13 thought-provoking communication quotes

2015/12/212014/10/18 editor

Communication is essential, both in our everyday life and in the workplace. Here are a few thought-provoking communication quotes you’ll find interesting:

1.”Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.”

William Butler Yeats

2. “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

Epictetus

3. “The two words information and communication are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.”

Sydney Harris

4. “Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.”

D.H. Lawrence

5. “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”

Ernest Hemingway

6. “Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.”

Rollo May

7. “Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.”

Walt Disney

8. “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.”

Peter Drucker

9. “I consider conversations with people to be mind exercises, but I don’t want to pull a muscle, so I stretch a lot. That’s why I’m constantly either rolling my eyes or yawning.”

Jarod Kintz

10. “I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

11. “Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say infinitely when you mean very; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.”

C.S. Lewis

12. “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

George Bernard Shaw

13. “Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else … Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.”

Hermann Hesse

3 Traits of Creative People

2015/12/142014/10/22 editor

If you’re interested in hiring creative candidates, you’ve probably wondered before about the best ways of identifying them. Although there are creativity tests you can employ during the selection process, or you can present them with a problem to which they need to find a creative solution during the interview, these methods are pretty time consuming, potentially expensive, and they involve actually having to call the candidates to an interview. Instead, we propose 3 factors that may indicate you’re dealing with a creative person without doing more than going through their CVs and cover letters, or doing a short search online:

1. International experience

People who have lived abroad, people who have interacted with members of other cultures in a multicultural environment during work or educational stages, were found to be more creative by research studies in the field of creativity. This is why you should keep an eye out for such individuals, whether they are foreign nationals living in your country or people who worked or studied and lived abroad.

2. Diversified experience

People who have worked in a wide range of fields are thought to be more creative than those who have worked in a single field of activity, because those persons can apply concepts and techniques which are not usually employed in a single area of activity. People with experience in sales are a particularly interesting option, because sales are usually approached creatively.

3. Sense of humor

Everyone possesses a sense of humor to a degree, but creative persons are able to make up their own jokes instead of repeating know ones. Approaching a situation from a point of view that makes it amusing requires creativity, and an original sense of humor is a trademark of creative persons.

Creative people will have different backgrounds than average creative people, they will act differently, and they will be able to create new ideas instead of copying others. Once you’ve found your creative future hires however, your work is not done. If you want to keep them working for you, you will need to keep them interested in the position by challenging their creativity.

5 Tips for successful product design

2015/12/142014/10/17 editor

As you design new products, you will find yourself facing countless possibilities. Your choices can very well affect the success chances of your product, which is why the design phase is such an important part of the production process. Below, you will find a few tips that are worth taking into account when designing a new product:

1. Create interdisciplinary product development teams. Talent is of course important, but various educational backgrounds will mean more perspectives when designing the product, which leads to a better devised product.

2. Find the perfect balance between functional and aesthetic. Depending on their background, some team members will focus on the materials and reliability of the product, on its size, and on increasing the efficiency of the production processes; others will focus on the features, customer needs and/or interface, and so on. It’s vital that the entire team works together in order to come up with the best product idea.

3. Don’t complicate things. If you look at the most successful designs on the market, you will find that they are mostly simple, functional, and easy to use. Don’t try to make your product look eccentric; you’ll greatly narrow your targeted market.

4. Learn from the competition. Competition is not necessarily a bad thing – there’s a great deal to learn from their products. Analyze successful products and see what makes them so. Analyze products which don’t sell that well and see why. Implement features that sell, and avoid those that didn’t catch on. Avoid major design changes – deep down, people don’t like change, and will not like major changes to products they are familiar with.

5. Test your product. Testing your products before giving the ‘go ahead’ will save you money and increase sales. Create prototypes of your product, either in plastic or foam, or functional. Get the opinion of experts in the field, but also those of potential customers – through interviews, focus groups or surveys. This gives you access to a pool of innovative ideas which you can use to further perfect your design before starting production.

We hope these tips will help you create better products – better suited for the needs of your clients, and better adapted to an ever evolving market.

4 Great Tips to Help You Improve Your Presentation Skills

2015/12/042014/10/24 editor

Presentation skills are becoming increasingly important on a job market where job descriptions include many more and much more varied attributions than they used to. Being effective at sustaining presentations is a must-have in pretty much all aspects of a business. You want to make yourself understood, and at the same time look confident, intelligent, trustworthy and, most of all, comfortable talking to them.

Here are 4 great tips that will help you improve your presentation skills:

1. Research! In order to have credibility, you need to be an expert on the topic….or at least sound like one. Even if you might have a degree in a certain field, and even if you have experience, you need to make sure that no one in the audience will embarrass you by proving he knows things that you should know (but don’t). This is particularly important considering the vast amount of research being carried out and published today. So keep yourself updated – the information is a click or two away.

2. Adapt your presentation to the audience! You’ll most likely know the characteristics of the audience. Use technical language if you’re dealing with experts; refer to things you know interests them if you’re presenting to your peers, or keep the language simple if you’re talking in front of total novices.

3. Integrate visual material! People retain much more information if it is presented as both audio and visual. Make a PowerPoint presentation or play a short video. People will notice that you took the presentation seriously and put effort in thinking how to make it more fun. Chances are you’re going to have a projector in the room. If you usually have trouble finding one where you make your presentations, consider investing in a portable projector – it will certainly impress everyone in the audience.

4. Plan and rehearse!

Usually a time limit exists for any presentation. Find out what it is, and rehearse the presentation in order to make sure you’ll have enough time to finish without skipping any important points. Leave a few minutes for questions if that’s included in the presentation time. Additionally, practicing will allow you to be more confident in your mastery of the subject, plus help you become aware of any improvements you need to make in your presentation style.

5 Conflict management strategies

2015/12/042014/10/17 editor

In the long run, conflict is inevitable in any situation which involves more than one person. This, of course, includes the workplace. Conflict can arise for a multitude of causes, from differences of opinion to interfering goals. When we get involved in a conflict, we need to understand the importance of managing it properly. Doing otherwise can lead to permanently damaging our relationship with the other party, lower productivity, or a tensioned environment. For businesses this means a serious blow, as a seemingly unimportant conflict can seriously hinder their activities.

This is why understanding the basic five conflict management strategies is very important for both regular employees and business owners, who can help mediate a conflict they are not directly involved in.

1. Avoiding

This is one of the most dangerous conflict management strategies, because one or both of the two parties avoid discussing the conflict. Ignoring the conflict doesn’t resolve it as hoped, however. Confrontation is necessary. This strategy is only useful when implementing a temporarily unpopular measure by the leadership, when the problem will go away by itself after a while.

2. Accomodating

This strategy involves making the concessions the other party wants. It can be useful when the issues are unimportant, but used long-term the conceding side will become frustrated with the situation and resentful.

3.Collaboration

This strategy focuses on finding a solution both parties are happy with. It’s a win-win situation, but because of the time investment it requires, it is not suited for a number of situations, including those in which fast action is paramount.

4. Compromise

This strategy leads to both side giving up some of the things they asked for in order to reach a solution. It’s a strategy best use when both parties hold similar levels of power, and when both parties have something to lose – during a negotiation, for instance.

5. Competition

Treating the conflict like a competition means assertively trying to get your demands met with no consideration for the other party’s expectations. It’s not a strategy that should be used very often, as it can lead to resentment. It’s generally suited for crisis situations, or adopting unpopular measures.

How To Communicate Efficiently in The Workplace

2015/12/042014/10/07 editor

Learning how to communicate efficiently in the workplace can save you a lot of trouble in the long run. For starters, your chances of being misunderstood drop. That means fewer workplace conflicts and less time wasted explaining what you meant. Here are six tips that will help you communicate efficiently:

1. Be concise! Your message needs to be to the point, and very clear. The more words you use, the more chances someone misinterprets what you said.

2. Be patient! People are different, and they respond better to some styles of communications over others. That means communicating efficiently can sometimes be tougher than you think. This is why you need to be patient, with others and with yourself. Try to change the way in which you’re explaining your message to the person you’re talking to. Be aware that the problem might be on your end and not on his.

3. Don’t beat around the bush! The most important part of your message should be the beginning. That will get the attention of whom you’re talking to.

4. Pay attention! Communicating efficiently is not only about expressing yourself clearly, it’s also about being a good listener. All people want to feel listen to – look them straight in the eyes and not out the window, and maintain a respectful body posture.

5. Learn body language! Body language is the most important ‘foreign’ language you need to know. Our bodies tell much more than what our mouth does, and many times the message is different. So pay attention to both yours and the other person’s body language while communicating.

6. Don’t gossip! Gossipers aren’t considered very trustworthy. A general tip would be to keep an open mind and not judge. People are different and you need to understand and respect that. If you have a problem with someone, try bringing it up with him and see if you can solve your conflict. Even if you don’t, you will still understand their point of view better.

How to be creative

2015/12/042014/10/19 editor

If you’re looking to become more creative, then we have good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that creativity can’t be taught. Disappointing, right? Well the good news is that each and every one of us is creative to some extent. We just have to ‘feed’ our inner creativity if we want it to start manifesting itself more often. And that’s because thinking creatively can be considered a habit; like all habits, it’s formed through repetition.

If you want to be more creative, we have three tips for you which we hope you’re going to find helpful:

1. Loosen up! Be relaxed in what you do, no matter how serious your job is. That’s the first step towards allowing your brain to change its uncreative ways.

2. Stop being a perfectionist! Yes, we know. You’ve got where you are now by doing everything right. Well, being creative isn’t about being perfect. It’s about generating ideas – something which your brain will have a much easier time doing if it doesn’t feel pressured to produce something perfect. Learn to work with imperfect ideas, and you’ll see that by being creative you can turn those ideas into amazing solutions to any problems you’re confronting.

3. Embrace failure! Not literally, but learn to treat failure as a learning opportunity. If you haven’t failed in anything so far it means you haven’t gone outside your comfort zone. You need to understand sometimes failure happens; learn to take risks and just go with the flow!

4. Be your greatest critic! No matter if you succeed or fail, take a moment to think about what you did right and what you did wrong. What could you improve the next time? What did you do that was so great you need to remember to do again next time? What other say about your work is a good feedback, but you need to trust your own judgment and remember that there is always room for improvement. As long as you learn from your mistakes and accomplishments, you’re going to improve constantly.

Becoming more creative is a matter of changing your mindset, and these tips will allow your brain to feel more comfortable with thinking creatively.

Make your creative presentations matter!

2015/12/042014/10/16 editor

It’s not enough to be a highly creative person in a high performing creative department. You need to also have the skills needed to ‘sell’ your work. This is why we feel the following tips will help you take more satisfaction and pride in your work:

1. Influence the client’s decision

When you’re going into a creative presentation meeting, your team will have a number of ideas they really loved, and one or two ideas that are nothing special but they want to have around in case the client doesn’t like the first ones. Unfortunately, things won’t go as planned. Most people have an innate resistance to change and taking risks, and for that reason they will tend to choose the safer ideas, those ideas that cost less to implement and most of the times aren’t too innovative. That’s why those ‘safe’ ideas shouldn’t even be put on the table in the first place. Keep them for a second meeting if they aren’t impressed with any of the ideas your team really liked. But give your ideas a chance.

2. Be and look professional

For this to happen, you need to know the layout of the room, the audience, and what you’re going to say – really well. If the room is not familiar to you, ask for photos so you know what you need in order to set up for the presentation. You might know the client CEO, or you might not. If you don’t, it’s a good idea to meet him or her and find out a bit about his vision on the company and campaign. This can be done during the brainstorming stage. Before the presentation, rehearse your speech. Do it in front of a mirror, a camera, or in front of your colleagues, and accept and expect feedback.

3. Be persuasive

If you feel your ideas deserve it, fight for them! Convince your clients why your idea will work. New ideas make people hesitate, because they’re not proven to work – and failure would hurt their company. However, do so in a respectful and professional manner.

Last of all, if you don’t feel prepared, if you don’t feel you have ideas worth presenting, delay. Tell the client that your team is currently looking into some ideas and that you need some extra time. He will most likely accept.

Words of wisdom for small business owners

2015/12/042014/10/21 editor

Here are a few words of wisdom which any entrepreneur should take heed of. Whether you’re looking for inspiration or a reason to get started, these quotes will help you get back to working on what’s important:

1. “I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.”

Estee Lauder

2. “Inspiration exists, but it must find you working.”

Pablo Picasso

3. “Give them QUALITY. That’s the best kind of advertising.”

Milton Hershey

4. “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.”

Henry Ford

5. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

Arthur Ashe

6. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

Walt Disney

7. “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.”

Bill Cosby

8. “You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.”

Beverly Sills

9. “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”

Napoleon Hill

10. “The best use of life is to spend it on something that outlasts it.”

William James

11. “I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others… I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent.”

Thomas Edison

12. “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

Albert Einstein

13. “Show me a person who never made a mistake, and I will show you a person who never did anything.”

William Rosenberg

14. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

Vidal Sassoon

15. “So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.”

Caterina Fake

16. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Aristotle

17. “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”

Chinese Proverb

The 3 stages of creative problem solving

2015/12/032014/10/11 editor

Creative problem solving refers to taking an innovative, creative approach to a problem or challenge. It’s an approach that helps people see their problems from a different angle and come up with innovative ways in which to solve these problems.

There are three stages in the creative problem solving process, and these are:

1. Exploring the problem

It’s vital to get a feel of the problem before committing to a course of action. Sometimes the process is set off by our desire to improve something. Either way, the first step is to check the facts. Talk to the people involved, gather data and look for patterns that might indicate where and what the problem might be. Make sure you are not confusing symptoms of a problem with the actual problem. Treating just the symptoms won’t make a problem go away, and those symptoms will reappear.

2. Generating ideas

Generating a creative solution to a problem is not a straight to the point process. First of all, you need to brainstorm ideas, while making sure you are coming up with creative ideas which you can actually apply. It’s all about making connection and understanding what the highest level of risk you can afford to take is.

3. Choosing and implementing a solution

Choosing a solution should be based on clearly stated criteria. Once you’ve selected and improved the best two or three ideas, you can see which of them is the one meeting the most criteria, and go with that.

However, a creative idea also needs to be implemented, and you need to make sure that your company has the resources – financial, technological, human, and time, to implement the solution. You must also assign the project to someone, and you need to establish clear goals as well as progress markings, in order to be able to measure performance and progress, and adapt on the way as needed.