Steps to Customize Your Communication for Each Audience

Steps to Customize Your Communication for Each AudienceSteps to Customize Your Communication for Each AudienceIf you hope to communicate with people in a way that shares information, and especially, changes behavior and has a serious impact, you need to know your audience. Its a fundamental principle of great communication. Understanding the perspective of the people youre talking to helps you become a better presenter and Human Resources professional. Know your audience. Know what they care about. Know what they want to hear. And by knowing them, and focusing your message, you can show them that you are a resource. You engage your audience and have a greater impact. The problem? Knowing your audience takes time, and its always easier to do a brain dump of all of the things that you know or want to tell your audience about a topic. Thinking critically about what your audience wants or needs to hear is tougher. A lot of HR professionals get caught up in giving their audience an everyt hing they should know or do about an issue presentation. You know youve fallen into this trap when you find yourself putting bullet points on slides instead of thinking about what the audience really cares about,what your fruchtwein important points are, andhow to map them into a clear story that creates an engaging talk. The second trap many HR professionals fall into is repeating that same presentation day in and day out to different audiences. The problem is that different audiences care about and respond to different things- so if you want to be engaging, you need to customize your message every time you speak. It is how to ensure that you customize your message, cut through the noise, and keep your audience engaged with what youre telling them- no matter who or where they are. These five key reminders will ensure that your words achieve the impact they deserve- when you win your audiences full attention and engagement. Know What Your Audience Cares About Your audience wont care about what you say until youve demonstrated that you care about them. As you plan your presentation, ask what are the challenges and needs of yourexpected audience? What are the three to four main questions or issues on their minds about your topic? If you dont know, ask a few people who will attend your presentation, ask the manager of the department, or, if no information is available, make your best guess. Then start your presentation by reminding your audience of their identified concerns. Say, I know that several of you have been wondering about our benefits options, or I imagine that these three things are what you really want to get out of this workshop. When you talk first about your audience and their problems and needs that youll address in your talk, you demonstrate that you care about them. That makes people want to listen. Map Out Your Main Points for Your Audience Most HR presentations feel like an information dump, not a clear story with a platzdeckchen of ma in points.HR professionals usually know much more than other people want or need to know about any necessary topic. Authors Chip and Dan Heath, in their book Made to Stick called this the curse of knowledge. When was the last time you felt a presentation was too short or covered too little information? Probably rarely if ever. The people who stand out as presenters, the ones who are heard and have influence, start out by acknowledging the problem of the audiences that they are helping to solve. Then, as they prepare their presentation, they separate the must know from the nice to know. Take half of whatever preparation time you have to focus on the heart of your presentation and what your audience needs to know that will help them. The best way to break the curse of knowledge is to focus on whats most important to both you and the audience. Map your presentation out on a whiteboard or piece of paper, or use a set of sticky notes. What sequence of points is best? Is there an order to the points that will make more sense for your audience? How do your points relate to each other? Make them clear. If they dont, tell people, Heres a totally different, yet important, topic. Tell Stories and Use Examples Your Audience Will Find Relatable Besides trying to present too many things at once, all too often HR presentations sound abstract and unrelated to the daily life and work of the audience. What happens then is that people tune out, sit through the talk, assume its not about them, and take no action. This makes the presentation a waste of their time and yours. To relate to them, to help them take action, people need the ideas grounded in stories and examples. Human brains are wired to relate to stories and to remember them. So, cover fewer points- better- with many examples. And, whenever possible, make the examples from their department and their day-to-day experience at work. Tell stories about how to use the idea youre sharing. Whether its how to solve a compe nsation problem, how to give feedback, how to sign up for your vision plan, or how the new organization is different from the old one, tell stories. Make the bridge clear between your topic and their lives and interests. Show, Dont Just Tell Your Audience A picture is worth a thousand words in many instances. Videos are becoming the norm for effective communication.In this day of accessible video tools, presenters who use too much text often use excuses. They say, But I have to communicate very specific information. or, My audience will be better able to digest this complicated idea if I write it down. No, you dont, and no, they wont. Unless your goal is to bore, alienate, and underwhelm your audience, and have no influence in a worst case scenario, cut the text. Send it in a follow-up email, or share it in a Google doc. The visuals you use need to support the story, not become your script. Once you have your clear set of main points and a good flow supported by stories and exam ples, only then should you launch a presentation tool. Otherwise, you end up with your slides serving double duty as your speaker notes. In that case, you should have just emailed the presentation instead of wasting your audiences time. Customize and Improvise by Knowing Your Audience Once youve created a good presentation that visually supports your main message, you have the freedom to tailor it to each audience you serve. You can make your point and then ask out loud, So why should you care about this? and tailor your answer to the audience that is in front of you.What your marketing team members care about may be very different from your development staffs needs. In years of providing training and making presentations for leaders at dozens of organizations such as Apple, Oracle, SAP, and T-Mobile, the power of a simple set of messages has shone forth. When the messages were supported by simple images and delivered by a focused presenter who could make clear points and connec t them to the daily life of their audience, communication occurred. And, isnt that the point of making a presentation? Tobey Fitch is a Managing Partner at Fitch Associates. He has previously contributed to publications including Entrepreneur.

Why You May Not Want to Opt for a Part-Time Job

Why You May Not Want to Opt for a Part-Time JobWhy You May Not Want to Opt for a Part-Time JobIf youre an exhausted working mom, its easy to look at friends working part-time jobs and think theyve got it made. The world of part-time jobs, you think, would let you finally have enough time for your family, household management, and a career. But before you jump into a less-than-full-time position, think seriously about the negative side of part-time jobs before you get trapped. Not every negative listed below is true of every part-time job, but being aware of the downsides can help you avoid them. You Will Earn Less Per Hours Believe it or not, many employers give workers in part-time jobs disproportionately smaller pay and benefit packages. They figure the flexibility of being able to fill a part-time job outweighs the hit that you take as an employee. Many employers dont give all health, retirement and other benefits to part-time workers which will cost you. Moreover, you often s tep off the path to promotions when you reduce your hours and commitment, which also reduces your earning power. Ultimately, you feel the hit through a lower per-hour package of pay and benefits. You May Work More Hours Than Predicted Its difficult enough to squeeze a meaningful career into 40 hours a week- much less into 16, 24 or 32 hours. Your colleagues forget that youre not at work on Wednesday and call your mobile number for help. Or you take home a project, aiming to put in a single hour, but end up working all night. Before taking on a part-time position, be brutally honest with yourself and your supervisor about how many hours will truly be needed to get the job done right. Also, youll need to get proficient at setting boundaries. You Miss out on Career Opportunities Perhaps the most obvious negative of part-time jobs is losing out on high-profile projects, assignments or trips. Sometimes superiors take you out of the loop- which you can combat by seeking out these opportunities and making it clear youll leise do a first-rate job. But sometimes the most exciting professional challenges simply arent compatible with the schedule and lifestyle youve chosen. Console yourself with the thought that after your children are grown, you can return to the hard-hitting career you loved. And discuss with your supervisor a path to promotions and advancement that is compatible with the current metabolism of your work. Child Care May Not Fit Your Needs If your child is a baby, it may be hard to find a daycare center or provider willing to work part-time, when you have to go to your job. But if you have an older child, you may also face difficulty finding work that fits into your childs school schedule. Then there are the inevitable school closings and sick days to juggle. Bottom line the timing of child care can be difficult for part-time workers, leaving you either paying for more care than you use, or scrambling to fill in the gaps. You May Feel Left Out One of the biggest complaints of part-time working moms is that they feel like theydont fit in with the working moms and they dont fit in with the stay-at-home moms. Yes, you do have more free time, but that doesnt mean you can volunteer for every school project and chaperone every field trip. You still have job responsibilitiesand likely more childcare duties than the average working mom. On the other hand, you may catch resentful glances from full-time working mothers who assume that your life is easy and stress-free. Take the time to educate your friends and neighbors about your situation, and chip in when you are able. Dont allow yourself to be talked into more volunteer work than feels comfortable. Ultimately, when deciding whether to work part-time, you must weigh the pros as well as the cons. But dont get too enthusiastic without knowing what youre getting into Updated by Elizabeth McGrory

3 Questions to Help You Staff Open Jobs

3 Questions to Help You Staff Open Jobs3 Questions to Help You Staff Open JobsIts a tight hiring market, to be sure. However, if your company has persistent difficulty securing talent for open roles, a shortage of skilled candidates may not be the only reason.Ongoing hiring challenges are not only frustrating but also detrimental to your business. If you cant secure the talent you need to meet your strategic objectives, you may not be able to achieve growth targets. You are also at risk of overloading your core staff - a situation that could, in time, drive those workers to seek new opportunities elsewhere.The inability to find skilled candidates has become an all-too-familiar situation for many employers. However, it might not just be a supply-and-demand issue. To identify other factors that could be hindering your ability to secure the talent your business needs, consider the following three questions1. How is your company perceived by fhigkeit hires?What is your business doing to raise its visibility with in-demand candidates, other than placing job ads online? Unless your company is a household name like Google or Apple that attracts candidates based on name recognition alone, you need to take steps to build buzz around your firm. For instanceDo you use social media - including outlets widely used by millennials, like Snapchat and Instagram - to give potential hires insight into what its like to work at your firm?Are you sponsoring events, like hackathons or Meetups, geared toward the types of professionals you are trying to hire?Are you enlisting help from your current staff to generate interest in your business through their professional networks and the industry events they attend?Are you, or other members of your management team, helping to elevate the public profile of the company by blogging or speaking publicly about important topics and trends in your industry?These are just a few strategies for grabbing the attention of potential hires. They can also help you build a pipeline of talent, which can make it easier to staff open jobs in the future. Of course, it takes time and effort to build a reputation as an employer of choice. But in a highly competitive hiring market, you cant afford not to be engaged in your industry and actively promoting what is awesome about your company.HIRING? LET US HELP2. Is your companys location a factor?Exactly where a person is expected to work matters, even in a digital world that makes it easier to collaborate across countries and time zones. For instance, if your headquarters is near one of the top cities in the country to work, it could naturally lead more candidates to apply for a job with your firm. Conversely, if your business is located in the suburbs, long commutes could prevent professionals who are worried about maintaining work-life balance from considering your company.If you sense location may be an issue, consider offering flexible schedules or drumherum up remote work opportuni ties to help expand the candidate pool beyond your firms immediate vicinity. Providing other compelling perks, like wellness programs or on-site childcare services, can also help employees worry less about a long commute and allow them to achieve the level of work-life balance they seek.3. Is your hiring process too long?In a Robert Half survey, 39 percent of professionals said a lengthy hiring process would lead them to lose interest in a job and pursue other opportunities. About half of respondents (46 percent) said they were willing to wait just a week or two following an interview to find out about a hiring decision - after that, all bets are off and you may find that your top candidate has already been hired by another firm.One way to consolidate your hiring timeline is to be prepared to make a verbal offer to a promising candidate promptly after completing the interview process. Make clear to the candidate that the verbal offer is contingent on a satisfactory reference check and/or background check. Also, be prepared to negotiate salary and perks - and tischset a start date - right away.Dont hold out for a unicornFinally, I recommend that companies facing significant hiring challenges consider whether they have unrealistic expectations. I frequently caution employers about holding out for a candidate who simply may not exist. As these hiring managers wait for a unicorn - that perfect candidate with a one-in-a-million skill set - to materialize, they allow other talented people to slip away.Think about what qualifications a candidate absolutely must have to perform the job well. When evaluating applicants, focus on true job requirements versus nice-to-haves. And always be willing to consider promising professionals who may not meet all your criteria but could still meet your firms needs with just a small investment in training and some extra ramp-up time. Paul McDonald Paul McDonald is senior executive director at Robert Half. He writes and speaks frequently on hiring, workplace and career management topics. Over the course of more than 30 years in the recruiting field, McDonald has advised thousands of company leaders and job seekers on how to hire and get hired.McDonald joined Robert Half in 1984 as a recruiter for financial and accounting professionals in Boston, following a public accounting career with Price Waterhouse. In the 1990s, he became president of the Western United States overseeing all of the companys operations in the region. McDonald become senior executive director of Robert Half Management Resources in 2000, and assumed his current role in 2012. He earned a bachelors degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from St. Bonaventure University in New York.