633. TIME MANAGEMENT MBA I - II

TIME  MANAGEMENT

MBA   I – II

 

10 Time Wasters To Be Alert To As A Leader Or Manager

You can buy additional memory for your computer to speed it up and make it work better. On the other hand, the amount of time you have in a day is fixed. What that means is we need to invest it wisely. So what are 10 time wasters to be alert to as a leader or manager?

1. Incomplete information which means you cannot take a decision.
2. Employees coming in with problems that are important to them but not urgent.
3. Telephone calls, including mobile phone calls, coming in on a totally random basis.
4. Routine tasks that should be taken care of by someone on your team being delegated upwards.
5. Poorly organised or poorly run meetings.
6. Attempting to do, or offering to do, too much in the time available.
7. Being overly optimistic in your estimates of how long things will take.
8. Procrastinating; either putting things off or leaving things partly completed.
9. Not listening and going off on the wrong track.
10. Not being willing to say ‘no’ when you are already fully utilised.

Boost Your Productivity And Results

Ask just about any leader or manager what their biggest challenges are and you are almost guaranteed that a lack of time will be on their list. We all at the end of the day have the same allocation of time yet some seem to get vastly different results from others. So how can you boost productivity and results?

start with a big enough ‘Why?’. By that he means being clear about why saving time matters to you. The chances are that you are missing out on, or not getting enough of, something that really matters to you. What is it and why does it matter anyway?

A time tracker is another great tool for getting insights into where your time is going. I remember having to account for every 15 minutes of the day when I worked in one of the Big 4 accountancy firms. Sometimes it felt like a chore but it sure helped with focus.

Another great strategy is to organise things so that you can easily put your hands on them when you need them. If you are one of the many professional people who like to hold on to things just in case they are needed, you might want to invest in a couple of sacks and get rid of stuff.

Cut down the delaying and procrastinating and start taking decisions and actions to get things done. The reality is things will never be easier when you put them off, they will just be later.

Distinguish between the ‘must do’ and ‘to do’ list. ‘Must do’ activities are those areas that are critical to achieving your results. What are those for your role? If you don’t know, make it a priority to find out.

Delegate more rather than holding on to stuff out of habit or because you wrongly believe that you are the only one who could do it so well.

Hold meetings only when you really need to. They can easily swallow up a bunch of time. When you hold a meeting, make sure there is a defined outcome and time limit.

The Bottom Line: Mastering time management is an important area in being a successful leader or manager and will require review from time to time. At the same time, it is often small changes that can yield big results.

7 Secrets Of Achieving Work / Life Balance

One of the things I have noticed is that, despite all of the advances in technology and gadgets, achieving some reasonable work / life balance seems to be a bigger challenge than ever.

So what are the secrets of achieving work / life balance?

Secret 1: Decide that it matters to you

It seems obvious but you need to decide that getting some sort of sensible balance matters to you.

Secret 2: Set boundaries

We all need money to live. At the same time, it is of little benefit if you are so burned out that you cannot enjoy the non-work time. Set boundaries on how much time you want to spend at work and stick to them.

Secret 3: Let others know your boundaries

If you are happy for people to contact you any time they like by ‘phone or on your Blackberry, that’s fine. On the other hand, if you are not, make it clear to others what is okay and what is not.

Secret 4: Turn off gadgets

If you are a doctor or on-call in your job, you need your ‘phone and email on. If not, you can probably turn off your gadgets.

Secret 5: Ask yourself what you would say on your death bed

I remember a fairly new trainee saying to me when I worked at one of the Big 4 Accounting Firms, Do you want to be lying on your death bed saying, ‘I wish I had spent more time at work’? Essentially, she was saying, Decide on your priorities.

Secret 6: Focus

It is not about working harder; it is about working smarter.

Secret 7: Track your time investment

Once you start tracking where you are investing your time, you start to get insights on where you need to change.

Are You First To Arrive And Last To Leave?

In the modern business world, people seem to be working longer and longer. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of being the first to arrive and last to leave. How do I know this? Well simply because it was an area that I found a challenge when working in the accountancy profession.

So if you are first to arrive and last to leave, what can you do to address this?

Get clear on your priorities

You have lots of things you could do. The question is what should you be doing? Getting clear on your priorities is essential.

Focus on your priorities

It is all well and good being clear on your priorities. At the same time, you need to make sure that you are focussing on them. That means continually checking what you are doing to make sure you are focussing on what matters.

Discover what can only be done by you

In my experience, most tasks can be grouped into 3 brackets:

1. Things that need doing and can only be done by you.
2. Things that need doing but not necessarily by you.
3. Things that might not need doing at all.

Learn to delegate

Delegation is not just about getting stuff off your desk. It also provides a great development opportunity. So learn how to and start delegating.

The reality is that if we allow it, work will expand to fill the time we have available. Remember, few things are so critical in management that they need attention right away.

Work Smarter Not Harder

Sometimes delivering better results is not always about work harder but about working smarter. Discover my

Secrets Of Managing Your Time

Time is the ultimate limiting factor. It does not matter who you are; you have 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week, 744 hours in a month.

As a result, how you manage your time is vital to the results that you get.

So what are some of the secrets?

1. Be clear on what your priorities are and what you are expected to deliver.
2. Plan how you are going to invest your time.
3. Keep a track of where you are spending your time.
4. Do what you do best.
5. Delegate and empower others.
6. Set boundaries.
7. Focus on results.
8. Keep a sense of balance so that your productivity does not dip.

The truth is, how you manage your time makes a big difference to your productivity and results. So what have you found makes a big difference to managing your time?

 

7 Simple Tips To Improve Your Work / Life Balance

The more senior you become in the organisation, the tougher it can be to maintain some form of work / life balance.

So what simple tips do I suggest for improving work / life balance?

Tip 1: Set deadlines

• Have you ever noticed that when you set a deadline for getting something done or a timescale to do something, you somehow do it? Setting a deadline is a bit like setting an intention which sends a signal to your mind.

Tip 2: Prioritise well

• Whether you believe it or not, some things are more important than others. Make the point of identifying and prioritising how you will use your time.

Tip 3: Be well organised

• Being able to find things when you need them, whether in a computer or filing cabinet, can pay big dividends.

Tip 4: Plan things out of work

• If you don’t, you will just end up staying that extra half hour, which will in reality end up being two hours.

Tip 5: Ask for help

• Don’t suffer in silence. Ask for help if you are struggling.

Tip 6: Focus on what matters

• Rather than stuff that keeps you busy.

Tip 7: Learn to switch off

• Tough as it might be, you need to be able to switch off.

The truth is, maintaining a healthy work / life balance can actually enhance your performance. So what’s your first step?

5 Fast Actions To Boost Your Personal Effectiveness

1. Know what your priorities are.
2. Plan your time utilisation to focus on your priorities.
3. Periodically record where you are spending your time so that you can be sure that you are spending it appropriately.
4. Do what you do best and delegate or dump the other things.
5. Get the team you lead or manage taking on the things that they do best.

 

5 Tips To Boost Your Personal Effectiveness

Tip 1

• Get clear on what’s priority and what’s not.

Tip 2

• Invest your time in the priority activities.

Tip 3

• If you have something that you have to do, make sure that you have the skills to do it.

Tip 4

• Keep track of where you are spending your time so that you can be sure that you are investing it wisely.

Tip 5

• Reflect periodically and make changes where necessary to take your personal effectiveness to the next level.

6 Tips For Achieving Better Results

 “Too much to do, too little time”, is an all too familiar cry these days. So what can you do to get more done and achieve better results?

1. Know what’s important and priority and what is just a time filler.
2. Set yourself challenging but realistic targets for each day, week and month.
3. Set start and finish times for every task.
4. Don’t leave things half completed otherwise you end up with a whole lot of work in progress.
5. Get organised so that you can find things.
6. Automate whenever you can to boost productivity.

What additional tips would you add?

632. GROUP DISCUSSION MBA I - II

GROUP   DISCUSSION

MBA   I - II

Purpose :- Group Discussion is a modern method of assessing students personally.

A GD is a methodology used by an organization to gauge whether the candidate has certain personality traits and skills that it desires in its members.

It is a part of team work.

Ability to work and contribute in teams is an absolute must to succeed in corporate sector.

It is used to test managerial attributes like

1] interpersonal skills 

2] leadership 

3] analytical thinking 

4] rational thinking 

5] knowledge  

6] personality traits

How to face GD :-  1] observe  2] practice  3] participate

Important points of GD :- 1] be assertive  2] a patient listener  3] right language  4] be analytical  5] be fact oriented

.

Benefits of GD :- 1] provides chance to expose  2] language skills 3] academic knowledge  4] leadership skills  5] people handling skills  6] team work  7] general knowledge

General mistakes :- 1] emotional outburst  2] quality Vs quantity  3] egotism showing off  4] getting noticed for wrong things  5] pointing out others   6] diverting  the topic  7] eye contact

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Dos of GD :- 1] speak pleasantly and politely to the group  2] respect the contribution of every speaker  3] remember that a discussion is not an argument. Learn to disagree politely  4] think about your contribution before you speak. How best can you answer the question/contribute to the topic?  5] try to stick to the discussion topic. Don’t introduce irrelevant information  6] be aware of your body language when you are speaking  7] agree with and acknowledge what you find interesting

Don’ts of GD :- 1] lose your temper. A discussion is not an argument  2] shout. Use a moderate tone and medium pitch  3] use too many gestures when you speak. Gestures like finger pointing and table thumping can appear aggressive.  4] dominate the discussion. Confident speakers should allow quieter students a chance to contribute  5] draw too much on personal experience. Although some tutors encourage students to reflect on their own experience, remember not to generalize too much  6] interrupt. Wait for a speaker to finish what they are saying before you speak

TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED

What is Group Discussion ? / types of GD/ reasons for having a GD/ how to face GD/ perquisites of a GD/ GD dos and don’ts/ essentials of GD/ benefits of GD/ general mistakes made in GD/GD tips and techniques.

Types of GD :

1] topic based.

Topic based may be factual topics, controversial topics and abstract topics.

2] case based

Factual topics :- 1] Things which an ordinary person is aware of in his day to day life.  2] socio economic topics  3] it gives a chance to candidate that he is aware of and sensitive to his evironment. 4] tourism in India                  5] rise in prices

Controversial topics :- 1] These are argumentative in nature  2] Noise level will be high 3] Maturity level of candidate is checked 4] Reservation             5] Women reservation

.

Abstract topics :- 1] this is about intangible things  2] this topic is generally not preferred  3] it will test the lateral thinking and creativity.

Case based topics :- 1] real life situations    2] information situation resolve solution  3] no incorrect answer or perfect solution.  4] main objective is to make you think in various angles.

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Reasons for having a GD :- 1] it helps you understand subject more deeply  2] it improves ;your ability to think critically  3] it helps in solving a particular problem  4] it helps the group to make a particular decision  5] it gives you chance to hear other students ideas  6] it improves your listening skills  7] it increases your confidence in speaking   8] it can change your attitudes	Essentials of GD :- 1] communication skils  2] knowledge and ideas regarding a given subject  3] capability to co-ordinate and lead  4] exchange of thoughts  5] addressing the group as a whole  6] thorough preparation.
Tips and techniques of GD :- 1] quotes  2] definition  3] question  4] shock statement  5] facts, figures and statistics  6] short story  7] general statement	Personality traits needed in GD :- 1] team player       2] flexibility  3] leadership         4] creativity  4] awareness         5] initiative  6] initiative          7] reasoning ability  8] listening           9] inspiring ability

631. PRESENTATION SKILLS MBA I - II

PRESENTATION  SKILLS

MBA   I - II

There are many types of presentations.                  

1.      written,        story, manual, report, book review, annotated bibliography,                    newspaper article, magazine article, document, letter, diary, script, book, story

2.     oral                            interview, report, telephone conversation

3.     visual,                      project cube, page sized chart or diagram  

4.     a computer             Presentation

5.     a web site.               Presentation

This presentation is done to

1.      School of audience

2.     One person,

3.     small group, written questionnaire, survey, scroll, scrapbook, pamphlet, booklet/ oral-- discussion group, seminar, debate/visual---- cartoon or comic strip, photographs, photo essay, artifact, model, diorama, game, display

4.     large group  written---questionnaire, survey, advertisement, chart/oral-- advertisement, lecture, talk show, song, debate, choral speech, lesson/visual--- poster, timeline, web page, map, model, mobile, large diagram, puppet   show, skit, overheads

The other forms of presentations are

1.       Informative Presentations 2.      Persuasive Presentations 3.      Goodwill Presentations 4.      Multipurpose Presentations 5.      Sales

6.      Training 7.      Entertainment 8.     Political Arena 9.      Image Building 10.  Motivation Presentations 11.   Interviews

The first step in preparing a presentation is to define the purpose of your presentation.

1.   Informative :-

Keep an informative presentation brief and to the point. Stick to the facts and avoid complicated information.

2.   Instructional :-

Your purpose in an instructional presentation is to give specific directions or orders. Your presentation will probably be a bit longer, because it has to cover your topic thoroughly. In an instructional presentation, your listeners should come away with new knowledge or anew skill.

Explain why the information or skill is valuable to the audience

Explain the learning objectives of the instructional program

Demonstrate the process if it involves something in which the audience will later participate using the following method

Demonstrate it first without comment

Demonstrate it again with a brief explanation

Demonstrate it a third time, step-by-step, with an explanation

Have the participants practice the skill

Provide participants the opportunity to ask questions, give, and receive feedback from you and their peers

Connect the learning to actual use

Have participants verbally state how they will use it

3.   Arousing :-

Your purpose in an arousing presentation is to make people think about a certain problem or situation.

You want to arouse the audience's emotions and intellect so that they will be receptive to your point of view.

Use vivid language in an arousing presentation -- project sincerity and enthusiasm.

Gain attention with a story that illustrates (and sometimes exaggerates) the problem

Show the need to solve the problem and illustrate it with an example that is general or commonplace

Describe your solution for a satisfactory resolution to the problem

Compare/contrast the two worlds with the problem solved and unsolved

Call the audience to action to help solve the problem

Give the audience a directive that is clear, easy, and immediate

4.   Persuasive

Your purpose in a persuasive presentation is to convince your listeners to accept your proposal. A convincing, persuasive presentation offers a solution to a controversy, dispute, or problem. To succeed with a persuasive presentation, you must present sufficient logic, evidence, and emotion to sway the audience to your viewpoint.

Create a great introduction because a persuasive presentation introduction must accomplish the following:

Seize the audience's attention

Disclose the problem or needs that your product or service will satisfy

Tantalize the audience by describing the advantages of solving the problem or need

Create a desire for the audience to agree with you by describing exactly how your product or service with fill their real needs

Close your persuasive presentation with a call to action

Ask for the order

Ask for the decision that you want to be made

Ask for the course of action that you want to be followed

5.   Decision-making

Your purpose in a decision-making presentation is to move your audience to take your suggested action. A decision-making presentation presents ideas, suggestions, and arguments strongly enough to persuade an audience to carry out your requests. In a decision-making presentation, you must tell the audience what to do and how to do it.You should also let them know what will happen if the don't do what you ask.

Gain attention with a story that illustrates the problem

Show the need to solve the problem and illustrate it with an example that is general or commonplace

Describe your solution to bring a satisfactory resolution to the problem

Compare/contrast the two worlds with the problem solved and

unsolved

Call the audience to action to help solve the problem and give them a way to be part of the solution

 

 

 

 

 

Different types of presentations

We rule the world by our words.

–Napoleon Bonaparte

There are many different types of presentations that meet specific needs. These are some examples:

• Sales: Outlines the benefits, features, and reasons to buy a product or service
• Persuasion: Provides the reasons or support to pursue a particular idea or path
• Status report: Details the progress of a project, a task force, or product sales
• Product demonstration: Shows how something works
• Business plan or strategy: Sketches out what an organization plans to do next, or articulates the company's goals

Sharing detailed information is not a good use of a presentation. Audiences will not remember detail. You can use a presentation to inform an audience about a major change or initiative, but use written forms of communication for the detail. Thus, your purpose drives the type of presentation you choose.