How Can Communication Help

ganizations require skillful and knowledgeable workforce. However, having talents and capable personnel is not enough. What is more important is the communication between the employers and the employees. Good communication is able to help the businesses to grow continuously, especially during slow periods. Here are some practical points which I hope the business owners can consider:

• Being the bosses, we need to help our employees to understand how their jobs contribute to the success of the organization. Hence, first thing first, you need to ask yourself honestly. Do you really communicate with your employees well? Do all your employees understand the vision and mission of the company? Do they know how to apply their skills and knowledge in the right way so that they can help to achieve maximum results? Do you coach and guide them when they do not perform?

• During economy downturn, employees concern about the firm's financial performance. They are uncertain whether the firm is able to provide secured jobs and good income for them. In order to boosts the employees' morale and confidence, the employers should communicate with their employees through direct and indirect methods so that they can be motivated to move forward. No matter how bad the financial situation is, an organization should not cut the training budget in order to save cost. The employees ten

Everything You Eve

Getting an 800 number for your business used to a complicated and expensive task. Now with the arrival of virtual 800 number services like Kall8, it has never been easier. You will quickly find that having an 800 number for your business will attract more customers, increase your sales and will make your business look more established. Kall8 is a great option for businesses because you will get all the perks of an 800 number without the hassle. Getting an 800 number for your business from a phone company can be difficult and expensive.

With Kall8, callers to your 800 number can be directed to any phone you choose. Rates low and start at just $2 per month plus 6.9 cents per minute. International callers can also use your 800 number for low rates. International calling starts at just 9.9 cents per minute.

Kall8 determines their pricing based on your needs and specific requests. For example if you are willing to use an 888 or an 866 number, pricing will be the standard $2 per month. If you are determined to have an 800 number, it will cost a little more, about $5 per month. Vanity numbers like 800-FUN-TOYS are a little more expensive but are also available from Kall8. You can even switch over your 800 number from another company to start saving.

Kall8 not only offers virtual 800 number service, but they also offer many features and services to further enhance your experience. With Kall8 you can enjoy voicemail, fax, conference calls, calling cards, call forwarding, call blocking, caller ID and more. These features are easy to use and make managing a business and an 800 number simple. All

How To Write Jargon

Have you ever picked up a business document, started reading and realized you don't have a clue what it's about? You simply cannot get your head around the abbreviations or acronyms, don't understand the terms used, and find the message lost in translation?

This is a common problem but one that can be so easily avoided. Let's look at why this happens and how you can make sure your writing doesn't succumb to the same malaise.

Why do people write like this?
Two reasons - expectations and ego. In some organizations - and in my experience local bodies or councils are particularly guilty of this - writing this way is the norm. Everyone who works there is expected to write like this. And if you're a new employee, you'll be keen to follow what is common practice, even if it isn't best practice.

However, those who write this way without the excuse of expectation, often do so because it makes them feel important. They're heading up the employment ladder lickety-split and out to make their mark. Whether or not their message can be read is not as crucial to them as impressing their boss. Of course, this defeats the purpose of a business document which is to get across one or more key messages.

How to write in a way people can understand
There are several things to keep in mind when writing for an audience. The first is keeping in mind what they know already that you don't have to explain. There ma

FTP Sites Explored

When two users need to exchange files from one computer to another the files are often too large to be exchanged through email. File transfer protocol (FTP) was initially designed to enable the uploading, downloading, and viewing of files in a very efficient manner. Once connected FTP sites are extremely user friendly, but they were not intended to be secure transfer protocols. FTP clients are the computer programs that enable connection. An FTP client must use a TCP/IP connection, the communication of the internet, in order to establish an FTP connection. An IP address is essential in effectively establishing a connection to an FTP server.

Many FTP website do not require specific user name information from users and are referred to as anonymous access sites. The users of these sites type 'anonymous' in as their user name, but still need their own password in order to be granted access. There is a wide array of settings that FTP sites can implement and these settings can vary widely from site to site. FTP has a specific syntax which is used in the command line of the client computer. The command prompt in which FTP is enabled through is: ftp. This command prompt starts a command line interface with an FTP server so users can t

Can It Hurt an Organization

ansparency is often defined as the condition of being transparent. Transparent is defined as clear, understood, and free from pretense or deceit. Agencies can foster transparency by revealing the internal controls used to govern the organization and ensuring all parties have access to organizational information.

The importance of employing transparency surfaced as a result of increased competition between multinational corporations. The increased competition eventually ushered in increased corruption and led to demands for transparent actions. The Federal Government, following the Great Depression, saw a need for transparency after discovering several administrative agencies had applied regulations without close legislative review. The Government eventually passed laws such as the U.S. Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 and the Freedom of Information Act of 1966 to give more access to department and agency information. Although laws have been enacted to foster the sharing of information, U.S. organizations continue to find it difficult to increase the use of transparency. A growing number of inadequately transparent U.S. organizations are viewed as corrupt.

The U.S., in 2010, ranked 22nd in a list of 178 countries assessed for corruption. The assessment results, documented in an annual index and known as the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), were shared by Transparency International revealing corruption perceptions in the public sector. Transparency International is a global network of organizations working to defeat corruption. Although the U.S. ranked 22nd in 2010, that assessment has worsened slightly from the ranking of 19th in 2009. The lower ranking could foretell a continued increase in the number of people in the world who perceive U.S. organizations as corrupt. Increased transparency in organizations might combat those growing negative perceptions and foster a better CPI ranking in future years. The worsening CPI ranking might exist because some U.S. organizations block the use of transparency.

The use of transparency is often preve

Easy Ways to Tick

nus, or a promotion. Logic tells us that it's a good idea to keep anyone with that kind of power on our good side, right? But in the real world we're often our own worst enemies when it comes to knowing how to turn our managers into our biggest fans. Instead of working to keep bosses happy, many of us make these common mistakes that end up turning a boss against us faster than we can say, "I need a new job."

Ignoring: Treating your boss as if he and/or his ideas are inconsequential to your success is foolish. Not showing up for meetings or dismissing his requests will get him riled up in a way that he won't soon forget. The same is true for missing deadlines or refusing to follow through on assignments. And, ignoring any problems that exist between the two of you will only make them worse. You may feel you're 100% in the right, but rest assured he'll place the blame for the issues squarely on your shoulders.

Sabotaging: Not doing your best on a project you think isn't worth your time, not asking for help when you need it, or treating clients and vendors poorly are all acts of sabotage that are sure to anger even the most level-headed supervisor. Sabotage can be overt like saying you're going to do everything in your power to make sure xyz doesn't happen (and then doing it), or stealthy like not using key contacts or not sharing information to ensure a project doesn't get off the ground. Oh, and saying, "I told you so" in the voice of a third grader is a good way to sabotage morale and future projects.

Going over, around, or behind him: Communicating in any way that treats your boss like the enemy falls under this category. Actions like speaking to your manager's boss about your manager, going behind your boss's back to promote yourself with clients, or leaving him out of the communication loop at any step of the way are all ways

To Improve Business Communication

w often have you found yourself saying (or at least thinking), "Don't they get it?," "I thought they understood," or even "What's wrong with these people?" This happens for a lot of reasons, like people not listening, or your message not being clear. To improve business communication skills (yours and theirs), put it in writing. So often the challenge is that what you said and what others heard or understood are not the same. Several times this year I have written posts on the importance of listening.

One of the ways to determine if you and the other person are in sync on the communication is to put it in writing. Here's what I mean by 'put it in writing.' Any conversation you have that has a next step, plan of action, directive or something that needs to happen should be followed up with an email. One of the best ways to improve business communication is to formalize in writing what you have agreed to and/or understood orally. Recently I had a 2-hour conversation with my head of marketing. Once we hung up the phone I sent her an email. The gist of the email was: "Here's my understanding of our conversation, here's what I am going to do, here's what you are going to do, here's what we still need further communication about, and here's what we decided as to deadlines. If this is not your understanding or I have forgotten something, please let me know. And please confirm receipt of this and that you agree to what I have written." This step is helpful because if there was anything unclear or a difference in the understanding, this gives the other person an opportunity to address it before taking steps. Disappointment in the end result is often the product of miscommunication. One way to minimize this result is to improve your business communication skills by putting it in writing. You'll be amazed how often this step crystallizes the communication, an

Without Truth You Can't

 hold these truths to be self-evident." With that one statement our Constitution calibrates at a level of 700- enlightenment.

"The truth! You can't handle the truth!" With that one statement Jack Nicholson's character, in the movie A Few Good Men, falls apart on the witness stand. His men trusted him to protect them but instead, his version of the truth, corrupted him.

More than ever you can't have trust if you don't have the truth. The truth comes in sharing the facts and information with others- both the good and the bad. It comes with the ability to clearly separate opinion from fact. It comes from the ability to lay out the unknowns or obstacles as succinctly as possible so people can make the most effective decisions.

In sales, if you are going to be truthful and create trust then it means you can be going for the yes. If you are, it will cause a conflict for you with how you listen. When you go for the yes your brain starts to ONLY listen for what fits your parameters, you begin to "shade" the truth so it fits, and you don't challenge when you should. If you want clients to trust you, they need to know you will always be truthful when working with them even if it means sending them to the competitors. In the movie Miracle on 34th Street, Santa brought more business in to Macy's by sending people to Gimbles or other stores for toys Macy's was out of or didn't carry.

As a leader you can't expect to have a high trust culture when you aren't truthful about your own shortcomings. People need to see that you are willing to be candid about what you are good at and what you are worki

Be A Better Leader

dership is a hands-on activity. It is valuable to read about and learn from those leaders who have preceded us, but you become a leader when you act as one, and not before.

You become a better leader by action, not study.

I participate in a workplace leadership committee with my local Chamber of Commerce where we are chartered with the mission to bring best practices to our Chamber members-at-large. The monthly meetings are exciting since the participants are all interested in leading edge ideas, personal growth, inspiration and helping others become better leaders.

At our recent meetings, I noticed that many great ideas flowed within the committee; but, I wondered if any of these ideas were relevant to the general membership. By relevant I mean: did the member companies understand the workplace leadership attitudes and needs of their employees; and, were they taking any actions to address them. If leadership is action, then our committee discussions are meaningless unless we, as better leaders, translate into action the ideas shared at our meetings.

As chairman for this year, I am called to lead. To me, a call to lead means: observe the situation, identify an improvement opportunity, create an action plan, and implement. So this is what I did, to become a better leader.

Observation: I have sensed that few if any companies are taking positive actions to mitigate the workplace effects of the most recent economic problems, or have a strategy for handling the dynamics of their personnel changes when growth begins again. It seems that they are exhausted dealing with the trauma of the past few years and are mystified as to when and how the business environment will improve. In essence, they do not have a good grip on their own company situation. Their better leaders know this too.

Improvement Opportunity: I believe these companies need to become better informed about their workplace. They should obtain an accurate assessment

What Your Employees Are

s and business owners the world over lose thousands each year due to employees using their paid work time to slack off. Do you find yourself wondering what your employees really do when they run errands? Do you find they take extraordinarily long lunch breaks? Do you even find yourself suspicious each time your employees leave on a long business trip? Fortunately, with the right technology, you can track their cell phone location and learn what they're up to when they're away.
The advantage to having cell phone spyware at your fingertips is that it allows you to monitor your employees' activities through the phone itself. Quality programs keep tabs on phone logs, text transcripts, address book names, and more. Best of all, you can track the cell phone's location via a GPS. Fast, accurate, and legal, this software will be able to put your doubts to rest.
How does this cell phone software work? Essentially, it remains hidden in the phone and sends you updates to an account you create online. Installing the program is simple - all you do is create your account, install the program via the instructions online, and reboot the phone. Once the phone reboots, the program works undetected for as long as the phone is on and working properly. There is no limit to how much data you receive, nor is there any limit to how long you will continue to receive it. Simply log in to your account and you will be able to see what they're doing any time, whether they're driving off for lunch or taking a business trip halfway across the world.
One of the best things about cell phone spyware is its sheer diversity. Not only can you use it on more than one phone, but it's compatible with a number of cell phones, including smartphones, Blackberry devices, Nokia phones, Android phones, Samsung phones, Symbian S60 phones, iPhones, and many others. It doesn't matter how advanced the phone is, this program will be able to infiltrate t