After a busy day of sightseeing, I enjoy watching some TV. All the programs are in French. This can be fun as I watch something familiar like, The Simpsons, or long forgotten, like, Starsky and Hutch. My French skills are okay. I can understand a lot but there are still many phrases that I don't comprehend.
Still, I find that comprehension is not just about understanding a language. As a professional speaker, you're taught that only a fraction of verbal communication is the words we say. The rest is made up of our tone and our expressions. And I do find myself looking a lot more to get the gist of what's being said.
I also realize that my understanding of French TV may also be due to an issue of focus. In France, I'm studying the TV with total focus. In the US, I'm probably doing several things at once while I'm watching a program.
For the past week I have been enjoying some time in France. I am struck by how connected the world is now. I am typing this message on a French keyboard where some of the keys are in different places. It makes my typing a little slower. Still it is amazing how easy it is to be online and stay connected to home.
I still remember the days when international travel meant leaving your everyday world behind. Now you decide how much of it you want to take with you.
Today is the first day for Florida residents to take advantage of early voting. The process allows registered voters to get to the polls now, instead of in November. In my county, there are about a dozen sites where you can cast your ballot.
I went today and was pleased to see some long lines. The whole process took about 90 minutes for me. It wasn't too bad as I got to be outside on a sunny day with some nice people. Most of the people around me seemed to be voting for Obama for President.
I couldn't tell if any of the crowd was made up of new voters or voters who didn't want to stand in longer lines on Election Day. People may have also turned up today because Florida just changed the way you vote. Touch screen systems are no more. Now we use a pen to create an arrow by a candidate's name.
As a professional speaker I talk to groups about change. Many times audiences are reluctant to try something new, even when the old way of doing things isn't getting them very far. The unknown can be both thrilling and frightening.
With the recent economic challenges the world has seen, a lot of companies are going to be forced to change in order to survive. While this carries a lot of negative baggage, perhaps you can be inspired of the story of UPS.
The company was started in 1907 by a 19 year old. The delivery service got packages to you by either foot or bicycle. About ten years later, the company was using motorcycles and cars to make deliveries. Later came planes and now international service.
Through it all UPS held tight to it's core belief of providing quality service at an affordable price. Combined with a willingness to use emerging technologies, like conveyor belts and new methods of transportation, allowed an old fashioned business to change with the times and remain relevant. Throughout the years the company has looked at change as an opportunity rather than something to be feared.
Not long ago I had a chance to speak at a company that files tubes with substances. From toothpaste to glue, a ton of stuff can be encased in the tubes. It's a packaging process I've taken for granted.
I was surprised to see how the tubes are filled. I had always assumed it was done through the cap. But it turns out they are filled through the bottom, which is later sealed. Knowing that, it became obvious that this was the most productive way to get the job done. But I have to admit, I never would have thought of that if I had not visited the factory.
This is a great example of how we can have a preconceived notion of the best way to do something. By doing a little homework you can find out that there may be better alternatives.
A modern day Ferris wheel has become one of the most iconic and popular tourist attractions in London. Besides offering a nice 30 minute ride, giving you a great view along the Thames River, the London Eye follows a very well thought out business plan. From its success, we can pull several ideas that can be applied to any business:
1. Keep people moving. The Eye has 32 capsules that carry a total of 800 people. The wheel never stops spinning but it moves slowly. Passengers have a small but not rushed window to get in and out of the capsule as it spins around. By standardizing this process, the operators can accurately gauge the length of time you'll have to wait for your trip. This appeals to the basic need for people to feel there's a structure to a process.
2. Make people feel safe. The slow and steady trip on the London Eye eliminates a lot of the rocking that characterize other Ferris wheels. Even people like me, who can feel very nervous at heights, can relax and enjoy the view. Safety is also extended to the potential of terrorism. Before you board your capsule, a couple of security staff inspect it. This gives you peace of mind as well as help those who accidentally left something on board quickly recover their belongings.
3. Have a base product that you can upsell. The regular journey on the London Eye is very enjoyable but you create a more personalize experience for a few more Euros. There are a multitude of packages that let passengers enjoy private capsules, a champagne party for the journey, a wizardry themed children's trip, and even a wedding. It's all about taking the base experience and letting people customize it.
Here's a video essay that highlights my trip on the London Eye:
If you can't see the video, go to: http://tinyurl.com/4u5ll4
I've grown accustomed to receiving recorded phone calls from political campaigns but I was surprised to receive one the other day from the Miami Dolphins quarterback. The NFL player is urging fans to come out for the teams next home game on October 19.
Florida has been hit especially hard by the mortgage crisis and many are watching their spending. The cheapest ticket to the game is more than $40, parking is extra, and the team, while improving, isn't going to be very competitive this year. Last week slow ticket sales almost forced the NFL to blackout local TV coverage of the game, something that hasn't happened in 10 years.
I'm not sure if this kind of marketing will pay off for the team. In the message I heard, there was no irresistible offer that would make me want to buy, other than a desire to support the team. The opponent, the Baltimore Ravens, is 2-2 on the season and probably isn't a huge draw at the gate.
The NFL has enjoyed a lot of popularity in recent years but for teams in economically hard hit areas, teams may see fans miss more and more games.
Reporters now have access to a new kind of resource. It's the website: www.helpareporter.com
The site offers reporters a place where they can post a question or story idea and ask for responses from knowledgeable sources. So you could pose the question, "I need advice on how to help people who are struggling to pay their mortgages" and expect to get some responses very quickly. The questions are emailed out three times a day and there are more than 23,000 sources who read them.
I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. It changes the way reporters do the grunt work to get stories and can open them to finding sources who they otherwise might not meet. It may also enable journalists to connect with sources much faster.
I'm not sure what's to prevent a source from misrepresenting himself or overstating his expertise. Of course that can be a problem no matter how you get your information. Perhaps the biggest difference is that you're looking to people to be your sources who want to be your sources. There's not much room for people who have a story to tell but need some convincing that theirs is one that needs to be told. Put another way: Is the person who talks the most at a dinner party the most interesting person in the room? Time will tell.
A friend of mine was telling me about two training seminars she recently agreed to facilitate. One was with a longtime customer and the other was with a new customer who was able to pay a higher fee. The events were scheduled back to back but she would have enough time to go from one to the other. That is until she received an email.
We read that one of the events had to change its schedule and now the two seminars would overlap slightly, preventing my friend from being at both. She didn't want to drop the longtime client but she also didn't want to turn down a high fee.
"I need to tell them that if they can't change my dates for the event, then I can't do it," she said as she was composing an email.
I told her to stop the email and think about the problem for a little while before she responded. She was about to present a potential employer with a yes/no scenario where there was a good chance she would lose the gig. I encouraged her to let the problem percolate in her mind for a little while before she responded.
A few hours later my friend called me, saying that a third option came to her. If she could have an associate familiar with her program teach her opening session at the second event, she would be able to attend both. This would be another option she could give the event organizers that would allow her program to be presented even if she couldn't be at the event for the whole time.
So often, because we can reply to problems quickly by email or phone, we choose to do so even though it might be best to think a little before we respond. Challenges can produce new solutions if you take the time to think about them.
One of my pet peeves involves employees who talk about company issues in front of customers. Sure, every organization has its shortcomings but I don't need to hear them. The badmouthing that can take place can have a much greater impact that a costly marketing campaign. In the video below, you'll find out about how a few remarks made me decide to never return to a car dealership where I would have spent hundreds of dollars.
(Can't see the video...go to: http://tinyurl.com/3pz2oh)
Here are some rules for making sure your staff isn't broadcasting negative messages to customers:
1. Everyone in life faces challenges. People really don't want to hear any complaints, especially from a business. 2. If there's a problem with a company process, don't blame a department for it. Passing the buck will leave everyone broke. Instead try to help the customer, get feedback from them, and then see if you can help fix the problem. Staying silent about a problem says a lot about you as an employee. 3. Take a stand against gossip or negative comments about your organization with the public. You wouldn't let a customer steal from you so why would you let their remarks chase away business?
The beauty of air travel has been replaced with the anticipation of the pain that comes with delays. Suddenly your carefully planned itinerary is shattered and you feel powerless. Delays are caused by multiple problems and you can't expect the airlines to not be affected by those that involve weather. And I'd rather experience a delay caused by equipment maintenance rather than have a vital system in the plane fail while in flight.
But the airlines do a poor job of giving out information about delays. This creates what I call, a flightmare, where you are stuck in an airport with no idea of what's happening to your flight. This lack of information produces upset customers and burned out employees. Here are some free tips for the airlines for how they can improve the situation and gain more customer loyalty.
1. People like information. Your passengers are sitting in the terminal using laptops, Blackberries, and cell phones. They like to be connected to things. Not telling them anything is not good and don't just rely on an overworked gate agent to have all the answers. Set up a position designed to deal exclusively with flight delays. Information comes through them. Or have that person work behind the scenes but have their updates sent out instantly through the LED screens that are at each gate.
2. Explain processes. Let people know how you do business when faced with delays and how it will affect them. People like to know there is a procedure being followed. Let us into your world and I think you'll find we can be pretty forgiving of problems.
3. Don't overpromise. If a delay is likely to be an hour, say that. Don't say it will only be 15 minutes, let that amount of time pass, and then say it will be 15 more minutes. That gets old really fast. If you don't know how long the delay will be, say that. Building anticipation is good for customers but not delivering on that promise will create a hostile crowd very quickly.
These are good rules to follow in any business. How you handle challenges will help build customer loyalty.
I'm a professional speaker who helps people and organizations communicate better and laugh a lot more.
Go to www.kenokel.com to find out more about me and my speaking programs. Visit www.socialmedianonprofits.com to find out how the power of the Internet can help your nonprofit reach new heights.
I've had a lot of fun adventures, having worked in TV News, run a professional ballet company, and worked on the front lines of hurricane relief.
