Importance of Body Language in Personality

Development
Category: Personality Development | Comments
5940 People have read this article.
0Share
Body language, which is best defined as a non-verbal form of communication showed
through facial expressions, gestures, posture, and body movements, says a lot about
one’s personality. In essence, if you want to achieve an effective personality, you will
also need to improve your body language.

Sponsored Links

There are many ways you can improve your body language, but like most things, it
needs practice and consistency so that it will become part of you, and not just
something you can do for a certain period of time. If you want to develop your
personality in a positive way, you need to be aware of your own body language and
make sure it adheres to what is generally perceived as positive body language.

Basic Do’s for Body Language

These are just some of the different body language examples that you should follow.

Maintaining eye contact is a sign of respect and interest towards the other person. If
someone is talking and you make sure you are keeping your eyes focused on them
then this will make them feel that you are in fact interested in what they have to
say.

Another body language is your facial expression. If you are always frowning, this
would indicate that you have a negative aura, and this will push others away.
Whereas if you are constantly seen smiling, you are going to attract other sunny and
happy people to you.

Posture is also very important. You need to sit properly, avoid slouching, and if you
can, keep an open posture at all times, leaning towards the speaker whenever
necessary, to show that you are interested.

Don’ts for Body Language

Just as there are various body language movements and expressions you need to
have, there are also those you need to do away with. These kinds of body language
are negative, and not at all helpful in projecting a pleasant or winning personality.
• Fidgeting. This would only indicate nervousness and will make the other person
doubt your credibility or your ability.

• Standing too close. When you are too close to someone, physically, it will make
the other person uncomfortable and will also trigger them to think you are invading
their personal space.

• Staring. Though it may not always be the case, staring is considered rude. While
you maintain eye contact towards the other person, do not overdo it to the point of
staring.

• Crossing your arms. This would indicate resistance on your part, so if someone is
talking to you and you are crossing your arms, you will make the other person think
that you really are not agreeing to what they have to say and you are making it
known to them.

Practice Makes Perfect

As mentioned earlier, it is recommended that you keep practicing in order for these
body languages to become natural for you. Now that you are already aware of the
do’s and don’ts, you can easily figure out which ones you need to get used to and
which ones you need to get rid of. And little by little, on a daily basis, you need to
practice and maintain good body language. Constantly remind yourself of what
gestures, movements, and expressions you should have until it will be innate in you.

Your personality can be molded into what you have always wanted. You can attain a
winning personality which everyone will admire you for. While you can always work
on the way you verbally communicate, improve your confidence, and build a positive
aura around you, you also need to be aware of your own body language. Look at
yourself in the mirror while you talk and notice every form of body language you
portray. Are these positive? If there are those that you do not like, make an effort to
eliminate them.

Sponsored Links

Great speakers are not born, they are made. Before they became great speakers,
they underwent a rather difficult process of honing their skills, talents, and yes, even
their personality. You too can become one as long as you are committed and geared
towards self-improvement. It is not an easy feat, but it is possible, nonetheless.
 Harvee Center For Excellence
The Harvee Center for Excellence is an attempt to provide the best of training and education in the
fast growing economy of our country. There are numerous opportunities in different fields - both in
classical and service industry. However, the kind of candidates who could match the requirements of
industry, are hardly available. Although there are already number of institutions existing which are
trying to cater to the needs of the industry and people at large, but they are not able to match the
high standards of industry expectations.

In view of this deficiency, some of the professionals who have wide experience of working in industr
and academic institutions, have made an attempt to contribute to partially reduce this deficiency by
setting up this Institution.

HCE's mission is to provide quality training and education in different areas. Initially courses which a
job-oriented and are in great demand by the industry, have been designed and are being introduced
immediately.

As the promoters have vast experience of working in industry and they have also set up placement
arm, the HCE would be in better position to assist its participants of different courses in getting
appropriate placement in industry and other institutions.

Harvee Center for Excellence Courses

The Harvee Center for Excellence at present is offering the following Courses :
1. Corporate Etiquette
2. Personality Development
3. Spoken English & Basic Computer
4. Hospitality Management
5. Executive Excellence Programme
6. Customer Relations Management
7. Business and Managerial Skills
8. Marketing and Sales Management

Corporate Etiquette | Personality Development

(for Working and Fresh candidates)
The organizations are becoming professional
in their operations to compete not only with
each other but also to attract potentially
capable employees. The process of
globalization has also given a big push in this
direction. It is through etiquette that the
organizations and the seniors judge your
behaviour and performance.
The Course would attempt to help develop
the required etiquette not only required for
organizations of classical industries but also
| (for those seeking admission to
| Management Courses and Job Seekers)
| The admission to Management Institutes is
| mostly carried out through Group Discussion
| and Personal Interview. The procedure for
| most jobs is either Group Discussion and
| Personal Interview or Personal Interview.
| Most of us have the capability but may not
| have the art of participating effectively in
| these activities or expressing themselves.
|
| This programme will assist the participants to
| develop the art to be successful. It will also
for modern high-tech organizations.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Spoken English & Basic Computer
(for who are interested in developing
capability in spoken English and
Computer operation)
Today English is not only the
Corporate/Business language but also
become the main mean of communicating
with people from different parts of the
country as well as from different countries.
The use of computers is the main source of
communication and storage of information
and data in the organizations. Any individual
seeking employment is expected to be
familiar with computers and should be able to
communicate in English.
This has been specially designed for such
individuals who are having the knowledge
and skills but lack these inputs, to enable
them to launch themselves on successful
career and satisfying personal life.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Executive Excellence Programme
(for working employees, on week ends )
The corporate world is becoming more and
professional day by day. Professionlism
demands high degree of knowledge, skills
and behaviour pattern to match and outshine
the requirements of a job in the orgnisation,
it is not just the routine performance but
must stand out to rise in career.
This Course will provide the core knowledge
and skills of a management course, which
could help employees improve their chances
of promotion and advancement in career as it
will equip them with latest knowledge and
skill.
| help in overcoming shyness of public
speaking and communication in English
speaking.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -
|
| Hospitality Management
| (with specialization in Hotel, Aviation, &
| Tourism and Transportation Industries)
|
| The Hospitality Industry is expanding at a
| very rapid pace and needs thorough
| Professionals to manage the show. The push
| to this Industry is further given by the very
| high rate of growth of our economy which is
| being seen as one of the fastest growing
| economies of the world. The tourist traffic is
| increasing at a very fast pace in our country.
| However, there is shortage of trained
| manpower in these sectors of the Industry.
|
| The Course will strive to make you a
| thorough professional for Hospitality Industry
| through classroom studies and hands on
| training under the guidance of renowned
professionals from Hotels, Airlines and Travel
Industry. In addition senior professionals will
share their extensive experience with the
students.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -
|
| Customer Relations Management
| (Financial Institutions, FMCGs and
Durable Goods Industry)
|
| The market conditions have changed. It is no
| more sellers' market, it has become
| consumers' market. Now, consumer is the
| "BOSS". The Companies are trying their level
| best to attract and retain them. For this
| purpose, organizations are deputing separate
staff, so that the customers do not leave
|
them. This the companies are achieving by
| providing better services or upgrading the
| services for good customers. Therefore, the
| companies are recruiting employees
| specifically to take charge of this function to
| retain the customers.
|
| This Programme very specifically designed to
meet this demand of the Industry,
| particularly of Financial Institutions, Durables
 | Goods industry, etc.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Business and Managerial Skills
(for working and non-working people)
The business and industry of today has to
compete with their counterparts at
international level. The world has become a
global village. To perform in organizations
now, one needs business and managerial
skills which are compatible with the changing
requirements, in line with the international
skills.
The Course, in a short duration, will impart
knowledge and skills which would helpful in
becoming more competent and successful in
one's career.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -
|
| Marketing and Sales Management
| (For Fresh candidates)
|
The process of marketing and selling is
| relevant in all walks of life, specially in the
| corporate world. Marketing and sales is the
| field which fast growing and also provides
| opportunities for fastest growth in career in
| the industry and business. Further, day by
| day, newer techniques and skills are being
developed in this field. The older techniques
|
and skills yield to newer ones. The chances of
| marketing and sales employees becoming
| obsolete in terms of skills are many.
|
| Therefore, this Course, would attempt to
| imbibe among participants latest
| developments in techniques and skills, and
| assist them in being creative and becoming
capable thinking independently at whatever
| level in the organization, they may be. Apart
| from this, the Course would expose them to
| different aspects of Marketing and Sales
Management.

Mannerism

Building personal confidence is something that many people desire to do but find
themselves at crossroads while in the endeavor. Everyone admires a person with self
confidence and we all want to be like them. Take for instance Barrack Obama who
moves crowds by his mannerism and self confidence which he exudes.
Personal confidence and good mannerism otherwise known as a pleasing personality
are things which can be learned if one is serious about them and has an interest. I
come from the school of thought that no one is born with these mannerism but they
are learnt and picked along the way.
The first and most important of these habits is the smile. It has been researched that
it takes forty three muscles to frown and only seventeen to smile. A smile improves
your personal appearance. It makes those around you relax, and there is no tension
when people smile at each other. A smile is the most beautiful picture in the world.
Above all, the smile declares that I come in peace not war. Therefore, your personal
appearance determines how other will relate to you.
The second thing is your handshake. The handshake tells much about your self
esteem especially when you are meeting someone for the first time. A good
handshake should be firm, not too gentle and not too tight. It should not last too
long, probably three seconds at most. A good handshake shows sincerity.
There are more personal attributes that one needs to foster self esteem and build
self confidence. Click the blog link appearing below and learn more about self
improvement tips and thus achieve personal development.
Stephen shares his wisdom and experience in Personal Development that will
definitely add value to your life. Visit his Inspirational and Motivational Website at:
Self Improvement Tips and start living a purposeful life.

ACCLIMATIZATION
"Limit your physical activity until you become accustomed to the heat."1
A minority of public heat warning web sites advise older people to acclimatize gradually to heat in order to
build up their physiologic defences.2 However, the degree to which they can acclimatize to heat the way
young, fit people do is relatively unclear. Pre-seasonal advice on acclimatization may also be useful for
people who are newly at-risk, people who have recently moved to warmer climates, or for parts of the
world where extreme heat is becoming more frequent.
The Possibilities and Limitations of Acclimatization for Protection Against Extreme Heat
Our survey of current hot weather messaging found little mention of acclimatization, or instructions on
how to acclimatize as a means to protect against elevated temperatures.2
Protective benefits of acclimatization
Early observational studies evaluated acclimatization as a protective factor against heat-related
mortality.3-5 It has been noted that extreme heat episodes, later in the summer, typically extract a lesser
toll of heat-related deaths than heat waves of equal levels of intensity in late spring and early summer.4, 6
While this relative drop in impacts later in summer may be partly attributable to an early summer
reduction in the pool of vulnerable people after the first heat event, evidence suggests that survivors of
the first heat wave become physiologically acclimatized and hence deal more effectively with subsequent
episodes of extreme heat.6
Adaptive behaviours and physiological changes that enable people to better cope with heat can be
described as short-term or long-term. Long-term adaptation to heat (sometimes termed “acclimation”) is
largely dependent on behavioural adjustments (clothing, activity level, etc.) as well as cultural changes
(housing design, use of air-conditioning, siestas, etc.). Short-term acclimatization depends on physiologic
changes, typically over a period of days to weeks, that represent reduced strain for a given heat load.
The changes associated with acclimatization include more effective sweating mechanism (lower volumes
and salt content) as well as cardiovascular changes.
Temperature indices, used currently by meteorologists to convey the combined comfort impact of heat
and humidity (Humidex in Canada/Heat Index in the US), use current day values only, without taking
previous weather into account.6 This may not give an accurate picture of risk due to exposure to heat (and
humidity) over time, or of the potential of acclimatization in mitigating this risk.
What is the evidence that gradual exposure to heat may confer benefits to older or vulnerable
populations?
Physiological studies on typical subjects:
Extensive experimental studies were carried out, mostly in the 1960s/1970s on fit, young, male subjects
largely in support of increasing fitness and productivity in industrial settings,7, 8 in sports training, and for
military manoeuvres in tropical climates. Subjects exposed to vigorous exercise in heated thermal
chambers were found to have improved heat stress responses (heart rate, core temperature, stroke
volume) after a period of several days.9-12
Measurements of certain stress parameters following this type of controlled, artificial acclimatization
generally show improvement starting around day three, with increases up to days 10-14.7-12
For workers in hot environments, the ACGIH threshold limit values (TLVs) set different guidelines for the
acclimatized and the unacclimatized.13
Physiological studies on atypical subjects:
We were unable to find experimental studies of acclimatization using subjects older than 60, but two
studies based on older men still in the workforce were found.14, 15 Lind, in 1970 published the results of
the influence of age and heat exposure on two groups of British coal miners.14 The average age of the
younger group was 27 (range 23 – 31), while that of the older group was 47 (range 39 – 53). Thermal
chamber experiments, where subjects simulated an eight-hour-day’s work, were carried out over a two
week period, but temperatures were varied randomly between neutral, warm, and hot so acclimatization
effects were not significant. However, differences between the age groups was marked in hot conditions;
older men showed a pattern of consistently higher core temperature, less sweat during work and more
during rest, and indicators of increased cardiac strain. Lind concluded that rates of acclimatization in the
older group may be delayed and diminished.14
Robinson conducted a small study where he retested men between the ages of 44 and 60 (mean age 52),
who had completed thermal chamber acclimatization studies 21 years prior, to see if they could obtain the
same level of acclimatization to heat.15 All but one of four subjects tolerated work in the heat as well or
better than 21 years earlier. Essentially the same pattern of change in heart rate, rectal temperature, and
average skin temperature was obtained after 5 – 13 days of exposure, as was seen in the earlier study.
Physiologic age-related changes:
Circulatory system
With the elderly, there is a decreased ability to pump and redistribute blood to the skin. There is a decline
in cardiac reserve and age-related reduction in vascularity which subsequently decreases peripheral blood
flow. These changes would reduce the efficiency with which heat can be removed.16 Furthermore,
conditions such as atherosclerosis, heart failure, and hypertension reduce even further the body’s ability
to respond to extreme heat.17
Sweat glands
Sweat gland function gradually declines in the age range of the 70s and 80s.18 Aging causes a reduction in
the number of sweat glands and the sweat gland response.17 Lifetime ultraviolet exposure and other
environmental factors contribute with chronological age to reduce sweat gland responsiveness.19
Cardiovascular disease—how does it affect heat response?
Aging is associated with reduced cardiac output as well as less redistribution of blood flow from the
intestinal and renal circulations.20 In a study comparing the cardiovascular responses of young and old
men during direct passive heating to the limits of thermal tolerance, Minson et al. found that reduced
cardiac output was primarily the result of a lower stroke volume, since the older men were able to
increase their heart rate to a similar extent as the young men.21 However, the older men had to attain a
greater proportion of their heart rate reserve. People suffering from cardiac disease are unable to
augment their cardiac output adequately to produce the necessary level of vasodilation to dissipate heat
by evaporation, conduction, and convection.21
Behavioural age-related and chronic disease-related changes
Described risk factors for death or morbidity during severe heat episodes characterize the “at risk”
population as being socially isolated and elderly (esp. over 75 years old),22 living in urban areas, often
housebound or unable to care for themselves independently, and disproportionately living in institutions.23-
26
From experimental studies on people in their 40s and 50s, it appears that healthy older people may be
able to attain levels of physiologic acclimatization close to younger counterparts, but lack of activity and
lack of exposure to a range of temperatures may deprive them of the opportunity to effect this protective
adaptation.15 However, people with cardiac and renal impairment may not be able to achieve these
results.
Can air conditioner use impede “natural” warm weather acclimatization?
No scientific papers have addressed the issue of failure to achieve acclimatization by air conditioning use
among the older population who are most at risk for heat-related mortality.
Ellis cites reductions in indoor temperature limits (from 25.6˚C to 23.3˚C ) on U.S. Navy ships as
evidence that modern sailors acclimatized to air-conditioned decks have lost their long-term
acclimatization to heat.3 In his 1972 study of mortality from heat illness in the US, Ellis criticizes the
design requirements of modern buildings which rely entirely on air conditioning and lack windows that
open. He states that these structures are at the mercy of power supplies.3 He illustrates this danger by
citing the case when 21 of 89 residents of a nursing home in Florida became hyperpyrexic and five died
when the air-conditioning system was shut down for repairs.27 Ellis reports significant mortality excess
from the summer of 1970 in New York resulting from electrical power cuts during a heat wave.3
What advice regarding acclimatization should we give to vulnerable populations?
• Acclimatization to heat appears to be protective in both experimental and epidemiologic studies.
Several public heat-warning websites target this advice to people exercising or playing sports in the
heat; however, ways to effect heat adaptation in vulnerable people remains unclear. Experiments on
men as old as 60 suggest that training in thermal chambers can promote physiologic changes which
indicate an improvement in cardiovascular and sweating mechanisms to lower heat strain.

• Among frequent recommendation, given for heat protection, is to stay in a cool or air-conditioned
environment. This advice seems well supported by evidence to protect vulnerable people from episodes
of extreme or unusual heat (see subsequent section on mechanical air cooling). However, there may
be benefits derived from some degree of heat exposure when temperatures are not as extreme. It is
possible that the avoidance of outdoor temperatures and strenuous exercise deprive seniors of the
opportunity to achieve some degree of acclimatization. Experiments on men as old as 60 suggest that
training in thermal chambers can promote physiologic changes which indicate an improvement in
cardiovascular and endocrine mechanisms to lower heat strain.15

• Research into the benefits and limits of heat acclimatization in vulnerable populations is
extremely limited. We still do not know to what extent these changes can be attained by people in their
70s and 80s, people who do not engage in strenuous exercise, or those with chronic medical
conditions. More research needs to be done to answer these questions.

1. Organizational Culture
Introduction
Basically, organizational culture is the personality of the organization. Culture is comprised of the
assumptions, values, norms and tangible signs (artifacts) of organization’s members and their
behaviors. Members of an organization soon come to sense the particular culture of an
organization. Culture is one of those terms that are difficult to express distinctly, but everyone
knows it when they sense it. For example, the culture of a large, profit corporation is quite different
than that of a hospital which is quite different than that of a university. You can tell the culture of an
organization by looking at the arrangement of furniture, what they brag about, what members wear,
etc. -- similar to what you can use to get a feeling about someone's personality.
Corporate culture can be looked at as a system. Inputs include feedback from, e.g., society,
professions, laws, stories, heroes, values on competition or service, etc. The process is based on
our assumptions, values and norms, e.g., our values on money, time, facilities, space and people.
Outputs or effects of our culture are, e.g., organizational behaviors, technologies, strategies, image,
products, services, appearance, etc.
The concept of culture is particularly important when attempting to manage organization-wide
change. Practitioners are coming to realize that, despite the best-laid plans, organizational change
must include not only changing structures and processes, but also changing the corporate culture
as well.
There's been a great deal of literature generated over the past decade about the concept of
organizational culture -- particularly in regard to learning how to change organizational culture.
Organizational change efforts are rumored to fail the vast majority of the time. Usually, this failure is
credited to lack of understanding about the strong role of culture and the role it plays in
organizations. That's one of the reasons that many strategic planners now place as much emphasis
on identifying strategic values as they do mission and vision.
Key Characteristics of Corporate Culture
Innovation and Risk Taking: The degree to which employees are encouraged to be innovative and
take risks.
Attention to Detail: The degree to which employees are expected exhibit precision, analysis and
attention to detail.
Outcome Orientation: The degree to which management focuses on results or outcomes rather
than on the techniques and processes used to achieve those outcomes.
People Orientation: The degree to which management decisions are take into consideration and
the effect of outcomes on people within the organization.
Team Orientation: The degree to which work activities are organized around teams rather than
individuals.
Aggressiveness: The degree to which people are aggressive and competitive rather easy going
Stability: The degree to which organizational activities emphasize maintaining the status quo in
contrast to growth.
Some Types of Culture
There are different types of culture just like there are different types of personality.
Authoritarian Culture
There is centralization of power with the leader and obedience to orders and discipline are
stressed. Any disobedience is punished severely to set an example to others. The basic
assumption is that the leader always acts in the interests of the organization.
Participative Culture
Participative culture tends to emerge where most organizational members see themselves as
equals and take part in decision-making.
Mechanistic Culture
The mechanistic culture exhibits the values of bureaucracy. Organizational jobs are created around
narrow specializations and people think of their careers mainly within these specializations. There
is a great deal of departmental loyalty and inter-departmental animosity. This sort of culture resists
change and innovation.
Organic Culture
In this case, authority hierarchy, departmental boundaries, rules and regulations, etc. are all
frowned up. The main emphasis is on task accomplishment, team work and free flow of
communication. The culture stresses flexibility, consultation, change and innovation.
Sub-cultures and Dominant culture
Each department of an organization may have its own culture representing a sub-culture of the
system. An organizational culture emerges when there is integration of all the departments into a
unified whole.
Researcher Jeffrey Sonnenfeld identified the following four types of cultures.
Academy Culture
Employees are highly skilled and tend to stay in the organization, while working their way up the
ranks. The organization provides a stable environment in which employees can develop and
exercise their skills. Examples are universities, hospitals, large corporations, etc.
Baseball Team Culture
Employees are " free agents" who have highly prized skills. They are in high demand and can
rather easily get jobs elsewhere. This type of culture exists in fast-paced, high-risk organizations,
such as investment banking, advertising, etc.
Club Culture
The most important requirement for employees in this culture is to fit into the group. Usually
employees start at the bottom and stay with the organization. The organization promotes from
within and highly values seniority. Examples are the military, some law firms, etc.
Fortress Culture
Employees don't know if they'll be laid off or not. These organizations often undergo massive
reorganization. There are many opportunities for those with timely, specialized skills. Examples are
savings and loans, large car companies, etc.
Importance of Organizational Culture
Employees should to be engaged in their work. They yearn for work that is enjoyable, meaningful
and engaging. When they are engaged they are safer on the job, more productive and more willing
and able to delight customers. It is for these basic reasons that organizational culture matters. It is
the right thing for an organization to do - to think about the work environment, working relationships
and “how employees do things here.”
Focusing on building and sustaining an organizational culture is one way of showing that people
are the organization’s most valuable asset.
A strong culture is a talent-attractor - The organizational culture is part of the package that
prospective employees look at when assessing the organization. Gone are the days of selecting
the person you want from a large eager pool. The talent market is tighter and those looking for a
new organization are more selective than ever. The best people want more than a salary and good
benefits. They want an environment they can enjoy and succeed in.
A strong culture is talent-retainer - How likely are people to stay if they have other options and don’t
love where they are? The organizational culture is a key component of a person’s desire to stay.
A strong culture engages people - People want to be engaged in their work. The culture can
engage people. Engagement creates greater productivity, which can impact profitability.
A strong culture creates energy and momentum - Build a culture that is vibrant and allows people to
be valued and express themselves and it will create a very real energy. That positive energy will
permeate the organization and create a new momentum for success. Energy is contagious and will
build on itself, reinforcing the culture and the attractiveness of the organization.
A strong culture changes the view of “work” - Most people have a negative connotation of the word
‘work’. When the organization creates a culture that is attractive, people’s view of “going to work”
will change.
A strong culture creates greater synergy - A strong culture brings people together. When people
have the opportunity to (and are expected to) communicate and get to know each other better, they
will find new connections. These connections will lead to new ideas and greater productivity - in
other words, it will be creating synergy. Literally, 1 + 1 + right culture = more than 10.
A strong culture makes everyone more successful - Any one of the other six reasons should be
reason enough to focus on organizational culture. But the bottom line is that an investment of time,
talent and focus on organizational culture will give all of the above benefits. Not only is creating a
better culture a good thing to do for the human capital in the business, it makes good business
sense too.
Culture – Input and Output
Culture is learned. It is both a product of action and a conditioning element of future action, an input
and an output. The internal environment consists of the social and technical systems of the
organization. Thus, in part, culture is the product of these socio-technical systems. They consist of
the decision-making, planning and control procedures of the organization, its technology, and the
procedures for recruitment, selection and training; and are influenced by the common beliefs,
attitudes and values of the members of the organization.
The strategies, structures, procedures and behaviors adopted by management create a work
environment. However, if managers have been members of the organization for some time they are
themselves a product of the culture.
As culture is both an input and an output, it is likely to be self-perpetuating and highly resistant to
change. Figure 7.2 demonstrates how culture is both an input and output.
Figure 7.2 (Adapted from Williams et al 1989)
Adapted from Williams et al, 1989The OrganizationExternal Environment Legislation Politics
Technology Education Society Market place Competitors Consumers EconomystrategyStructure,
systems, technologyWork EnvironmentWork tasks, goals and proceduresWork group
behaviorManager behaviorCulture: common beliefs, values and attitudesCharacteristic patterns of
behavior
Organizational Culture vs. National Culture
Based on the research of Dr. Geert Hofstede, There are differences between national and
organizational cultures. For global companies it is important to understand both, organizational and
national culture, in order to impact organizational performance.
In a recent ITAP seminar, Dr. Geert Hofstede discussed “Integrating Corporate Practices and
National Cultural Values.” The topic is highly relevant to organizations operating in a volatile global
economic environment. While economic turmoil creates challenges and failures, it also creates
opportunities as evidenced in a large number of mergers and takeovers: Doosan and Bobcat,
Lloyds and HBOS, Barclays and Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and Wachovia. The list is long. Many
of these names have strong national brand identity. They are goliaths (giants) with offices in many
economic centers around the world. How should they integrate to become one organization?
Our national culture relates to our deeply held values regarding, for example, good vs. evil, normal
vs. abnormal, safe vs. dangerous, and rational vs. irrational. National cultural values are learned
early, held deeply and change slowly over the course of generations.
Organizational culture, on the other hand, is comprised of broad guidelines which are rooted in
organizational practices learned on the job. Experts agree that changing organizational culture is
 difficult and takes time. What is often overlooked or at least underestimated when two or more
companies merge is how the underlying personal values of employees impact how they perceive
the corporate culture, etc. A person can learn to adapt to processes and priorities, and a person
can be persuaded to follow the exemplar behaviors of leaders in an organization. But if these
priorities and leadership traits go against the deeply held national cultural values of employees,
corporate values (processes and practices) will be undermined. What is appropriate in one
national setting is wholly offensive in another. What is rational in one national setting is wholly
irrational in another. And, corporate culture never trumps (outdoes) national culture.
The answer, then, lies not in abandoning efforts to unify organizations after a merger or cancelling
efforts to build high performance culture, but in overlaying and harmonizing local interpretations of
corporate practices to cultural norms.
In organizational theory, culture is a commonly researched subject matter. A link is often drawn
between a strong organizational culture and dominance in the market place. Culture is shaped by
an organization’s unique history and situational growth. It can be defined as the values, beliefs, and
expectations more or less shared by the organization’s members. It affects the way a company
does business and makes known relevant employees, customers, suppliers, and competitors.
Managers and upper level executives are responsible for instilling the values and norms into
employees so they not only know what is expected of them, but are eager to perform in such a way
as to benefit the company.
“A top-rate administrator is able to create sources of meaning and identification by providing an
atmosphere that is rewarding for its employees and customers.” Scott and Davis, 2007
A nation’s culture, similar to that of an organization, is comprised of the symbols, values, rituals,
and traditions of the people living in a particular region. Language, food, and family traditions are all
rooted in national culture. How people behave in public verse, how they behave within their own
home is also associated with values and standards of their nation. Cultures usually differ in
relationships between the individual and society, ways of dealing with conflict, relationships to
authority, and conceptions of class and gender. All of these things are comparable to organizational
culture, just on a grander scale.
Of Hamburger and Social Space: Consuming McDonald’s in Beijing - The article reviewed the
development of the Western fast-food sector and the local responses of people in Beijing. The
Chinese are recognized for their great traditions and rich culture and so, it was questioned whether
McDonald’s would be able to translate its well established business model from the West into
something suitable for people in the East. Even with all the doubt, McDonald’s was able to take
Asia by storm with irrefutable success, but how? When globalizing the golden arches, did
management try and adapt to the local culture or were they dependent on the locals adapting to its
established organizational culture; which way did the flow of information go?
Creation of a Culture
The founders of an organization generally tend to have a large impact on establishing the early
culture. The organization’s culture results from the interaction between the founder(s) biases and
assumptions and what the original members of the organization learn from their own experiences.

o An organization’s culture comes from what it has done before and the degree of
success it has had. The ultimate source of an organization’s culture is its founders.
o The founders of an organization traditionally have a major impact on that organization’s
early culture.
o They had the vision; they are unconstrained by previous customs or ideologies.
o The small size of new organizations facilitates the founders’ imposition of the vision on
all organizational members.
o Culture creation occurs in three ways:
o First, founders hire and keep only employees who think and feel the way they do.
o Second, they indoctrinate and socialize these employees to their way of thinking and
feeling.
o The founders’ own behavior acts as a role model that encourages employees to identify
with them and thereby internalize their beliefs, values, and assumptions.
o When the organization succeeds, the founders’ entire personality becomes embedded
in the culture of the organization.
Keeping a Culture Alive
There are practices within the organization that act to maintain it by giving employees a set of similar
experiences. Three forces play a particularly important part in sustaining a culture: selection practices, the
actions of top management, and socialization methods.

o Selection
o The explicit goal of the selection process is to identify and hire individuals who have the
knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the jobs within the organization successfully.
o The final decision as to who is hired will be significantly influenced by the decision
maker’s judgment of how well the candidates will fit into the organization. This results in the hiring of
people who have values consistent with those of the organization.
o Additionally, the selection process provides information to applicants about the
organization. Selection, therefore, becomes a two-way street.

Example—applicants for entry-level positions in brand management at Procter & Gamble (P&G). Each
encounter seeks corroborating evidence of the traits that the firm believes correlate highly with “what counts”
for success at P&G.

o Top management
o The actions of top management, what they say and how they behave, establish norms
that filter down through the organization as to:
o Risk-taking.
o How much freedom managers should give their employees.
o What is appropriate dress?
o What actions will pay off in terms of pay raises, promotions, and other rewards?
o Socialization
o New employees are not fully indoctrinated in the organization’s culture. They are
unfamiliar with the organization’s culture and are potentially likely to disturb the beliefs and customs
that are in place.

Socialization
The process through which the employees are proselytized about the customs and traditions of the
organization is known as socialization. It is the process of adaptation by which new employees are to
understand the basic values and norms for becoming ‘accepted’ members of the organization. Socialization
is a process made up of three stages: pre-arrival, encounter, and metamorphosis.

o The first stage, pre-arrival, encompasses all the learning that occurs before a new
member joins.
o In the second stage, encounter, the new employee sees what the organization is really
like and confronts the possibility that expectations and reality may diverge.
o In the third stage, metamorphosis, the relatively long-lasting changes take place. The
new employee masters the skills required for his/her job, successfully performs his/her new roles, and
makes the adjustments to his/her work group’s values and norm.

How Employees Learn Culture

Stories
Stories typically contain a narrative of events about the organization’s founders, rule breaking, rags-to-riches
successes, reductions in the workforce, relocation of employees, reactions to past mistakes, and
organizational coping. They anchor the present in the past and provide explanations and legitimacy for
current practices:
 o For the most part, these stories develop spontaneously.
o Some organizations actually try to manage this element of culture learning

Rituals
Rituals are repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the key values of the organization,
what goals are most important, which people are important, and which are expendable.
Material Symbols
The material symbols convey to employees who is important, the degree of egalitarianism desired by top
management, and the kinds of behavior that are appropriate.
Language
Many organizations and units use language as a way to identify members of a culture or subculture. By
learning this language, members attest to their acceptance of the culture and help to preserve it.
New employees are frequently overwhelmed with acronyms and jargon that, after six months on the job,
have become fully part of their language.
Culture is transmitted to employees in a number of ways; for example, through stories, rituals, material
symbols and language. The process of developing and sustaining organizational culture is illustrated by the
following figure by Robbins:
Figure 7.1 (Adapted from Robbins 1989, page 479)
Conclusion
The future holds promise for companies that understand and nurture their cultures. Cultures are not only
able to create an environment, but they also adapt to diverse and changing circumstances. As organizations
begin to experience a revolution in structures, the study of culture and the implications for change will
become more important. Understanding of work group subcultures within an organization’s culture will
influence strategies for changing organizational culture and overcoming resistance to change programs.
Changing an organization’s culture may be extremely difficult, as the processes that support a particular
organization or a departmental method of working are both interrelated and varied. Organizational culture is
self-perpetuating and highly resistant to change. Changes may cause confusion, conflict and resistance.
Managers need to understand the nature and role of culture and how it may be altered. When the role of
culture is more clearly defined, managers can better understand its importance in managing organizational
change and its impact on day-to-day decision-making.

Continuous Learning

© Copyright Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC.

Continuous learning is NOT about continually taking courses -- it's about developing
skills in reflection and inquiry -- it's about learning how to learn so that your life and
work experiences become your own learning lab. Organizations and other
environments are changing rapidly. Therefore, it's extremely important to continually
be aware of those changes, and to be reflecting on them and learning from them, as
well.

Sections of This Topic Include the Following

A Basic Definition
Requirements for Continuous Learning
What Continuous Learning is Not
How Does One Know if They've Accomplished Continuous Learning?
Continuous Learning in Organizations
Some Other Perspectives
Also see
Appreciative Inquiry
Awareness
 Effective Questioning
Inquiry and Reflection
Mental Models (scan down to "Mental Models")
Organizational Change
Questioning Skills
Reframing
Training and Development
Related Library Topics

Also See the Library's Blogs Related to this Topic

In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs that have
posts related to this topic. Scan down the blog's page to see various posts. Also see
the section "Recent Blog Posts" in the sidebar of the blog or click on "next" near the
bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.
Library's Career Management Blog
Library's Human Resources Blog
Library's Leadership Blog
Library's Training and Development Blog

A Basic Definition
Simply put, continuous learning is the ability to learn to learn. Learning need not be
a linear event where a learner goes to a formal learning program, gains areas of
knowledge and skills about a process, and then the learning ceases. If the learner
can view life (including work) as a "learning program", then the learner can continue
to learn from almost everything in life. As a result, the learner continues to expand
his or her capacity for living, including working.

Requirements for Continuous Learning

Peter Senge, noted systems theorist, explains that continual learning and personal
mastery are very similar. In continuous learning, the learner continues to:

1. Recognizes priorities or overall values about themselves and how they want
to live and work -- they have a personal vision
2. Takes an active role in the world and work
3. Continues to reflect on their experiences in the world and work/LI>
4. Seeks ongoing feedback about the world (including work) and their activities
in it (which is why working in teams, using 360-degree appraisals, etc., are so
important in organizations)
5. Remains as open as possible to the feedback (which requires a fair degree of
personal maturity)
6. Makes ongoing adjustments, based on ongoing feedback, to the way they live
their lives and conduct their work in order to more closely meet their priorities
and values

Thus, important aspects of continuous learning are

 1. Having some basic values in your life or priorities in your work
2. Doing something in the world, applying new information and skills
3. Taking the time to inquire and reflect about your life and experiences
4. Getting up-to-date feedback, that is, understood and useful information about
yourself and your experiences
5. Removing personal obstacles to your accepting and understand the feedback
6. Having the courage and humility to change

What Continuous Learning is Not

Continuous learning is a way of being in the world. It is not staying busy by
continuing to attend one course after another, gathering more and more information.
Someone once said that neurosis is doing the same thing over and over again,
expecting to get a different result each time. (Those of us who have thousands of
books in our library might think more seriously about this definition.)

How Do You Know if You've Accomplished Continuous

Learning?
You'd know better than anyone whether you'd achieved continuous learning or not.
No one can tell you if and when you've achieved continuous learning. On this point,
I'm sure others will disagree. Identifying the "learning objectives" alone would be
like trying to define the requirements for "the good life". Philosophers have argued
about this for at least 2,500 years.
I suppose one could measure the rate of change of some indicator over a period of
time. For example, did your company's profit rate rise at some determined rate for
some determined number of months? Did your salary rise at some determined rate
for some determined number of years?
Perhaps Kahlil Gibran explains it best. In The Prophet, he wrote:
And a man said, Speak to us of Self-Knowledge.
And he [Almustafa!] answered, saying:
Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and nights.
But your ears thirst for the sound of your heart's knowledge.
You would know in words that which you have always known in thought.
You would touch your fingers the naked body of your dreams.
And it is well you should.
The hidden well-spring of your soul must needs rise and run murmuring to the sea;
And the treasure of your infinite depths would be revealed to your eyes.
But let there be no scales to weigh your unknown treasure;
And seek not the depths of your knowledge with staff or sounding line.
For self is a sea boundless and measureless.
Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, "I have found a truth."
Say not, "I have found the path of the soul." Say rather, "I have met the soul
walking upon my path."
For the soul walks upon all paths.
The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.
The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.
 -- from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Continuous Learning in Organizations

Organizations can establish structures and processes that cultivate continuous
learning. For example, management can support a climate where feedback is freely
exchanged. Employees have a clear, shared vision of the organization's goals and
values. Organization members get time to inquire and reflect about what they are
doing and why.
Planning is a form of learning. Goals are established. Strategies, or approaches to
reaching goals, are implemented. Action plans identify who will be doing what and
when. During implementation, the plan is monitored and modified as needed. Of
course, plans can become ends in themselves, ultimately constricting progress of the
organizations. However, when plans are seen as guides that can be changed, a great
deal of learning can occur.

Company Description

This part of the business plan describes the company thoroughly, already established
or about to be, and the basic business concept. When you write a company
description, you should cover the following:

• Company name
• Form of organization. (Sole Proprietor, Partnership, etc.)
• Ownership — full name of the owner/owners
• Location, offices headquarters, branches. Explain the benefits of the
location
• Definition of the business. The products or services will be outlined
without too much detail. A more thorough description will appear in the
chapter on products. It will also describe the reasons for and advantages of
the choice of product or service.
• History of the company. If the business is new, give a short historical
sketch of the idea behind the foundation of the company. For an already
established business, explain its origin, and the development of the product
or service over time. Include some historical data on sales and profits. After
giving the historical background, outline the current status of your business.
State the business history and purpose of the company clearly.
 • Company goals — plans to be accomplished over coming years (up to
five years in advance), and how these are going to relate to the investment
you are seeking. Keep the the goals realistic and credible.
• Future plans for the growth and expansion of the company. Will you
keep the business smal? Do you plan to expand extensively? Link this to the
projected investment. Once again, be moderate and keep things simple and
believable.

Company Description

Kundo, Inc., a Massachusetts based company, will operate Abonda, a single unit,
medium-size restaurant serving healthy, contemporary style food. The restaurant
will be located at 645 Deacon Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Mission Statement
The company's goal is that of a multi-faceted success. Our first responsibility is to
the financial well-being of the restaurant. We will meet this goal while trying to
consider; 1) the effect of our products on the health and well being of our customers
(and our staff), 2) the impact that our business practices and choices will have on
the environment, and 3) the high quality of attitude, fairness, understanding, and
generosity between management, staff, customers, and vendors. Awareness of all
these factors and the responsible actions that result will give our efforts a sense of
purpose and meaning beyond our basic financial goals.
Development & Status
The company was incorporated in September of 1995 and elected sub-chapter S.
The founders are Jack Morton and Wilma Mason. Jack is the President and Wilma the
Vice President. There is a total of 10,000 shares of common stock issued. Wilma and
Jack each own 3,000 and the remainder are retained by the company for future
distribution. In addition they have loaned the company $25,000 of their own money
for research and start-up costs.
A suitable site for the first restaurant was found last month and lease negotiations
are in the final stages. The location will be on Deacon Street, just outside Harvard
Square and close to a dense population of the target market. When the lease is
signed there will be three months of free rent for construction and in that time the
balance of the start-up funds must be raised. With that phase completed, Abonda
Restaurant can then open and the operations phase of the project can begin.
Future Plans
If the business is meeting its projections by month nine, we will start scouting for a
second location and develop plans for the next unit. Our five year goal is to have 3
restaurants in the greater Boston area with a combined annual profit of between
$500,000 and $1,000,000.

Target market
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues
on the talk page.

• It needs additional references or sources for verification. Tagged since

August 2009.
• Its tone or style may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. Tagged since April
2010.

• It is written like an advertisement and needs to be rewritten from a

neutral point of view. Tagged since April 2010.
A target market is a group of customers that the business has decided to aim its
marketing efforts and ultimately its merchandise.[1] A well-defined target market is the
first element to a marketing strategy. The target market and the marketing mix
variables of product, place(distribution), promotion and price are the two elements of a
marketing mix strategy that determine the success of a product in the marketplace.
Once these distinct customers have been defined, a marketing mix strategy of
product, distribution, promotion and price can be built by the business to satisfy the
target market.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 Market segmentations
• 2 Strategies for Reaching Target Markets
• 3 Examples
• 4 The Psychology of Target Marketing

• 5 References

[edit] Market segmentations

Target markets are groups of people separated by distinguishable and noticeable
aspects. Target markets can be separated into:
• geographic segmentations (their location)
• demographic/socio-economic segmentation (gender,age, income occupation,
education, sex, household size, and stage in the family life cycle)
• psychographic segmentation (similar attitudes, values, and lifestyles)
• behavioral segmentation (occasions, degree of loyalty)
• product-related segmentation (relationship to a product)[2]

[edit] Strategies for Reaching Target Markets

Marketers have outlined four basic strategies to satisfy target markets:
undifferentiated marketing or mass marketing, differentiated marketing, concentrated
marketing, and micromarketing.
[edit] Examples
CVS Caremark’s target market is women since they make up 80 percent of the
pharmacy chain’s customers. CVS has marketed its stores to aid women who are
constantly multitasking. They recently redesigned 1,200 of its 6,200 stores to
women, including shorter wait times for prescriptions, wider and better-lit shopping
aisles, and more beauty products.[3]
The Oreo cookie is a popular cookie in the U.S., known for its two discs of chocolate
with a white cream filling. The Double Stuf Oreo cookie is also marketed to U.S.
consumers. However, Kraft has formulated a different version of the Oreo to target
consumers in China. The Chinese version consists of four layers of long, thin biscuits
coated in chocolate. Kraft CEO, Irene Rosenberg, trusts his executives who live and
work in China to know what consumers would prefer in order to maximize their
profits. In Germany, Kraft is appealing to the tastes and preferences of German
consumers by creating dark chocolate products. It is also introducing premium
instant coffee in Russia, which is a beverage that is popular to consumers.[4]
World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) target market is young males. Monday Night
RAW® is the number one entertainment program on primetime cable among male
viewers (2 million+) including the male demographics of 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54. It
is shown at 9:00 PM ET to reach its target market.[5]
Kohl’s department store has a target market consisting of consumers buying for
themselves and their families.[6]

[edit] The Psychology of Target Marketing

A principal concept in target marketing is that those who are targeted show a strong
affinity or brand loyalty to that particular brand. Research has shown that racial
similarity, role congruence, labeling intensity of ethnic identification, shared
knowledge and ethnic salience all promote positive effects on the target market.
Research has generally shown that target marketing strategies are constructed from
consumer inferences of similarities between some aspects of the advertisement (e.g.,
source pictured, language used, lifestyle represented) and characteristics of the
consumer (e.g. reality or desire of having the represented style. Consumers are
persuaded by the characteristics in the advertisement and those of the consumer.

Five Steps to Defining Your Target Market

Is your target market "anyone who will pay you for your product or services?" or are you focusing
your efforts on a tightly defined market niche with an identified need for your business' offerings?
If it's the former, you will do well to define your target market.

1. Briefly state your target market and the needs you will be fulfilling.
Ask yourself why you choose this particular business, who your products/services are
meant for, who you want to do business with, and what is unique about your product.
Let's say you are planning to sell products used in automotive detailing. You decide that
vehicle owners are your broad target market. Your business will help them keep their
vehicles clean and shiny.
2. Next, break this large market down into smaller sections (segmentation).
There are people who restore classic automobiles. There are people who drive an old
clunker and run it through the car wash occasionally. There are people who own "status"
automobiles. There are truck owners, motorcycle owners…. Your job is to consider
various subgroups and decide upon your niche market. Remember, there are auto owner
 who don't care about keeping the vehicle clean and shiny. Then there are those who
care, but lack the time and the interest to do the work themselves. They take their vehicle
to a shop. Others only worry about auto detailing when it is time for a trade in. You reject
these segments as unsuitable for your niche market. After consideration, you decide that
your market segment will be automobile owners who have both the time and the interest
to do their own detailing work -- people who enjoy puttering with their vehicles, who have
the time to spend, and who take pride in their vehicle's appearance.

Do you think that there are enough potential customers in that group to support your
business? Are you supplying a service that is not readily available to them from other
sources? If yes, move to step three.

3. Develop your customer profile.

Describe your potential customers as fully as you can. What do you know about them?
Where are they situated geographically? What do they spend on car detailing? What are
they likely to spend? Where do they shop? What is their annual income? What languages
do they speak? What kind of automobiles do they drive? If you are selling online, what
methods do they prefer for online payment? What type of web sites do they visit? How do
they want their product delivered? Identify your customer profile before you do your
market planning.
4. Now that you have fully identified your target market, do your research to verify that there
will be enough business in this group to support your company in its growth. This is
where you verify that the need actually exists, and was not "wishful thinking" on your part.
Use both primary and secondary sources in your research. You might consult business
directories, obtain statistics regarding automobile owners and their car care practices,
locate newspaper articles and magazine stories written on the subject, or conduct your
own research using market research techniques such as surveys, focus groups, online
searches, etc.
5. Lastly, do research to determine the market size and your potential market share.
In other words, use primary and secondary sources to find out how many potential
customers there are in the geographic area you have defined, and how many businesses
are directly or indirectly competing with you. Your market share will be the number of
customers that are likely to buy from you rather than your competition.

Finished defining your target market and the research backs it up?
Congratulations. Now for the fun part. Develop a marketing plan that will reach these potential
customers and watch the sales start happening!

Competitive Analysis
Background

Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise in relation to its competition is
essential for both the identification of best strategic options, and the prioritization of investment
within operating units. It is basic in assisting the enterprise in answering the three basic
questions:

Where are we?

Where do we want to be (and when)?
How are we going to get there cost effectively?

As a result it is a central part of:

The business plan outline;

Exit planning (so that improved performance will lead to greater returns);

Survival and recovery planning so that major weaknesses in the operation can be rapidly identified;

Contingency planning as competitive failure and competitive understanding is vital to risk

management

A reduction in the requirement for change management as it steadily moves the enterprise towards
higher and higher levels of efficiency and operating performance.
Understanding the scope of the competition

The valuable concept of marketing myopia emphasises the need for the enterprise to define
precisely the market sector in which it is operating and the firms against which it is truly
competing. Through an analysis of product/ service positioning, the purchase portfolio, the value
chain, and substitute behaviour, the essential first step of accurate market definition can be
completed.

Knowledge centres, benchmarks and key performance indicators – information systems

and action planning

Any competitive assessment must be based on the management of information and responsibility
for planning and controlling change. Building competitive understanding into the enterprise is
greatly enhanced by the creation of knowledge centres which focus operational actions on key
performance indicators, benchmarks and targets. As benchmarks are approached the enterprise
naturally gains in competitive performance – major gaps between existing levels of achievement
and benchmarks will highlight areas for investment, and generate projects for investment
appraisal and action planning and implementation.

With knowledge centers providing the basis for bottom up planning and review throughout the
planning cycle (including the planning effectiveness review), problems and opportunities for
competitive advancement also become clearer.

Competitive ranking

Any understanding of competitive position must rely on an analysis of ranking against other
companies in the relevant sector of the market. As the enterprise ranking improves for each
factor, so will the overall competitive position. Ideally, all the data should be quantitative and
derive from information collected for industry benchmarks, but because of the broad range of
competitive factors subjective assessments will be necessary for several components of a typical
competitive analysis.

Such an assessment should certainly be completed for each annual planning session, and for
crucial elements where the enterprise is significantly adrift from its benchmark, on a more regular
basis.

Starting with critical success factors

Any competitive analysis should start with the critical success factors. Those these vary in detail
from sector to sector, a general classification of 12 topics is applicable to all enterprises.

Leadership. The depth and breadth of enterprise leadership will establish its ability to identify and
carry through effective strategies and the management of change. Measurements such as the
diversity index and the internal satisfaction survey will provide the basis for greater objectivity in
measuring leadership effectiveness.
Core competence. The level of skills within the enterprise and its match with the demands of the
market will be a vital tool in creating and building competitive advantage. It will be greatly assisted
by the development of knowledge centers, a balanced scorecard of objectives based on key
performance indicators, and the decentralisation of planning and budgeting.

Stakeholder support. The support of all key stakeholders – employees, suppliers (including
financial suppliers), shareholders, and government will be important in ensuring that the
enterprise can both survive and more importantly build on its existing competitive advantage.

Focus. Concentration on key customers, suppliers, markets and products will all influence
competitive advantage. Analysis of the customer spread ratio, market spread ratio, product
spread ratio, product age profile, finance profile, debt allocation ratio, EBITA capital allocation
ratio, will all provide clear evidence of the degree of focus within the enterprise.

Awareness. Awareness is vital to all enterprises, as unless they are part of the purchase portfolio
they cannot be considered for purchase. An assessment of levels of awareness will depend on
advertising research, and be generated by a mixture of market coverage, word of mouth, and
promotional investment.

Trial. New customers can only be gained through trial, which defines this as another critical
success factor. Levels of trial will depend on a variety of factors including advertising, relative
advantage and ease of trial, all of which will require regular reviews of the marketing mix and
research feedback through customer panels, market research and mystery shopper techniques.

Repeat purchase. Customers must be maintained for the enterprise to remain stable and grow its
overall competitiveness. The higher the level of repeat purchase and the faster the customer
transition period from levels of low consumption towards that of an established customer, the
better the long term prospects of the enterprise. Measuring such factors as the expectation
fulfillment gap through customer satisfaction surveys and other components of the marketing mix
against key competitors will be essential to drive higher levels of repeat purchase.

Strategic consistency with market drivers. It is essential that the enterprise controls its response
to market forces (PEST) and does not merely react to it. Measuring the degree of existing (and
more importantly future) strategic fit will be a vital element in any competitive comparison. The
balance between the seven strategic options (do nothing, withdrawal, consolidation, market
penetration, market development, product development, diversification) identifying the level of risk
that each enterprise is willing to accept.

Risk management. Each enterprise will need to effectively manage risk, with a subjective
assessment of past successes and failures providing a reasonable measure of how well each
organisation manages risk.

Pricing power. The ability of the enterprise to achieve adequate levels of profitability will be vital, It
will be achieved by the inter-relationship of the product/ service offering, the power of the buyers,
and the economic leverage of the enterprise. Measurement of pricing power will be seen in
pricing elasticity, and overall levels of gross profit.

Financial viability. Financial viability is the essential measure of whether the enterprise will be
able to continue to operate. It will be a combination of levels of profit, cash flow, return on capital
employed, debt levels and ease of raising additional finance. Comparisons can be easily made
with other companies via the analysis of financial data.

Labour productivity. Concentrating on labour productivity as a critical success factor will drive
skills, decentralise planning and control and lower costs, all generating significant competitive
advantage.
 Other factors

A number of other factors will influence competitive advantage and will often be sector specific.
Some of these can be identified as possibly being of general application.

Corporate governance. There is evidence linking corporate governance to overall competitive

advantage. Measuring the corporate governance achievement level against key competitors will
give a clear indication of competitive positioning.

Speed. Speed of response (or time based competition) is considered to be an important lever of
competitive advantage in many sectors.

Location. For many service based enterprises, location may be a critical success factor as it will
be central to building awareness and achieving trial.

Barriers to entry. The status of barriers to entry may also be of vital importance to many
enterprises in creating and maintaining competitive advantage.

Market coverage. Control over the distribution channels and market share percentages may also
be an important competitive tool.

Threat of entrants. The threat of entrants may for certain sectors be an important competitive
problem.

Threat of substitutes. In common with entrants, the threat of substitutes may also be an important
competitive problem in some sectors.

Competitive score

From the combination of competitive importance and ranking a simple table can be developed
which clearly defines competitive strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT),
setting priorities for investment. Creating the SWOT analysis in this way enables the planner to
transfer the most important elements directly to a chart within the business plan, which can be
regularly updated within the planning cycle.

The lower the score, the higher the overall competitive advantage. Using the competitive score as
a key performance indicator will allow the enterprise to continuously review its overall competitive
advantage and identify trends in specific operational areas.

A summary example can be provided for three elements of a manufacturing company.

Factor Competitive Ranking Score SWOT
importance
Leadership S (Skilled management in most key areas ) W
(Succession planning lacking in cohesion ) O (Build
teams for key projects and identify potential
successors ) T (Loss of top management to
10 3 30 competition )
Core competence 10 5 50 S (Marketing and financial teams industry leaders ) W
(Production, new product development expertise
limited in comparison to competition ) O (Build up
expertise in production/ npd through knowledge center
creation ) T (Higher rates of npd and greater
production expertise leading to lower relative
 competitive positioning)
Speed S ( None ) W (Slow response times throughout the
enterprise in relation to competitive performance ) O
(Enterprise wide programme to improve speed ) T
(Continued loss to competition through poor customer
3 10 30 service )
Total 　 110 　
This chart shows that speed is an area of significant competitive weakness. Though it is not rated
highly, the returns on investment may be substantial for an enterprise wide programme for
greater responsiveness. This may also influence improvements in core competence. Such
synergies are common in competitive analysis.

Business planning could be described as part of an on-going continuous activity

concerning the direction of the whole organisation. It contains the mission, objectives,
strategies, tactics, and policies that will serve as a guide to the organisation in adapting to
the environment for a specified period of time. A business plan is thus considered as the
back bone of a business unit; an attempt to follow the vision to reach the corporate goal.
However, a business planning should be flexible and accommodative so that it could be
changed from time to time if need be to become adapted to the general environment not
only the business environment. To get an effective business plan, a critical analysis of the
industry and competitors' analysis is inevitable.

Strategy is the determination of the basic long-term goals and objectives of an enterprise,
the courses of action to be taken and the allocation of resources that would be needed for
carrying out these goals. Thus, strategy is not an end in itself but rather a means to an
end. It is this which makes it vital 'must have' ingredient in any business. It is normally
included in the marketing and business plans of organisations.

It is also a process and normally considered under three broad aspects or stages namely
strategy analysis, which is the stage where through analysis the strategist identifies the
opportunities, strengths, weakness and threats in the environment; strategy formulation,
which is the stage where a choice is made from among numerous and potential ones; and
strategy implementation which is when the chosen strategy is translated into organisation
action.

Strategy is, therefore, developing and shaping organisation's goals and objectives
providing the needed response to the environment (for competitive advantage) and
providing good corporate governance. As had already been pointed out strategy and
business planning are somewhat linked.
'Strategy' is normally part of the business and marketing planning processes.
Industry and competitive analysis form part of the first stages of business planning and
strategy. However, there is some distinction between the two.

Industry analysis is trying to identify the forces which affect the level of competition in
an industry. Research has proved that industry analysis is very effective at the strategic
business unit level (SBU) because if it is done at a generalised level it reduces its value.

Thus, this analysis would be done at the SBU level still with the industry in mind
applying Porter's five forces - threat of entry, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers,
and threat of substitutes and competitive rivalry - to show the effect of the environment
on the industry as a whole.

The threat of entry: this is the extent to which other interested parties are able to enter the
industry. It is dependent on the barriers or restrictions of entry into the industry. There are
quite a number of examples here but few might be explained. Some of the examples are
economies of scale, capital required in a business, access to distribution channels,
expected retaliation (i.e. if a competitor fears the existing firm's retaliation), legislation or
government action and differentiation. In analysing the barriers, consideration is given to
which barriers are prevalent, the extent of prevention, the organisation's position and any
loopholes.

The power of buyers: This analysis the influence buyers wield on the industry in
question. Based on the organisation's supply claim the power intensity is felt. For
example in the grocery retailing in the UK where there is a concentration of buyers few
retailers particularly the supermarkets dominate the market.

Also when the cost of changing suppliers does not involve high cost, buyers can
manipulate the system. There is also the threat of backward integration if prices and
quality from suppliers are considered unsatisfactory. It is gainsaying the fact that a good
knowledge of such issues is a potential determinant of a firm's strategy. Also when there
is price-war (intense) between competitors, buyers can manipulate the system, e.g. low-
cost carriers on Airbus and Boeing.

Relating somewhat to the above is the power of suppliers: when consumers of a particular
supplier are scattered, the supplier can wield power in that industry. A brand name image
can also assist a supplier to become powerful. In Ghana for example the brand name
''Graphic'' has become a household name such that if anyone wants to buy any brand of
newspaper, the word ''Graphic'' is used. Like Gucci and Coca- Cola as well, most retailers
stock these to enable them win over shoppers because of the brand.

A significant benefit to be culled from this in formulating any strategy is to attack the
brand name or increase marketing cost based on the knowledge gained here.

The next force is threat of substitutes coming into the industry. These could come in one
or more of these product- by-product (e.g. fax for postal service, and email for fax,
substitution as need by a new product, generic substitution (i.e. products competing for
need) and doing without e.g. beer, tobacco, cannabis.

In planning a business or formulating a strategy, therefore, there is the need to find out
how risky is the substitute on the product or service of the organization; can the service or
product stand the threat posed by the substitutes? or how easily can consumers switch to
these substitutes.

Intensity of rivalry: This concerns the possible entry of competitors into the industry;
availability of substitutes and buyers and suppliers control. When this position of the
existing organization changes. How can it be affected by the competition? The following
must also be considered. Competition is intense where competitors are of equal size e.g.
the computer engine search industry until Google emerged. Market growth rates and
global customers may increase competition. Also where there is little or no differentiation
customers can be easily swayed; acquisition and mergers also enhance a firm's grip in an
industry and thus give it a competitive edge. High fixed cost in an industry through high
capital intensity result in competitors cutting prices e.g. Boeing and Airbus.

Like the other analysis a good grasp of the information here is a starting point for
successful strategy formulation and business planning.

Whereas industry analysis concerns itself with the issues pertaining in the industry which
affects the industry, competitive analysis looks at the marketing and financial indicators,
mission statements, R& Ds, and product developments to ascertain where competitors are
focusing their priorities and resources.

Some of the marketing aspects to consider under the competitive (competitor) analysis
may include finding out how competitors are meeting customer needs in the range of
goods or services on offer, affordable pricing, unique features. Consideration must also
be sought on the quality and reliability of services and goods provided by competitors.
For example Toyota has recently slashed engineering cost for Camry by 30% and was
able to launch a new longer wider Sienna Mivan that has a fold-flat rear seat and priced it
$1,000 less than its predecessor. Others may include obtaining information either by
intelligence or through annual reports, as information are not easily disclosed (for fear of
capitalizing on by competitors) over all market share whether that is growing declining or
stable, share of specific markets e.g. the UK or US Market; launch of new brands or
product - Toyota launched a new brand in the US in 2003; 'Scion' aimed at younger
buyers, other aspects which might provide relevant marketing information on competitor
analysis are changes in promotional tactics, distribution channels and not the least
addition of new production or service facilities to improve efficiency and cut cost. A
good and recent example is Asda installing radio frequency identification (RFID), a
device which would be used to scan bar codes of incoming goods which could save Asda
$8.35 billion annually. Fortune, 'Wal-Mart keeps the change', November 10,2003 pp 23.

Financial analysis will need to consider the performance of competitors. The competitors'
investment programme in relation to R&D, diversification (mergers and acquisitions as
well as staff training and development must also be assessed and analysed. R&D is
especially vital in the big companies; it is a key to their survival despite its usually long-
term results. Microsoft for example is spending billions to develop its own search engine
that will be incorporated in both its online service MSN and its new operating system due
in 2006 to combat Google's dominance in the search engine industry. Fortune, 22
December 2003 pp

To make easier analysis, Porter developed a model, a matrix, which compares the five
forces against three levels of intensity, low, medium and high (see fig 1 below). Based on
the experience of a well-known retail group in the UK, the illustration portrays one of
intense competition from rivals and a high need to maintain its customer base against
them. In business planning and strategy, industry analysis helps in the positioning of the
business and in the right environment (i.e. getting adapted to the environment and the
formulation of strategy. Competitor analysis on the other hand influences business
planning and strategy by providing the marketing, financial and other key information
about competitors which will help in the business planning and formulating a strategy
that will give the organisation the needed competitive advantage.

how to write strategic marketing plans, business

plans and sales plans
People use various terms referring to the business planning process - business plans,
business strategy, marketing strategy, strategic business planning, sales planning -
they all cover the same basic principles. When faced with business planning or
strategy development task it's important to clarify exactly what is required: clarify
what needs to be done rather than assume the aim from the description given to it
- terms are confused and mean different things to different people. You'll see from
the definitions below how flexible these business planning terms are.

business planning definitions

a plan - a statement of intent - a calculated intention to organize effort and resource
to achieve an outcome - in this context a plan is in written form, comprising
explanation, justification and relevant numerical and financial statistical data. In a
business context a plan's numerical data - costs and revenues - are normally
scheduled over at least one trading year, broken down weekly, monthly quarterly and
cumulatively.
a business - an activity or entity, irrespective of size and autonomy, which is
engaged in an activity, normally the provision of products and/or services, to produce
commercial gain, extending to non-commercial organizations whose aim may or may
not be profit (hence why public service sector schools and hospitals are in this
context referred to as 'businesses').
business plan - this is now rightly a very general and flexible term, applicable to
the planned activities and aims of any entity, individual group or
organization where effort is being converted into results, for example: a small
company; a large company; a corner shop; a local window-cleaning business; a
regional business; a multi-million pound multi-national corporation; a charity; a
school; a hospital; a local council; a government agency or department; a joint-
venture; a project within a business or department; a business unit, division, or
department within another organization or company, a profit centre or cost centre
within an an organization or business; the responsibility of a team or group or an
individual. The business entity could also be a proposed start-up, a new business
development within an existing organization, a new joint-venture, or any new
organizational or business project which aims to convert action into results. The
extent to which a business plan includes costs and overheads activities and
resources (eg., production, research and development, warehouse, storage,
transport, distribution, wastage, shrinkage, head office, training, bad debts, etc)
depends on the needs of the business and the purpose of the plan. Large 'executive-
level' business plans therefore look rather like a 'predictive profit and loss account',
fully itemised down to the 'bottom line'. Business plans written at business unit or
departmental level do not generally include financial data outside the department
concerned. Most business plans are in effect sales plans or marketing plans or
departmental plans, which form the main bias of this guide.
strategy - originally a military term, in a business planning context
strategy/strategic means/pertains to why and how the plan will work, in relation
to all factors of influence upon the business entity and activity, particularly including
competitors (thus the use of a military combative term), customers and
demographics, technology and communications.
marketing - believed by many to mean the same as advertising or sales promotion,
marketing actually means and covers everything from company culture and
positioning, through market research, new business/product development,
advertising and promotion, PR (public/press relations), and arguably all of the sales
functions as well. Marketing is the process by which a business decides what it
will sell, to whom, when and how, and then does it.
marketing plan - logically a plan which details what a business will sell, to whom,
when and how, implicitly including the business/marketing strategy. The extent to
which financial and commercial numerical data is included depends on the needs of
the business. The extent to which this details the sales plan also depends on the
needs of the business.
sales - the transactions between the business and its customers whereby services
and/or products are provided in return for payment. Sales (sales department/sales
team) also describes the activities and resources that enable this process, and sales
also describes the revenues that the business derives from the sales activities.
sales plan - a plan describing, quantifying and phased over time, how the the sales
will be made and to whom. Some organizations interpret this to be the same as a
business plan or a marketing plan.
business strategy - see 'strategy' - it's the same.
marketing strategy - see 'strategy' - it's the same.
service contract - a formal document usually drawn up by the supplier by which the
trading arrangement is agreed with the customer. See the section on service contracts
and trading agreements.
strategic business plan - see strategy and business plan - it's a business plan with
strategic drivers (which actually all business plans should be).
strategic business planning - developing and writing a strategic business plan.
philosophy, values, ethics, vision - these are the fundamentals of business
planning, and determine the spirit and integrity of the business or organisation - see
the guide to how philosophical and ethical factors fit into the planning process, and also the
principles and materials relating to corporate responsibility and ethical leadership.
You can see that many of these terms are interchangeable, so it's important to clarify
what needs to be planned for rather than assuming or inferring a meaning from the
name given to the task. That said, the principles explained here can be applied to
business plans of all sorts. Business plans are often called different names -
especially by senior managers and directors delegating a planning exercise that they
do not understand well enough to explain. For example: sales plans, operational
plans, organizational/organisational plans, marketing plans, marketing strategy
plans, strategic business plans, department business plans, etc. Typically these
names reflect the department doing the planning, despite which, the planning
process and content required in the document is broadly similar.
Other useful and relevant business planning definitions are in the business dictionary;
the sales and selling glossary; some are also in the financial terms glossary, and more -
especially for training - are in the business and training acronyms listing, which also
provides amusing light relief if this business planning gets a little dry (be warned, the
acronyms listings contain some adult content).

• materials and sub-assembly production.

Marketing/Sales
The marketing and sales organization is analyzed for its strengths and current activities.
Factors to consider include:

• Experience of Marketing/Sales manager including contacts in the industry (prospects,

distribution channels, media), familiarity with advertising and promotion, personal
selling capabilities, general management skills and a history of profit and loss
responsibilities.
• The ability to generate good publicity as measured by past successes, contacts in the
press, quality of promotional literature and market education capabilities.
• Sales promotion techniques such as trade allowances, special pricing and contests.
• The effectiveness of your distribution channels as measured by history of relations, the
extent of channel utilization, financial stability, reputation, access to prospects and
familiarity with your offering.
• Advertising capabilities including media relationships, advertising budget, past
experience, how easily the offering can be advertised and commitment to advertising.
• Sales capabilities including availability of personnel, quality of personnel, location of
sales outlets, ability to generate sales leads, relationship with distributors, ability to
demonstrate the benefits of the offering and necessary sales support capabilities.
• The appropriateness of the pricing of your offering as it relates to competition, price
sensitivity of the prospect, prospect's familiarity with the offering and the current
market life cycle stage.

Customer Services
The strength of the customer service function has a strong influence on long term market
success. Factors to consider include:

• Experience of the Customer Service manager in the areas of similar offerings and
customers, quality control, technical support, product documentation, sales and
marketing.
• The availability of technical support to service your offering after it is purchased.
 • One or more factors that causes your customer support to stand out as unique in the
eyes of the customer.
• Accessibility of service outlets for the customer.
• The reputation of the enterprise for customer service.

Conclusion
After defining your strategy you must use the information you have gathered to determine
whether this strategy will achieve the objective of making your enterprise competitive in the
marketplace. Two of the most important assessments are described below.
Cost To Enter Market
This is an analysis of the factors that will influence your costs to achieve significant market
penetration. Factors to consider include:

• Your marketing strength.

• Access to low cost materials and effective production.
• The experience of your enterprise.
• The complexity of introduction problems such as lack of adherence to industry
standards, unavailability of materials, poor quality control, regulatory problems and
the inability to explain the benefits of the offering to the prospect.
• The effectiveness of the enterprise infrastructure in terms of organization, recruiting
capabilities, employee benefit programs, customer support facilities and logistical
capabilities.
• Distribution effectiveness as measured by history of relations, the extent of channel
utilization, financial stability, reputation, access to prospects and familiarity with your
offering.
• Technological efforts likely to be successful as measured by the strength of the
development organization.
• The availability of adequate operating capital.

Profit Potential
This is an analysis of the factors that could influence the potential for generating and
maintaining profits over an extended period. Factors to consider include:

• Potential for competitive retaliation is based on the competitors resources,

commitment to the industry, cash position and predictability as well as the status of
the market.
• The enterprise's ability to construct entry barriers to competition such as the creation
of high switching costs, gaining substantial benefit from economies of scale, exclusive
access to or clogging of distribution channels and the ability to clearly differentiate
your offering from the competition.
• The intensity of competitive rivalry as measured by the size and number of
competitors, limitations on exiting the market, differentiation between offerings and
the rapidity of market growth.
• The ability of the enterprise to limit suppliers bargaining power.
• The enterprise's ability to sustain its market position is determined by the potential for
competitive imitation, resistance to inflation, ability to maintain high prices, the
potential for product obsolescence and the 'learning curve' faced by the prospect.
• The availability of substitute solutions to the prospect's need.
• The prospect's bargaining power as measured by the ease of switching to an
alternative, the cost to look at alternatives, the cost of the offering, the differentiation
between your offering and the competition and the degree of the prospect's need.
• Market potential for new products considering market growth, prospect's need for your
offering, the benefits of the offering, the number of barriers to immediate use, the
credibility of the offering and the impact on the customer's daily operations.
 • The freedom of the enterprise to make critical business decisions without undue
influence from distributors, suppliers, unions, investors and other outside influences.

Business & Operational Plan Development

By Brooke Hart, eHow Contributor
Business and operational plan development begins with establishing strong executive
leadership and communication of a corporate vision that ensures objectives and goals are
accomplished at all levels of the management process. Various elements of business and
operational plan development are defined as work flow strategies and processes within an
organization that assist management and operations in communicating the organization's
strategic plans, objectives, goals and processes to department managers and employees.

Information Technology

1. Business and operational plan development includes the use of

information technology. An effective example of a module of organizational
development would be workgroup or groupware software used by every
department for project management, memos, presentations and intranet
meetings.

Strategic and Action Planning

2. Objectives and goals must be identified in each area of a company or

organization. A successful organization will develop, update, and modify
strategic and action plans when needed, usually on an annual basis.
Strategic planning at the executive and managerial level is critical to
developing and sustaining any organization.

In-House Training Programs

3. Organization training and development emphasizes and supports the

training objectives of an organization with the goal of training employees
and/or members to do work tasks effectively. Most organizations have a
training branch or division responsible for ensuring that people are trained.

The strategies for developing a training function will depend on cost and
implementation. Most organizations have in-house training, while others bring
in outside consultants to perform training in areas that are general to most
companies, such as groupware, computer applications, leadership and human
 relations. All these training initiatives strengthen the organization through the
acquisition of knowledge for a particular project, department or concept.

Quality Assurance

4. Every organization should have a quality assurance module. Quality

assurance is a process that includes compliance to internal policies and
external directives. An effective quality assurance function identifies
discrepancies and potential problems throughout the organization and assists
in finding solutions. A quality assurance process can identify unrealistic goals
of the strategic plan and assist managers in establishing a reasonable time
frame for project completion at the operational level of a business or
company.

A major strategy in the area of quality assurance is to establish an annual

audit and compliance review of every department as well as a rating scale
based on findings. Annual audit and compliance checks should also allow
time for a project or department to correct a deficiency.

Information Systems Planning

5. Information systems (IS) planning is vital to any business plan. The right
system configuration can save time and enhance information processing. If a
company is a manufacturing company, it would make sense to find a
manufacturing information system instead of an information system built for
an insurance company. IS planning can reflect what type of software and
hardware is needed for management and operations. A strategy can be
finding a turnkey software solution or a custom-made application package.

There are many functions of a business and operational plan. The objective in
establishing a solid plan that can be revised and updated is to identify the
processes of the organization, continually monitor objectives and plans
through a compliance process, and implement the applicable information
system to streamline information and processing through the organization.

The Management Team

Even the best new concept or existing plan will fail if executed poorly. The
Management Team section of the business plan must prove to the investor why
the key company personnel are "eminently qualified" to execute on the business
model.

The Management Team section should include biographies of key team members
and detail their responsibilities. It is important that these biographies are not
merely resumes that include the educational backgrounds and previous job titles
and responsibilities of the team members. Rather, biographies should highlight
the most relevant past positions that the individuals have held and specific
successes in each. These successes could include launching and growing new
businesses or managing divisions of established companies.

Team member biographies should be tailored to the company's growth stage. For
instance, a start-up company should emphasize its management's success
launching and growing companies. A more mature company should emphasize
how team members have successfully operated within the framework of larger
enterprises.

Depending upon the stage of the company, key functional areas may be missing
from the team. This is acceptable provided that the plan clearly defines the roles
that these individuals will play and identifies the key characteristics of the
individuals that will be hired. However, it is generally not favorable if personnel
are missing for ultra-critical roles. For example, a plan that is fundamentally a
marketing play should not seek financing without a stellar marketing team.

The Management Team section should also include biographies of the company's
Advisory Board and/or Board of Directors. While having well-known
advisors/board members adds credibility to the business plan, it is highly
effective to explain how these advisors will directly impact the company through
strategic advice and/or providing conduits to key clients, partners, suppliers, etc.

In summary, the Management Team section of the business plan is an

opportunity to prove to investors that your company has the necessary talent to
succeed. Rather than waste this opportunity by merely showing employee
resumes, which could be included in the Appendix, the section should be used to
explain precisely how the team is uniquely qualified to execute the venture in its
present state.
As President of www.growthink.com Dave Lavinsky has helped the company
become one of the premier business plan development firms. Since its inception,
Growthink has developed over 200 business plans. Growthink clients have
collectively raised over $750 million in financing, launched numerous new
product and service lines and gained competitive advantage and market share.
The Term Sheet's Role in Raising Venture Capital
Entrepreneurs and companies who are seeking venture capital often negotiate
with one or more venture capital firms on a number of important issues. These
issues include the amount of capital to be raised, the investment terms, etc. The
document which summarizes these terms is known as a "term sheet."

The term sheet is similar to a letter of intent, that is, it is a

nonbinding summary of the key points of the transaction. These points are later
covered in detail in the Stock Purchase Agreement and related agreements
signed at the time of execution of the transaction.
The value of the abbreviated term sheet format is that it speeds up the process
of consummating a transaction. Specifically, it allows the parties to agree on the
general terms of the transaction rather than having to debate less important
details. In addition, because it is not binding, it allows the parties to take their
discussions to the next level without the danger of committing too much. Note,
however, that some parts of a term sheet may be binding. Typically the binding
aspects only refer to confidentiality and disclosure issues.
Venture capital firms, and not the companies seeking capital, typically prepare
the term sheet to include the terms under which they are willing to invest their
capital. Alternatively, when seeking capital from angel investors, firms typically
create their own term sheets for the angels to review. This fact tells a bit about
the balance of power in an investment transaction. Venture capital firms are
often more sophisticated and have more power than the companies seeking
capital. Alternatively, angel investors are typically less sophisticated and have
less power, and are more prone to consider the investment terms as laid out by
the company seeking capital.
Getting to a term sheet is a key milestone in the capital raising process.
Although not all term sheets result in a transaction, the term sheet shows that
both parties are legitimately interested in executing a transaction. It is then up
to the investor and company to agree upon the details.

The Management Team Section Of The Business Plan - Don't Just

Include Resumes
By gurpreet singh

See all articles by gurpreet singh

Average:
0
Your rating: None

Share |
Even the best new concept or existing plan will fail if executed poorly. The Management Team section of
the business plan must prove to the investor why the key company personnel are "eminently qualified" to
execute on the business model.
The Management Team section should include biographies of key team members and detail their
responsibilities. It is important that these biographies are not merely resumes that include the educational
backgrounds and previous job titles and responsibilities of the team members. Rather, biographies should
highlight the most relevant past positions that the individuals have held and specific successes in each.
These successes could include launching and growing new businesses or managing divisions of established
companies.
Team member biographies should be tailored to the company's growth stage. For instance, a start-up
company should emphasize its management's success launching and growing companies. A more mature
company should emphasize how team members have successfully operated within the framework of larger
enterprises.
Depending upon the stage of the company, key functional areas may be missing from the team. This is
acceptable provided that the plan clearly defines the roles that these individuals will play and identifies the
key characteristics of the individuals that will be hired. However, it is generally not favorable if personnel are
missing for ultra-critical roles. For example, a plan that is fundamentally a marketing play should not seek
financing without a stellar marketing team.
The Management Team section should also include biographies of the company's Advisory Board and/or
Board of Directors. While having well-known advisors/board members adds credibility to the business plan, it
is highly effective to explain how these advisors will directly impact the company through strategic advice
and/or providing conduits to key clients, partners, suppliers, etc.
In summary, the Management Team section of the business plan is an opportunity to prove to investors that
your company has the necessary talent to succeed. Rather than waste this opportunity by merely showing
employee resumes, which could be included in the Appendix, the section should be used to explain
precisely how the team is uniquely qualified to execute the venture in its present state.
As President of www.growthink.com, Dave Lavinsky has helped the company become one of the premier
business plan development firms. Since its inception, Growthink has developed over 200 business plans.
Growthink clients have collectively raised over $750 million in financing, launched numerous new product
and service lines and gained competitive advantage and market share.

Business plan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Corporate finance

Working capital
Cash conversion cycle
Return on capital
Economic value added
Just in time
Economic order quantity
Discounts and
allowances
Factoring (finance)
Capital budgeting
Capital investment
decisions
The investment decision
The financing decision
Sections
Managerial finance
Financial accounting
Management accounting
Mergers and acquisitions
Balance sheet analysis
Business plan
Corporate action
Societal components
 Financial market
Financial market
participants
Corporate finance
Personal finance
Public finance
Banks and Banking
Financial regulation
Clawback
This box: view · talk · edit
A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why
they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also
contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach
those goals.
Business plans may also target changes in perception and branding by the customer,
client, tax-payer, or larger community. When the existing business is to assume a
major change or when planning a new venture - a 3 to 5 year business plan is
essential.[citation needed]
Contents
[hide]

• 1 Audience
• 2 Content
• 3 Presentation formats
• 4 Revisiting the business plan
o 4.1 Cost overruns and revenue shortfalls
• 5 Legal and liability issues
o 5.1 Disclosure requirements
o 5.2 Limitations on content and audience
• 6 Open business plans
• 7 Uses
o 7.1 Venture capital
o 7.2 Public offerings
o 7.3 Within corporations
 7.3.1 Fundraising
 7.3.2 Total quality management
 7.3.3 Management by objective
 7.3.4 Strategic planning
o 7.4 Education
 7.4.1 K-12
• 8 Not for profit businesses
• 9 Satires
• 10 See also

• 11 References

[edit] Audience
Business plans may be internally or externally focused. Externally focused plans
target goals that are important to external stakeholders, particularly financial
stakeholders. They typically have detailed information about the organization or
team attempting to reach the goals. With for-profit entities, external stakeholders
include investors and customers.[1] External stake-holders of non-profits include donors
and the clients of the non-profit's services.[2] For government agencies, external
stakeholders include tax-payers, higher-level government agencies, and international
lending bodies such as the IMF, the World Bank, various economic agencies of the UN,
and development banks.
Internally focused business plans target intermediate goals required to reach the
external goals. They may cover the development of a new product, a new service, a
new IT system, a restructuring of finance, the refurbishing of a factory or a
restructuring of the organization. An internal business plan is often developed in
conjunction with a balanced scorecard or a list of critical success factors. This allows
success of the plan to be measured using non-financial measures. Business plans
that identify and target internal goals, but provide only general guidance on how
they will be met are called strategic plans.
Operational plans describe the goals of an internal organization, working group or
department.[3] Project plans, sometimes known as project frameworks, describe the
goals of a particular project. They may also address the project's place within the
organization's larger strategic goals.[4]

[edit] Content
For more details on this topic, see Content of a business plan.
Business plans are decision-making tools. There is no fixed content for a business
plan. Rather the content and format of the business plan is determined by the goals
and audience. A business plan represents all aspects of business planning process;
declaring vision and strategy alongside sub-plans to cover marketing, finance,
operations, human resources as well as a legal plan, when required. A business plan
is a bind summary of those disciplinary plans.
For example, a business plan for a non-profit might discuss the fit between the
business plan and the organization’s mission. Banks are quite concerned about
defaults, so a business plan for a bank loan will build a convincing case for the
organization’s ability to repay the loan. Venture capitalists are primarily concerned
about initial investment, feasibility, and exit valuation. A business plan for a project
requiring equity financing will need to explain why current resources, upcoming
growth opportunities, and sustainable competitive advantage will lead to a high exit
valuation.
Preparing a business plan draws on a wide range of knowledge from many different
business disciplines: finance, human resource management, intellectual property
management, supply chain management, operations management, and marketing, among
others.[5] It can be helpful to view the business plan as a collection of sub-plans, one
for each of the main business disciplines.[6]
"... a good business plan can help to make a good business credible, understandable,
and attractive to someone who is unfamiliar with the business. Writing a good
business plan can’t guarantee success, but it can go a long way toward reducing the
odds of failure." [6]

[edit] Presentation formats

The format of a business plan depends on its presentation context. It is not
uncommon for businesses, especially start-ups to have three or four formats for the
same business plan:

• an "elevator pitch" - a three minute summary of the business plan's executive

summary. This is often used as a teaser to awaken the interest of potential funders,
customers, or strategic partners.

• an oral presentation - a hopefully entertaining slide show and oral narrative that is
meant to trigger discussion and interest potential investors in reading the written
presentation. The content of the presentation is usually limited to the executive
summary and a few key graphs showing financial trends and key decision making
benchmarks. If a new product is being proposed and time permits, a
demonstration of the product may also be included.

• a written presentation for external stakeholders - a detailed, well written, and

pleasingly formatted plan targeted at external stakeholders.
 • an internal operational plan - a detailed plan describing planning details that are
needed by management but may not be of interest to external stakeholders. Such
plans have a somewhat higher degree of candor and informality than the version
targeted at external stakeholders.

Typical structure for a business plan for a start up venture[7]

• cover page and table of contents

• executive summary
• business description
• business environment analysis
• industry background
• competitor analysis
• market analysis
• marketing plan
• operations plan
• management summary
• financial plan
• attachments and milestones

[edit] Revisiting the business plan

[edit] Cost overruns and revenue shortfalls
Cost and revenue estimates are central to any business plan for deciding the viability
of the planned venture. But costs are often underestimated and revenues
overestimated resulting in later cost overruns, revenue shortfalls, and possibly non-
viability. During the dot-com bubble 1997-2001 this was a problem for many
technology start-ups. However, the problem is not limited to technology or the
private sector; public works projects also routinely suffer from cost overruns and/or
revenue shortfalls. The main causes of cost overruns and revenue shortfalls are
optimism bias and strategic misrepresentation.[8][9] Reference class forecasting has been
developed to reduce the risks of cost overruns and revenue shortfalls and thus
generate more accurate business plans.

[edit] Legal and liability issues

[edit] Disclosure requirements
An externally targeted business plan should list all legal concerns and financial
liabilities that might negatively affect investors. Depending on the amount of funds
being raised and the audience to whom the plan is presented, failure to do this may
have severe legal consequences.

[edit] Limitations on content and audience

Non disclosure agreements (NDAs) with third parties, non-compete agreements, conflicts
of interest, privacy concerns, and the protection of one's trade secrets may severely limit
the audience to which one might show the business plan. Alternatively, they may
require each party receiving the business plan to sign a contract accepting special
clauses and conditions.
This situation is complicated by the fact that many venture capitalists will refuse to
sign an NDA before looking at a business plan, lest it put them in the untenable
position of looking at two independently developed look-alike business plans, both
claiming originality. In such situations one may need to develop two versions of the
business plan: a stripped down plan that can be used to develop a relationship and a
detail plan that is only shown when investors have sufficient interest and trust to
sign an NDA.

[edit] Open business plans

Traditionally business plans have been highly confidential and quite limited in
audience. The business plan itself is generally regarded as secret. However the
emergence of free software and open source has opened the model and made the
notion of an open business plan possible.
An open business plan is a business plan with unlimited audience. The business plan
is typically web published and made available to all.
In the free software and open source business model, trade secrets, copyright and
patents can no longer be used as effective locking mechanisms to provide sustainable
advantages to a particular business and therefore a secret business plan is less
relevant in those models.
While the origin of the open business plan model is in the free software and Libre
services arena, the concept is likely applicable to other domains.

[edit] Uses
[edit] Venture capital

• Business plan contests - provides a way for venture capitals to find promising
projects.
• Venture capital assessment of business plans - focus on qualitative factors such as
team.

[edit] Public offerings

• In a public offering, potential investors can evaluate perspectives of issuing

company

[edit] Within corporations

[edit] Fundraising
Fundraising is the primary purpose for many business plans, since they are related to
the inherent probable success/failure of the company risk.

[edit] Total quality management

For more details on this topic, see Total quality management.
Total quality management (TQM) is a business management strategy aimed at
embedding awareness of quality in all organizational processes. TQM has been widely
used in manufacturing, education, call centers, government, and service industries,
as well as NASA space and science programs.
[edit] Management by objective
For more details on this topic, see Management by objectives.
Management by objectives (MBO) is a process of agreeing upon objectives within an
organization so that management and employees agree to the objectives and
understand what they are in the organization.

[edit] Strategic planning

For more details on this topic, see strategic planning.
Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction,
and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its
capital and people. Various business analysis techniques can be used in strategic
planning, including SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats ) and PEST analysis (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological analysis)
or STEER analysis involving Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and
Regulatory factors and EPISTELS (Environment, Political, Informative, Social,
Technological, Economic, Legal and Spiritual)

[edit] Education

[edit] K-12
Business plans are used in some primary and secondary programs to teach economic
principles.[10] Wikiversity has a Lunar Boom Town project where students of all ages can
collaborate with designing and revising business models and practice evaluating
them to learn practical business planning techniques and methodology.

[edit] Not for profit businesses

The business goals may be defined both for non-profit or for-profit organizations. For-
profit business plans typically focus on financial goals, such as profit or creation of
wealth. Non-profit, as well as government agency business plans tend to focus on
the "organizational mission" which is the basis for their governmental status or their
non-profit, tax-exempt status, respectively—although non-profits may also focus on
optimizing revenue.
The primary difference between profit and non-profit organizations is that "for profit"
organizations look to maximize wealth versus non-profit organizations, which look to
provide a greater good to society. In non-profit organizations, creative tensions may
develop in the effort to balance mission with "margin" (or revenue).

[edit] Satires
The business plan is the subject of many satires. Satires are used both to express
cynicism about business plans and as an educational tool to improve the quality of
business plans. For example,

• uses Dilbert comic strips to

Five Criteria for a successful business plan in biotech
remind people of what not to do when researching and writing a business plan for
a biotech start-up. Scott Adams, the author of Dilbert, is an MBA graduate (U.C.
Berkeley) who sees humor as a critical tool that can improve the behavior of
businesses and their managers.[11] He has written numerous critiques of business
practices, including business planning. The website Dilbert.com - Games has a
 mission statement generator that satirizes the wording often found in mission
statements. His book The Dilbert Principle – A Cubicle’s Eye View of Bosses, Meetings,
Management Fads & Other Workplace Afflictions discusses the foibles of
management and their plans as depicted in the Dilbert comic strips by Scott Adams.

• In the article "South Park's" Investing Lesson, The Motley Fool columnist "Fool on
the Hill" uses the Underpants Gnomes to illustrate the fallacy of focusing on goals
without a clear implementation strategy. The Underpants Gnomes episode
satirizes the business plans of the Dot-com era.

How to Write a Small Business Plan Including Financial Statements

Jul 28, 2010 James Clausen

Sample Business Plan for Financial Statements - ppdigital

Learn how to write and develop a small business plan focusing on the inclusion of the
company's financial statements for a startup or an existing business.
The financial segment should be the last section (before the appendix) in the small
business plan. This section is especially important if investors or lenders are
reviewing the plan and a funding request is included in the report. This article looks
at what type of financial data should be included in this section of the business plan
and how the data may differ between an existing or startup business.

Historical Financial Data for an Existing Business

For an existing business, financial data should be included for the current fiscal year,
as well as the previous year. If the business has a long history, past financial data up
to five years should also be included. The first part of this section should include the
company’s regular financial statements including:

• Balance Sheets
• Income Statements
• Statement of Cash Flow

Creditors will want to look at the balance sheet to determine the amount of assets
that can be used for collateral. The net worth is also an important factor for investors
and lenders. The income statement and statement of cash flows is also a good indicator
for creditors to determine the company’s ability to repay their debt. Likewise,
investors want to get an idea the company’s ability to pay dividends on their
investment.
Business Management Leading Business Management Service Provider in Bangalore.
Synergism-Inc.com/Contact_Us_Now
Tata Aig Life Nirvana Plan Your Retirement W/ Us & Create A Corpus For A Comfortable
Life Tata-Aig-Life.com
Ads by Google

Historical Financial Statements for a New Startup Business

Naturally a new business won’t have historical data to include in the business plan.
Instead, the entrepreneur should provide estimated financial statements. Similar to
historical data for an existing business, the estimated statements should be provided
for the first five years.
The other sections in the business plan should coincide with the estimated financial
statements. As an example, the market analysis that’s included in the plan should
support the projected expenses and sales reported in the income statement. The
funding request should also coincide with the estimated data report in the financial
statements.

Sales Forecast, Budget and Other Financial Data

Besides the inclusion of the company’s financial statements, other financial data
should also be included. Providing sales forecasts is important to demonstrate future
revenue expectations. Sales forecasts data should be backed up with other areas of
the business plan like the market analysis, organization and sales management
sections. Providing budget information that’s derived from the forecast should also be
included.

Read on

• Business Plan Help - Financial, Marketing Strategic Development

 • Business Plan Company Description, Organization and Management
• Free Business Plan Template for Small Business Start-Up or Growth

Providing charts and graphs is also a professional method to demonstrate financial

data. All financial data whether it’s statements, charts, graphs, forecast and budget
should coincide with other elements of the business plan. Inconsistencies between
historical or projected financial data and other areas of the business plan can result
in a loss of confidence by investors and lenders.

We Create Business Plans That Raise Capital

Do you need capital to grow your venture?

Your executive summary, business plan, and/or pitch deck are often the only basis investors have for
deciding whether or not to pursue further discussions with you. And you only get one shot. If your startup
venture needs equity or debt financing, you'll ultimately save time and money - and improve your chances of
success - by hiring the best business plan consultant you can find.

Our professional consultants understand the needs of entrepreneurs, and will help you develop an
exceptional business plan, executive summary, financial forecast, and investor pitch deck. Want proof? Just
have a quick look at what our clients say about us. Need more convincing? Contact us now for a free
consultation!

What's In It For You?

Meet With Investors: Nearly all of our clients are able to secure meetings with investors.

Raise Capital: Over two-thirds of our clients have succeeded in raising capital or selling their companies.1
That's pretty amazing in a world where fewer than 1 in 250 plans ever get funded. We challenge you to find
another consulting firm that can make this claim. A business plan developed by Cayenne Consulting could
make the difference between your success and failure.

Develop the Right Strategy: Most so-called "business plan consultants" simply take what you say and put it
on paper. We go much deeper and help you develop the most viable strategy for success, which we then
communicate in a compelling business plan.

Save Time: Save literally hundreds of hours... valuable time you can devote to your products, customers,
and company.

Save Money: We are not cheap, but about half of our clients came to us after a business plan prepared by a
less qualified consultant did not work out. Why not get it right the first time and save money?

Work with Experts: Our business plan consultants are second to none. We are experienced entrepreneurs
and understand what you are going through. We have deep and broad experience in creating and executing
upon business models of all kinds. We have a keen sense of what works in the marketplace and what
doesn't. Many of us have MBAs or PhDs from schools like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Wharton, CalTech,
Cornell, Columbia, and Chicago. We also have experts in market research, FDA/regulatory issues, financial
modeling, and other fields.

One Consultant: Some firms assign a team of consultants to your business. That means you're paying to get
multiple individuals up to speed. This approach is costly, and makes it difficult to ensure that all materials
have the same "voice" and consistency. Our approach avoids these problems. (Having said that, we will
happily assign a team to you if that's the best solution for your particular needs.)

Get it Right the First Time: Learn about the pros and cons of various approaches to developing business
plans.

No Salespeople: We don't have a slick sales professional "sell" you and then hand you off to a junior
consultant you know nothing about. From Day 1, you will deal directly with the senior consultant who will
actually work with you. That way, you know exactly what you're getting.

Ongoing Support: We don't stop when the business plan is done. We have a talented team ready to help
you implement it as well, either on a retained basis as interim members of your founding team or on a
project basis, as needed.

Why (Most) Business Plans Don't Get Funded

Your business plan is very often the first impression potential investors get about your venture. But even if
you have a great product, team, and customers, it could also be the last impression the investor gets if you
make any of these avoidable mistakes.

Investors see thousands of business plans each year, even in this down market. Apart from a referral from a
trusted source, the business plan is the only basis they have for deciding whether or not to invite an
entrepreneur to their offices for an initial meeting.

With so many opportunities, most investors simply focus on finding reasons to say no. They reason that
entrepreneurs who know what they are doing will not make fundamental mistakes. Every mistake counts
against you.

Presenting to an International Audience

Why Presentation Skills – Presenting to an International Audience? International audiences present

experienced presenters with unique challenges. You may already have well-developed presentation
skills and be used to assessing the needs and motivations of your audience and adjusting your
presentation style, delivery and content accordingly. However, the rules that apply to home
audiences are not always suitable for international ones. Linguistic and cultural issues have a
significant bearing on how you and your presentation are received and you may well find you need
to adapt your existing presentation skills. What if your audience’s first language isn’t English? Are
you confident that the opening you use for your presentation is the most effective with a Chinese
audience? Is your style of humour appropriate for an international presentation?

Communicaid’s presentation skills course, Presenting to an International Audience, will focus on

developing your presentation skills and help you answer all these questions and more. Whether you
are presenting to one particular nationality or work across a wide range of cultures, our carefully
designed presentation skills programmes will assist you to achieve the necessary cultural
perspective, offering you practical advice and tips on understanding your international audience as
well as helping you to achieve the confidence to deliver effective presentations.

Benefits

A Communicaid presentation skills course will provide you with:

- A greater understanding of the cultural implications of delivering international

presentations to enhance your delivery skills
- Ability to adapt your existing presentation skills for audiences from different
nationalities
- Awareness of the linguistic and presentation skills challenges of an international
audience
- Practical strategies for preparing and delivering an effective international presentation

Who should attend

Communicaid presentation skills courses will be of benefit to anyone who:

- Regularly speaks at international meetings and conferences

- Prepares and delivers presentations to overseas audiences
- Sells and markets to overseas clients
- Works in an international team
- Is an internal and external communication specialist

Course content

All our Presentations Skills training courses are designed to meet the specific needs of our clients
depending on their personal/organisational requirements and existing skills set. The Communicaid
presentation skills course, Presenting to an International Audience, includes:

- The presenter – expectations and credibility

- The audience – expectations and motivations
- A cultural perspective on presentation skills
- Using English as an international language
- Use of humour as a presentation skill
- Verbal and non-verbal communication styles
- Preparation and delivery of presentations to international audiences
- Practical tips on cross-cultural presentation skills
- Presentation practice and skill enhancement

Approach

Presentation skills training is available seven days a week, 365 days a year, either at one of our
training centres in London, Paris, Frankfurt and New York or at your offices in any location
worldwide. We usually recommend a one or two day course but can also offer a more flexible
format to suit your schedule.

Suitably tailored materials will be used throughout your course and your trainer will film or record
your presentations in order to provide you with detailed feedback.
The most appropriate training format, content and approach for your presentation skills course will
be discussed during your diagnostic consultancy (please click here to read more about our
approach).

Presentation Skills Course Trainer

Your Presentation skills trainer will be assigned to you following the results of your diagnostic
consultancy according to your objectives and areas of focus. Detailed below is a sample profile of a
member of our Presentation Skills training team.

AGLT

AGLT is a professional communication skills specialist, delivering high level communication skills
programmes, including Negotiations, Presentation Skills and Business Correspondence to major
corporate and public sector clients. As one of Communicaid’s core presentation skills trainers, she
has designed and delivered presentation skills training programmes to delegates from The Home
Office, Deutsche Bank, EBRD, Cadbury Schweppes and Unicredit.

Previously, AGLT worked in education, managing a modern language department in the UK for
many years before relocating to France in 2000 where she joined an international training company
overseeing the delivery of communication skills training to multinational clients.

You Talkin' To Me?

Know Your Audience… And What It Takes To Persuade, Inspire and
Motivate Them

When you're preparing a presentation, what do you need to know about your
audience?

The short answer: as much relevant information as possible. But just where do you
begin?

As part of your planning, keep these pointers in mind:

Know the size of your audience.

Will you be speaking to just a few people or to dozens or even hundreds of people?
Clearly, the audience size determines the physical setting and, in turn, guides the
type of visuals you should use. What's more, for a large audience, you may need to
use a lectern and a microphone. If so, that will enter into your planning and
preparation as well.

Know the attitudes and biases of your audience.

This may be easy to do if you're presenting to a small number of colleagues, in
contrast to an audience you haven't met before. Easy or not, it's important
nonetheless. What does your audience think about your topic? What do they think
about you? Are they likely to be skeptical - even hostile? Or are they likely to
respond favorably? If your goal is to persuade or motivate your audience, what
biases, concerns or fears must you first overcome to achieve your goal? You may
decide in the end that you cannot completely satisfy everyone's concerns. But at
least you can present your position strategically, while taking those concerns into
account and through that, showing your own awareness and sensitivity.

As much as possible, know what motivates your audience.

Your audience may have strongly held views about your topic. They may also have
certain expectations. What are these, and what can you do to help meet them?
There may be issues that trigger strong emotions in your audience. Find out what
these are, and prepare to deal with them.

How much does your audience already know?

Good communicators never talk down to their audience. If your audience already
knows a good deal about your topic, your presentation should build on what your
audience knows, and not simply repeat what is already known. Good communicators
also don't talk over the head of others. If your audience knows little about your
topic, tell them what they need to know to respond as you want them to.

Talk to their interests, not yours.

You should talk to the specific interests of your audience. Again, those interests are
easy enough to know if you're presenting to an intimate group of colleagues. With
other audiences, however, it may take some digging. Don't assume or guess what
those interests are: ask, instead. An audience of senior-level managers, for example,
may well have different interests than an audience of entry-level professionals.
Factors such as educational and job background, professional interest, even recent
work or personal experiences your listeners might have had, are also important. You
may also want to know the relationship of your audience members to one another.
Do they have common interests, or do their interests conflict with one another?
Again, the more you know about these, the more likely you are to connect with your
listeners from their point of view.

The "What's- in-it-for me?" rule.

This is also known as the "Why- should-I-listen-to-you?" rule. It applies especially to
business audiences. When preparing your presentation, embed the answers to these
questions early in your remarks, so that your listeners know what they're going to
get out of your presentation.

One more time: Your audience is where it all starts.

It follows that this part of your preparation - the phase known as audience analysis -
is essential in determining how you will build your presentation. The more you know
about your audience, the better you can target your remarks to reflect their specific
interests and concerns. And the more likely you are to succeed as a presenter.

presentations skills

presentations for business, sales, and training - oral and

multimedia
Presentations skills and public speaking skills are very useful in many aspects of work
and life. Effective presentations and public speaking skills are important in business,
sales and selling, training, teaching, lecturing and generally entertaining an
audience. Developing the confidence and capability to give good presentations, and
to stand up in front of an audience and speak well, are also extremely helpful
competencies for self-development too. Presentations and public speaking skills are
not limited to certain special people - anyone can give a good presentation, or
perform public speaking to a professional and impressive standard. Like most things,
it simply takes a little preparation and practice.
The formats and purposes of presentations can be very different, for example: oral
(spoken), multimedia (using various media - visuals, audio, etc), powerpoint
presentations, short impromptu presentations, long planned presentations,
educational or training sessions, lectures, and simply giving a talk on a subject to a
group on a voluntary basis for pleasure. Even speeches at weddings and eulogies at
funerals are types of presentations. They are certainly a type of public speaking, and
are no less stressful to some people for being out of a work situation.
Yet every successful presentation uses broadly the essential techniques and
structures explained here.
Aside from presentations techniques, confidence, experience - and preparation -
are big factors.

'fearlessness in an assembly'..
You are not alone if the thought of speaking in public scares you. Giving a
presentation is worrying for many people. Presenting or speaking to an audience
regularly tops the list in surveys of people's top fears - more than heights, flying or
dying.
Put another way, to quote the popular saying which features in many presentations
about giving presentations and public speaking:
"Most people would prefer to be lying in the casket rather than giving the eulogy."
I first heard a speaker called Michelle Ray use this quote in the early 1990s. The
quote is often credited to Jerry Seinfeld, although the basic message is much older.
For example (thanks Dr N Ashraf) the ancient Tamil work Thirukkural (also called
Tirrukural) includes the following words in its aptly titled chapter, Fearlessness in an
Assembly:
"Many are ready to even die in battle, but few can face an assembly without nerves."
(Couplet 723, from Thirukkural/Tirrukural, also called the Kural - a seminal guide to
life and ethics attributed to the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, said to have lived between
about 200-10BC. )
I am grateful also to R Ersapah for an alternative translation of couplet 723, and
below, a more modern literal interpretation:
"Many encountering death in face of foe will hold their ground; who speak undaunted
in the council hall are rarely found."
i.e...
"Many indeed may (fearlessly) die in the presence of (their) foes; (but) few are those
who are fearless in the assembly (of the learned)."
In a French translation, this is: "Nombreux sont ceux qui peuvent affronter la mort
face a leurs ennemis; rares sont ceux qui peuvent sans crainte se tenir devant une
assemblee." The title of Tirrukural's chapter 73 is: Not to dread the Council, (in
French: Ne pas craindre les assemblees). Couplet 727 says, amusingly and incisively:
"The learning of him who is diffident before an assembly is like the shining sword of
an hermaphrodite in the presence of his foes..." In French: "Les connaissances de
celui qui a peur des auditoires sont comme l'epee tranchante que tient l'eunuque en
presence de son ennemi..." I am informed (thanks again R Ersapah) that all of
chapter 73 fits the theme of public speech being one of the greatest challenges many
people face in their lives. This is further evidence that speaking in public is not just a
modern fear - it's been with humankind for at least 2,000 years. (The English
translation of Tirrukural comprises various chapters such as Domestic Virtues, Ascetic
Virtue, Royalty, Ministers of State, The Essentials of a State. The English Translations
are by Rev Dr G U Pope and Rev W H Drew. The French translation is by a Mauritian
author M Sangeelee.)
If you know any other old examples of this analogy please contact me.
A common physical reaction to having to speak in public is a release of adrenaline
and cortisol into our system, which is sometimes likened to drinking several cups of
coffee. Even experienced speakers feel their heart thumping very excitedly indeed.
This sensational reaction to speaking in public is certainly not only felt by novices,
and even some of the great professional actors and entertainers suffer with real
physical sickness before taking the stage or podium.
You are not alone. Speaking in public is genuinely scary for most people, including
many whom outwardly seem very calm.
Our primitive brain shuts down normal functions as the 'fight or flight' impulse takes
over. (See FEAR under the acronyms section - warning - there is some adult content
among the acronyms for training and presentations.)
But don't worry - your audience wants you to succeed. They're on your side.
They're glad it's you up there and not them.
All you need to do is follow the guidelines contained on this page, and everything will
be fine. As the saying goes, don't try to get rid of the butterflies - just get them flying
in formation.
(Incidentally if you know the origins the wonderful butterfly metaphor - typically
given as "There is nothing wrong with stomach butterflies! You just have to get them
to fly in formation!" - please tell me. First see the attribution information for the
butterflies metaphor on the inspirational quotes page.)
So, how do you settle the butterflies and get them flying in formation?
Good preparation is the key to confidence, which is the key to you being
relaxed, and this settles the butterflies.
Good preparation and rehearsal will reduce your nerves by 75%, increase the
likelihood of avoiding errors to 95%. (Source: Fred Pryor Organisation, a significant
provider of seminars and open presentation events.)
And so this is the most important rule for effective presentations and public speaking:
Prepare, which means plan it, and practise it.
Then you'll be in control, and confident. Your audience will see this and respond
accordingly, which in turn will help build your confidence, and dare we imagine, you
might even start to enjoy yourself too.

tips for effective presentations

Preparation and knowledge are the pre-requisites for a
successful presentation, but confidence and control
are just as important. I was sent this excellent
Remember and apply Eleanor Roosevelt's maxim that and simple idea for a
"no-one can intimidate me without my permission". presentation - actually
used in a job interview -
Remember also that "Depth of conviction counts more which will perhaps prompt
than height of logic, and enthusiasm is worth more similar ideas and
than knowledge", (which in my notes from a while adaptations for your own
back was attributed to David Peebles, and I'm sorry situations.
not to be able to provide any more details than that).
At the start of the
Good presenting is about entertaining as well as presentation the letters T,
conveying information. As well, people retain more if E, A, and M - fridge
they are enjoying themselves and feeling relaxed. So magnets - were given to
whatever your subject and audience, try to find ways
to make the content and delivery enjoyable - even the members of the audience.
most serious of occasions, and the driest of subjects, At the end of the
can be lifted to an enjoyable or even an amusing level presentation the speaker
one way or another with a little research, imagination, made the point that
and humour. individually the letters
Enjoyment and humour are mostly in the preparation. meant little, but together
You don't need to be a natural stand-up comedian to they made a team.
inject enjoyment and humour into a presentation or This powerful use of simple
talk. It's the content that enables it, which is very props created a wonderful
definitely within your control. connection between start
You have 4 - 7 seconds in which to make a positive and finish, and supported a
impact and good opening impression, so make sure concept in a memorable
you have a good, strong, solid introduction, and and impactful way.
rehearse it to death. (Thanks P Hodgson, Jun
Try to build your own credibility in your introduction, 2008)
and create a safe comfortable environment for your
audience, which you will do quite naturally if you
appear to be comfortable yourself.
Smiling helps.
So does taking a few deep breaths - low down from the
pit of your stomach - before you take to the stage.
Don't start with a joke unless you are supremely
confident - jokes are high risk things at the best of
times, let alone at the start of a presentation.
N.B. There is a big difference between telling a joke and injecting enjoyment and
humour into your talk. Jokes are risky. Enjoyment and humour are safe. A joke
requires quite a special skill in its delivery. Joke-telling is something of an art form.
Only a few people can do it without specific training. A joke creates pressure on the
audience to laugh at a critical moment. A joke creates tension - that's why it's funny
(when it works). A joke also has the potential to offend, and jokes are culturally very
sensitive - different people like different jokes. Even experienced comedians can 'die'
on stage if their jokes and delivery are at odds with the audience type or mood. On
the other hand, enjoyment and humour are much more general, they not dependent
on creating a tension or the expectation of a punchline. Enjoyment and humour can
be injected in very many different ways - for example a few funny quotes or
examples; a bit of audience participation; an amusing prop; an amusing picture or
cartoon; an amusing story (not a joke). Another way to realise the difference between
jokes and enjoyment is consider that you are merely seeking to make people smile
and be mildly amused - not to have them belly laughing in the aisles. Enough about
jokes..
To continue:
Don't start with an apology unless you've really made a serious error, or it's part of
your plans and an intentional humorous device.
The audience will forgive you far more than you will forgive yourself.
Your apologising will make people feel uncomfortable.
If you do have to apologise for something don't make a meal of it and try to make
light of it (unless it's really serious of course).
Try to start on time even if some of the audience is late. Waiting too long undermines
your confidence, and the audience's respect for you.
The average attention span of an average listener is apparently (according to various
sources I've seen over the years) between five and ten minutes for any single
unbroken subject.
The playstation and texter generations will have less tolerance than this, so plan your
content accordingly.
Break up the content so that no single item takes longer than a few minutes, and
between each item try to inject something amusing, amazing, remarkable or spicy - a
picture, a quote, a bit of audience interaction - anything to break it up and keep
people attentive.
Staying too long on the same subject in the same mode of delivery will send people
into the MEGO state (My Eyes Glaze Over).
So break it up, and inject diversions and variety - in terms of content and media.
Using a variety of media and movement will maintain maximum interest.
Think of it like this - the audience can be stimulated via several senses - not just
audio and visual (listening and watching) - consider including content and activity
which addresses the other senses too - touch certainly - taste maybe, smell maybe -
anything's possible if you use your imagination. The more senses you can stimulate
the more your audience will remain attentive and engaged.
You can stimulate other things in your audience besides the usual 'senses'.
You can use content and activities to stimulate feelings, emotions, memories, and
even physical movement.
Simply asking the audience to stand up, or snap their fingers, or blink their eyes
(assuming you give them a good reason for doing so) immediately stimulates
physical awareness and involvement.
Passing several props or samples around is also a great way to stimulate physical
activity and involvement.
Quotes are a wonderful and easy way to stimulate emotions and feelings, and of
course quotes can be used to illustrate and emphasise just about any point or
concept you can imagine.
Research and collect good quotations and include then in your notes. Memorise one
or two if you can because this makes the delivery seem more powerful.
See the funny quotations and inspirational quotes webpages for ideas and examples.
Always credit the source of quotes you use.
Interestingly, Bobby Kennedy once famously failed to credit George Bernard Shaw
when he said that "Some men see things as they are and ask 'why?'; I dare to dream
of things that never were and ask 'why not?'."
Failing to attribute a quote undermines a speaker's integrity and professionalism.
Conversely, giving credit to someone else is rightly seen as a positive and dignified
behaviour.
Having quotes and other devices is important to give your presentation depth and
texture, as well as keeping your audience interested.
"If the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer you'll treat everything as a nail."
(Abraham Maslow)
So don't just speak at people. Give them a variety of content, and different methods
of delivery - and activities too if possible.
Be daring and bold and have fun. Use props and pass them around if you can. The
more senses you can stimulate the more fun your audience will have and the more
they'll remember.
Some trainers of public speaking warn that passing props around can cause a loss of
control or chaos. This is true, and I argue that it's good. It's far better to keep people
active and engaged, even if it all needs a little additional control. Better to have an
audience slightly chaotic than bored to death.
Planned chaos is actually a wonderful way to keep people involved and enjoying
themselves. Clap your hands a couple of times and say calmly "Okay now - let's crack
on," or something similarly confident and un-phased, and you will be back in control,
with the audience refreshed for another 5-10 minutes.
Create analogies and themes, and use props to illustrate and reinforce them.
For example a bag of fresh lemons works well: they look great, they smell great, they
feel great, and they're cheap, so you can give out loads and not ask for them back -
all you have to do is think of an excuse to use them!
Here are examples of fun, humour, interest, participation and diversion that you can
use to bring your presentation to life, and keep your audience attentive and enjoying
themselves:
• Stories

• Questions and hands-up feedback

• Pictures, cartoons and video-clips
• Diagrams

• Sound-clips
• Straw polls (a series of hands-up votes/reactions which you
record and then announce results)
• Inviting a volunteer to take the stage with you (for a carefully
planned reason)
• Audience participation exercises
• Asking the audience to do something physical (clapping, deep
breathing, blinking, finger-snapping, shouting, and other more
inventive ideas)
• Asking the audience to engage with each other (for example
introductions to person in next chair)
• Funny quotations (be careful not to offend anyone)
• Inspirational quotations

• Acronyms

• Props (see the visual aids ideas page)

• Examples and case-study references

• Analogies and fables

• Prizes, awards and recognising people/achievements

• Book recommendations
• Fascinating facts (research is easy these days about virtually any
subject)
 • Statistics (which dramatically improve audience 'buy-in' if you're
trying to persuade)
• Games and exercises (beware of things which take too much time -
adapt ideas to be very very quick and easy to manage)
• Quirky ideas - (use your imagination - have everyone
demonstrate their ringtones at the same time, or see who has the
fastest/slowest watch time, or the most pens in their pocket/bag -
depending on the occasion linked or not to the subject)
• and your body language, and the changing tone and pitch of your
voice.

For longer presentations, if you're not an experienced speaker, aim to have a break
every 45-60 minutes for people to get up and stretch their legs, otherwise you'll be
losing them regardless of the amount of variety and diversion you include.
Take the pressure off yourself by not speaking all the time. Get the audience doing
things, and make use of all the communications senses available.
Interestingly the use of visual aids generally heightens retention of the spoken word -
it is said by some up to 70%, although this figure is without scientific reference. That
said, do not reject its validity. The figure is demonstrably and substantially more than
70% for certain things, for example: try memorising a person's face from purely a
verbal description, compared with actually seeing the face. A verbal or written
description is only fractionally as memorable as actually seeing anything which has
more than a basic level of complexity.
Some people refer to the following figures on the subject of information retention,
which are taken from Edgar Dale's theory called the Cone of Experience: Read 10% -
Heard 20% - Seen 30% - Heard and Seen 50% - Said 70% - Said and Done 90%. The
original work by Edgar Dale was considerably more than a line of statistics. The ideas
date back to 1946, and are subject to debate and different interpretation. These
figures should therefore be regarded as much more symbolic than scientifically
accurate, especially when quoted out of the context of Edgar Dale's wider work.

visual aids tips

For printed visual aids with several paragraphs of text, use serif fonts (a font is a
typeface) for quicker readability. For computer and LCD projectors use sans serif
fonts , especially if the point size (letter size) is too small.
Arial is a sans serif font. Times is a serif font. (A serif font has the extra little cross-
lines which finish off the strokes of the letters. Interestingly, serif fonts originated in
the days of engraving, before printing, when the engraver needed an exit point from
each letter.
Extensive sections of text can be read more quickly in serif font because the words
have a horizontal flow, but serif fonts have a more old-fashioned traditional
appearance than sans serif. If you need to comply with a company type-style you'll
maybe have no choice anyway. Whatever - try to select fonts and point sizes that are
fit for the medium and purpose.
Use no more than two different fonts and no more than two size/bold/italic variants or
the whole thing becomes confused. If in doubt simply pick a good readable serif font
and use it big and bold for headings, and 14 - 16 point size for the body text.
Absolutely avoid upper case (capital letters) in body text, because people need to be
able to read word-shapes as well as the letters, and of course upper case makes
every word a rectangle, so it takes ages to read. Upper case is just about okay for
headings if you really have to.
See 'tricks of the trade' in the marketing and advertising section for lots of tips and
secrets about presenting the written word.
Create your own prompts and notes - whatever suits you best. Cue cards are fine but
make sure to number them and tie then together in order. A single sheet at-a-glance
timetable is a great safety-net for anything longer than half and hour. You can use
this to monitor your timing and pace.

preparation - creating your presentation

Think about your audience, your aims, their expectations, the surroundings, the
facilities available, and what type of presentation you are going to give (lecture style,
informative, participative, etc).
What are your aims? To inform, inspire and entertain, maybe to demonstrate and
prove, and maybe to persuade.
How do you want the audience to react?
Thinking about these things will help you ensure that your presentation is going to
achieve its purpose.
Clearly identify your subject and your purpose to yourself, and then let the creative
process take over for a while to gather all the possible ideas for subject matter and
how you could present it. Use brainstorming and mind-mapping.
Both processes involve freely putting random ideas and connections down on a piece
of paper - the bigger the better - using different coloured big felt pens will help too.
Don't write lists and don't try to write the presentation until you have picked the
content and created a rough structure from your random collected ideas and
material. See the section on brainstorming.
When you have all your ideas on paper, organise them into subject matter
categories, three is best. Does it flow? Is there a logical sequence that people will
follow and you'll be comfortable with?
Use the rule of three to structure the presentation; it has a natural balance and flow.
A simple approach is to have three main sections. Each section has three sub-
sections. Each of these can have three sub-sections, and so on. A 30 minute
presentation is unlikely to need more than three sections, with three sub-sections
each. A three day training course presentation need have no more than four levels of
three, giving 81 sub-sections in all. Simple!
Presentations almost always take longer to deliver than you think the material will
last.
You must create a strong introduction and a strong close.
You must tell people what you're going to speak about and what your purpose is.
And while you might end on a stirring quotation or a stunning statistic, you must
before this have summarised what you have spoken about and if appropriate,
demanded an action from your audience, even if it is to go away and think about
what you have said.
Essentially the structure of all good presentations is to:
"Tell'em what you're gonna tell'em. Tell'em. Then tell'em what you told'em." (George
Bernard Shaw - thanks Neville Toptani)
When you have structured your presentation, it will have an opening, a middle with
headed sections of subject matter, and a close, with opportunity for questions if
relevant. This is still a flat '2D' script.
Practice it in its rough form.
Next you give it a 3rd Dimension by blending in your presentation method. This
entails the equipment and materials you use, case studies, examples, quotations,
analogies, questions and answers, individual and syndicate exercises, interesting
statistics, and any kind of presentation aid you think will work.
Practice it in rough 3D form. Get a feel for the timing. Amend and refine it. This
practice is essential to build your competence and confidence, and also to practice
the pace and timing. You'll be amazed at how much longer the presentation takes
than you think it will.
Ask an honest and tactful friend to listen and watch you practice. Ask for their
comments about how you can improve, especially your body position and movement,
your pace and voice, and whether they understood everything. If they can't make at
least a half a dozen constructive suggestions ask someone else.
Produce the presentation materials and organise the equipment, and ensure you are
comfortable with your method of cribbing from notes, cards etc.
Practice it in its refined 3D form. Amend and refine if necessary, and if possible have
a final run-through in the real setting if it's strange to you.
Take nothing for granted. Check and double-check, and plan contingencies for
anything that might go wrong.
Plan and control the layout of the room as much as you are able. If you are a speaker
at someone else's event you'll not have much of a say in this, but if it's your event
then take care to position yourself, your equipment and your audience and the
seating plan so that it suits you and the situation. For instance, don't lay out a room
theatre-style if you want people to participate in teams. Use a boardroom layout if
you want a cooperative debating approach.
Make sure everyone can see the visuals displays.
Make sure you understand and if appropriate control and convey the domestic
arrangements (fire drill, catering, smoking, messages, breaks etc.)

delivering your presentation

Relax, have a rock-solid practiced opening, and smile. Be firm, be confident and be in
control; the floor is yours, and the audience is on your side.
Introduce yourself and tell them what your going to tell them. Tell them why your
telling them it; why it's important, and why it's you that's telling them. Tell them how
long your going to take, and tell them when they can ask questions (if you're nervous
about being thrown off-track then it's okay to ask them save their questions until the
end).
By the time you've done this introduction you've established your authority, created
respect and credibility, and overcome the worst of your nerves. You might even be
enjoying it; it happens. If you're just giving a short presentation then by the time
you've done all this you've completed a quarter of it!
Remember, if you are truly scared, a good way to overcome your fear is just to do it.
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." (Friedrich Nietzsche)
Remember also, initial impact is made and audience mood towards you is established
in the first 4-7 seconds.
Be aware of your own body language and remember what advice you got from your
friend on your practice run. You are the most powerful visual aid of all, so use your
body movement and position well. Don't stand in front of the screen when the
projector is on.
If people talk amongst themselves just stop and look at them. Say nothing, just look.
You will be amazed at the effect, and how quickly your authority increases. This silent
tactic usually works with a chaotic audience too.
If you want a respite or some thinking time, asking the audience a question or
involving them in an exercise takes the pressure off you, and gives you a bit of
breathing space.
Pausing is fine. It always seems like an age when you're up there, but the audience
won't notice unless you start umming-and-aahing. Knowing that a pause now and
then is perfectly fine will help you to concentrate on what you're saying next, rather
than the pause.
Keep control, no-one will to question your authority when you have the floor, so don't
give it up.
If you don't know the answer to a question say so and deal with it later. You have the
right to defer questions until the end (on the grounds that you may well be covering
it in the presentation later anyway, or just simply because you say so).
Close positively and firmly, and accept plaudits graciously.

creating and giving presentations - step by step

summary

1. define purpose
2. gather content and presentation ideas
3. structure the subject matter
4. develop how to present it
5. prepare presentation
6. practice
7. plan, experience, control the environment
8. 'dress rehearsal' if warranted

prepare the presentation

Points to remember: why are you presenting? what's the purpose? to whom? how?
when and where?, audience, venue, aims, equipment, media, subject, outcome aim,
audience reaction aim, type of presentation, brainstorm, mind-map, random subject-
matter collection, be innovative and daring, what's the WIIFM for your audience (the
'what's in it for me' factor - see acronyms), materials, media, exercises, gather spice,
case-studies, statistics, props, quotations, analogies, participation, syndicates,
anticipate questions, know your knowledge-base and reference points, decide your
prompt system - cue cards, notes, whatever suits you best.

create and design the presentation

Points to remember: plan the structure, tell'em what you're gonna tell'em, tell'em,
tell'em what you told'em, rule of three, intro, close and middle, create your headings
and sub-headings, assemble and slot in your subject-matter, spice and activities, plan
early impact and to create a credible impression, consider attention spans and
audience profile to get the language and tone right, add spice every 5-10 minutes,
build the presentation, prepare equipment, prepare materials and props, create your
prompts or notes, dry-run practice, timings, create fall-back contingencies, practice,
get feed-back, refine, practice and practice.

deliver the presentation

Relax, you have practiced and prepared so nothing will go wrong, enjoy it, the
audience is on your side.
Points to remember: smile, solid well-rehearsed opening, impact, tell'em what you're
gonna tell'em, tell'em, tell'em what you told'em, entertainment, interest, body-
language, humour, control, firmness, confidence, avoid jokes/sexism/racism, speak
your audience's language, accentuate the positive, use prompts, participation, and
have fun!

Become a Better Business Presenter - Almost Instantly

Develop Business Presentation Skills

By Susan M. Heathfield, About.com Guide

See More About:

• business presentations
• public speaking
• powerpoint tips
• training

Sponsored Links

Powerpoint PresentationsPowerpoint Presentations is on Facebook. Sign up now!

www.Facebook.com
Human Resources SystemFree HR HRM software comparisons of the top systems for your
business.HR.SoftwareResearchTools.com
HR Powerpoint SlidesExcellent Powerpoint Slides on HR Management and Personal
Developmentwww.exploreHR.org

Sponsored Links

TeamBuilding & LeadershipIndia's leading OBT organization Behavioral programs for

corporateswww.stepconsulting.org
Training in TamilVertical Progress-enabling people Motivational, Management and
Saleswww.verticalprogress.net

Have you ever felt like a rock star? Even just for a minute? It's a heady experience and it feels
as if the moon and stars were perfectly aligned to support the successful moment. If you
make business presentations, speak to groups, or provide training classes, you may have
experienced speaking moments when all of the pieces came together seamlessly.
These business presentation skills tips will help you develop business presentation skills - and
perhaps one day - allow you to experience a rock star moment. Just starting out? These
business presentation skills tips will help you form the foundation that will fuel your speaking
comfort level and success.

Successful Business Presentation Skills

These are the three cornerstone skills for developing and making effective business
presentations.

• The key to successful business presentations is preparation. The first step in

preparation is to find out everything you can about your audience’s interests and needs
from your presentation. This gives you a solid foundation upon which you can build.

• Knowledge of the requested topic is also critical; if you don’t know the topic well, the
amount of time you spend in preparation and the amount of stress you experience will
multiply - possibly past your ability to do an effective business presentation. Only accept
and do business presentations that you are confident you can handle. Don't try to be a
super hero. But, you also need to occasionally push the window of your comfort zone, or
you won't continue your own growth.

• A straight-forward business presentation of dry, factual information can make your

audience's eyes and ears glaze over. In addition to the facts, your knowledge, and your
research for your business presentation, you need to spice up the material.

Even HR training, on topics such as policies, need not be dry and boring. Have stories to
share and ideas and examples that will engage your audience. For effective business
presentations, you may want to include a couple of questions that you ask your audience
members to discuss with the person sitting next to them.

If you cannot do these three foundational business presentation skills, maybe you're not the
right person to make the business presentation. In these additional tips about effective
business presentations, I’m assuming that you are and can.

More Business Presentation Skills

The Importance of Think Time Before a Business Presentation: The most important
preparation for your business presentation is often not the obvious. It’s the thought time and
research time you spend for weeks in advance of the meeting once you understand your
audience's needs.

When you finally prepare your presentation, you are clear on the concepts you want to
present, the needs of the audience, and the value you can add to the occasion. The think time
allows you to zero in on the audience and its needs.

Limit the Content and the Goals of Your Business Presentation: No matter how much
time you have allotted for your business presentation, you don’t have time to tell the audience
everything you know. For speakers with years of experience, the temptation to overwhelm the
audience with everything you know must be avoided. You’ll bore them, annoy them, and fail to
earn fans.

The good news is that all of your "think time" and knowledge of your audience allows you to
zero in on the most important concepts in the topic for your business presentation. In a 30-90
minute presentation, you have time to make 4-6 key points. You really don't have time for
much more if you are illustrating your points and providing examples.

Begin Your Business Presentation in an Attention Gaining Manner: Start your business
presentation with a startling fact, a question, a revelation, or a pertinent story. Once you have
gained the audience's attention, tell them what you will talk about during your business
presentation. Make your core or thesis point, then build your business presentation around the
4-6 key points referenced. Finish by summarizing what you told them.

You basically tell them what you will tell them, tell them, and then, tell them what you told
them, to achieve maximum impact.

Limit the Use of Visuals and Powerpoint in Your Business Presentation: Unless you
need to illustrate key points, the use of visuals and powerpoint presentations that provide
bullet points of your spoken words is boring and redundant. A prop or slide is helpful only
when it is needed to illustrate a key point.

Your attendees would much rather that you prepared detailed handouts that they can take
back to work. Another plus? If the audience members are not taking notes and not reading a
screen, they are much more likely to listen to you. And, you are the value add - right?

Conquer Your Fear of Business Presentations With a Mind Adjustment: In my early

days of doing business presentations, I got so many butterflies in my stomach that I chugged
pepto-bismol before every presentation. But, once upon a time, I was able to make a mind
adjustment. I realized that speaking was not about me; it was about my audience. And, I truly
had value to offer them. Once my speaking became not about me, I came to truly love
speaking. This is my primary recommendation for people who are fearful about giving business
presentations: it's not about you.

Focus on the Value You Bring Your Audience in Your Business Presentation: Love your
audience and know and believe that you are bringing them information they need and will
value. Respect them by being yourself. It's not about you; it's about them. Speak from your
heart and your most deeply held beliefs.

If you speak or make business presentations, you'll eventually have your own two minutes as
a rock star. Cool. Then, you'll go back to writing, Human Resources, management, or
whatever it is that you do at work.

But, you'll be better for the interaction, the feedback, the experience, and the fact that you
added some value to multiple lives. Can life get any better than that?

Business presentations have such wonderful potential to influence thinking and change lives.
Business presentation skills elevate and add value to your ability to contribute and to influence
others. I trust these tips about business presentations skills helped.
Presentation Skills Training
Tailored and In-House Presentation Skills Training

Impact Factory has been running presentation skills training for 18 years. We have 17 hugely
versatile presentation skills trainers who have a 92 years experience between them. We have
trained tens of thousands of presenters over the years.

All our trainers are developed through a unique and rigorous internal training programme
designed to entrench best practice. Our unique person centred approach ensures that anyone
developing their presentation skills with us becomes the best presenter they can possibly be.

Our Presentation Skills Training can be tailored in-house to address specific issues within your
company, it can be delivered one to one, or you can attend open courses.

(Click here to send individuals on our Open Presentation Skills Courses)

Presentation Skills Training Objectives

* How Nervous Energy can be Harnessed
* Making the Best Use of Existing Strengths
* Freeing up Body Language
* Myths and Rules about Presenting
* What you Are and Are Not Allowed To Do
* Developing an Individual Presentation Style
* How to Stimulate Easy Interaction with an
Audience
* Preparing for a Non-Linear Presentation
* Ways of Getting Ideas Across
* Call to Action (Closing a Sale)
* How to be Entertaining and Stimulating
* How to Create Effective Support Materials

Effective Presentation Skills

What might the most common Presentation Skills

issue be?

The fact that for most people, even experienced

presenters, getting up and presenting in front of an
audience can be a terrifying and even phobic experience.

Yes! The number one phobia that most people share is making a presentation; speaking in
front of a group of other people: colleagues, strangers, it doesn't seem to matter - it's scary.

You may have people who are new to the presentation 'game' and who need to understand
just what happens to them when they have to stand and deliver and how they can become
confident and effective presenters.

You may have people who have been around the presentation block and are in a rut, giving
acceptable, but not brilliant presentations.

You may have people who have to present detailed and technical information without putting
their audience to sleep. Presenting detailed information may be important but if the
presenter's audience aren't engaged then they've made their job of putting across information
even harder.
 All of these people could benefit from our confidence-
building Presentation Skills programmes.

In addition, you may have individuals who have to:

Give Key Note Speeches

Make Presentations at Conference

Pitch Crucial Clients Presentations

Make Boardroom Presentations

Pitch Ideas Internally

Talk to the Public or Media

Make Sales Presentations

For these really important presenting occasions, we

also offer One-to-One Presentation Coaching to key
members of staff.

Good Presentation Skills Training

Presentation Skills Training that concentrates on 'how

to get it right' is available in all shapes and forms.

However there is very little presentation skills training that really addresses the key issue of
Working Your Audience.

The power and opportunity we are given every time we make a presentation before an
audience or even sit around a table with a captive group of people is huge.

Many presenters have no idea of what can be achieved.

Most of us know the power of an audience.

It is often the rather unnerving experience of being on the receiving end of twenty pairs of
eyes looking at us in polite silence as if to say "Yes? ... So?"

It is this energy that can be harnessed to make dynamic, lively, memorable and effective
presentations.

It takes a little courage, but the rewards are enormous.

Our 'Working Your Audience' Presentation Skills Programme gives delegates clear insight into
how the dynamic of a presenter and their audience works, enabling them to make really
effective presentations.