We loved this article and research by Nicole Crepeau on Twitter Trends…visit the post for graphs and additional research.  Where do you stand on the value of Twitter?

Twitter Quitters Say Twitter is Boring

Over the course of eight months, I conducted a survey of 336 internet users. I asked users a number of questions, ranging from the users’ original perceptions of how Twitter might help them to what daily activities they performed on Twitter. Some interesting results arose regarding Twitter Quitters.

There wasn’t a lot of agreement among non-users.  People generally didn’t think Twitter was like email or RSS. The largest numbers thought Twitter was like a blog (36%) followed by IM (28%). There was about an even split of people who thought Twitter was like Facebook and those who thought it was nothing like Facebook.

What’s It Good For?

I also asked people how they thought Twitter could help them. I posed a variety of possibilities ranging from meeting new people to keeping in touch with friends/family to learning about events. I asked people to rate their level of agreement: strongly disagree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree, agree, strongly agree.

In general, people who hadn’t yet used Twitter thought it would help them:

• Express themselves (59%)
• Have fun (50.8%)
• Learn new information (45%)
• Keep in touch with people they knew (44%)

On the other hand, the great majority of non-Twitter users (62%) didn’t think Twitter would be helpful for their business or career.

Non-Twitter users were split on whether Twitter would help them find information about topics they cared about. Approximately a third agreed (36%) and about a third disagreed (39%). Likewise, 33% thought it would help them meet new people and 36% thought it wouldn’t.

I asked the same questions of users who had tried Twitter and then abandoned it. I asked these users both what they thought Twitter would do for them before they started using it, and what they actually found it useful for when they did use it. (Caveat: because they were asked both questions after already using Twitter, answers regarding their original expectations must be taken with the proverbial grain of salt.)

In general, their answers were similar to those of people who had never used Twitter—with one exception. These users weren’t so vehement that Twitter wouldn’t help them with their business or career. Of those who had never used Twitter, only 6% thought Twitter could help. Of those who tried Twitter and quit, 37% reported that they originally thought it would help their business or career.

Twitter quitters apparently found no value in Twitter at all. On the otherhand, those who stuck with it found it highly valuable for everything but reconnecting with friends/family and keeping in touch with them. The greatest value for Twitter users was in:

• Learning new things (80%)
• Finding information about topics (78%)
• Learning about events (73%)
• Having fun (65%)
• Expressing themselves (63%)

For a certain segment of people, Twitter is a highly valuable tool. The question is, why do some people find Twitter valuable and others find it absolutely useless?

Why Twitter Quitters Quit

When I asked Twitter quitters why they quit, here’s what they had to say:

People quit Twitter because they were bored or weren’t interested in the tweets.

Some of the other survey questions help identify the causes of their boredom. I asked both Twitter quitters and those still using Twitter whether they knew people on Twitter when they started, how many people they followed, how they accessed Twitter, and how often they accessed it. The key differences seemed to be how often they accessed Twitter and, perhaps, the number of people they followed:

• Both groups generally knew people on Twitter: 64.5% of Twitter quitters knew people on Twitter when they joined and 64.7% of current Twitter users also knew people.
• Both groups primarily accessed through the site: 90.3% of Twitter quitters accessed Twitter through the website, and 90.7% of current Twitter users also accessed through the site.
• Twitter quitters may have followed less people to start: 63% of quitters reported following 10 people or less. 62.1% of current users report following 50 people or more. However, the latter group had generally been on Twitter longer, by the time they took this survey.
• Twitter quitters accessed Twitter far less frequently: 67.4% of current Twitter users check Twitter several times a day, with another 11.6% checking once a day. While only 25.8% of quitters checked Twitter several times a day. 79% of current users check Twitter at least once a day, versus only 46% of quitters.

No Good Tweets

People surely quit Twitter for many different reasons. It appears, though, that a significant number of users quit because they aren’t finding interesting tweets. The fact that quitters access Twitter less frequently may be one reason they didn’t find interesting tweets. The stream moves fast that the more often you check Twitter, the more likely you are to see something of interest.

There may well be related factors at play. Quitters reported following 10 people or less. We don’t know how many follows those who stuck with Twitter had when they first started. It may be that the people who stay with Twitter tend to follow more people initially, which would presumably increase their chances of seeing interesting tweets.

Surely another factor is who you follow initially. Twitter stickers may have found a better set of people to follow initially. If quitters don’t find people to follow who tweet information they care about, the chances are lower of seeing interesting tweets.

Conclusion

It’s a well known fact that users won’t give a site much time to prove itself. The majority of Twitter quitters I surveyed tried Twitter for less than a month. It’s important that users see tweets of interest to them in their very first session with Twitter and in sessions thereafter, until they are sold on it.

If Twitter wants to keep users, they need to do a better job of connecting first-time users not just with people they know, but with people who frequently tweet on topics that the user cares about. They also need to use the UI to encourage users to follow a significant number of people initially–probably 25 or more.

If new users are rewarded in their early interactions with Twitter, they will be more likely to check Twitter more frequently, increasing their chances of seeing interesting tweets and setting up a virtuous cycle.

Thanks Nicole for your insights!

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On Saturday I went to take a cardio kick-boxing class I attend on a regular basis.  It is normally taught by an energetic and very fit young woman named, Anne. As a bunch of us were mingling and waiting for the class to begin, a rather disheveled man came in to the studio space and appeared to be getting organized to teach the class.  He looked as if he had just rolled out of bed, was in need of a shave and could have benefitted from running a comb through his long, stringy hair that seemed be be flying in many different directions.  He wore what appeared to be sweat pants and a t-shirt left over from the ’80’s and capped off the outfit by tying a tattered red bandana across his forehead.  His t-shirt, likely purchased when he was 20 pounds lighter, revealed a protruding belly.  He explained that he was the substitute instructor.

The reactions from the people in the class varied.  There were several who rolled their eyes in disbelief and left the room clearly deciding this was not the instructor for them.  Some just looked shocked and others, like myself, held back a smile convinced that the “candid camera” folks would jump out any minute and say, “surprise!”  It would have been good fodder for a Saturday Night Live skit.

And, here’s the kicker…it was a good class and he was a good instructor.  After those of us who remained got past the shock of his appearance, we committed to getting what we had come for – a good workout – and he delivered.

So, what is the moral of this story?  I am not sure other than to say – first impressions do matter.  This instructor’s haphazard appearance turned some people off and they left – not even giving him a chance – while the rest hung in there but likely driven more by our own desire to exercise rather than necessarily putting their confidence in him.

Last week’s blog entry featured an article by Jason Alba titled:  ”The Wrong Watch and Other Random Reasons You are Not Getting a Job.”  I’ve had its reminders top of mind and this example at my gym brought it home again.  None of us want to judge people prematurely.  We all wish we had multiple opportunities to make a first impression but experience tells us we often don’t.  This funny fellow at my gym may seem an extreme case but in my years as a hiring manager I saw examples of this time and again – well meaning people who made the wrong calls about what they wore, how they behaved and what they said.  Everything speaks.  Everything tells a story.

In this tough and competitive job market do everything you can to communicate your competence and confidence – don’t leave room for interpretation.

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Today, a friend sent me the following article by Jason Alba titled:  ”The Wrong Watch and Other Random Reasons You are Not Getting a Job.”  I got it just after I had lunch with a few colleagues where we all talked about our friends and former work associates who were still struggling finding work in this tough economy.  What we communicate during an important interview speaks volumes – whether we know it or not.  Here are a few, not so common, things that may send the wrong message.  Hope you find it helpful.

It’s not right to discriminate against you on any of the big things, like race, religion and gender. But we all know discrimination exists, and sometimes there is nothing you can do about it. Unfortunately, discrimination doesn’t stop with the most common biggies (race, sex, age, etc.). Here are some minor, weird things that also might also hurt you during a job interview:

The rules of “watch-wearing” all depend on the location, the industry and the company. Wear an expensive watch to an interview for a minimum-wage job and you may be perceived as over-qualified. Wear a cheap watch to an interview for an executive job, and well … (Note: This also applies to shoes). You may even fall victim to watch discrimination if you don’t wear any watch at all. A watch on your wrist shouts “punctuality” to a lot of HR professionals; not wearing one suggests the opposite. (Sorry, electronic devices just don’t pull the same weight.)

Try doing the “dead fish handshake” and see how far you get. Limp is “out” in the handshaking world. And shaking too hard is just ridiculous. (Find outwhat your handshake says about you.)

Too soft-spoken? Better learn how to speak clearly so you can be heard the first time. Otherwise it may appear as though you are ashamed or have something to hide. (Learn what your voice says about you.)

If you don’t look at your interviewers, they might assume you are hiding something. Have good eye contact — or instead of listening to you, they’ll be wondering what crime you recently committed. (Do you know what your body language says about you?)

Make too much? Too little? Any way you roll it, you lose, because they’re going to wonder why you weren’t making more, or why on earth someone would pay you that much.

This is a tough one. Unfortunately, if you have been unemployed for “too long,” they’ll wonder what is wrong with you, and how come you couldn’t land a gig sooner. (Read an open letter to recruiters)

Go in with that big, wild hairdo and that may be all the interviewer remembers. Don’t let your extreme hairstyle outweigh your positive characteristics. This also goes for tattoos, piercings, etc. (Don’t miss how your hair plays a part in your career.)

Walk into the interview room, and the interviewer who’s a non-smoker will smell it right away (plus, bad breath isn’t going to win anyone over). There’s also the “joke” that if you want more breaks you should start smoking — since smokers take their breaks whenever they want. (Read about the hospital that declared they would only hire non-smokers starting February 2010.)

Yeah, HR sometimes finds out your credit history. A bad one will have them thinking, “If you can’t take care of your own finances, how can you take care of the responsibilities we give you?” (Learn how to get a job with bad credit.)

Good luck in your efforts to find the job and career you love!

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We are excited to have author, speaker, consultant, Dennis Snow with us to talk about an incredibly important tool that can help organizations see the service experience through the lens of the customer.  Dennis calls it “Service Mapping.”  Adventures in Communication is a HUGE fan of Dennis and loves the way he not only motivates and inspires but simultaneously provides concrete, down-to-earth solutions to helping you communicate effectively with your customers.  Here’s Dennis…

A Tool for Creating Outstanding Customer Experiences

Most organizations say they put the customer at the center of everything they do.  Experiencing the service they provide, however, quickly proves otherwise.  Their processes and policies demonstrate that the focus is on their convenience, not the customer’s.  We’ve all been frustrated, for example, by phone trees that say; “For sales, press 1; for reservations, press 2; for customer service, press 3.”  For real customer service we shouldn’t have to press anything, we should get to talk with someone!  They’ve made things more efficient for themselves, but they’re irritating customers in the process.

Conversely, those organizations who design their processes with the customer in mind are our service heroes.  A truly customer-focused organization sees the experience through the “lens of the customer,” and they design their processes accordingly.  They ask, “How does the customer see us?”  Looking at the operation from the customer’s perspective is one of the performance elements that separates outstanding organizations from ordinary ones.  Customers appreciate the difference.

In our newly released book, Unleashing Excellence: The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service (Wiley 2009), coauthor Teri Yanovitch and I describe a tool called Service Mapping.  Many of our consulting clients have said that this single tool has helped them to revamp their entire customer experience. You can download the Service Map template by going to www.unleashingexcellence.com.  Once on the site, click on the “Downloads” tab and navigate to the Service Map template.  It will be beneficial for you to have the template in front of you as you read the rest of this post.

Service Mapping is a tool that not only reinforces the lens of the customer mindset; it’s also a tool for making organizational processes more customer-friendly.  This post will describe the process for creating a Service Map, but keep in mind it is not a one-time event.  It should be used on an ongoing basis by every area of the organization in order to continually improve processes.

First, identify a process you would like to improve in order to elevate the customer experience.  You might decide to focus on a broad process, such as “the overall shopping experience in our store,” or a segment of the process, such as “the checkout process in our store.”  It depends on your operation and where your feel improvement opportunities exist.

After deciding on a process on which to focus, put together a team made up of employees involved in the process and conduct a Service Mapping session.

Conducting a Service Mapping Session

Step 1: There should be a facilitator for the session.  Using a flipchart or whiteboard, along with copies of the Service Map template for each participant, the team maps out the process through the lens of the customer.  Each step must begin with “The customer…”  For example, if someone in the group says something like, “Next we process the paperwork,” the facilitator should ask, “While we’re processing the paperwork, what’s the customer doing?”  This answer in this case is that the customer is waiting while the paperwork is processed.  Now you have something to work with since the step is now seen through the lens of the customer.

Step 2: After completing Step 1 and ensuring that each element of the process is described from the customer’s perspective, the next step is to look at each component of the Service Map and ask, “What would mediocre service look like at this step?”  The reason it’s important to define mediocre service is that in many cases, after describing mediocre, it becomes apparent that at some of the steps the service currently delivered is indeed mediocre.  Remember, we’re not talking about poor service; we’re talking about mediocre, transaction-like service.  What I’ve found in conducting many Service Mapping sessions with clients is that while they may be providing excellent service at some of the steps, they’re now looking at the entire experience and can usually see that there are many opportunities throughout the experience for improvement.

After describing mediocre service, then ask the group to describe what excellent service would be at each step.  A word of caution here.  When team members are brainstorming what excellent service would look like, don’t let the words, “We can’t do that, because…” creep into the conversation.  The purpose of the discussion is to describe excellent service and you don’t want to censure yourselves at this point.  You may not be able to implement every idea presented, but it’s better to set your sights high and get as close to the ideal as possible, than to stifle conversation early and only generate ideas that are slightly above mediocre.

Note: Some of our clients have invited trusted customers to participate in Steps 1 & 2.  If you feel comfortable doing so, go for it – it can’t hurt.  I do, however, find that an organization’s employees know pretty accurately what constitutes mediocre and excellent service in any process.

Step 3: In most cases it would be overwhelming to try to change an entire process at once.  I find it more productive to decide on 1-3 of the steps for immediate improvement, and work on those steps.  Once you feel progress is being made, continue working your way through the entire Service Map until you’re satisfied that the organization is primed to provide excellent service at each step of the process.

A completed Service Map has many uses including:

• Providing your team with a template for excellent service at each step of a customer interaction, resulting in consistency across the organization.
• Serving as a powerful training tool for new employees joining the organization (“Here’s how we open an account in a way that distances us from our competitors”).
• Acting as an accountability tool for management. Just by observing employee-customer interactions, determining whether or not the agreed upon standards of excellence are being delivered becomes clear.

Give Service Mapping a try with one process, and I know you’ll be pleased with the result.  With a clear focus and unwavering commitment to improvement, you can differentiate your organization from all of the others that cause customers to shake their heads in frustration. Imagine if after dealing with your company, customers ask, “Why can’t other organizations do it like you do?” And imagine if you can honestly answer, “Because we’ve designed our operation through your lens, and for your convenience.”

About the Author

Dennis Snow is a business author, speaker, and consultant who helps organizations develop world-class customer service. He is the author of two books, “Lessons From the Mouse: A Guide for Applying Disney World’s Secrets of Success to Your Organization, Your Career, and Your Life” (DC Press), and “Unleashing Excellence: The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service.” (Wiley). Dennis can be reached at www.snowassociates.com, or at 407.294.1855.

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As I travel the country working with business professionals to enhance their communication, I often find that most individuals are unaware of the static they create when they communicate. Not only does their static prevent them from influencing others to take action, they also run the risk of:

• Minimizing the perceptions others create of them.
• Grabbing and keeping their listeners attention.
• Communicating a message that’s unclear and misunderstood.

What do I mean by static? When what you say isn’t consistent with how you say it. For example, when who you’re talking to says, “I’m so excited to have this opportunity to work with you.” They communicate this statement in a monotone and boring voice.  Their facial expressions are lifeless. They never look you in the eye and they’re fidgeting with a pen. Would you believe them? Most likely you’d question their credibility, knowledge and not take action on what they have to say.

The purpose of this article is to increase your awareness of the static you may be creating for your listeners and to give you practical, immediate skills you can apply when you’re communicating face-to-face, over the phone, during meetings or presentations.

1. PAUSE

Um, what perception, like, do you create, you know, when you hear, um, a speaker using, uh, words that clutter, you know, their language? Knowledgeable, credible and confident probably don’t come to mind.

We refer to these words as non-words or filler words. As I travel the country, the number one challenge individuals need to overcome if they want to communicate with influence, is the ability to replace their non-words with a pause. We use non-words to buy ourselves time to think about what we want to say. These words become distracting and your listener misses what you’re communicating. Instead, give your listeners time to hear and understand your message.

Give yourself permission to think on your feet by replacing your non-words with pauses. Speak in shorter thoughts or sentences.

Benefits for You

• Think on your feet.
• Get to the point and avoid rambling.
• Take a relaxing breath.
• Hold your listener’s attention.
• Gain control over your message and how you communicate your message.

Benefits for Listener

• Hear and understand your message.
• Act on what you say.

2. Eye Connection

Last week when I met a new client to help him enhance his ability to influence others, I asked him; “What do you feel are your communication strengths?” He responded, “Eye contact.” As he responded his eyes were darting everywhere!  Most individuals don’t lock their eyes with an individual long enough to create a relationship.

The only way to build a relationship is through trust. When you forget what to say, you will look at the ceiling, floor, PowerPoint slides or anywhere away from your listeners. When you disconnect you’ll say “uh” “um” “so” “and”, etc. You communicate to your listeners you don’t know what you’re saying.

When speaking to more than two individuals, connect with one individual for a complete sentence or thought. Take a moment to pause as you transition your eyes from one individual to another.

Ask your listener to immediately give you feedback when you look away from them while you’re speaking. When you’re speaking on the phone, use objects in front of you to complete a sentence or thought

Only speak when you see your listener’s eyes and pause when you look away.

3. Vocal Projection

If you want to be perceived as confident you must speak at a volume level to be heard.

On a scale from one to ten with one being inaudible and ten too loud; when speaking to a group of fifteen or more your voice needs to be at a seven to eight. When speaking over the phone or to a small group project at a four to five level.

Vocal projection has nothing to do with yelling. It’s the realization you need to use different volume levels so your voice reaches everyone in the room. No one should have to strain to hear you. If they do, they’ll stop listening and you.

Benefits

• Hold your listener’s attention.
• Bring out the importance of your message.
• Convey confidence.

Speak to be heard! Ask for feedback on the volume level you project in meetings, face-to-face situations and over the phone.

4. GESTURES

The majority of individuals I work with fidget with their fingers, rings, hair, pen and the list goes on. If they don’t fidget then they unconsciously talk with their hands.  There is also the individual who goes to the extreme. They’ve been told they talk with their hands so they hold their hands and do nothing.

Confident speakers use their gestures to add emphasis to their words. To gesture with purpose, avoid locking your elbows at your sides or creating the same repetitive gesture. Instead, expand your gestures from your sides and let your hands emphasize and describe your message.
Add variety to your gestures by relaxing your arms back to your sides after you complete a gesture. If you’re constantly using gestures you’re not able to think on your feet and you’re creating static.

Benefits for You and Your Listener

• You’re the visual. When you use purposeful gestures, your listeners will remember more of your message.
• Add emphasis to your message.
• Grab your listener’s attention.
• Add energy and inflection to your voice and channel your adrenaline and nervous energy.Throughout the day, notice how you and others use gestures. Do your gestures have purpose? Ask for constructive feedback from friends, family and co-workers; “When I gesture do I look like I’m talking with my hands?” “Do I use gestures too often or not enough?”

5. Get to the Point

The more you say that’s unnecessary, the greater the risk your listeners will either miss or misinterpret your point. What can help you get to the point?

• Stay focused. When you find yourself going down the path of saying too much and you begin to feel like a train about to derail, put the brakes on and get yourself back on track…PAUSE!
• Keep your objective in mind. Think in terms of what your listener needs to know about what you want them to do, not what you want to tell them.
• Use the Rule of Three. Focus your message on no more than the three most significant points. It’s easier for you to get to the point and for your listeners to remember your message.
• Pay attention to your listener. Are they hanging on your every word or are they dazed? Are they attentive or fidgeting?
• Prepare, practice and focus.

Stacey Hanke

Expert, Author and Speaker

www.1stimpressionconsulting.com

www.staceyhanke.com

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I want to be proven wrong about Chicago Cops.  I want to feel they are good people with a tough job who believe in fairness and treating others with respect.  I want to advocate for them and show support as needed.  That makes sense, right?  Ideally, this is a relationship that should be strong.  Unfortunately, it seems their personal communication practices and the system at large conspires against it.

Last evening, during the holiday season, I experienced another incident that illustrates the dilemma.

I was on my way to the gym near my house.  I came to an intersection that prohibits turning left during certain hours on certain days.  It was snowing lightly and I remember looking up to see the hours but admittedly I couldn’t quite make them out in the snow flurries and because there was little traffic I made the left turn when it was safe to do so.  Shortly after,  I turned into the parking lot of my gym when the sirens and blue flashing lights of a police car that had followed me into the lot startled me.  I came to a stop and then attempted to pull my car forward a bit so I could pull into a parking spot and get out of the way of gym patrons who were coming and going.  Immediately a very bright spot light was illuminated from the police car and it shown brightly on me and over their loud speaker I heard, “Lady, stay in your car and don’t make any more moves.”

Anyone who has ever been pulled over by a cop knows this feeling.  It is one of humiliation, vulnerability and quite honestly, a bit of fear.  The cop approached my car, cautiously, and behaved in a way that communicated I might be dangerous.  He asked for my license and insurance card and told me not to move as he returned to his car for 10 minutes processing the paperwork with his partner.  Meanwhile their police car partially blocked the entrance to the gym – people were waiting to get in and leave the lot – and there were curious stares at me under the spotlight as they passed by.  My license was taken, a citation and fine were issued while the cop left with his final words being, “have a nice day.”  Arrgghhhh.

Let me be clear, I know I made a mistake and am accountable for that and am willing to do what is required.  But it got me wondering about the intent of the way cops communicate.  Is their intention to intimidate, humiliate and scare the heck out of you so that you never ever make that same mistake again?  Is that what they are trained to do?

I am not sure that approach works because I think rather than reflection on the “crime” at hand it produces, instead, resentment and an environment of fear and mistrust.  I recently got a call to contribute to the Chicago Policeman’s Ball Fundraiser and I found myself incredulous, as I could not think of a reason to contribute.  I couldn’t recall a single positive memory or impression of an encounter with a Chicago Cop – whether my own or that of friends or family.

I don’t envy a policeman’s job – I know they find themselves in dangerous situations with dangerous people who may threaten their lives – and in some cases take their life.  I guess I am just wondering if their job allows for any nuance.  Is their job so stressful that they cannot treat people – even those who violate traffic laws and who are apologetic and cooperative – with a certain amount of kindness or respect?  Do they really want to propagate the stereotype of police as forceful and uncaring?

It reminds me of the same dynamic that occurs when a parent berates a child in public or a boss humiliates a direct report in front of colleagues – the intention of the parent or boss is to ensure they are listened to and the child or employee pays attention and heeds their will.  We all know, however, that it really has the opposite effect and that resentment and anger grow out of those interactions rather than respect.

Maybe the way cops communicate is part of a master strategy.  Maybe it works overall keeping the criminal element in line.  Maybe they don’t have time to care and show compassion.  What did I want to happen this week during my interaction?  I’ll be honest, a lot of good will would have been engendered if I’d gotten a friendly warning and a “hey, it’s the holidays…I’m gonna let you go this time but be careful out there…” And if that were too much to ask, it would have been helpful to have cut the sirens, the lights and the spotlight and simply had a conversation and moved on.  Regardless, I can only describe the actual experience I did have and say that if left bad taste in my mouth and further solidified my negative impression.

For those of us living in Chicago, we are increasingly aware that law enforcement – particularly in the arena of traffic rules and regulations – is a business.  Cops are out scouring the streets to bust people whose parking meters have expired.  More and more red light re-enforcement cameras are in place to catch errors – and the fines are astronomical.  Cops have their quotas.  People are pissed off.  The days of being given the “benefit of the doubt” are long gone.  The city has to make money and they are looking around every corner to say “gotcha.”  It’s a “red pencil” perspective.

Recently I saw one of Norman Rockwell’s most famous paintings.  It was the one that portrayed a policeman (or was it a state trooper?) who found a runaway little boy and took him to the local soda shop to have an ice cream before returning him home to his parents.   It is such a sweet painting that depicts the energy and spirit of that ideal relationship between law and order and humanity.  Maybe I am just stuck in an old image that no longer lives.  I want to be proven wrong.

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As 2009 winds down and the requisite ritual of New Year’s resolutions lies ahead I am reminded of the practice I value most at this time of year.  It is the gesture that requires us to think of what we want to let go of and what we want to bring into the new year.

Rather than a long list of promises and goals I prefer the serenity and wisdom that is generated from gentle reflection about the past year.  What did I learn?  What did I discover?  I like to re-enforce all the actions, decisions and behaviors that brought about good and growth.  I want to do more of those in the New Year.

I also want to surface the things that held me back, made me afraid, caused me to falter in anyway.  It is essential that I have a lively awareness of those things as I want to leave them behind.  Often I will gather with friends, light a small bonfire on New Year’s eve and write down on paper those things to leave behind. There is something incredibly liberating about tossing those items in the fire.

These small gestures allow me to walk in the New Year a little lighter, a little brighter.  I love what Benjamin Franklin said,  ”Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors and let each new year find you a better person.”

What are your year-end rituals?  Would love to hear how you ring out the old and ring in the new.  Happy New Year to all.

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I am as guilty as everyone else.  As much as I tell myself I will be conservative this year when it comes to holiday spending – I spend more than I should.  As much as I tell myself to not send cards and save a few trees – I still send them out.  As much as I tell myself to spend time thinking of meaningful gestures for family and friends – I often don’t.

What’s a girl to do?  My mission today is to write about this matter in hopes that I will create for myself, and you, top of mind awareness about alternatives and options that allow for more meaning during this holiday season.

Making meaning during the holidays is really about good communication at the core.  Here are some thoughts about what you can do to communicate that you care.

• Look through all your old photographs and find one that you know would make a friend smile and slip it into their stocking.
• Invite a family member to take a hip hop dance class with you – something you know you both secretly want to do but would not have the courage without the other.
• Create “favor coupons” that might include

1. Transportation to a doctor’s appt. when needed
2. Babysitting
3. Chicken soup delivered during the next cold or flu
4. An hour’s help cleaning their apartment
5. Going out Christmas caroling together

• Calling that person on your list who you’ve lost touch with and re-c0nnect
• Forgive someone whose angered you
• Call and invite someone to volunteer at a soup kitchen with you
• Write an old-fashioned, handwritten letter to loved ones
• Dig out old VHS videos or Super 8 movies reels and transfer to dvds and share with friends who are featured in them
• Make time for a coffee of hot chocolate

As I write my list – and check it twice – I realize I could keep adding to it.  There really are so many ways – so many gestures that don’t need to cost a cent – they just require time.  And they will make meaning.  They will communicate that you care.

Let me know what you’ve done or do to make your holidays more meaningful.

Thanks for listening….and now I’m off to get started on my list!

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Greer Garson

While filming the movie “Desire Me” with Robert Mitchum, Greer Garson needed 125 takes to properly enunciate the word No. This simple two letter  conundrum has hexed all of us at one time or another, although probably not the same way as Ms. Garson. We invent entire sentences like, “Sure, moving the piano from your third floor apartment sounds good, let me just check if I still have that back brace handy.” Instead of just saying no.

My mother was a sweetheart, a real people person. Saying no was a difficult task for her. When I was about nine years old a fertilizer salesman came by with the intention of spreading his pungent product on our modest lawn. My mother never said yes, but she never said no either. The forceful salesman figured that if he just kept talking and spreading his product around we would have to pay. He proceeded to empty his bags of manure and was reaching into his pocket to write his bill, when my father came home. My dad was a quiet but direct man. He was raised as an orphan during the depression and saw action in the second World War. He had no problem saying no. The salesman protested and pointed out that he already had spread his product on the lawn. My father did not get angry, he simply looked around at the salesman’s work and told him he could take it with him. He didn’t take crap from anyone.

The economy with its 10% unemployment, foreclosures and 1 ½ trillion dollar national debt is presenting us with great incentive to practice our no’s. There seems to be a new mindset taking over that is giving that word new respect.  This is especially true online where we can quickly say no by simply clicking away. “No” is an honest and honorable response. Be polite but firm when saying it and others will respect you. My favorite is a simple, “No thank you.” And if the interrogator persists follow that with a “no” in unison with a definite head nod and direct eye contact.

If you are not sure if your answer is no and need to think about it ask for time to think it over. “Let me consider your proposal and get back to you next week.” Guilt can sometimes get between you and a solid “No”. If you are asked to help out for a good cause it can be difficult, especially if you are being asked by someone you know. But if you are polite and firm you will always be on solid ground. “I appreciate you asking me to participate on the committee but because of other commitments I must decline.

Always be sure you understand what is being asked of you and once you make a decision, stand firm. A few years ago I was asked to be on the board of directors for a dance company. The way it was presented left me with the impression that they wanted me to contribute by videotaping certain events and helping out creatively, which I was willing to do. It turned out they wanted that but their main objective was to collect money. It wasn’t a good fit and when I told them my intentions of quitting the board I felt a great relief. Now before making such commitments I do a little more homework.

Remember that it’s much easier to change a No into a Yes, than a Yes into a No.

Information on the Do Not Call Registry

Perhaps you may want to practice saying no to all the phone solicitors that call you at home at the most inconvenient times. Maybe have a contest with your friends to see how many times you can say no before they stop harassing you. But if you would rather not I am going to include instructions for signing up to the Do Not Call Registry.

If you have any favorite “No” lines that you would like to share please leave them in the comment section below. Unless you don’t want to of course.

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Bring Customer Service Platitudes to Life with Purposeful Interactions!

If you are ready to go beyond the platitudes — to grow and cultivate customer champions — you need to refresh all those inspiring phrases about the importance of customers.  You need a regular and systematic way to take purposeful action and proactively interact with your customers!

Chances are, your office walls are lined with friendly reminders about your customers.  The thing about platitudes is that they’re usually true, but they’re so overused we no longer “hear” their importance.

When it comes to your relationship with customers, some of the most-overused platitudes include:

*“The customer comes first.”

*“Our business is designed around the customer’s needs.”

*“We wouldn’t be here without our customers.”

While the sentiments are on target, the challenge is bringing those clichés to life.  When you say, “The customer comes first,” how do you and your team take action to make that a regular occurrence? How do you create purposeful interaction with your customers?

Having worked both as external consultant and internal corporate collaborator, I have discovered some simple-to-execute and rich-in-outcome tactics that any organization can apply to hear and act on the voice of their customers.  Best of all, they cost very little yet help your customers to feel “listened to” and appreciated.

1. Establish Regular Customer Town Hall Meetings

Once a month or once per quarter, invite a diverse group of customers to participate in a facilitated Town Hall meeting where your employees – both front line and operational – are the audience.  Let your customers know that you want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Help customers prepare in advance by supplying sample questions like:

• Out of all our services, which do you value most?
• If you were temporarily put in charge of our organization with the mission of turning us into a world-class customer-oriented company, what would you do first?
• What is the one thing that bothers you most about our service?
• What do you see as our competitive advantage?
• When was the last time you experienced a service failure with us? How would you rate the resolution?

Questions like these will help your employee audience understand at a visceral level what truly matters to your customers.  Be sure to carve out time after the customers depart to debrief the experience with your employee-audience.  Then determine the top 2-3 actions you will take to improve your service delivery.

2. Shop the Competition

One of the best ways to improve your own company’s service is to “shop” someone else’s.  We all know what it is like to be a customer ourselves.  We intuitively know what works and what doesn’t.  You can put that practical expertise into action by providing employees with paid time off to shop the competition and report on their findings.  While this exercise does not have to be supported with paid time off, it does increase the perceived importance and validity of the activity. (If you choose to offer paid time off, we recommend one to two hours semi-annually.)

Arm employees with a guide that includes a checklist of things to accomplish during their competitive shopping.  Have them collect their personal responses to such key questions as:

• How quickly were you greeted after entering the store or business?
• What message did the environment and store merchandising send to you?
• What was the one element of the competition’s service that impressed you so much, you plan to return?
• What turned you off?
• Is there a service practice you think we could adapt successfully?

The shopping experience may be with direct competitors.  In addition, don’t overlook the value of shopping an entirely different type of business to see what you can learn and adapt.

Compiling your employees’ responses and experiences in a disciplined way is key for this activity to have relevance and staying power.  Consider these steps to share the feedback and insights.

• Create a bulletin board or blog on the company intranet as a repository for employee experiences and recommendations.
• Create a reward program that acknowledges the best service improvement ideas reaped from the shopping exercise.
• Develop an attitude that it’s everybody’s responsibility to “shop the competition”  — from the top down.

3. Conduct Customer ON-THE-SPOT Check-ins

While in-depth mail, telephone or electronic surveys are a great way to obtain a snapshot of your customers’ preferences, it can be just as potent to simply ask them face-to-face.  Identify available opportunities for quick, on-the-spot, customer check-ins.  While folks are waiting in line, holding on the phone, or receiving their final bill, you can create opportunities for a 60-second check-in.  Choose a “question of the month,” then encourage employees to request feedback from their customers by asking:

*We are always looking for new ways to create a better customer experience.  If you’d like us to improve on one thing, what would it be?

*What do you value most about our service?

*What is the one thing that drives you crazy about our service?

*If we wanted you to encourage your friends and families to do business with us, what would we need to improve to earn that business?

Gather all feedback and create an end of the month wrap-up to summarize what you learned from this month’s customer on-the-spot check-in.  Most importantly, identify the ideas to be implemented and then follow through.  Initiatives of this nature gain credibility rapidly when the results of the exercise are used in meaningful ways.

4. Create a Customer-Focused Internal Blog

On your company’s intranet, create a blog that includes and encourages your employees to share:

• Customer service best practices.  (This is a great opportunity for employees to toot their own horn or recognize a colleague!)
• Leadership commentary on the customer experience.
• Customer stories and photos.  (Highlight your customers by sharing how you and the company helped them — whether it’s  securing a new loan to start their business, installing a new computer system that improved productivity, helping select a new travel wardrobe that made life on the road a breeze, as examples)  Your customers will be delighted that you are showcasing them or their businesses!

5. Invite Customers to Strategy and Staff Meetings

The next time you are holding a monthly staff meeting, invite a customer to address the team before the meeting agenda takes off.  Ask your guest how the team/organization is doing from his or her perspective.

Or the next time you pull your team together to plan strategy, ask a few customers to participate.  They will quickly help you align policies, practices, and procedures with their needs.  They’ll let you know what is important to plan for in the future.

6. Gather Testimonials and Reward Customer-Champions who Refer Business

As you develop these relationships with customer champions, they become the equivalent of an unpaid sales force, championing your business in their circles of influence.  Systematically gather testimonials from your happy customers as they will prove to be a goldmine in ways that range from providing quotes in marketing materials to being available for media interviews about your business.  Nothing sells your business as well as a good word from a delighted customer.

In addition, create ways to reward customers for referring business to you.  Whether it is a discount, free product or preferred customer status for service requests – it will ensure that your customers now how much you appreciate their advocacy and you gladly reward it.

The more channels you provide for your customers to be front and center with your employees and senior management, the more dramatically you will move from platitudes to purposeful interaction.  None of these ideas are costly.  They simply require a dedicated and disciplined mind-set around proactively interacting with your customers.  If you are serious about growing customer champions and enlivening “the customer comes first” platitudes, you will ask for customers’ responses and listen with discernment to what they have to tell you.

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Valerie Miles

Recently, I was at a gathering of family friends, with my goddaughter, Valerie Miles.  At one point, I noticed her at the corner of the table gyrating her face to the beat of the music playing over the restaurant’s sound system.  When I inquired as to what was causing all the animation, she laughed and told me she was “face dancing.”  Being curious, I immediately plunged into a series of investigative questions to find out more.  Apparently, this was not the first time her facial undulations sparked interest in an observer.  According to Valerie, who was quickly coming up with the rules of engagement, face dancing is the discipline of pulsating to the beat of the music through your facial expressions only.  The master-level is awarded to those who can be still and show the least amount of extraneous movement in the head, neck, shoulders or body.  The focus is the face. .  Pretty soon, everyone at the table was making their own attempts to “face dance.”

Since my introduction to face dancing a couple of weeks ago, I’ve found myself pre-occupied with creating opportunities to document face dancing on camera.  A few are featured here:  Valerie Miles, artist Nathan Taylor (http://nathanjalanitaylor.com/) and Skye Tompkins Taylor.

Why face dancing?  As someone who is passionate about the art and science of great communication – face dancing is easy to get behind because it puts you immediately in touch with your

• Vast range of expressions
• Sense of silliness (a highly under-rated pleasure)
• Inhibitions (I can’t believe I am doing this with the camera rolling!)
• Competitive Spirit (nobody can blink, twitch and contort like me!  Think of it – American Face Dancing Idol, East Vs West, Synchronization teams…)

Our facial expressions communicate so much.  Joy, sorrow, surprise, disappointment, anxiety – every possible emotional state is registered.  Learning to leverage this important communication channel only adds to the range and depth of what we are able to communicate powerfully.

Suffice to say, I am having fun with this.  I will also boldly make a recommendation that you all participate in at least 6 minutes per week of face dancing – think of it as a minute a day with one day to rest.  Give the muscles in your face a work out.  Fire up those endorphins with a little silliness while engaging in a soon to be globally popular team sport – the best since the re-introduction of beanbags.

Care to dance?  Do you want to face the challenge?

We’d love to see and post a sample of your face dancing – you can send your video clip to AdventuresInCommunication@gmail.com.  Please include a one or two sentence bio.

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One quick glance and in under three seconds you have evaluated the person you are meeting. You form an opinion based on that person’s body-language, tone of voice, scent, demeanor and choice of wardrobe.  Many times that first impression will set the tone for all future correspondence and meetings.

Now normally an article starting off like this would go on to describe a list of helpful tips guaranteed to give you an edge in making a powerful and unforgettable entrance. But let’s first reverse engineer the process and analyze how these amazing brains of ours automatically makes decisions based on information received from the five senses.

Let’s start by taking an entertaining little journey to visit the faces of tomorrow. This is an interesting project by Mike Mike, a Cape Town photographer from South Africa. The website states that “Mike travels the world photographing in each city the first one hundred people he can convince to take part in his project. He then combines the faces to create one new male and female individual, which for him is a distilled representation of that place at a future moment in time.”

Credit: The Face Research Lab

To visit the site, just click on the photo to the right.

Welcome back. Now I want you to think about how you felt when you viewed the photos. What was your first impression? Most people feel very comfortable viewing them, finding them attractive. These digital composites are pleasing to view because they take little brain power to process, they are very average and therefore  fulfill our brain’s expectations nicely. The photo here is an example of a digital composite created using a compilation of 15 female faces.

I used the example of the composite photos to reveal in a fun way the decision making process of our brains. This example shows how we process visual information, but the brain uses the same method for all five or our senses.

We all have unique pre-defined expectations when we meet new people. Our memories are a rich texture of associations tied together by the sight, smell, sound and touch gathered from our experiences. When these expectations are met we feel comfortable.

To make a great first impression you need to fulfill or exceed the expectations of the person you are meeting. This is sometimes difficult since we are all unique but you can start with solid established practices. One note: The following points are written with a United States paradigm in mind. Some of the suggestions including dress, eye contact and touching vary differently among other countries and cultures.

Powerful First Impression Techniques

Dress to Impress

Dress for the occasion, wear the correct clothing size, match your outfits tastefully including the right accessorizes

Stay Fit and Maintain a Good Posture

Increase awareness of posture, eat healthy and exercise

Develop an Impressive Handshake

Firm and confident. Learn the etiquette of shaking hands.

Maintain Good Eye Contact

Steady but relaxed.

Control Your Voice and Tone

Record your voice and have others evaluate your speaking skills.

Practice Good Listening Skills

Be aware of your body language when listening.

Good Hygiene

Be aware of your scent.

Focus Your Attention On Them

Use their name and ask open ended questions.

One Step Beyond a Great Impression

Standing out from the crowd will certainly get you noticed, you just need to be certain that you are noticed in a good way. Sign your name with gold ink, wear flashy neckties, create a unique greeting or best yet, do something that nobody else has thought to suggest you do. The trick is to stand out enough to be thought of as creative and unique. There is this unknown area of acceptability that changes with each individual we meet. If you can judge those boundaries correctly you will not only make the right connections, you will create a bond.

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