Teaching to Teach

By Yvette Van Veen

Consultants often provide advice. However, some consultants advise how to advise. Take for example the software trainer who works one on one with a member of management. Management then uses the information they have learned to train staff. The consultant is teaching people to teach.

Much of the success or failure of your business depends not on how management enjoyed your presentation, but on the success or failure of the students. If the students are unable to learn the skills, this ultimately leads to frustration in management and negatively reflects back to the consultant. So, is there anything a consultant can do to reduce “3rd party learning” problems?

Fortunately there is. The first step a consultant needs to take is to identify the problem. The best way to do this is to take the time to ask questions focused on the needs of your client and their team. If possible, try to involve the end user in determining how you can benefit the organization as a whole. For example, ask a staff member what he or she would most value in learning a new software program. Is it a help line, or maybe a manual?

Next, evaluate the information you have received, and take the time to define the problem. You want to analyze your information and make an accurate judgement about what your client really needs. Your client may not be aware of what this is, but often you can take clues from his or her behaviour. For example, you see management telling a staff member to “revise changes and bring them back for further approval and discussion.” Your client may prefer to keep track of all activities in the organization. If in doubt, ask, then appeal to his or her preferences.

When the groundwork is completed, you are ready to offer a solution. When preparing your material, make it easy for everyone to succeed. Five ideas are to:

1. Use Positive Reinforcement. Encourage success – it makes your client feel great!
2. Provide handouts your “new teachers” can distribute.
3. Break complex activities down. Create simple steps that management can use.
4. Provide tools. Visual displays and charts may be helpful.
5. Be available for follow up questions. Remember, on average it takes four repetitions for any person to learn a new skill fully.
   

Of course, tips are rarely a substitute for good advice, but for anyone who wants to take the time to learn more about teaching methods, the psychology section of your local university library would be a great place to start. Lastly, enjoy your work and have fun, and hopefully your client will remember you with a smile.

Yvette is a behaviour consultant, and the owner of Awesome Dogs™. Awesome Dogs™ provides effective solutions for behaviour problems in dogs. Customized programs are developed for owners, and step by step instructions are taught to owners in an easy, fun, and relaxed manner. Yvette is also a student at the University of Western Ontario, with the goal of attaining a PhD. in psychology followed by certification as an animal behaviourist.

Published in Networking Today, March 2003.

Is Your Favourite Restaurant Safe?

By Debra Holtzman

“Whether your favourite restaurant is a fancy five-star bistro or the local sandwich shop, it may be a breeding ground for bacteria and other illness-causing bugs.

According to the CDC, about 76 million Americans will suffer from food-borne illness and at least 5,200 will die this year. Children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised are at the greatest risk. Symptoms of food-borne illnesses include diarrhea, abdominal cramping, fever, blood or even pus in the stool, headache, vomiting, and severe exhaustion. Be aware, sometimes symptoms may appear as early as a half an hour after eating; other times it could take several days or weeks.

There is no need to panic or make a vow to never dine outside your home. In fact, I dine out at least once a week. The first step in preventing foodborne illness is knowing what health hazards to look for.


Following are my 10 simple guidelines for guaranteeing a good dining experience.

1. Check out the restaurant's most recent inspection report.
   
   Some of the restaurant's problems might not be easily detectable. For example, does the refrigerator keep the food cold enough? In many jurisdictions, the latest inspection report must be posted in the restaurant or kept readily available on the premises. You can also obtain this information by calling your local Health Department. This information may also be available online.
   
   
2. Judge the general facilities.
   
   When you walk in, what is the general condition of the restaurant environment? If it doesn't meet your cleanliness standards, you might want to eat somewhere else. How the manager keeps the place up may be an indication of the amount of pride they take in preparing the food. And use your nose. If the place smells funny, don't order food there.
   
   
3. Is the restroom clean?
   
   Some indications are: wastebaskets that are not overflowing and the availability of toilet paper. The toilets should flush and the floors should be relatively clear of cigarette butts and other debris. Check to see that there is hot running water, adequate soap and paper towels or a hand dryer. A clean bathroom suggests that employees are probably paying attention to details. Such care can carry over to the kitchen. Also, if patrons and employees share the same restroom, is there a sign posted reminding employees to wash their hands? Observe any employee that may be in the restroom when you are there. Did that person adequately wash his or her hands?
   
   
4. Are there insects present in the restaurant?
   
   A fly or other insect or bug on a tablecloth, floor, or drape is an indication that personnel aren't adequately addressing sanitation and pest control. Certainly, if you have to share your table with bugs, it's time to leave. Also, is there evidence of rodents? If you see droppings or a mousetrap or bait station, find another restaurant. If you come face to face with a mouse or rat run don't walk to the nearest exit.
   
   
5. Judge the table.
   
   Is the tableware spotless? Ask for replacements if any dishes or silver have any kind of spots. If the replacements also have spots, don't eat there.
   
   
6. Judge the servers.
   
   Make sure they are wearing clean clothes and have clean hands and fingernails, with no open sores, burns, or cuts, which may be infected and be a source of harmful bacteria. If they seem lacking in any respect in personal hygiene, do not eat there. Their hair should be up or netted, and they should be washing their hands frequently.
   
   
7. Judge table preparation techniques.
   
   What do the servers and bus boys use to clean the tables? They should be using a disinfecting spray and clean paper towels. Cloth towels, rags, and sponges are breeding grounds for germs and bacteria.
   
   
8. Judge the serving procedures.
   
   Servers should not touch rims of glasses or parts of silverware that touch your lips. And servers should not touch the part of a plate that holds your food.
   
   How do servers provide refills? If the restaurant gives refills on beverages, the refill should either be brought in a clean glass or poured from a pitcher in the original glass at the table. If the latter, the rim of the pitcher should not touch the glass. If glasses are taken to the food preparation area for refill, the question of spreading pathogens arises. Used glasses that are set down among food and clean utensils bring the potential for cross contamination. Even if you don't want a refill, the practice of taking used glasses back to the food area is reason for alarm.
   
   
9. Inspect the food delivered to you and your family or guests.
   
   Send back any meat, poultry, or fish that does not appear thoroughly cooked. All cooked foods should be served piping hot and all cold food, cold. When this is not done, it is likely that the food has not been held at the proper temperature. Send the food back and make sure it's returned on a clean plate.
   
   
10. Judge the attitude of management.
    
    If you have a problem, promptly notify management. If they don't seem to care about correcting the problem, then don't patronize the restaurant.
    
    BONUS TIP: If you're eating at a fast food restaurant, change the norm. In other words, order no pickles, no onions or no mayo, just as long as it is something that requires they prepare your food specially. This will ensure you're getting a fresher sandwich.
    

Debra Holtzman, JD, MA, is currently the Honorary Co-Chair of the Florida SAFE KIDS Coalition. She has a master's degree in Occupational Safety and Health and is an attorney. Debra has nearly two decades of experience in the safety and health field.
Debra was recently featured as a safety expert on The Today Show, The John Walsh Show, MSNBC, Associated Press, and in USA Weekend Magazine, Reader's Digest, Parenting Magazine, Washington Post and Family Circle Magazine.
Debra Holtzman's popular and highly topical new safety book, The Panic-Proof Parent: Creating A Safe Lifestyle for your family (McGraw-Hill) is in bookstores. Visit Debra Holtzman's Web site.

Published in Networking Today, March 2003.

Don’t Twist Paperclips or Bite Your Fingernails …and 10 Other Meeting Manners to Avoid

By Joyce Hoff

It’s hard to shock Cherry Hill, NJ-based business communications trainer and author Barbara Pachter. As a business etiquette expert, she has witnessed – and corrected – many a bad breach of business conduct. But the manager who clipped his fingernails during a meeting may have caused even her chin to hit the floor. He turned to the woman sitting next to her and said, quite nonchalantly, “Oh, that didn’t go into your coffee, did it?”

“I don’t make this stuff up,” says Pachter, author of six business books including “When the Little Things Count...And They Always Count,” ($12.95, paperback, Marlowe & Co., 2001), who is quick to point out that most people don’t try to be rude.“ A lot of bad business behavior stems from bad habits. The trick is tuning in and realizing what our behavior silently says about us,” she says. “If you’re sitting in a meeting and mutilating a paper clip, you are going to give the appearance that you are possibly nervous or not paying attention.”

According to Pachter, the problem with meeting manners is people don’t realize that they matter.“ It’s especially easy to forget your behavior at a regularly scheduled meeting where you are familiar with the participants,” she says. “But it’s no excuse and more importantly, you may be judged by the higher-ups without realizing it.”

So, don’t take any chances and put your best meeting feet forward. Here are Pachter’s top ten behaviors to avoid so you make a good impression on others:

1. Not Greeting Office Staff Upon Your Arrival. For many, especially sales people coming in from the field, this first mistake usually occurs before the meeting starts! If you are attending a meeting in your organization’s home or regional office and you don’t know the secretaries and other administrative staff, you should introduce yourself and always make a point to offer a greeting at subsequent office visits.
   
   
2. Not Greeting Other Participants. While participants arrive, you should greet each person and introduce yourself to any person you are not acquainted with.
   
   
3. Not Arriving On Time. This is rude and disrespectful to the other participants.
   
   
4. Grooming. Why do people believe it’s acceptable to put on lipstick, comb hair, clip fingernails, manicure, or bite fingernails while at a meeting table? It’s not acceptable and is even considered gross behavior by many others.
   
   
5. Not Maintaining Proper Posture. Don’t put your feet up, lean on the table, or slouch over.
   
   
6. Not Paying Attention. Don’t read e-mail, memos, or other items when someone else is speaking. Twisting paperclips, doodling, and biting pencils will give others the impression that you aren’t paying attention.
   
   
7. Failing to Prepare for Your Part of the Meeting. This makes you look like the kid who gets caught not doing his or her homework.
   
   
8. Interrupting Others. It’s an annoying speaking habit.
   
   
9. Leaving Early Without a Reason. Only leave early if it simply can’t be avoided. Tell the other participants in the beginning that you will be leaving at a specific time and apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.
   
   
10. Failing to Clean Up After Yourself. Throw away your discarded papers and any soda cans and trash you may have generated. It is rude and thoughtless to assume that someone else will clean up your mess.
    

Joyce Hoff is the Public Relations Coordinator for Pachter & Associates and can be contacted by email at pachter@ix.netcom.com. For a free copy of Pachter's newsletter, Competitive Edge, call (856) 751-6141 (NJ) or visit www.pachter.com. Published three times a year, it contains tips and strategies for business professionals on a wide range of business communication and etiquette issues.

Published in Networking Today, March 2003.

Top Ten Networking Mistakes: One Night Stands and Other Networking Disasters

By Karen Susman

News you knew: This has been a tough year for job seekers, transitioners, entrepreneurs, laid off, downsized, staff efficiencied, budget cut, just-plain-fired, blue collar, white collar, pink collar, collarless, wing-tipped, and tennis-shoed souls in search of security. People who have never networked, people who are networking nudniks, and executives who thought they’d never have to network again are practicing the following ten worst networking mistakes. If you’re making these mistakes, stop yourself before it’s too late.

1. Going for one night stands. Networking is about building long term relationships. Approach every networking contact as if you will be interacting for a long time. Your attitude will be much different than if you want something from this person and then you’ll toss him or her away.
   
   
2. Thinking, “It’s all about me.” If you want to turn people off, talk only about yourself, recite your résumé, never ask a question, and sell, sell, sell. Networking is about helping, not selling. Networking is about the other person. Get over yourself.
   
   
3. Not having a plan. Be clear on what you want to accomplish from each networking opportunity. Have a strategic plan that includes what organizations you’ll join, whom you want to contact, how often you’ll contact them, and how you’ll leverage every networking experience.
   
   
4. Not leveraging every networking experience. Many think networking is just meetin’ and greetin’. Many think networking is handing out business cards faster than a Las Vegas Blackjack dealer. Leveraged networking is taking one opportunity and spinning the heck out of it. For instance, attending an event, working as a volunteer at the event, introducing the speaker, writing an article about the speaker, submitting the article to the association or company newsletter, a business or trade journal, sending copies of the article to the speaker, and offering to send the article to his/her mailing list, sending the article to your mailing list, offering to write other articles for people on your mailing list, speaking on the article topic, offering a tip sheet on the topic, and on and on. Leveraging is a beautiful thing.
   
   
5. Not having a way to manage networking data. Shoe boxes full of business cards you’ve collected since 1987 is not an efficient data management system. Think software or even a card file system.
   
   
6. Not knowing what you want and what you can give. If someone asks you what you’re looking for and you say, “Anything,” you’ll get nothing. Paint a picture of what you want. Be clear. Be brief. Determine your areas of expertise from technology wizard to gardening guru. Ascertain what information you have that would help your networking partner.
   
   
7. Not being visible. Get out of your jammies and into your suit. Get out there. Attend functions. Volunteer. Be an MC. Get interviewed. Write articles. Speak. You have to be seen to be heard. You can’t stand out if you’re hiding under the covers.
   
   
8. Not listening. A few good reasons to listen: You can’t learn anything when you’re talking. When you listen, you are considered a terrific conversationalist. You don’t have to be extroverted if you can come up with a few open-ended questions such as, “What brings your here?” or “How did you get into that field?” You’ll be wildly popular because people love to talk about themselves.
   
   
9. Not following up. Has anyone ever said to you, “I’ll call you,” or “Let’s do lunch,” but they never get back to you? Don’t be one of those people. If you want to build long term relationships, follow up with a note, call, email or any one of the other 99 ways featured in 102 Top Dog Networking Secrets: How to follow up, keep in touch, and turn contacts into customers published by Karen Susman, www.karensusman.com.
   
   
10. Not networking if you have a job. Your network must grow and be maintained as a lifelong career strategy. Ask the job-hunting millions who forgot to network during the good times. Stop having one night stands. Turn your life around. Your network is a terrible thing to waste.

Karen Susman is a Speaker, Trainer, Coach, and Author of 102 Top Dog Networking Secrets. Karen works with organizations that want to maximize performance. Programs include Humour at Work; Balance In Life; Networking Skills; Presentation Skills; and Building Community Involvement. Order new guidebooks on humour, networking, time management, and community involvement by calling 1-888-678-8818 or e-mail Karen@KarenSusman.com.. www.KarenSusman.com. Published in Networking Today, January, 2003.

Networking Philosophy: Give to Gain

By Karen Susman

I’m reading an interesting book, Masters of Networking, compiled by Dr. Ivan R. Misner. Misner founded Business Network International, or BNI. I’m always preaching that networking is about helping, not selling, so I was delighted for the reinforcement.

Misner’s phrase is “Givers Gain.” He acknowledges that we are all trying to gain something for ourselves from networking. They way to get, though, is to give.

You can give referrals, advice, support, leads, information, a smile, a pat on the back, and your expertise in any area of your life. Offer your boardroom as a meeting site. Offer to provide a free seminar for a company or association. Offer to serve on a committee. Develop a tip sheet based on your expertise and give it away. Do you know how to garden, fish, cook, write, hike, or bike? Help others enjoy your hobbies by sharing your knowledge. I’m convinced the reason I got a fat contract is because I gave my lemon bar recipe to the decision maker. (Get the recipe at www.karensusman.com.)

Ask someone, “How can I be helpful to you?” Expect to wait a while for the answer because most people have never been asked that question. If someone responds with a huge request (“Get me a job.” “Take me to Bali.”), determine a manageable element you can help with. Give a lead. Send a travel article.

Do you want to be more successful? The next time you attend a networking function, call, or meet with someone seek ways to help others. It works.

Karen Susman is a Speaker, Trainer, Coach, and Author of 102 Top Dog Networking Secrets. Karen works with organizations that want to maximize performance. Programs include Humour at Work; Balance In Life; Networking Skills; Presentation Skills; and Building Community Involvement. Order new guidebooks on humour, networking, time management, and community involvement by calling 1-888-678-8818 or e-mail Karen@KarenSusman.com.. www.KarenSusman.com. Published in Networking Today, March, 2003.