Tag: Skills

Scoring Project Goals – A Soccer Metaphor

Written by Kerry Wills on July 5, 2011. Posted in Articles. 3 Comments on Scoring Project Goals – A Soccer Metaphor

Have you ever seen a group of children play soccer? The ball gets kicked into a corner and every child on the field runs after it. Then the ball gets kicked into another corner and they all chase it there as well. It is exhausting to watch and the game usually lasts a long time, with no/few goals being scored.

This metaphor can easily be extended to poorly run projects. All of the team members wind up ‘chasing the ball’ wherever it goes rather than spreading the field and playing as a team. Often the same result occurs as the children’s game; a long time goes by without many goals being made.

Soccer Match

1. Playing with Children

A lot can be learned about running projects from watching children play soccer. It seems that project teams are always ‘chasing down’ the most recent problem like chasing down a soccer ball. That is, they are always running to the next place that the ball is kicked. This problem usually involves the entire team or a large part of it to solve. This means that team members are not working on other aspects of the project, resulting in those areas having problems later. These new problems then require everyone working on them to solve. It seems to be a perpetual loop.

The result of this loop is that the team is always behind the ball chasing it wherever it gets kicked. This is usually accompanied by lots of yelling from the sidelines by the coach (Project Manager). The next sections will discuss approaches for scoring project goals.

2. Get In Front of the Ball

The best soccer players (and project team members) are those who have learned how to ‘run without the ball’. These players have the ability to anticipate where the ball will go and be there by the time it gets there. By not being behind the ball, they can focus on preparation for when the ball gets to them and they have a better idea of what to do with it when it gets there.

As this relates to projects, having a plan and being able to anticipate where the project will go is critical to the success of the project. If a project is always chasing down issues, then they are being controlled by the issues and wherever it takes them. Staying in front of the issues allows them to be manageable and allows for preparation as they arise.

The plan must be realistic, however. Having team members ready at a place in the field where the ball will not go makes them unproductive. The plan must also be flexible enough to react to deviations in the track of the ball.

3. Teamwork

One of the biggest keys to getting in front of the ball is to trust in the other team members. This allows the players on the team to spread themselves out across the field and focus on their respective roles. The offensive players in the front need to trust that the players behind them will get them the ball and the goalie needs to trust that the defensive players will do their best to keep the ball away from the goal.

Productive teams also need to trust in each other’s abilities. Designers need to trust that the Requirements were captured properly. Developers need to trust that the Design was done properly. Having this trust allows the team members to focus on their aspect of the project and not have to question all of the other information.

Another key to teamwork is to know where the other team members are located across the field. This allows whoever has the ball to get it to the appropriate person when they are ready to receive it. This results in proper handoffs between team members.

4. Coaching

The coach is critical to the success of the team. Their job is to keep the team focused and motivated to make goals. They see the entire field and can provide valuable insight to the players who are focused on their part of the game. This is why the coach needs to be observant and engaged in what is going on during the game.

The coach needs to have the respect of the team members. Yelling from the sidelines is not a very effective technique for motivating team members. Eventually, they stop listening to the coach and do things however they want to do them.

Another effective technique of the coach is the half-time talk. This is when the coach motivates the team during the middle of the game. If the game is going well, they praise the team but remind them that the game is not over yet. If the game is not going well, they motivate the players and formulate a new plan. Project Managers shouldn’t wait until ‘half-time’ but should always be looking to motivate their team members.

5. Proper Training

Proper training also results in a higher probability of success. This is because the team members have practiced their skills and are not learning to pass the ball for the first time during a critical game.

Conclusion

Projects can be compared to soccer games in how they are run. Team members need to spread the field, run without the ball, trust in each other, practice their skills and have a good coach. When all goes well, the team can make their goals. I will leave it up to you, the PM, to determine if they can pull their shirts over their heads and run around the field once this happens.

Don’t forget to leave you comments below.

Kerry Wills has worked as a Consultant and a Project Manager for Fortune 500 companies on multi-million dollar technology projects since 1995. During that time, he has gained experience in several capacities; as a Program Manager, Project Manager, Architect, Developer, Business Analyst, and Tester. Having worked in each of these areas gives Kerry a deep understanding of all facets of an Information Technology project. Kerry has planned and executed several large projects as well as remediated several troubled projects.

Kerry is a member of Mensa and has a unique perspective on project work, resulting in ten patents, published work in project management journals and books, and speaking engagements at over twenty Project Management conferences and corporations around the world. Kerry is a passionate speaker who has a reputation for delivering entertaining presentations combined with vivid examples from his experiences.

Don’t Let Your Project Take a Hit, Control Change!

Written by Brenda Hallman on July 5, 2011. Posted in Articles. 3 Comments on Don’t Let Your Project Take a Hit, Control Change!

Fotolia_10510675_XS For a project manager overseeing changes it’s like playing an old arcade game of asteroids. You have the control; but rather than protecting the Earth from approaching extraterrestrial rocks you are protecting your project from changes that could result in delays, confusion, missed deliverables and inaccurate expectations. While project changes will not be devastating to the planet, they can be to your project if not properly managed.

Changes to a project may be in the form of new or changed requirements, the result of an issue, new information which has unfolded, resource constraints, or shifting priorities of the organization or your project leaders. As a project manager you must accept this and realize that controlling changes and protecting your project are a primary responsibly toward the monitoring and controlling of your project.

During the monitor and control process, the project manager is observing project execution to assure that potential problems are identified in a timely manner and corrective actions are taken to keep the project on track. This includes the monitoring of ongoing activities to assure that changes are controlled and analyzed and appropriate measures are in place to implement changes.

Capture So you have your radar on and are monitoring your project. You can easily knock off the insignificant asteroids by balancing the small changes and handling the manageable issues – but now something big is approaching and it may impact the scope of work, dates, cost, etc. to the extent that the project will not be delivered as expected.

What now? Do you just incorporate this considerable change? After all, you are in charge and you have access to the schedule. Your project staff is aware and accepting of this change. Why waste any time analyzing and documenting it? Perhaps it’s inevitable, so you are certain it has to be done. After all, everyone knows about it and you have no choice. Maybe this change has come as a mandate directly from your sponsor. So just do it? The answer is NO. Regardless of the reasons behind the change, or who has initiated it and informally agreed to it, you must first complete an analysis so you can demonstrate formally the impact to the project. This will lead to:

A full comprehension of all areas of impact
An assessment of the bearing this may have on other projects
An opportunity for team members and stakeholders to understand the change, the impact, and provide their input
An understanding if the change will affect other requirements
An awareness for your project staff, and their management, on new expectations
A re-planning period to incorporate the change and adjust dates appropriately
A formal agreement of the exact change, and resulting impact, by the project leadership

Your organization may have a method for tracking project change requests. This may be via a form or in an automated collection tool. If your organization does not have a project change request method that you are expected to utilize, consider creating a standard form or automated log for your projects. The information you gather should comprise of the following:

General Information: Project Name, Date, Project Sponsor, Project Manager, Request Number (to allow you to sequentially track the requests), Requestor Name, Date Submitted.
Request Status: Change Request Status (Open, Approved, Rejected), Date Finalized
Approval Information: List of Required Approver Names, Signature or Tracking of Approval, Date of Approval.
Request Details: Description, Benefits and Impact to the Business
Impact Analysis:Assigned Resource (who is completing the analysis), Impact to:
- Scope,
- Cost,
- Schedule,
- Resources,
- Documentation (that which is impacted by the change, or which will need to be modified because of the change)
Log: Stating discussions and activities related to the change

One important concept to understand from the formal change request is that it is documented and it is approved (even rejected in some cases). Values of this include:

Changes can be requested and expected to be deployed without the requestor being aware of the consequences. It is not unheard that once a full analysis is complete, and the documented impact analysis is placed in front of decision makers, that the change is rejected in favor of keeping the project on its original track.
An approval of the documented impact assures that your project leadership is in agreement and on board with the request.
This approval becomes the mechanism which authorizes you to set new baselines on project dates, work effort, and cost.
Formalizing the change request is beneficial to you, the project manager. If you go about allowing changes without a formal review you are doing a disservice to your organization and yourself. Your job is to keep the project on track and if a deviation occurs, you will benefit by documenting the impact and receiving approval to incorporate the change.
Providing documented evidence should questions arise as to why a deliverable or date was not met as originally expected. You will also find that fewer questions will arise due to the fact that a formal change request acts as a great communication tool and will result in changed expectations. Why wouldn’t you want that?

A final factor to consider is watching for any changes that are sneaking in under the radar. Take a few minutes periodically to review the project scope and requirements to assure that what is occurring is in line with what is agreed upon.

Let’s face it, if a project were to be perfectly planned, organized, and scheduled, with no issues or changes, the execution of the project would run smoothly without the need for any project management! When have you ever been involved in such a project?

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

Brenda Hallman has over 15 years of experience in project management, most recently in the Project Management Office at Main Line Health where she is responsible for standards, tools, mentoring, education, and program development for project management staff. Ms. Hallman has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from Edinboro University, a Masters Degree in Business from Penn State University, and a Masters Certification in Project Management from Villanova University. She has worked in the information services arena initially in software development and later in project management. She is PMP certified.

Number 10: Determine the Type of Presentation

“A speech is an instrument which the speaker uses to get certain things done. He can’t build a bridge with a speech. But by a speech he can enlist the support and cooperation that will enable him to get the bridge built. Support, consent, cooperation, willingness, consensus, agreement, acceptance, understanding-these terms indicate real things that can be said to be true of groups after speeches have been made to them”

– Wilbur S Howell of Princeton University in “The Speaker’s Abstract: A Guide for Public Speaking (published in 1950).

The first consideration is determining the type of presentation that you will be presenting. This decision is usually dependent on the size of the audience, the venue and the expected outcome as a result of the presentation.

The first involves presenting to a small group within a meeting-like environment. In this instance the speaker or presenter has more personal contact with the group and is able to deliver a more interactive presentation. With this size group it is possible to elicit feedback and participation. These types of presentations usually are more of a persuasive nature and have an expectancy of a decision being reached at the conclusion of the session. This is a very typical presentation method for a project manager to deliver status or progress reports, project gate results or updates to steering committees and/or upper management.

At times a project manager may be requested to deliver a more structured, informational presentation to a large, mostly anonymous audience. Rather than being in proximity with the attendees, the presenter is elevated to a stage, often with bright lights which prevent any eye contact with the audience.

With the advent of technology, either small or large presentations may now be supported through virtual meetings or webinars. In these instances the same content may be presented but the audience may be scattered across the globe. Not only is personal interaction constrained, but in many cases, the actual size or composure of the audience is unknown.

Number 9: Know your audience

“There are apathetic, sleeping audiences that must be awakened; there are hostile audiences that must be defied and conquered; there are alienated or sullen audiences that must be won back; there are frightened audiences that must be calmed. There are loyal, affectionate audiences that must be further inspired. There are cool, skeptical audiences that must be coolly convinced. There are heterogeneous audiences that must be molded into some kind of unity.”

– Houston Peterson, author, A Treasury of the World’s Great Speeches

Audiences are made up of people and therefore come in many varieties. You must be able to determine the type of audience and then identify the best strategy for being able to relate to them most effectively.

Some questions to help analyze the audience are:

What are the demographics of the group (age, gender, economic status, education level, etc.)?
Why is the audience attending? (Be able to answer the question “What is in it for me? )
If this is an internal organizational presentation, where am I organizationally relative to the other attendees?
Who are the key decision makers in the audience?

There is no such thing as an unimportant audience. These people have taken time out of their life to come see you. You owe them the best that you have in you.

Number 8: Understand the logistics of your presentation

“Paying attention to simple little things that most people neglect makes a few people rich”
– Henry Ford

Hopefully the logistics of the presentation has been handled by someone else. As part of the planning, the time, date, location, room setup, and equipment required have been discussed, approved and in place prior to the event.

Even with the best planning, as Murphy reminds us “if something can do wrong, it will.”

The first concern is to arrive at the location in plenty of time to make sure that indeed everything is in place and working properly. With today’s transportation problems, whether arriving from a distance or just traveling locally, it is better to have time to spare than be running into the venue at the last moment.

When audio-visual equipment is going to be used, a test run is imperative. You want to remember to check the electrical connections, lighting, sound, and room temperature before the attendees start assembling.

Number 7: Determine the appropriate delivery method

“Speech preparation may be defined as the process of making decisions beforehand upon the content, the organization, the wording, and the delivery of a speech.”

The determination of which delivery method is most appropriate is based on the type of presentation, the knowledge of the audience and the logistics of where the presentation is to be held.

For large audiences and informative presentations a more formal presentation can be utilized. These presentations may be based on a previously submitted white paper and are scripted with carefully chosen visuals to illustrate key points. (More on visuals later).

For the smaller, more informal presentations, a more interactive speaking style may be more appropriate. These may still utilize visuals, but may incorporate more than one method (including slides, flipcharts, etc.). Because of the interactive nature of these presentations, less detailed notes supporting the content are often more appropriate.

Number 6: Organize the content of the presentation

“A speech has two parts. You must state your case and then prove it.”
– Aristotle

The first step, and probably the most important step, is to know the purpose and understand what you want to accomplish with this presentation. Once you have clearly defined the objective, then you can begin to do your research, make an outline or mind map, prepare any graphics and write your words.

Even though Aristotle was speaking about persuasive speeches having two parts, he later went on to say that most speeches have four parts:

Introduction – or “tell ‘me what you are going to tell ’em”
Statement – or “tell ’em”
Argument – or “tell ’em some more”
Epilogue – or “tell ’em what you told ’em”

This structure has withstood the test of time and can be helpful with the organization of the content of the presentation.

Churchill once said that a speech is like a symphony. It may have three movements but must have one dominant melody. Once the melody (or objective) has been finalized, it is time to “chunk” the middle.

There may be some psychological reason as to why series of threes are best remembered, but whatever the reason, but it probably best to limit your key points to three.

Above all it is important to remember that every part of the presentation concerns the audience. Never give a generic presentation. Personalize it, relate it to the news of the day.

Every presentation starts with an issue of concern to the audience and ends with “a call to action” or next steps towards resolution of the issue. From start to finish the presenter is guiding the audience through the presentation of ideas, data, and plans using the specific language of the audience. The best presentations are those in which the audience believes that the speaker is truly addressing their needs and issues.

Number 5: Determine the balance between pictures or words

“You’ve got to see it to believe it”
– Anonymous

Geri E. H. McArdle, PhD, author of Delivering Effective Training Sessions, notes that adding visuals such as graphs, charts, maps, or photos to a presentation increases the amount of retained information by as much as 55 percent. Using these percentages, people attending a presentation with visuals will remember about 65 percent of the content after three days, compared to about 10 percent who only listened to the presentation. Since many of today’s presentations are done virtually or electronically, the delivery mechanism must consist of both audio and visual components.

A study done by the Wharton School of Business showed that the use of visuals reduced meeting times by as much as 28 percent. This study also recognized the decrease in the time needed for participants to reach decisions and consensus through the use of visuals. Other results of using visuals as part of the presentation have shown an increase in the credibility and professionalism of the presenters over those who only spoke.

Even though visuals have a positive influence, a poorly developed visual can negate the results rapidly. Some basic pointers include:

Limit one basic idea per slide
Verify the text is readable
Be consistent with the look and feel of the text and the background (and ensure that the choice is appropriate to the logistics of the presentation)
Choose appropriate colors for the message and the audience
Combine visuals with text (remember “a picture is worth a thousand words”)
If you need to refer continuously to some information during your presentation, place it on a flip-chart, whiteboard or a paper handout. This will significantly help your audience to remember or recall the information without going back to the original slide and allow you to continue with your presentation.

Number 4: Elicit feedback from key stakeholders

“When there are two people in a business who always agree, one of them is unnecessary”
– William Wrigley, Jr

There are a number of points at which reviews must be incorporated into the preparation of the presentation.

After being asked to present, time should be allotted to discuss the expectations of the requester(s). This input will help guide the development of the purpose and objectives of the material. It will also reassure the requester that their needs will be met.

In order to make sure that you can connect with your audience you need to put yourself in their shoes. This may involve observing the activities in the work environment, or speaking with a few representative audience members. These activities will increase the credibility of the presentation and ensure that it is timely and addresses the current needs of the audience.

After you have completed your first version it is time to review the content with the subject matter experts. This will ensure that not only is the material accurate but also that it is understandable.

Number 3: Practice your delivery

“You ain’t heard nothing yet”
– Al Jolson

Some tricks to help ensure a smooth delivery through the use of a “dry run”:

Vocalize the speech aloud, making note of natural pauses
Rehearse in front of team members, preferably in a location similar to the final venue
Review the timing
Refine the materials, including both visuals and content, where necessary
Verify the required setup, including lighting and sound levels
Review personal presentation and voice tonality
Practice, practice, practice

Number 2: Make yourself “presentable”

“No one is more confusing than the person who gives good advice while setting a bad example”
– Anonymous

There are two main aspects that the presenter needs to consider on a personal level. One is appearance and the other is voice. Ignoring these items can distract and ruin an otherwise outstanding presentation.

Some hints for your appearance:

– Make sure that you are well-groomed, including the proverbial “shoes polished, suit pressed and clean fingernails”
– Dress appropriately, whether the attire is business or casual, but slightly more formal than the audience.
– The selection of the clothing should not be by chance. They should proclaim your professionalism.
– Adopt a style that suits you and that is consistent with the way the audience thinks you should dress.

There are a number of schools of thought regarding the colors that presenters should wear. The conservative view espoused by the editors of the Executive Guide to Successful Presentation suggests that grey and blue are the most appropriate suit colors for presenters while Dorothy Sarnoff of Speech Dynamics suggests that her clients wear standout colors. “When you are presenting why not be the center of attention? Have your color enter the room and claim attention with you.”

The quality of your voice is nearly as important as your message. If a voice is irritating, offensive, high-pitched, nasal, whining, or strongly accented in any way it will distract the audience from the key points of the presentation. A voice that is forced or too loud will sound strident, even aggressive. If a voice is too soft, the audience won’t get the point of the presentation because they may not even hear it.

Even though a voice coach is not a necessity, every speaker should spend time listening to their own voice. This may include recording your daily conversations and then playing those back at the end of the day. Many presenters have not heard their own voice, or not as the audience will.

John Connell, a voice-over actor heard on many commercials, says
“It all comes out in the voice. Joy, nervousness, anticipation, authority, boredom. The voice gives the audience its first real clue about you. Yet the voice is often neglected.”

There are several books on this subject, including Voice Power by Renee Grant-Williams that can provide assistance in this area.

Number 1: Showtime! Take a deep breath and smile

“Never bend you head. Always hold it high.
Look the world straight in the eye”
– Helen Keller

Here are some of our final tips to help you make a great first impression.

Release tension by loosening your muscles, especially your jaw and neck.
Breathe deeply but naturally. Don’t hyperventilate.
If you have butterflies in your stomach, have them fly in formation – (Author unknown)

Say some words out loud, such as “Let’s go” – to make sure that your voice is working. What you say should be enthusiastic and get your adrenalin going as well

Slowly, but confidently, walk up to the front of the room with your shoulders back and head up.
Stand tall.
Scan your audience, finding a few friendly faces and establish eye contact.
Smile.
Repeat your opening sentence to yourself. Each second you pause strengthens your opening words.
Channel your nervousness into enthusiasm and passion.
Go for it!!

Remember:

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Eighty percent of success is showing up!”
– Woody Allen

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

Steve and Greta Blash are frequent speakers world-wide at conferences and seminars. They have spoken on topics including business analysis, project management, business re-engineering/process improvement, sytems development, and business intelligence.

A version of this article was published in allPM.com newsletter in Feb 29, 2008 and presented at a PMI-SN chapter meeting in July 2008.

Reviews, Process Analysis and Organizational Learning

Written by George Pitagorsky on October 19, 2010. Posted in Articles. 5 Comments on Reviews, Process Analysis and Organizational Learning

Is Your Organization Learning Disabled?

Organizational learning is a critical success factor. Learning disabilities get in the way of improving performance and contribute to repeating the dysfunctional behavior that leads to project and performance failures.

Stages in Learning

David Kolb authored one of the many adult learning cycles back in 1984. The model posits that there are four stages in learning each flowing from the other in a cycle: Concrete Experience is followed by Reflection on that experience. This may then be followed by the derivation of general rules describing the experience, or the application of known theories to it (Abstract Conceptualization), and then to the construction of ways of modifying the next occurrence of the experience (Active Experimentation), leading in turn to the next Concrete Experience.

While Kolb’s theory was applied to individual adult learners, I think it makes a great deal of sense in the context of projects and organizational learning.

Process Improvement – Learning from Experience

Process improvement is all about learning from experience. Sometimes it is one’s own experience and sometimes the experience of others, derived from bench-marking or from the application of theories which generally come out of experiences studied by theorists.

Organizational learning begins with performance. Process or project performance represents the concrete experience that starts the learning cycle. Every organization has concrete experience. Learning organizations utilize their experiences while learning disabled organizations simply go from one experience to the next with little or no reflection, analysis (abstract conceptualization in Kolb’s model) or experimentation.

Reviews – The Venue for Learning

Reviews are the means for reflection. They enable groups to reflect on their experience and the experience of others. Reviews (whether they be post project, in-process or operational reviews) of course take time and effort, rare and valuable commodities. They also require getting past blaming and fear of accountability and transparency. The learning organization makes sure the time and effort for reflection are available. The learning disabled organization does not prioritize reflection and organizational learning and therefore does not allocate the time and effort, breaking the learning cycle.

But, don’t start congratulating yourself because you hold reviews. The next step, analysis or abstract conceptualization, is crucial if learning is to take place. In this step the causes of the experienced behavior are identified. Every outcome is caused by something. That something is a process (a set of steps in a particular setting executed by one or more actors). This step requires that more time and effort, in this case by experts who have the capacity to abstract the rules of the process and the applied theories that express them. The learning organization recognizes that everything is caused by something and that unless they analyze the causes underlying their experience they will not be able to intentionally change the way they operate.

But, again, don’t congratulate yourself just yet, because, unless you take the fourth step you are wasting your valuable time and effort. Active experimentation implies changing behavior. Using the results of your analysis, you change the way you approach the next occurrence of your experience. The learning organization recognizes that standards, procedures, tools and methodologies are all subject to change as experience and the processing of it lead us to make modifications based on the analysis of the causes of both effective and ineffective behavior.

Cure Learning Disabilities

Organizational learning disabilities are curable. The cure requires an understanding of the value of continuous learning and the improvement it implies and then taking action to open to the new.

Don’t forget to leave your comments below

Four Tips for Improving People Skills

Written by Mike Morton on September 14, 2010. Posted in Articles. 2 Comments on Four Tips for Improving People Skills

HR professionals and headhunters classify skills into two categories, hard skills and soft skills. “Hard” skills are easier to define because they apply to a specific function – computer programming, database management, driving a truck, piloting a plane, designing a house or office building (architect), building a cabinet (carpenter) or wiring a building (electrician).

Soft skills, on the other hand, embrace all the interpersonal relationships vital to selling a company’s products or services. In the past, many organizations considered hard skills more important than soft ones when considering job candidates. While an IT or engineering company may initially put more weight on technical skills when evaluating job candidates, they look for candidates who have both. They’re ultimately the most valuable because they have the potential to go the furthest.

People Skills Open Career Doors

The quality of interpersonal or people skills is one of the important reasons rank-and-file employees are promoted to management positions,” according to John Agno, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based executive coach and career counselor. “As they move up the organizational ladder people skills become even more important. “Executives are promoted for their abilities to ‘bring in the numbers,’ take tough stands and create strategic plans,” says Agno, “But when they bomb, it is usually because of poor or mediocre people skills.”

To improve people skills, Agno offers four tips:

Learn to Conduct Productive Conversations. Comfortable people skills open the door for easygoing conversation, says Agno. Excellent rapport between people is built through conversation. Initially, conversation may be hard to start. That’s why it’s important not to think about the structure of a conversation, “Be open to conversations that you are unprepared for. Focus on the interests of the other person rather than your own. And look for opportunities to ask non-threatening questions.”

“It may seem awkward at first, but it sets the stage for a respectful exchange,” Agno adds. Good decisions are usually made when the right questions are asked.

And don’t let anxiety or tension stand in your way. It’s normal to be nervous when interacting with people for the first time. Most people mistakenly dwell on discomfort, failing to realize that the other person is nervous as well. So take it as a given and use small talk (the weather, the economy, sports) as a bridge to relaxed and comfortable rapport.
Read Body Language. Successful salespeople have learned how to get a reading on people based upon their facial expressions, gestures, posture and eye contact. Once they read the body signals in others, they can apply it to themselves. A relaxed expression and constant eye contact communicate a sense of self-confidence and poise that relax the person you’re dealing with, making it easier to sell a product or rally support for a position.
Seek Feedback and Criticism. It takes time and hard work to build strong people skills. Learning can only take place if you’re constantly seeking feedback and criticism. Open yourself up to the notion of lifelong learning and bettering yourself.
Master Listening. Masterful communicators have learned that building a comfortable rapport is finding the divine balance between speaking and listening. Most people are too intent on speaking. They don’t realize that the only way to get a true reading on another person is to listen to what they have to say. It sounds obvious. But listening often involves learning how to be silent and waiting for the other person to express his viewpoint. Silence often opens the door to active, fruitful conversation. In time, you’ll learn to be an empathetic listener.

Empathetic listeners are listening not just to be polite, but because of a genuine desire to understand the person they are speaking with. As soon as honest concern is sensed, the door is opened to sharing information. It’s a simple concept that leads to winning contracts, solving technical and business problems and mediating interpersonal conflicts – even saving lives.