Rakan Sarawak Year 1998

Being able to use the right words for the right occasion, writing or saying them correctly in the proper context...it's a skill that anyone aspiring to be a "better communicator" must learn to acquire and constantly, improve on. As the line in that popular song, "Words", by the Bee Gees says: "It's only words, and words are all I have to take your heart away...", the right works are the key to bridging well with each other. So, from our wordsmith's toolbox, here are some tips on how we can made "works work for us"....

Keeping the team on track

A group made up of members from several departments will save time if it handles problems with this process:

Identify. Agree that a problem exists by answering the question: "What needs changing?"

Analyze. Begin with "Where are we now?" Use every source. Urge team members to do what works best for them to solve the problem.

Reason: Some will favour an abstract course, others a hand-on approach.

Generate. Don't limit ideas to "department" thinking - what members' department might accept. Instead, guide them by asking: "What ideas show the most potential to solve the problem?"

Plan. Agree on the best action. Then build a plan on these question: "What must we do?" "Why will we do it?" "How will we do it?" "When will we do it?" "When will we do it?" "who will do it?" "How will we know we've done it?"

Implement. Act on the plan. And maintain strong communication upward, downward and laterally.

Evaluate. Apply the measures agreed to when you answered "How will we know we've done it?"

Source: The Basics of Cross-Functional Teams, by Henry J. Lindborg, Quality Resources New York NY10010.

Decision tale
Question: If four out of five frogs sitting on a log decide to jump off, how many are left?
Answer: Five, because anybody - or any frog in this case- can decide to do something. But the hard part is actually doing it.
Source: Five Frogs on a Log: A CEO's Field guide to Accelerating the Transition in Mergers, Acquisitions and Gut - Wrenching Change, by Mark Feldman and Michael Spratt, Boston, MA 02110.