your next month and: • count unplanned days available
• duck less important events
• reserve a meeting-free day each week
• reserve key task time.
(3) Plan this week • develop regular habits (e.g. weekly team lunch, Friday p.m. in the office).
(4) Plan each day at the outset and: • develop regular habits
• fix management-by-walking-about (MBWA) or open door times
• set personal assistant (PA) times
• list and rank jobs and phone calls
• use PA to follow up
• make daily action lists
• remember ‘stress’ can be reduced by planning to use your time to tackle areas of
concern
How to manage each day
• Plan each day at the start or better still the night before.
• Make a list of tasks, work out time needed for each and prioritize.
• Isolate the key task and make sure it gets done.
• Don’t be too ambitious and clutter each day with tasks that can wait.
• Build a time for solitude and/or to handle an issue that could crop up.
• Reduce interruptions from phone calls, visitors, etc times ear-marked for task
completion.
• Tie each day in with the week, the month, the year and your goals.
(5) Follow up effectively by using - this week
three follow-up files: - next week
- this month.

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 3.0 Personal Effectiveness
This section summarizes a variety of areas that should be addressed in
seeking ways of improving the way you operate in business.

3.1 Personal Appearances

You should make your own and your office appearance reflect now the
achievement of your success goals. An action plan is needed for:
• your own appearance
- hair, weight, clothes, etc.
• your office appearance
-walls, ceilings, tidiness, decoration.
Create a successful achieving style and remember you never, get a second
chance to make a first impression.
Perhaps the most important aspect of appearance and one which af-
fects the ability to tackle important tasks) is how your desk is managed.
Ways to clear your desk
• Don’t leave any papers on it when you leave.
• Don’t have papers out for more than one task at a time.
• Don’t keep papers hanging around:
- Diarize when to action and then file them
-Dump unwanted items
-Pass on with action notes (handwritten, don’t wait for typing up)
• Don’t let filing pile up (do it, yourself if need be).
• Don’t get side-tracked reading items that should be put in a separate to-be read file or pile.
3.2 Handling your manager
It is vital to agree with your own manager what will constitute high achieve-
ment in your present job. A key results statement needs to be agreed and
listed in order of importance:

Key results
1. Key Result

Standard of perfor-
mance

Priority / deadline
2. Key Result

Standard of perfor-
mance

Priority / deadline
3. Key Result

Standard of perfor-
mance

Priority / deadline

page | 7
 In arriving at this agreed list, you will need to:
• understand the constraints and pressures on your manager
• receive an appraisal of your performance
• negotiate the resource and the support needed to ensure success
• obtain the support needed for high achievement.
You should list the external and internal obstacles to be overcome:

Key results – obstacles to success

1. Obstacle

Action need

Assistance from
2. Obstacle

Action need

Assistance from
3. Obstacle

Action need

Assistance from

8 | page
 You should agree with your manager, the major opportunities to pursue and
win positive help and commitment to them. A check-list would be:

Major opportunities
1. Purpose and results to be achieved:

2. Proposal:

3. Other tangible benefits to be produced:

4. Methods to be adopted:

5. Costs and time scale required:

6. Financial return to be achieved:

3.3 Delegation and team-building

It is essential to lead by personal example by:
• defining your goals in writing and believing you will achieve
them
• identifying key results
• using your appearance and style to reflect achievement of
your success goals
• planning to overcome internal and external obstacles.
You will need to recruit, retain and develop people who will achieve out-
standing results and to create and maintain an atmosphere of excitement
in which high achievement will flourish. You should ask people whether
they:
• Want to achieve the key results
• Believe they can be achieved

page | 9
Also, ask them what will:
• make their jobs more interesting and enjoyable
• have to be done in order to ensure planned results are
achieved
Furthermore, what can they contribute by way of:
• ideas to overcome difficulties
• ideas for new opportunities
You need to select what to delegate by identifying key tasks and for each
note down:
• which member of your team could do this job
• what exactly is stopping you giving the task away
• what you will do to give the task away effectively

Tasks to be delegated to other team members

1. Task: Time Saved

To be given to:
Action needed:

Target date:
2. Task:

To be given to:
Action needed:

Target date:
3. Task:

To be given to:
Action needed:

Target date:

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A suggested format for these list might be as follows.

Extra time generated by delegation to be spent on key tasks:

1. Task: Time Saved

To be given to:
Action needed:

Target date:
2. Task:

To be given to:
Action needed:

Target date:
3. Task:

To be given to:
Action needed:

Target date:

In order to delegate effectively (once you have identified the time–con-

suming tasks to delegate and identified key tasks to spend more time on)
you need to:
• agree the results and standards to be achieved
• agree deadlines and the completion dates
• agree any interim check–points
• explain the importance, the context and the constraints
• provide the authority needed
• control the agreed deadlines rigorously
• say thank you when deadlines are met
-literally
-with a note
- with a gift
You must invest time now to develop your team and should discuss with
each person:
• their success goals
• training and development needs

page | 11
 • job satisfaction
• their next job or project
In respect of training and development programs, each person should have
one and a sensible format is:
Name Year

Training to be completed

Personal development

In recruitment, you should remember:

• to replace people incapable of outstanding achievement
• you have the team you deserve
• to pay well for outstanding achievement
• recruit resultaholics not workaholics
To create an atmosphere of excitement to breed high achievement you
must:
• exude enthusiasm – it is contagious
• sell not tell key results
• discuss how to make work more enjoyable
- invite ideas
- consider, prizes / competitions
- visits to trade shows, branches, etc.
- sponsored events
• keep people informed of results.
If you aim to reward high achievers (e.g. they should be promoted unself-
ishly because that policy is one of enlightened self-interest) you should also
Delegation check-list
• Don’t lot subordinates delegate to you.
• Don’t delegate only the work and not the authority.
• Don’t delegate and interfere (other than at agreed check-points).
• Don’t delegate and forget to follow up.
• Don’t delegate without agreeing objectives / results expected.
• Don’t delegate and let the problems come back rather than the solutions.
• Don’t delegate and delay matters by withholding decisions / information.
• Don’t delegate without discussing workloads.
• Don’t withhold praise.
• Don’t do a task if you delegate it.
• Don’t, confuse delegation with abdication.

decide to tell people (in private) immediately when their performance falls
short, otherwise you are condoning mediocrity.
In summary, the best ways to create a winning team (and create ‘free
time’ for yourself) involve:
• leading by example
• recruiting people for outstanding achievement
• injecting excitement
• giving freedom by delegation
• investing in staff development
• promoting outside your team.
As a brief introduction to the more formal ways of team operation, a struc-

12 | page
tural and results analysis of some different ways of working in teams can be summarized as
follows:

Type of team Structure and Function Results

Problem • 5-12 employees from different • can reduce costs
solving areas and levels of the business • can improve quality
team • meet 1-2 hours per week • do not result in changes in work
• discuss ways to improve quality, efficiency or involve managers
efficiency etc. enough
• no power to implement ideas • fade away over a short period
Special • design and introduce work • creates high level involvement
purpose reforms and new technology • can make wide changes
team • link all separate functions
• involve management, unions,
etc.
• make operational decisions
Self • 5-15 employees who produce • can increase productivity very
managing entire product significantly (research shows by
team • members learn all tasks and 30 per cent)
rotate jobs • fundamentally change an
• handle all managerial duties organization
• employees more in control of
their jobs
• eliminates supervisor level

page | 13
3.4 Meetings
Formal meetings
You should first of all test how effective your current formal meetings are
by using this check-list:

Formal meeting checklist

Was the action agreed worth the time spent in preparation, attendance and minute
writing?
Was the total amount of time spent by those attending justified by the action
agreed?
Why should the meetings continue to be held?
Why do you need to attend the meetings? Why not delegate the, job to someone else
and attend only when the situation or agenda merits your contribution?
Why not hold them quarterly instead of monthly, or monthly instead of weekly, or
only when either actual results to date or year-end forecast is more than 5 per cent
below budget?
Who needs to attend regularly? Who should be invited to attend when relevant? Who
only needs to receive the minutes for information?
Do you compile or authorize the agenda?
Are the agenda and background papers circulated soon enough for people to come
adequately prepared?
Do the meetings start on time with everyone present?
Do you check at the start of the meeting that the actions arising have been com-
pleted?
How long do the meetings last? How long should they be allowed to last?
Do you manage to complete the agenda within the scheduled time regularly?
Do people know when the meetings are scheduled to finish? Do they finish on time`?
Is personal accountability and a deadline assigned to each action item?
Why are the minutes not restricted to a list of actions agreed?
How soon after the meeting are the minutes circulated? Why aren’t they circulated
within 24 hours?
How long do you spend either writing the minutes or approving them?
What percentage of items are actioned by the due date?
Why do you tolerate less than virtually 100 per cent?
Have you asked those attending the above questions?

You can make your formal meetings more effective by focusing on:

Effective formal meeting checklist

Timing - treat starting time as sacrosanct
- schedule to finish at lunchtime / end of day (any overshoot would be
unwelcome by all)
- only give time to the key issues.
Agenda - write it yourself
- make it specific
- put important items first
- circulate in advance (and insist people prepare)
Minutes - reduce to action, person responsible and deadline summaries
- circulate within 24 hours of meeting. Informal meetings

14 | page
Informal meetings
You should first of all test how effective your current, informal meetings
are by using this check-list:
Informal meeting checklist
Do you always telephone to find out when it will be convenient for the other person
to meet?
When you telephone, do you briefly mention your purpose and agenda so that he /
she will be prepared? And indicate how long a discussion is needed? And ask if there
is anything else he / she wishes to discuss to ensure you are prepared?
Whenever you meet with your manager, if you have a problem, do you always out-
line the answer you recommend and are able to mention the, alternatives you have
rejected, and your reasons, if asked?
Do you hold regular informal meetings with your staff to avoid frequent and un-
necessary interruptions?
Do you insist that, they must never bring a problem to you without having consid-
ered the available options and recommending a solution?
Do you waste people’s time by answering the telephone during informal meetings?
Do you ask members of your team to come to your office without the courtesy of
telling them your agenda?
How often do you visit members of your team rather than have them always visit
you?
Whenever someone telephones you to suggest a meeting, do you always ask the
purpose and the priority needed?
Whenever someone visits your office for an informal meeting, do you suggest
another time if you are not sufficiently prepared or it will interrupt a key task?
Do your meetings always end with decisions approved or specific: action and a
deadline for completion agreed?

Effective informal meetings usually have this profile:

• telephone in advance to agree
- purpose
- agenda
- convenient time
• attendees should bring problems and answers
• telephone interruptions should be avoided
• decisions should be made with action and deadlines agreed.
Some tips for successfully handling informal meetings include:
MBWA - you visit your staff (they don’t interrupt
(management by walking you)
around): - you see for yourself
- you maintain contact.
Visit people in their offices to - you can decide when to leave
meet, rather than letting them
visit you
Stand up sitting can prolong an ‘informal’ meeting

The telephone
You must be ruthless in ensuring that you master the best ways of using
the telephone to your advantage to ensure that you are using your time
effectively and getting results.
Your policy must be to only take calls when and from whom you want.
Effective time managers invariably have a policy of not taking incoming
calls but operating a call back system (i.e. making the calls when they want
and when they are prepared to do so).
Key tips are not to receive calls when:

page | 15
 • interviewing
• in an informal meeting
• with a client or a supplier
• in a formal meeting
• you don’t want a key task or your creativity to be interrupted.
It is usually better to group calls for a particular time in the day and you
should think in advance what you wish each call to achieve. You should
reduce time wasted on finding numbers, dialing numbers and making social
calls by using your PA to best advantage to get the people you want (and give
a list of people, not one at a time) and to keep a good system of regularly
updated numbers and best contact times. You should use your PA to screen
callers (and ask `why?’) and to handle routine calls or re-routs them. If you
are out or don’t wish to take a call, the PA should take a message and find
out when to call back.
Time wasters should be handled by telling them you only have a few
minutes (and they should be called at lunchtime or after hours when they
are less likely to take up your working time).

3.6 Personal productivity

The following is a summary of key ways in which you can boost your own
productivity:

In–tray action checklist

• have PA stop unwanted mail
• scrap junk mail
• stop unwanted magazines
• re-route items before they reach you
• remove yourself from unwanted internal circulation lists
• get PA to sort mail into:
- urgent action
- team mail
- reply or action
- information only
• batch-process correspondence
• scan and dump the unimportant
• separate ‘to action items
• separate ‘to action items
• put to one side ‘to be read . . . sometime items
• aim to handle items only once.

Read effectively checklist

• preview long reports by reading the summary, the conclusion / recommendations
and scanning the charts / graphs
• read with your eyes - don’t sub vocalize - and scan and skip
• cope with figures by
- reading headings
- the horizontal lines
- look at key figures
- ignore non-contentious detail
- check footnotes
- ask for exception summary or get PA to highlight.

16 | page
 Reduce filing checklist
• use waste-paper basket / shredder
• file address / phone number only
• use central filing for company / team
• put correspondence in date order
• separate bulky reports
• use dividers
• purge and archive or dump
Travel productively checklist
• commute off-peak if possible
• use time to read and plan your diary
• minimize travel to meetings by having people come to your premises.

3.7 Personal motivation

It is crucial that you master ways to motivate yourself as it is self-evident
that without it, you will not, only fail to achieve your goals but also you will
fail at motivating others to help you to achieve them.
What follows then is a self-motivation check-list (to be used whenever
you feel your motivation is flagging).

Self-motivation check-list
• Focus on your goals and keep difficulties in perspective.
• See your problems as opportunities.
• Become a resultaholic not a workaholic.
• Set deadlines.
• Work on the important not the seemingly urgent.
• Take time out to think.
• Develop non-work interests and activities.
• Write down your fears/problems/ frustrations and ways of overcoming them.
• Don’t pass over a difficult task - start the day with it, or fix a time to do it.

The whole area of self-motivation requires separate study, but if a real mo-
tivation crisis is unfolding for you, you should refer back to the section on
High Achievement to try to focus on what you want to achieve.
Remember, too, that research shows that the left side of your brain
can be in ‘conflict’ with the right. You should be aiming to address certain
self-motivation difficulties by using each part of the brain to compensate
for the difficulties caused by the other. Here is a comparison of the charac-
teristics of the left and right sides of the brain:

‘Left’ Brain (dominant side) ‘Right’ Brain

• controls right side of body • controls left side of body
• verbal • non-verbal
• rational, controlled • non-rational, emotional
• logical • intuitive, creative
• reading, writing • face recognition
• naming • artistic, musical, songs, understands
humour
• mathematical / scientific

page | 17
A useful technique to `change your way of thinking’ about a situation,
particularly when you feel de-motivated is to change a negative thought,
pattern into a positive one.

Negative approach Positive approach

• I can’t • I won’t
• I should • I could
• I hope • I know
• It’s not my fault • I am responsible
• It’s a problem • It’s an opportunity
• It’s difficult • It’s a challenge
• If only • Next time, I will
• It’s terrible • It’s a learning experience
• What can I do? • I know I can cope

3.8 Business knowledge

High achieving managers need to ensure that they develop an effective
knowledge of their business and the environment it operates in. To have
an improving approach you should:

Keeping up-to-date checklist

• read the trade press regularly
• scan the technical page of relevant newspapers to look for developments which
may affect your business
• maintain links with relevant university research departments or industry research
associations
• make sure you have the opportunity to meet, major customers even if you are no
longer directly involved in sales
• visit the point of sale for your products occasionally, e.g. the wholesaler, retail
outlet, or your own branch, to know what is happening
• meet with existing and potential suppliers occasionally to find out about their
developments
• visit the major exhibitions in your industry sector to keep informed about competi-
tors
• visit other countries expressly to meet overseas competitors, or to find new sources
of supply, or to assess export opportunities, or to find out what is happening there at
first hand
• listen to your sales people to keep informed about your competitors
• ask your customers about the opportunities and pressures facing them so that you
can respond to their needs.

18 | page
3.9 The effective manager
As a reminder to yourself, you should keep in mind these 10 qualities which
research has generated as being the hallmarks of the effective manager:

Hallmarks of an effective manager

1. Provide clear direction
2. Use two-way communication
3. Demonstrate high integrity
4. Choose the right people
5. Give objective recognition
6. Give objective recognition
7. Establish ongoing controls
8. Understand financial implications of decisions
9. Encourage new ideas and innovation
10. Give clear decisions when needed

page | 19
4.0 Solving Problems and Decision Making
4.1 Effective decision making

Effective decision making checklist

• you should identify the decisions - will have the biggest impact on the key
which if made: results
- will achieve a quantum leap improvement in
excess of the key results which have been set
• when making a decision, you - what result will be achieved?
should ask: - what is the fundamental purpose?
- what other options / opportunities should
be exposed?
• you should consider the issues - what could go wrong
and identify: - the obstacles you may face
- any likely hostile response by competitors,
trades unions, staff, etc. you should
• challenge the status quo: - why do it?
- why not, do it?
- why this often?
- why this standard?
- why this way?
- why here?
- why this price / cost?
• you should always make
decisions in time for them to be
effective.

4.2 Solving problems

Solving problems checklist

Problems involved in solving - too much information
problems - spending time fact-finding (paralysis by
analysis)
- not identifying key data required
- not planning ahead
- last minute realization of time difficulties
- not having adequate data - not recogniz-
ing useful ideas doubting your own ignoring
others
Successful approaches to problem - clearly identifying the problem
solving lie in part in correcting the - writing it down
above `problems’ by - establishing the facts and objectives
- considering a wide range of solutions
- calmly reviewing options and ideas
- focusing on results and desired outcome
and not preventing solutions from presenting
themselves
- objectively choosing the best solution.
Brain storming Individual brain storming
- write down the problem write down at least
20 ideas and their opposites
- use lateral thinking (seemingly unrelated
ideas)
-prioritize
- choose the best ideas
Group brain storming
- appoint `recorder’ identify problem clearly
in writing
- allow free-flow (no criticism as you go) of
ideas
- select ideas to pursue
- arrange follow-up action meeting

20 | page
4.3 Handling crises
You should have your own personal approach to crisis management, to deal
with crises as they will arise in business.
A helpful check-list is provided below for you to refer to at such
times, but you should first of all test out whether you are good or bad at
avoiding crises.

How to avoid a crisis checklist

• have a plan to handle potential crises (e.g. computer failure, post strikes, employee
strikes, fire etc)
• anticipate change (do not merely respond when it happens)
• do not delay making decisions hoping a problem will go away
• do not respond to minor difficulties as if they were all major crises
• remember that if a crisis happens you should respond calmly but urgently
How to handle a crisis:
• define the problem - individually or collectively agree its identity and seriousness
• list solutions
• test feasibility of preferred solutions
• choose and implement action plan without delay.

page | 21 21 | page
5.0 Effective Communication Skills
5.1 Effective writing

Effective writing checklist

Avoid writing whenever - don’t merely confirm or acknowledge
possible - telephone rather than write
- use an internal memo and write your
reply on it
- produce standard paragraphs for PA
to use
- your PA should write routine letters
- don’t write to team members, tell
them
Write clearly - use a heading
- use short, sentences
- itemize individual points
- use short, paragraphs
- don’t be frightened of using one
sentence letters
- be informal

5.2 Effective presentations

There are four essential steps to take to ensure that presentations in differ-
ent, situations are going to be successful. They are: preparation, gaining and
keeping attention, maintaining interest and closing positively.

1. Effective preparation
Informal presentation / - define the desired outcome (check
meetings out support, of key team members, if
appropriate)
- set the agenda (circulate if appropri-
ate)
- gather the data
- spell out the benefits
- summarize financial justification.
Formal presentations - check out the venue and set up (num-
bers attending, lay-out, equipment
available, etc.)
- check time available for your presenta-
tion and how you will be introduced
- check out who will attend and get
background on them
- rehearse your presentation (and check
on slides, etc.)
- expect to be nervous (but know that
‘nerves’ will fade after five minutes)
- try to meet attendees before your ‘ses-
sion’ so that you will ‘know’ them.

22 | page
2. Gaining and keeping attention
Informal presentations / - fix the best (most convenient/ distrac-
meetings tion free) place
- only start when you have the com-
plete attention of the others
- agree start and finish times
- ensure there are no interruptions
Formal presentations - make sure the audience is ready and
seated before you start
- deliver your opening sentence posi-
tively to command attention.

3. Maintaining interest
Informal presentations - don’t waffle; stick to the point
/meetings - involve other people
- focus on ‘good news’ and benefits
- mention key opportunities / results/
issues in a way that will command
attention
- convince by showing financial justifi-
cation, how it will work in practice and
what the evidence is that it will work
- talk with conviction.
Formal presentations - tell people why the subject is impor-
tant to them
- tell them the topics you will cover (and
when you would like to take questions
- throughout or at end)
- advise them of the decision / approval
you expect, if appropriate
- use flip-charts / slides / videos to hold
audience concentration - use key words
on slides
- don’t read your presentation
- demonstrate your own conviction and
enthusiasm in words, voice and gesture
- spell out benefits
- present factual evidence (not
opinions)
- demonstrate financial justification
- show that potential problems have
been identified and overcome
- handle questions as arranged and
authoritatively.

4. Closing positively
Informal presentations / - close with agreement to the outcome
meetings you want
- agree who will do what by when
- if no agreement, try to ensure that
some positive action is taken towards
your goal.
Formal presentations - ask for the approval, order or action
you want to conclude your presentation.

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General advice on presentations
Rehearse, rehearse, re-
hearse.
Use slides or flip-charts - help structure presentation
- allow audience to focus on key points
- lets you look al, audience while
elaborating on the key points
- keep information on each slide to a
minimum (20 words or fewer figures)
- make sure type on slides is big enough
to be seen clearly
- show slides in correct order (and
number them)
- use visual stimulus, e.g. cartoons.
Work on your presentational - entertain your audience with anec-
style dotes, illustrations, examples
- vary your voice (tone and level)
- use ‘jokes’ sparingly if at, all
- avoid bad language, risque jokes, etc.
- avoid excessive walking about or
extravagant gestures
- involve your audience
- let them question you, but also ques-
tion them
- don’t hold on to fixed ideas, listen
- let them hear, see and do: lecture, vi-
sual aids, worked examples / syndicate
discussions, etc.
- don’t apologize
- relax.

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