Tag: advice

Tips on Making a Great Impression on Your First Day

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If it’s possible to feel excitement and hope with a touch of nagging anxiety and insecurity coursing through your veins all at the same time, chances are you may be on your way to your first day of work. Starting a new job is most often a positive experience as you have taken the initial step down an unknown and hopefully fruitful path in your career. At the same time, the unknown by its very nature has the potential to elicit a certain amount of nerves and tension. By entering this new workplace, you are leaving your former comfort zone and must engage with people, surroundings, and possibly work that are largely unfamiliar. This can be a daunting task for many. However, there is no true need to grin and bear your way through your first day of work.

The following are some tips which will hopefully help you to have an enjoyable first day at work and make a great first impression.

• Arrive at work early – Leave home at least fifteen or twenty minutes earlier than you believe is necessary. Of course, arriving on time to your first day of work is important and will be noticed, but avoiding a stressful commute will be even more beneficial. Th
ere is no need to add any additional anxiety to your day if it is within your control.

• Be Confident – Remember, you already got the job. The people who hired you believe in your ability. Make sure to believe in yourself as well.

• Say Hello – Simply introduce yourself to at least a few colleagues. If you go out of your way to introduce yourself, others will appreciate it and often be more than willing to assist you in getting acclimated to your new surroundings.

• Listen, Listen, Listen – Confidence and an outgoing demeanor will only take you so far. Paying attention to your job responsibilities, remembering co-workers’ names, and following company procedures will always reflect positively on you.

• Appreciate the Opportunity – Keep in mind how fortunate you are to have landed this job. This grateful mindset will be mirrored in your actions, and others will be able to discern that you are happy to be there.

If you follow these simple tips, your first day at work should be a memorable one and leave your colleagues with a great first impression of you. Now, on to day two.

3 Tips to Improve Your Presentation Skills

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Public speaking. It’s the stuff of nightmares – like visiting the dentist or never-ending group texts. Unfortunately, it’s a necessary evil for most of us in business or the corporate world. Preparing and conducting presentations can be a regular occurrence, so managing (and possibly overcoming) those public speaking fears is important. Here are a few tips to help you do just that:

Don’t Jam in Too Much Material

The editing process is crucial. You do not want to fit in endless amounts of material within a 10-15 minute time frame. During editing, be sure to comb through all the information and cut out anything that isn’t absolutely necessary.

If you are using PowerPoint (or another presentation app), you should also refrain from including too much information on your slides. The audience’s eyes should be focused on you and not tuning you out as they try digesting all the information being presented on screen.

Engage With the Audience

Face it – most people dislike attending presentations almost as much as giving them. By boosting engagement, you can break up the monotony. Throw in some polls or surveys. These could lead into inviting questions. It will keep everyone attentive and make them feel as if they are part of a conversation versus attending a lecture.

Don’t Worry About Mistakes

Mistakes are going to happen. No one is perfect – except for maybe Beyoncé or Ryan Gosling, but you are neither so don’t sweat it. You alone planned the presentation. If you missed mentioning something, they will not know that – only you will. Do not get rattled by any missteps. As far as the audience is concerned, everything is going as planned. If you need to circle back to make a correction or mention something you omitted, the Q&A portion of the presentation is the time to do so.

Ways to Provide Constructive Feedback to Employees

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Providing constructive feedback to employees is never easy and can be tricky. Effective communication in this situation is important and may make the difference between a productive employee and a destructive employee. Delivering your feedback successfully will build morale within your company.
One important way to provide constructive feedback to an employee is to be certain to discuss the situation not the employee. Discuss the core of the issue without coming being judgmental.

Another key in giving constructive feedback is to remain focused and specific. Give examples and reference situations so the employee understands exactly what message you are trying to get across.

Being a guide by offering suggestions can also be helpful when providing employee feedback. Create a conversation by sharing a positive course of action. This will allow for an exchange of ideas making the employee feel part of the feedback opposed to being spoken to.
Comparing one employee to another is definitely a no-no. Not only will this make the person you are speaking with feel horrible, but it will build a rift in your team dynamic. You never want to pit one employee against another. This will create an atmosphere of negative competition.

Try to provide constructive feedback whenever you are speaking with an employee. My last bit of advice is to balance the negatives with positives so that the employee is not getting overwhelmed. Putting a positive spin on things will create a positive work environment.