As a manager, have you ever felt bad about adding tasks to an employee’s workload? Or have you ever thought that it’s easier to do something yourself than explain how to do it? Or do you like the feeling of being indispensable because you’re the only one who knows how to do something?
If any of these things are true, then I’m sorry to say you’re setting yourself up for failure. And you need to check your ego. Great managers on great teams don’t try to do everything themselves. They build their team’s skills and confidence through effective delegation. And this frees up time for more strategic work.
“No” is one of the most powerful words in the English language, and it’s one of the keys to good time management. It might be odd to think that saying “no” is a skill, since it sounds so simple. But it is a skill. Some people seem to have been born with it. Other people learn it. Either way, it’s a critical ability when it comes to managing a business and managing yourself.
Just to be clear, when I talk about saying “no,” I’m talking generally about not taking on something new. When we do this, we don’t simply say “no” to someone. In fact, we’ve done a two-part series just on how to say “no” the right way! And if you want some tips on how to say “no” effectively, those lessons are worth a look. Today, however, I want to focus on why we need to say “no.”
When we talk about “management” and “managers,” we’re usually thinking about managing people. And that involves many different skills. But all these skills are useless if the manager can’t manage his or her own self. So good management starts with good self-management. And an essential part of self-management is managing your time effectively, which in turn depends on effective scheduling.
So, as a manager, how do you set a schedule that works? Well, that starts with prioritizing. You can think of tasks on two dimensions: importance and urgency. The first key to good time management is avoiding things that are neither urgent nor important. That includes daily distractions, trivial tasks, and anything minor that simply wastes time. The second key is to minimize things that seem urgent but are not important. A lot of meetings, emails, phone calls, and interruptions fall into this category.
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on videoconferences and presenting online. Today, we’re going to focus on handling questions and managing the Q&A.
With the rise of hybrid teams, presenting online is just a regular part of work for many professionals. And while the basics of delivering information in a virtual setting may seem simple, interacting with your audience and dealing with questions feels very different online than in person. Skilled presenters have a variety of tricks for ensuring a productive Q&A, or question and answer, session.
For example, when someone asks a good question, you might redirect it to the entire group. That gives the Q&A more of a discussion feel. And if people aren’t asking questions, you can ask some yourself. Of course, sometimes people introduce ideas that you don’t really have time to explore. In this case, you can suggest more discussion at a later time.
Good presenters are also ready to admit any limitations to what they’ve presented. Nobody has all the answers, so don’t pretend you do. And finally, once the Q&A is finished, it’s a great idea to encourage people to follow up with you later if they have any other questions.
In today’s dialog, we’ll listen to the end of a presentation by Adam, a business consultant. He’s handling some questions and encouraging discussion after presenting his ideas on ways to increase sales. We’ll also hear Adam’s colleague Nancy and his boss Heather ask questions and participate in the discussion.
Listening Questions
1. What question does Nancy ask that Adam redirects to the entire group?
2. What question does Adam ask everyone to encourage them to share their ideas?
3. What key point does Adam admit they’re still not sure about?
Welcome back to Business English Pod for today’s lesson on videoconferences and presenting online. Today, we’re going to look at how to wrap up your presentation and transition to the Q&A.
Great presenters always make time and space for questions at the end of their presentation. And if you’ve done a good job of engaging your listeners, they may have lots to say or ask. Before you open it up for questions, however, you need to summarize.
One thing you can do to emphasize key points near the end is to ask a question yourself, then answer it. And an effective way to answer it is with a visual or some kind of illustration. That will help your ideas stick, not just at the end, but throughout your presentation.
Near the end of a presentation, there may be people who have to leave early so it’s important to acknowledge these people and let them know how you’ll follow up. Finally, it’s a good idea at the end to summarize your key points. Once you’ve done these things, you can make the transition to the Q&A section of your presentation.
In today’s dialog, we’ll rejoin a presentation by a business consultant named Adam. He’s wrapping up a talk about how the company can increase sales. We’ll hear how Adam finishes up and transitions to the Q&A.
Listening Questions
1. What question does Adam ask his listeners which he then answers by showing a visual?
2. What does Adam offer to do for people who have to leave early?
3. What’s the first big opportunity Adam mentions as he summarizes his presentation?
