Client: Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Department of Human Resource Development Management (300+ students and faculty)
Date: March 9, 2013
Venue: PUP Claro M. Recto Hall, Manila
Showing posts with label communication. Show all posts
Showing posts with label communication. Show all posts
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Readying the young: training university students on creating career-propelling image, personal and online
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Type of Training: Image With Impact
Client: Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Department of Human Resource Development Management (300+ students and faculty)
Date: March 9, 2013
Venue: PUP Claro M. Recto Hall, Manila
Client: Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Department of Human Resource Development Management (300+ students and faculty)
Date: March 9, 2013
Venue: PUP Claro M. Recto Hall, Manila
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Training on listening - a key communication skill
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Type of Training: Leadership Training (Day 6 of 10)
Client: DMCI Homes, Inc.
Date: March 7, 2013
Venue: DMCI Homes Corporate Office, Makati City
Client: DMCI Homes, Inc.
Date: March 7, 2013
Venue: DMCI Homes Corporate Office, Makati City
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Honing student journalists
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Type of Training: Feature Writing
Client: Saint Paul University Manila
Date: September 2010
Venue: Fleur de Lis Hall, SPUM
Client: Saint Paul University Manila
Date: September 2010
Venue: Fleur de Lis Hall, SPUM
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Et cetera
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Hosting a press conference for the Mendez Medical Group, featuring Dr. Joel Mendez and Pauleen Luna, 2009
Welcoming the United Nations delegation to Eastern Samar, 2009
Hosting a Synetcom event for Procera, 2010
As UNFPA program officer, it was my task to visit the municipalities of Eastern Samar (with Mayor Baldono of Maydolong, 2008)
Conducting a leadership training-teambuilding for Katlo, a gay organization based in San Julian, Eastern Samar, 2010
Conducting a communications training for Elev8 Media, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Learning polished presentations
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Type of Training: Presentation Skills Training
Client: Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club
Date: October 2008
Venue: Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club
Client: Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club
Date: October 2008
Venue: Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Open communication builds trust
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“Big companies run on trust. Our company is set up so that information – both good and bad – travels upward at a rapid pace. And I insist that none of our leaders block the information flow. At the heart of every good team is open and honest communication.” – Jeff Immelt, GE CEO
Is trust such a pricey commodity that only corporate giants like GE can afford?
Judging by former GE CEO Jack Welch’s book Straight from the Gut, the company cultivates trust via open communication. Immelt’s statement merely reiterates the fact. The company has a profound understanding of its multifaceted relationships with its stakeholders and publics – the board, consumers, employees, investors, suppliers, competitors, media, policymakers, the community where it operates, and even critics. GE dialogues with all of them. The company keenly appreciates the long-term impact of meaningful communications, both internal and external, on business vitality.
Trust is not bought. Neither can it be obtained through intimidation. Communication builds trust. Trust builds teams. Trust establishes brands. Trust emits from honesty. And honesty is not size-related. It applies to all packages. It is not its monolithic size that compels GE to observe honest and open communication.
A company operates in two modes: business as usual (BAU) and crisis (CRI). When a company is dishonest in its communications during BAU, it will be very difficult to become honest in CRI. If a company is sneaky about promotions and incentives, expect it to be less forthcoming about looming mergers and other emergencies. The crop cannot be harvested without planting the seeds. To begin with, dishonest companies are prone to CRI situations. Dishonest communication has exposed the clay feet of otherwise respected companies and individuals.
Make communication a trust-promoting tool. Follow these tips:
1. Inculcate honest and open communication. Categorically include this thrust in key statements such as company vision, employee policies and speeches. Lead by example.
2. Specify reasonable parameters. Open communication is meaningless when not imbued with a sense of responsibility. Open communication should be congruent with corporate governance principles. Trade secrets, for example, should never be shared wantonly with outsiders.
3. Eliminate layers of communication screens. Install processes and technology that facilitate unfettered flow of information. Establish a streamlined documentation system.
4. Do not cultivate ‘assets’ assigned to spy on their colleagues. These assets are liabilities because they breed betrayal. Demand objectivity through peer evaluation instead.
5. Establish rewards for honesty (alongside performance) and sanctions for dishonesty. Be impartial in dealing with employees. Administer rewards and penalties fairly. Reinforce ethics.
6. Foster dialogue with key stakeholders. Set quality time for formal and informal discussions. Information is power. Learn from stakeholders’ insights and implement their ideas whenever practicable. Acknowledge their contribution.
7. Be honest, sincere and consistent in your message. Never mangle, twist, fabricate, or sugarcoat information. This especially applies in high-stress CRI situations when difficult messages such as bankruptcy, dissolution, and job loss have to be communicated. Honest communication need not be traumatic. Words and phrases have been coined to deliver truth tactfully.
8. Measure results. Monitor public interest (as evidenced in customer inquiries, job applications and media attention, among others), improvement in lead times, and sales increase, when attributable.
Organizations that thrive on secrecy attract unnecessary scrutiny. Trust is not contingent on the size of the company. Honest and open communication promotes trust. Trust cultivates respect and loyalty.
(Published in the Job Market-Working People section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, September 9, 2007, Sunday)
By Roel Andag
Contributor“Big companies run on trust. Our company is set up so that information – both good and bad – travels upward at a rapid pace. And I insist that none of our leaders block the information flow. At the heart of every good team is open and honest communication.” – Jeff Immelt, GE CEO
Is trust such a pricey commodity that only corporate giants like GE can afford?
Judging by former GE CEO Jack Welch’s book Straight from the Gut, the company cultivates trust via open communication. Immelt’s statement merely reiterates the fact. The company has a profound understanding of its multifaceted relationships with its stakeholders and publics – the board, consumers, employees, investors, suppliers, competitors, media, policymakers, the community where it operates, and even critics. GE dialogues with all of them. The company keenly appreciates the long-term impact of meaningful communications, both internal and external, on business vitality.
Trust is not bought. Neither can it be obtained through intimidation. Communication builds trust. Trust builds teams. Trust establishes brands. Trust emits from honesty. And honesty is not size-related. It applies to all packages. It is not its monolithic size that compels GE to observe honest and open communication.
A company operates in two modes: business as usual (BAU) and crisis (CRI). When a company is dishonest in its communications during BAU, it will be very difficult to become honest in CRI. If a company is sneaky about promotions and incentives, expect it to be less forthcoming about looming mergers and other emergencies. The crop cannot be harvested without planting the seeds. To begin with, dishonest companies are prone to CRI situations. Dishonest communication has exposed the clay feet of otherwise respected companies and individuals.
Make communication a trust-promoting tool. Follow these tips:
1. Inculcate honest and open communication. Categorically include this thrust in key statements such as company vision, employee policies and speeches. Lead by example.
2. Specify reasonable parameters. Open communication is meaningless when not imbued with a sense of responsibility. Open communication should be congruent with corporate governance principles. Trade secrets, for example, should never be shared wantonly with outsiders.
3. Eliminate layers of communication screens. Install processes and technology that facilitate unfettered flow of information. Establish a streamlined documentation system.
4. Do not cultivate ‘assets’ assigned to spy on their colleagues. These assets are liabilities because they breed betrayal. Demand objectivity through peer evaluation instead.
5. Establish rewards for honesty (alongside performance) and sanctions for dishonesty. Be impartial in dealing with employees. Administer rewards and penalties fairly. Reinforce ethics.
6. Foster dialogue with key stakeholders. Set quality time for formal and informal discussions. Information is power. Learn from stakeholders’ insights and implement their ideas whenever practicable. Acknowledge their contribution.
7. Be honest, sincere and consistent in your message. Never mangle, twist, fabricate, or sugarcoat information. This especially applies in high-stress CRI situations when difficult messages such as bankruptcy, dissolution, and job loss have to be communicated. Honest communication need not be traumatic. Words and phrases have been coined to deliver truth tactfully.
8. Measure results. Monitor public interest (as evidenced in customer inquiries, job applications and media attention, among others), improvement in lead times, and sales increase, when attributable.
Organizations that thrive on secrecy attract unnecessary scrutiny. Trust is not contingent on the size of the company. Honest and open communication promotes trust. Trust cultivates respect and loyalty.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Feedback and surge forward
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A guide to productive feedback process
Every company practices or wants to have it. Depending on the giver’s mastery in handling the process and the receiver’s sincerity in pursuing self-improvement, it can induce either excitement or discomfort. It is feedback in the workplace.
For the company, an effective feedback process produces better leaders and performers. On the other hand, the employee benefits from the affirmation he receives and from becoming more aware of behavior adjustments he needs to make.
As much as it can be nerve wracking for the one who will receive the feedback, it can also be challenging for the one giving it. It’s a two-way process and the parties have individual and shared responsibilities to make the process work. Because it is delicate and should be a productive exercise, it is important to follow these guidelines:
Specific behavior not general performance
Do not confuse or misuse the feedback process as performance evaluation. Performance is the execution of an action while behavior is the manner of conducting oneself. Feedback focuses on specific behavior. The desired behaviors are ideally those that are aligned with the values and culture of the company. These are behaviors that support the employee in the performance of his job. The result of the feedback process is not a performance evaluation but can be used as one of the bases in such evaluation.
What are these behaviors? It depends on the company but the generally desired ones are aligned with competencies such as leadership, achievement orientation, decisiveness, communication, adaptability, collaboration, strategic thinking, innovativeness, and focus and drive.
Isolate behaviors from one another so as not to pollute your judgment. For example, if you are the feedback receiver, don’t claim that your consistent attendance should make the feedback giver overlook your arrogance with customers.
Descriptive not evaluative
“Your resistance to work in a team is blocking your potential” is an evaluative statement because it determines the worth or significance of a behavior. Its descriptive equivalent is “You resist working in a team.” Why is it advisable to be descriptive? First, to allow the receiver to come up with his own judgment about his behavior and second, to maintain the objectivity of the process.
Effective feedback requires candor and sincerity. Filipinos who are exceedingly modest and diplomatic are in for a surprise when they work in multinational companies where feedback is a no holds barred affair. In this case, the Filipino saying ‘walang personalan, trabaho lang’ best applies.
Self description required
An effective feedback process is not one-sided. It takes into consideration the perspectives of both the giver and receiver so as to obtain an objective view.
If you are the receiver, you are best suited for a feedback session when you come prepared with a self description. You will gain this knowledge through introspection. Ask yourself hard questions. Make sure that your self description is unadulterated by false pride, excuses and exaggeration. You can use the feedback session as a tool of promotion by accentuating the positive, enumerating lessons learned and identifying proposed way forward. The best preparation though is demonstrating commendable traits way before feedback time and making helpful behaviors a way of life.
If you are the one giving the feedback, stick to the set of behavioral competencies defined by the company. Do not interrupt the receiver while he is giving his self description. Keep an open mind, listen empathetically and wait for your turn to talk. Ask insightful questions.
A person is his best personal judge. A self description will demonstrate how the employee perceives himself and how healthy his self image is.
Commend and recommend
Even the favorite employee is not beyond reproach. As far as work is concerned, no one is a perfect creation. A person has his pluses and minuses. If you are the favorite employee, do not delude yourself with the thought that the one giving you feedback will not have anything negative to say. On the contrary, your political standing in the office may even invite criticism. Be careful.
Both giver and receiver have to enumerate the employee’s behavioral strengths. The affirmation will reinforce desirable behaviors and encourage their continuance. Likewise, areas for improvement have to be pointed out. The merits and demerits will produce a balanced picture.
Plan, implement, monitor
Don’t leave the process hanging by ending it with the talkfest. Aside from documenting the process and the result, there has to be a solid sustaining action so that the feedback process does not become unfinished business.
If you are the receiver, it is your responsibility to design and follow an action plan that details actions on how to institute behavioral changes. The plan is based on the feedback result. Share your action plan with the boss and ask for support that can come in the form of training, mentoring and coaching. Stick to your plan and monitor your progress.
Who and when?
Who gives and receives feedback? If it is serious about developing leaders and improving its competitive advantage, a company should subject everyone, regardless of position, to feedback. Teams also benefit from feedback. The 360 degree feedback is a dynamic leadership mechanism that allows a person to learn from the observation of people around him.
As to timeliness, a semestral or annual formal feedback session is recommended. The intervals give the receiver ample time to make meaningful behavioral changes. Informal feedback can be slipped during conversations as long as privacy and confidentiality are ensured.
Although it can be accomplished through email communication or by accomplishing a prescribed form (never resort to using a suggestion box!), a person to person feedback session is the best approach. The dynamics of personal interchange generates a wealth of insight. Besides, a lot of emotion is invested in the feedback process. Regardless of method, professional etiquette has to be maintained throughout.
Feedback is not an occasion for power tripping or bullying. It should be based only on actual observations not on assumptions clouded by animosity between giver and receiver.
Properly managed, feedback will enhance effectiveness at the individual, team and organizational levels.
(Published in the Job Market-Working People section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 27, 2007, Sunday)
By Roel Andag
Contributor
A guide to productive feedback process
Every company practices or wants to have it. Depending on the giver’s mastery in handling the process and the receiver’s sincerity in pursuing self-improvement, it can induce either excitement or discomfort. It is feedback in the workplace.
For the company, an effective feedback process produces better leaders and performers. On the other hand, the employee benefits from the affirmation he receives and from becoming more aware of behavior adjustments he needs to make.
As much as it can be nerve wracking for the one who will receive the feedback, it can also be challenging for the one giving it. It’s a two-way process and the parties have individual and shared responsibilities to make the process work. Because it is delicate and should be a productive exercise, it is important to follow these guidelines:
Specific behavior not general performance
Do not confuse or misuse the feedback process as performance evaluation. Performance is the execution of an action while behavior is the manner of conducting oneself. Feedback focuses on specific behavior. The desired behaviors are ideally those that are aligned with the values and culture of the company. These are behaviors that support the employee in the performance of his job. The result of the feedback process is not a performance evaluation but can be used as one of the bases in such evaluation.
What are these behaviors? It depends on the company but the generally desired ones are aligned with competencies such as leadership, achievement orientation, decisiveness, communication, adaptability, collaboration, strategic thinking, innovativeness, and focus and drive.
Isolate behaviors from one another so as not to pollute your judgment. For example, if you are the feedback receiver, don’t claim that your consistent attendance should make the feedback giver overlook your arrogance with customers.
Descriptive not evaluative
“Your resistance to work in a team is blocking your potential” is an evaluative statement because it determines the worth or significance of a behavior. Its descriptive equivalent is “You resist working in a team.” Why is it advisable to be descriptive? First, to allow the receiver to come up with his own judgment about his behavior and second, to maintain the objectivity of the process.
Effective feedback requires candor and sincerity. Filipinos who are exceedingly modest and diplomatic are in for a surprise when they work in multinational companies where feedback is a no holds barred affair. In this case, the Filipino saying ‘walang personalan, trabaho lang’ best applies.
Self description required
An effective feedback process is not one-sided. It takes into consideration the perspectives of both the giver and receiver so as to obtain an objective view.
If you are the receiver, you are best suited for a feedback session when you come prepared with a self description. You will gain this knowledge through introspection. Ask yourself hard questions. Make sure that your self description is unadulterated by false pride, excuses and exaggeration. You can use the feedback session as a tool of promotion by accentuating the positive, enumerating lessons learned and identifying proposed way forward. The best preparation though is demonstrating commendable traits way before feedback time and making helpful behaviors a way of life.
If you are the one giving the feedback, stick to the set of behavioral competencies defined by the company. Do not interrupt the receiver while he is giving his self description. Keep an open mind, listen empathetically and wait for your turn to talk. Ask insightful questions.
A person is his best personal judge. A self description will demonstrate how the employee perceives himself and how healthy his self image is.
Commend and recommend
Even the favorite employee is not beyond reproach. As far as work is concerned, no one is a perfect creation. A person has his pluses and minuses. If you are the favorite employee, do not delude yourself with the thought that the one giving you feedback will not have anything negative to say. On the contrary, your political standing in the office may even invite criticism. Be careful.
Both giver and receiver have to enumerate the employee’s behavioral strengths. The affirmation will reinforce desirable behaviors and encourage their continuance. Likewise, areas for improvement have to be pointed out. The merits and demerits will produce a balanced picture.
Plan, implement, monitor
Don’t leave the process hanging by ending it with the talkfest. Aside from documenting the process and the result, there has to be a solid sustaining action so that the feedback process does not become unfinished business.
If you are the receiver, it is your responsibility to design and follow an action plan that details actions on how to institute behavioral changes. The plan is based on the feedback result. Share your action plan with the boss and ask for support that can come in the form of training, mentoring and coaching. Stick to your plan and monitor your progress.
Who and when?
Who gives and receives feedback? If it is serious about developing leaders and improving its competitive advantage, a company should subject everyone, regardless of position, to feedback. Teams also benefit from feedback. The 360 degree feedback is a dynamic leadership mechanism that allows a person to learn from the observation of people around him.
As to timeliness, a semestral or annual formal feedback session is recommended. The intervals give the receiver ample time to make meaningful behavioral changes. Informal feedback can be slipped during conversations as long as privacy and confidentiality are ensured.
Although it can be accomplished through email communication or by accomplishing a prescribed form (never resort to using a suggestion box!), a person to person feedback session is the best approach. The dynamics of personal interchange generates a wealth of insight. Besides, a lot of emotion is invested in the feedback process. Regardless of method, professional etiquette has to be maintained throughout.
Feedback is not an occasion for power tripping or bullying. It should be based only on actual observations not on assumptions clouded by animosity between giver and receiver.
Properly managed, feedback will enhance effectiveness at the individual, team and organizational levels.
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