Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 24, 2021

The post How to write an elevator speech appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Our public relations director came by my office recently with a prospective volunteer board member. As part of the introduction, the director asked me to outline my role, in 30 seconds or less. Well… I hemmed, hawed, and took about … Continue reading → You just finished reading How to write an elevator speech !

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Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 24, 2021

The post 7 deadly sins of speakers and presenters appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. It takes a lot of preparation to craft the kind of speech or presentation that is going to grab your listener’s attention. Once the speech is crafted, you need to spend a lot of time practicing, so as to make … Continue reading → You just finished reading 7 deadly sins of speakers and presenters !

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Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 3, 2021

The post Exercises to Improve Your Voice appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. There are a number of factors that effect the way your voice sounds: Physical – the size and shape of your mouth, nasal passages, vocal chords, etc. Health – your general well-being and the tone of your muscles. Temperament and … Continue reading → You just finished reading Exercises to Improve Your Voice !

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Health 131

Ian's Messy Desk

SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

The post Solving Workplace Problems – The Slacker appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Scott Adams has given us the classic workplace slacker in Wally. Wally not only excels at dodging work, he flaunts it. Of course, we laugh at Wally’s “skill-set” because we all know and have worked with a slacker. There are two types of slackers in most organisations, those who are in over their heads when […].

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Skills 223

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 8, 2020

The post 10 Tips for Communicating with Employees appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Effective communication is a key skill for supervisors. If a supervisor is unable to deliver a message clearly, it doesn’t matter how good or important the message is, it has no value. Communication is a continuous process, and good communication provides both quantitative and qualitative input.

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Skills 152

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 1, 2020

The post How to Build Effective Working Relationships appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. I came across these notes I had taken at some time. I’m not sure if they come from a book I was reading or a presentation I was attending. Leaders achieve results through the work of others. Interpersonal skills are crucial to the leader’s ability to persuade and motivate both internal and external stakeholders.

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International Skills 163

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 1, 2020

The post 8 Characteristics of a Good Team Leader appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Effective teamwork is a critical aspect in all types of organizations. Team members should be completely comfortable working with each other in order to give the best to whatever they do. Generally, we would see a team to be comprised of team members and a team leader.

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Ian's Messy Desk

MARCH 30, 2020

The post Improve Hiring Success with Behavioural Interview Questions appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Behavioural-descriptive interviewing is an approach that looks at past behaviour as a predictor of future performance. The goal of the interview process is to predict future job performance based on a candidates responses from previous specific behaviours, which illustrate desired competencies through careful probing.

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Interviewing Goals 149

Ian's Messy Desk

MARCH 25, 2020

The post Download a free ebook from Gaping Void appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. The team over at Gaping Void has put together an ebook, available for free download – Leadership In The Time Of Coronavirus There are probably few people on the face of the earth today who are not aware of the crisis we are currently facing. Your social media feeds are likely full of responses, from […].

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Social Media 149

Ian's Messy Desk

MARCH 17, 2020

The post How to Motivate and Inspire Others appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. The Green Bay Packers were a lacklustre team prior to the arrival of Vince Lombardi. The now legendary coach turned the Packers into the dominant NFL team of the 1960s. Why such a turnaround? Frank Gifford says it wasn’t Lombardi’s knowledge that made the difference, it was his ability to motivate the players.

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Ian's Messy Desk

MARCH 2, 2020

The post 7 Steps Towards a More Satisfying Life appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, of the University of California, has conducted considerable research in the area of personal satisfaction. The following seven points summarize her findings. There’s a lot of common sense wrapped up in these steps. Unfortunately, our calendars and to-do lists often get in the way of common sense.

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Calendars UPS 147

Ian's Messy Desk

JANUARY 27, 2020

The post 5 Tips for Efficient PowerPoint Presentations appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Creating a PowerPoint presentation requires skill, knowledge and creativity. Here are five tips to help you create an engaging and fun PowerPoint presentation. Share a story. All PowerPoint presentations should tell a narrative which includes a beginning, middle and end part.

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PowerPoint Skills 149

Ian's Messy Desk

JANUARY 20, 2020

The post Places You can Promote Yourself with Public Speaking appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. So, you’ve decided to start giving speeches to promote your product or yourself. You know your subject and you have material ready. Where can you go to speak? Guess what? There are loads of places looking for someone to speak. The weekly e-mail newsletter from my professional association periodically carries the tagline, “We’re looking for […].

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Promotion 131

Ian's Messy Desk

JANUARY 9, 2020

The post Shape Thinking with Experiences that Make You Proud appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Do our thoughts shape our lives? Albert Einstein believed so. He said, “The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” James Lane Allen, author of the book “As a Man Thinketh” states, “You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be […].

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Ian's Messy Desk

DECEMBER 5, 2019

The post 7 Keys to a Successful Life appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. A successful life doesn’t happen by accident. A successful life is the result of deliberate focus of your time, energy and thoughts towards what you want to accomplish. Rather than accepting what comes along as unavoidable use these seven keys to create a successful life today.

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Ian's Messy Desk

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

The post 8 Common Time Wasters appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Over the years, I’ve posted some thoughts on behaviours and practices that can get in the way of our productivity. To help bring some of these forwarded, this post will link to past articles, as well as adding some new material on common time-wasters. I’ve broken these time-wasters into two groups.

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International 114

Ian's Messy Desk

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

The post 7 Tips to Help Overcome Procrastination appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. I was planning to write this post last week, but I put it off. Okay, now that the obligatory bad joke is out of the way, we can look at another internal time waster, procrastination. We all put things off. We hope to avoid tasks that are boring, difficult, unpleasant, etc.

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International 121

Ian's Messy Desk

SEPTEMBER 23, 2019

The post Free Google Tools for Your Non-Profit appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Did you know that Google offers a suite of tools to qualified non-profits? These are premium, licensed Google products , but at no cost. These products can help your organization reach new donors and volunteers, work more efficiently, and tell your non-profit’s story.

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Google Management 114

Ian's Messy Desk

SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

The post 7 Ways to Get More Done appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Work with a clean desk – A study on productivity found that, “The average desk worker has 36 hours worth of work on their desk and wastes up to 3 hours a week just ‘looking’ for STUFF!” Clean your desk to work more effectively. Keep a time log – It is a good idea to analyze your use … Continue reading 7 Ways to Get More Done → You just finished reading 7 Ways to Get More Done !

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UPS 117

Ian's Messy Desk

AUGUST 8, 2019

The post 4 Tips to Trap Your Inner Pack Rat appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. A while ago, I got a new desk for my office. I figured that making room for new furniture was a good opportunity, to not only clean out my desk, but to go through everything in my office. It seems I am more of a pack rat than I realized. I found documents going back 8+ … Continue reading 4 Tips to Trap Your Inner Pack Rat → You just finished reading 4 Tips to Trap Your Inner Pack Rat !

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Ian's Messy Desk

JULY 29, 2019

The post 10 Tips for Effective Presentation Visuals appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. When considering what type of visual representation to use for your data or ideas, there are some rules of thumb to consider: 1. Use visuals sparingly. One of the biggest problems in presentations is the overuse of visuals. A useful rule of thumb is one visual for every two minutes of presentation time. 2.

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Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 20, 2019

The post 10 Tips for Giving Effective Instructions appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Somewhere along the line, you are going to have to tell another person how to perform a task. Whether teaching your kids how to use the dishwasher or training new staff at work, your ability to give good instructions will affect the speed at which they learn.

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Training Learning 120

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 5, 2019

The post A Guide to Public Speaking appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Delivering an effective presentation is difficult. With the Internet, listeners have access to more information that ever before and have higher expectations for content from speakers today. In addition, because most people are saturated with entertainment, audiences want a presentation that is entertaining.

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Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 21, 2019

The post There’s More to Productivity Than Time Management appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. What does it mean to be productive? That’s the question Dustin Wax asks in his Lifehack.org post, There’s More to Productivity Than Time Management – Lifehack.org.He suggests the typical answer might be, “Getting the most done in the least possible time.

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Management 114

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 1, 2019

The post Quotes and Questions – Ignorance appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Two quotes: “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” —Benjamin Franklin “The recipe for perpetual ignorance is: Be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge.” —Elbert Hubbard Two questions: Are you hanging on to opinions and ideas that you haven’t tested and proved?

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Learning 116

Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 29, 2019

The post Oprah’s three questions for running effective meetings appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Meetings, meetings, meetings! Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. It’s estimated that on any given day in the USA, there are 11,000,000 formal meetings held. That works out to well over 200 million meetings per month.

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Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 4, 2019

The post 6 Steps for Recruiting Volunteers appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Volunteers play a critical role in the operations of non-profit organizations and NGOs. For many organizations, volunteers can make the difference between successfully delivering services or program or falling short of their goals. However, it is becoming more difficult to recruit volunteers.

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Social Media Interviewing Training Policies 106

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 3, 2015

The post How to Communicate With Confidence appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Listening well, speaking clearly and asking the right questions—these skills are vital to your success as a communicator. The good news is that by using a few simple strategies, you can boost your own communication confidence. The way to avoid ineffective communication patterns is to practice being authentic.

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Confidence 2014 Goals Skills 100

Ian's Messy Desk

AUGUST 22, 2014

'The post 12 Tips to Improve Your Stage Presence appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. When speaking in front of an audience , these tips will help you communicate more effectively on stage: Consciously lift your eyebrows. It will immediately brighten your face. Smile. A lot. Channel your nervousness into your diaphragm. Relax your neck, and your shoulders, and breathe slowly and deeply using your diaphragm.

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Ian's Messy Desk

AUGUST 5, 2014

'The post 7 Leadership Tips From Leaders appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. What is a leader? A leader is a person who guides others toward a common goal, showing the way by example, creating an environment in which other team members feel actively involved in the entire process. A leader is not the boss of the team, but the person that is committed to carrying out the mission of the venture.

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Self Esteem Confidence Goals Skills 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 9, 2014

'The post How to Write a Eulogy appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. I attended a funeral some time ago for a woman who had lived a good, long life. There were two eulogies given, one by a long-time friend and the other from a family member. It was interesting to hear the similar themes that came out as they spoke of someone who had played an important part in their lives.

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Skills Learning UPS 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 7, 2014

'The post Enhance Your Langauge Skills for Successful Public Speaking appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Another essential skill for successful speakers is using the correct form of the language. Being limited to English, I can’t say what equivalent errors might exist in other languages. However, nothing can destroy your credibility as a speaker than the misuse of the language.

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Skills International Forms Learning 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 5, 2014

'The post 7 Deadly Sins of Public Speaking appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. It takes a lot of preparation to craft the kind of speech or presentation that is going to grab your listener’s attention. Once the speech is crafted, you need to spend a lot of time practising, so as to make sure you keep their attention. Listeners don’t give their attention lightly and it doesn’t take much for it to wander.

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Skills Learning 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 2, 2014

'The post Tips for Communicating with Angry or Violent People appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. A number of years ago I was involved in the termination of an employee. He was about eight inches taller than me and had 70 or 80 pounds on me. His supervisor delivered the bad news, we reviewed the termination process and documents and then stood to leave.

Confidence 100

Confidence Learning 100

Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 29, 2014

'The post How to Write a Speech to Inform appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. If you’ve ever told your spouse about your day at work, or explained how to make an omelet, you already have experience giving an informative speech. An informative speech can be used to tell people about something you’re interested in or to explain how to do something.

Learning 100

Learning 100

Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 24, 2014

'The post 3 tips for a stress-free connected workplace appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. (NC) Does your workplace stress you out? It may not be the everyday tasks, projects and deadlines, but rather the physical environment. Maybe your desk is too messy, or your colleagues are too loud. Perhaps your boss is always looking over your shoulder, the dated technology gives you anxiety, or you can’t stand the fluorescent lights.

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Stress Keyboards Ergonomics Suppliers 100

Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 17, 2014

'The post Learn to Stop to Keep Going appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Imagine getting behind the wheel of your car and driving continuously, without any thought to refueling or maintenance. It would run along for a while, but sooner or later something would bring the car to a halt. To keep a car going, you need to stop it periodically. Frequent stops are needed to add fuel.

Learning 100

Learning Confidence Stress Goals 100