The state of the office

I walked into a lawyers office last week......and walked right out. The lawyer came recommended but being in the first impression business I made an executive decision not to give them any. Why - because of the state of the office. The reception looked like hurricanes Katrina, Charlie and Hugo had passed through. Piles of dusty files, stools balancing on magazines, walls that looked like a squash court, beaten up furniture...you get the picture. Whether you are in a gleaming new building on Upper Hill or in Shankardass House in downtown Nairobi - all companies should make some effort in presenting an appealing visual image of the office especially the reception area. Make sure that this area portrays a professional environment i.e. is not cluttered with papers or files. Scuffed walls, battered tables, worn out seats do not give a good impression and visitors are likely to think sloppy look, sloppy work. Here's another tip for the lawyer who may or may not be reading this...invest in a quality tea set and cups rather than proffering a chipped mug with Christmas Santa’s all over it.

Gormandizing at business lunch

“Don’t gormandize those victuals, you look like pigs at a trough!” one of my school teachers used to say. Although you could hardly blame us for bolting down our food, having not had anything to eat since breakfast. So much business is done over breakfast, lunch or dinner that an important aid to a positive image is good table manners. We’ve all sat down for lunch or dinner with that person who eats in such a cumbersome manner that it becomes distracting in the extreme. It is not easy to present a confident image if you chew with your mouth open, spray bread crumbs everywhere or stab the air (and quite possibly the waiter!) with a knife when driving a point home about last quarter’s numbers. The focus of attention will sadly fall on your table manners, rather than what you are saying.

Correct dining etiquette is associated with competence and bad table manners are equated with a lack of ability. You never know when you’ll have to seat a senior business colleague or even be asked to give an appropriate toast. So knowing the correct etiquette means you can concentrate on the people you are doing business with, rather than how you are going to eat the next course. To have that information at your finger tips, whether you use it or not, will give you the confidence to cope with any situation, however formal.

Have you ever been confused which knife or fork to use first? If you are confronted by a complicated layout of knives and forks it can be very intimidating. It's all very well for you to wait to see which one everybody else uses first before you start, but what if you are the host and everybody is waiting for you? When tackling a frightening array of silverware, a good rule of thumb is to start on the outside and work your way in.

When it comes to the buffet, please be judicious and put a smaller amount of food on your plate rather than taking everything on offer. I’m have on more than one occasion been simply riveted by the amount of food that some presumably really hungry conference delegate has piled on their plate. It is at best distracting and at worst you come across as simply greedy. The focus should be on discussing business or networking and not have people wondering where all that food is going to! If a dish comes to the table which you are unfamiliar with, I always say have at least three mouthfuls – you just might enjoy it! If you cannot stomach it (literally) any further you can politely tell your host it was delicious but you have had quite enough. It is considered bad etiquette to refuse any food outright unless you are a vegetarian or allergic - happy dining!

Are manners in business for wimps?

Yesterday I visited a well known electronics store in town to buy a computer part. For those not in the know, this store carries numerous electronics, computer parts, gadgets, phones etc. The set up is such that you have the shop assistants attending to the customers in a rather chaotic and noisy fashion all over the floor whilst in strategic corners around the shop the “owners” sit on chairs behind counters keeping a mindful eye on proceedings.

Whilst I was there, one of the owners was on his cell phone walking up and down whilst screaming all manner of obscenities at the unfortunate person on the other end of the line. Never mind the store was full of customers – this man was either oblivious to the fact or he wanted to make a point to everyone that he was not to be messed around with. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife it was so palpable. Customers were practically cowering and my jaw was literally on the floor as this guy was ranting and raving loudly in language that would make a soldier blush. I asked the sales person helping me if this was normal and he muttered under his breath that this happened practically every day.

Those of us who speak, write and coach others on business etiquette have declared rudeness to be rampant for some time and have seen the toll it has taken. Bullying, profanity and insensitivity are making work lives unpleasant and as a result, customer service and productivity are suffering. It goes without saying that good manners in the workplace need to come from the top. When the tone is set from the top down, civility becomes part of the company culture. Leave alone the effect on customers (I for one will never shop there again) but studies show that 12% of all employees choose to leave rather than put up with this kind of uncivil behaviour – a clear impact to how efficiently a business runs.

Giving a Talk? Mind your Language

What language should you use when giving a speech or talk? There are so many ways to say the same thing that it is unnecessary to repeat words unless you want to add impact ‘It is essential that we get costs under control; I say again, essential if we are to make a profit this year.’ Repeated words make the audience bored, so use alternatives ‘It is essential that we get costs under control; this is crucial if we are to make a profit this year.’

Where does one draw the line between blatant marketing and delivering valuable information in an interesting way? Let’s take two examples: ‘At Excellent Marketing Ltd we have all the expertise and solutions you need for an innovative campaign to increase your business in these difficult times.’ ‘In these difficult times an innovative campaign is vital if you are to increase your business. There are a number of options available and we at Excellent Marketing Ltd would be delighted to discuss them with you.’

How do you start your speech or presentation? You can open with ‘Good morning ladies and gentlemen, my name is….and I am going to talk to you about….’ which is fine but a bit commonplace. You can ask a question ‘How many of you are wondering how long I am going to talk for this morning? Don’t worry, I am not going to keep you long, but what I have to say will encourage you to take an entirely different approach to marketing your products. My name is… ‘

It is as well to try and avoid common cliché phrases like ‘It gives me great pleasure....’ or jargon like ‘I would like 'it goes without saying' or 'at the end of the day' …’ develop your own style, use your own words and phrases. This is fundamental if your speeches are to be remembered and your message taken to heart.

A quick tip - never clear your throat at the microphone. Clear it before you get up to speak, no-one in the audience should hear the sound of phlegm being removed.

Polishing up to get endorsements

So have you been caught up in all the hoopla – the ‘ballers’ are back in town. In the worlds most famous sport arguably two of Kenya’s best known exports are Dennis Oliech and McDonald Mariga. And as I said you can’t have missed it – one of them handing out cash at a local premier league game and another caught on camera driving away from the car dealer in a mint new Hummer. With the inflated salaries in some European leagues, even a bench warmer can earn a pretty penny. Good on them I say, but the real money is in endorsements. It is estimated that companies world wide spend close to one billion dollars on athlete and celebrity endorsements each year and for good reason. I agree with Donald Kipkorir writing in the Daily Nation when he said that we read in the media about how much our athletes win in races or make playing football and we say 'wow' - but only if we knew how much more they could earn through endorsements.

The highest-paid athletes in the world make money from a combination of salaries, bonuses, prize money and endorsements - and endorsements are by far the largest income deriver. In 2009 Tiger Woods earned Ksh 7.5 billion alone in endorsements before his image implosion. So why aren’t our sports stars making Tiger Woods money? Ok, maybe not Tiger Woods money but why not Manny Paquiao, Wayne Rooney, Usain Bolt or Lewis Hamilton cash? Again to quote Kipkorir, ‘With the amount of money they earn, spending a little part of it to be polished and learning to speak well is worth every cent. It doesn’t matter how many records one breaks or what football clubs one has been signed into, language and style limitation is a real limitation. Just watch the sports SOYA awards and you'll know what I'm talking about. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nike and Puma will not call on them. The few millions in Kenya shillings they earn in a year will never be millions of dollars.'

Interview like a celebrity

I’ve watched number of interviews with prominent personalities both local and international and in this writers humble opinion there is much room for improvement . The ability to connect and build rapport with any audience is crucial and yet many lack this basic skill. I’ve seen everything from one word answers to innumerable ums and ahs (known as fillers), to people going off on irrelevant tangents or useless diatribes. I wonder how many of them actually prepare before they come into studio or even put some thought into what they are going to say. Great interview and communication skills can be taught and one trained – not to give rote answers but to put oneself in the shoes of the viewers or listeners. This also means looking the part and not like you were caught running to the kiosk to get some bread.

I watched John Legend the musician, being interviewed on CNN last week and was pleasantly surprised. He was insightful, funny and entertaining. He was dressed well, didn’t hide behind dark glasses and his body language showed that he was listening carefully as much as he spoke. And when he did, his voice was warm, well modulated and had sufficient vocal variety to keep us (the viewers) interested. His answers were not canned but well thought out and he engaged in an actual conversation and not simply yes or no answers. A halfway decent grasp of the language and a knowledge of a wide range of topics makes an interview interesting. I’m not saying you have to lyrically flow like PLO Lumumba or have a clipped accent like John Sibi-Okumu but speaking in ‘pesa nane’ English does one no favours. And here’s something you might not know – studies have shown that a deeper voice (think husky in women) is more pleasing to the ear of the listener. A high pitched voice is considered a big turn off, so men think Barry White when interviewing and for women the dulcet tones of Julie Gichuru.

And finally a quick word on acceptance speeches. I recently watched the Groove Awards, Kenya’s gospel music awards love fest. I paid particular attention to the acceptance speeches and saw the good the bad and the unintelligible. When accepting an award you need to be brief, gracious and modest. Reciting your family lineage or musical history is NOT the way to go. That goes for anybody receiving an award, be prepared just in case you do win that prize for person of the year.

Soft skills matter

Branding is important for the long-term success of a business. Therefore companies spend a lot of time and efforts building and developing a strong and credible brand. Companies have realized that their employees are their brand ambassadors not only in the workplace, but on the outside as well. In all corporations, especially in those where employees deal directly with the clients/customers, it is crucial that the employees “live the brand”. This means that they have to embody the brand’s qualities and deliver on the brand’s promise. In sum, the employees are the brand. Reduction of turnover in the workforce is a major area of focus of companies. Studies have shown that job satisfaction, which leads to the reduction of turnover, is closely linked to career development. Thus, most companies develop elaborate training sessions which are aimed at increasing employees’ proficiency. Unfortunately, most concentrate on developing technical skills, and seldom address the soft skills which are critical to an employee’s career advancement. The unarguable advantage of soft skills training is that it teaches people to be aware of organizational politics and about the advantages of self promotion.

Reprinted with kind permission from Kali Evans-Raoul of The Image Studios (www.theimagestudios.com) from her article entitled Why Soft Skills are important during tough economic times