What went so horribly wrong? We didn’t match reality with expectations.  A salesperson came into the office to show us this great product that was going to be the wonder savior of the industry. It could do so many great things, reduce the number of employees we needed to get the jobs done, allow us to go on vacation and still know the company was running smoothly, and connect with our customers almost seamlessly. Was it too good to be true? Yes.

When we are looking at new technology, we need a plan. First, why do we need the system? What is currently lacking that the new technology is going to fill? We might not actually be lacking anything. The new technology might just be a shiny object that catches our eye. However, it is truly is going to fill a hole, then we need to define the hole. What is it that we expect it to accomplish?

Second, we need to see it in action. I highly recommend that you get a couple of referrals that are currently using the system and see how they use it. Get a free trial and actually test it out. Don’t just sign up for the free trial and then purchase it just because the time expired and you will “try” it out later. Schedule the time to give it a true run.

Third, most systems need to be set up. To accomplish the many things that the program promises, there is almost always some set up that must be done for it to be used effectively. This takes time and many people don’t schedule in the time to do this. They expect the system to just “work”. When you do set it up properly and take advantage of the various options it probably has, that is when you will recognize the true benefits.

Fourth, we need buy-in.  When you are asking your employees to do something that they don’t normally do, why should they change? What’s in it for them? It is great if it brings many benefits to the company, but what about the employees. Just promising it will make their job easier and more efficient doesn’t cut it. In fact, for a time, they will be less productive and have an increase in frustration just from the fact that they have not experienced the system before. Give them plenty of time for training which will mean you need a plan to assist them in getting their regular job done during this decrease in productivity.

Finally, we need to make sure the system is delivering on its promises. This might mean an occasional audit, checking to see if the increase in productivity is happening or if your employees went back to their old way, or checking the effectiveness of the system. Match the plan you made earlier to see if the hole you were planning on plugging is now plugged or if it just got wider. Are you satisfied with the system enough to become an advocate of the company or give them a recommendation?

You can have success with new systems when you pay attention to the return that you are getting from the use of it. Make sure you know you have a need, make a plan to get to know the system, educate your employees and be understanding during their temporary decrease in productivity, and then make sure reality is matching with expectations. There are many good systems that can help your company advance or deal with logistics, just take the time to make sure it is the right one for your situation.

Last night I was convincing our Toastmasters club to to start using the new website and our Facebook Page. You should have felt the apprehension in the room. Thoughts were swirling around:

Ah, another user name and password to remember.

What am I going to get out of this but more work?

What was wrong with the old system?

These are all great questions and pretty common whenever a new system is introduced to an organization. I was prepared to answer them all. After all, I had been using the new system for a month or so and I had the same questions when I started. However, because I took the time to learn it, set it up, test it, tweak it, and finally get to use it – now it is a piece of cake (or at least easy as pie).

To do this, I needed the group to have clear instructions as to what was expected of them and show them how cool the new tools are. The problem, I wasn’t sure if the Internet connection was going to be available and even if it was, was it going to work. My preparation consisted of creating a handout with the important screen shots and step-by-step what they would need to do and in what order when they got home. I also took some screen shots of the pages and pasted them into a PowerPoint presentation, just in case I couldn’t connect to the Internet. I was ready.

Show time! When I arrived at the City Hall where we meet I noted that we were not meeting in our usual room. The screen that I was relying on to be there was locked away and unavailable. The room was full of angles with sconces on every straight part of the walls. The wallpaper was light grey and there wasn’t a white wall to be had. Luckily for me, this was a small board room and I was able to find just enough wall to show the presentation. Remember, they also had the key screen shots in their handouts. And because the room was so small, I took advantage of having a member that was going to be in charge of large sections of the website take the keyboard as we walked through the program. If she can do, everyone can do it.

The group asked good questions as we went through the new site. Enthusiasm was rising. They could see how it was going to save them time and improve communications. BTW, the Internet connection worked just great. The only problem we had was while I was showing the Facebook Page, I had a couple people trying to send me an Instant message. Closed that down quickly. Problem is, I don’t know what they were trying to say to me. Lesson learned, when showing a live Facebook Page, remember to shut down the chats, but that’s a post for another time.

What happened to customer service?  Just because we have some new technology, should all of our customers be forced to use it?  I do agree in setting a level of service expectation and then living up to it.  However, does that mean we can’t accommodate reasonable requests.  If we don’t start looking for ways that we can easily serve our customers, someone else will.  I just hope it won’t be the government.

Cost: $49 per connection

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Presentations aren’t all that different from the joys or sorrows of watching movies.  There are presentations that work great in a large venue while other ones are meant to remain in a board room.  If you have to do presentations of any kind whether a sales presentation, presenting your case to your boss, convincing your neighbors to join together on National Night out or doing a keynote, you need to pay attention to the logistics.

There are three main things to consider in any type of presentation: venue, content, and audience.  The venue is where your presentation will take place.  If you are in a large room with people far away from you, you will need to be big.  Large gestures, lots of vocal inflection, and a good sound system.  If they are right in front of you, the presentation can be toned down a bit and utilize more facial expressions than flailing arms (you might accidentally hit someone and whether intended or not, it could be a problem).

The content of your presentation may have to be changed depending on the logistics of the situation.  If you are doing one-on-one training with someone that is familiar with the system, you can probably cover a lot of ground.  However, if you are doing a technical presentation to the masses, you may have to slow it down and be more general.  Some content works well in large venues such as stories and public references while small venues will allow for more personalization and specialization.

The audience should always be considered as well.  If you aren’t sure to whom you will be presenting, ask for details.  Many professional speakers have a pre-program questionnaire that they request to be filled out prior to preparing for the presentation so they can tailor it to the appropriate people.  One presentation I did had a mean age of 65 in the audience.  I wore my hair up and my business suit with pearls – instant credibility.  The next presentation was to a group that was in their 20s and 30s and I dressed a lot more casual with dangly earrings and my hair down.  The language I used with the older audience was more proper while I used more slang and technology terms with the younger crowd.

No matter when and where you are presenting, you never want the audience to run out of the room or even feel like they want to.  Taking into consideration the venue, adjusting the content, and presenting to the right audience will help people want to stay longer, watch your presentation again, and even enjoy the show.  They might not even require popcorn.

If you use Social Media in your business, have a plan.  Not only what you are attempting to get out of it, how it will be used, but also who is responsible for it and the appropriate conduct by your employees.  Social Media can be a great asset to an organization and it can be a great detriment – depends on how you handle it.  Ignoring it is not an option.

One big question posed to me lately has been about people having their own presence on Social Media that isn’t affiliated with the organization.  There has been quite a bit about this in the news media.  Some organizations include in their employee handbooks that employees cannot make posts that are in conflict with or negatively reflect on the business on their personal sites.  You need to clearly identify rules.  Search for Employees and Social Media and you will get a host of recommendations for your employee handbook.  Many of them state things such as not allowing the company logo on their personal sites, managers not befriending employees, not allowing personal posting during business hours, and never disclosing any company business in their posts.  This is not an exhaustive list, but just a few common points I found in many of the articles. Always check with a human resources attorney to make sure you are in compliance in your state.

The “Yes” comes from the fact that you can get people to think of themselves in situations that they may not have put themselves in. The “No” comes from the fact that there are grey areas.  When we discuss the grey areas, it gets them to realize that life isn’t all that black and white.  That they make different decisions in different situations.

I had one woman come up to me on break last year during an ethics session who admitted acting unethically in a situation.  She was literally shaking as she recalled the situation to me.  The only reason she was so upset was the fact that she realized, she had the possibility of getting caught.  I do believe she did finally get caught.

I find it very interesting how people get sucked into group think and do things that their intellect would normally tell them not to do.  The next time you are faced with something that you wouldn’t choose to do on your own, step back and rethink it, and then don’t do it.  Your first instinct is usually the right one.  Your guts do more than just process your food.

We have so many ways to communicate these days that it also creates many ways in which to miscommunicate.  By setting up systems on how to use the communication medium (voice mail, email, social media, faxing, texting, etc.) we can decrease the inherent issues.  By ignoring systems and just assuming people know how to use the various tools, we are setting ourselves up for potential failure and lawsuits.

Just because something is true or to say something might not cause any financial or physical harm, should you still say it?  Wouldn’t it be great if people always thought from the receiver’s point of view before they opened their own mouth?  Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen and junk jumps out.

I know I have done it and later realized it was improper.  If I get the chance, I apologize as soon as I can.  If not, I have to live with it and that isn’t always easy.  Is there something you have done or said recently that you shouldn’t or wouldn’t if you were the receiver?  Take the time today to breath and think prior to opening your mouth.  See if it makes a difference.