Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Communication Type
In every organizations, project communication plays an important role.
According to some research, project communication takes up 90% of the time.
Thus communication is one of the key component of any projects.
Thus communication is one of the key component of any projects.
Communication Type
1. Face To Face - Visual
The most ideal way of communication by far, is to have a face to face meeting. You are able to see his body language. Not many people can hide their unconscious communication expression, such as body language. A single eye movement will display whether the team member is paying attention to your message. Facial expression can also tell whether the recipient is receptive or building an invisible mental wall to block your message.
1. Face To Face - Visual
The most ideal way of communication by far, is to have a face to face meeting. You are able to see his body language. Not many people can hide their unconscious communication expression, such as body language. A single eye movement will display whether the team member is paying attention to your message. Facial expression can also tell whether the recipient is receptive or building an invisible mental wall to block your message.
2. Phone - Verbal
If face to face is not possible, then at the very least, pick up the phone and speak with the team member.
Since there is no visual, at least you have the audio mode of communication.
The advantage of verbal communication is that, you are able to listen team member's mood.
You will know whether is the other party angry or not happy with the arrangement.
You are then able to understand his/her issues.
This will indirectly foster a better working relationship with the team.
If face to face is not possible, then at the very least, pick up the phone and speak with the team member.
Since there is no visual, at least you have the audio mode of communication.
The advantage of verbal communication is that, you are able to listen team member's mood.
You will know whether is the other party angry or not happy with the arrangement.
You are then able to understand his/her issues.
This will indirectly foster a better working relationship with the team.
3. Email
In my opinion, email is not the best communicating method. It has always been the least priority in my communication.
In my opinion, email is not the best communicating method. It has always been the least priority in my communication.
However, email is also the fastest and direct to the recipient. Most of the times, team members will crafted an email, send it across and then expect the recipient to reciprocate or revert. However, in such a busy environment, this assumption is dangerous. Recipient may overlooked or misplaced your message. It is a good practice to follow up with a call after you had sent a mail.
Why email is not the ideal method:
If the sender is writing a simple message to the recipient. You never know how the other party deciphers the message. Who knows the recipient just had a scolding from his/ her boss. A simple greetings from you may backfire. Thus email communication should be avoided.
If the sender is writing a simple message to the recipient. You never know how the other party deciphers the message. Who knows the recipient just had a scolding from his/ her boss. A simple greetings from you may backfire. Thus email communication should be avoided.
On the contrary, email writing can sometimes provide an evidence in your verbal conversation. You can concrete your discussion by following up with your email.
Effective Communication prevents lots of unnecessary confusion.
1. Sets certain level of expectation
2. Provides direction what to provide, who to deliver, when to complete
1. Sets certain level of expectation
2. Provides direction what to provide, who to deliver, when to complete
Do weigh your communication type or method and do not allow communication cripple your project management. So are you communicating enough and what are your preferred methods?
Visit http://www.dennis-kwan.com - Dennis Kwan, PMP, offers several tele-seminars, courses, mentoring, consultancy and coaching. He is a trainer and consultant who works across Asia Pacific. Dennis contributes articles regularly to magazines, forums and local newspapers in related topics.
Sunday, 22 September 2013
Six Steps to a Career in Computer Science
Computer science is not for everyone. If you like math and solving puzzles, then you will probably enjoy computer programming. Give it a try and see if it's right for you. However, if you find puzzles to be tedious and frustrating then you should probably consider another line of work. Debugging computer programs can take hours of focused work with little reward until the end. Some people find this sort of work stressful.
If you think you have what it takes, here are six steps to launch your career in computer science and maintain a high salary:
Study math in high school. Computer programs rely heavily on algebra, with variables, functions, etc. Try to take the highest math classes your high school offers. Computer programmers sometimes employ trigonometry, calculus, and linear algebra depending upon the application. Take any computer classes offered as well.
Take computer science in college. While some folks can get a programming job with a high school diploma or associate's degree, most employers require a four-year bachelor's degree. Each university is different but the major is usually called "computer science", "software engineering" or "computer engineering". If they offer more than one that's even better! Find out which department has the best reputation for producing skilled computer programmers.
Learn a programming language used in the industry. Some universities only teach "toy" languages because they are well suited for teaching computer science theory. If this is the only thing on your resume, employers will not be impressed. Decide what type of work you'd like to pursue (web development, desktop applications, etc.) and find out which are the most commonly used languages in that industry.
Complete a warm up project. There's an old catch-22 about needing experience to get a job, and needing a job to get experience. A good way to gain programming experience is to volunteer on an open source project. Just choose a project that interests you. You can either start a new project on your own or contribute to an existing project on SourceForge. Prospective employers will be impressed by your initiative and you can even show them excerpts of your code as a sample.
Navigate your career path. Recent college graduates generally start in an entry-level position. With a good attitude and work ethic, you can move up the ladder to senior engineer in about five years. This may mean moving between companies. It's common for employees to change jobs every year or two in high tech industries. Sometimes that's the fastest way to get ahead and find a job you really enjoy.
Stay up to date. The technology of computers is always evolving rapidly. Make sure to continuously learn new developments in the industry. This will ensure a long and prosperous career. However, beware of short-term fads and don't waste your time and effort to learn about them.
For more information on computer science careers, visit Computer Science Salary Range where the author of this article maintains a blog.
9 Reasons Why You Should Become a Dog Walker
Tired of sitting in front of the computer everyday, dealing with unhappy clients on the phone, while your bosses keep finding things for you to do, AND reasons not to raise your pay? Do you think you need a career change?
In fact, many dog walking businesses started this way. We've heard plenty of stories where dog lovers, who spent years in corporate jobs, decided that they need a happier lifestyle and decided to do what they love doing and make money at the same time. So here I want to share with you 9 good reasons why you too should consider becoming a dog walker.
1. Your clients (especially the furry ones) are almost always happy
These poor things stay home all day long, and the only thing they look forward to is their masters coming back home late at night. Yet as soon as you enter their lives, you will now be their favorite person in the world! You will come by to give them love, take them out on a little adventure, and maybe give them a treat for their good behavior. Your furry clients will be almost always happy to see you!
Your human clients will be happier too! Many of them are either busy working professionals who don't have time to walk their dogs or busy working professionals who want to reward themselves with a nice, long trip. They love their dogs to bits, and have a photo of them on their Facebook profile, but have feelings of guilt because they just can't spend enough time with their dogs. You, as a dog walker, offer a solution not only for their dog walking but also for their bad feelings. You walk their dogs; the dogs are happy, and the owners are happy too.
2. You can start with a very small budget
I don't know many other businesses that you can start with such a small budget. To start off, you just need to register your business, create flyers and business cards, buy a few leashes, supplies, and dog walker insurance. If you have extra budget, you can invest in other marketing strategies such as local newspaper advertisements and Google/Facebook ads, but it is not necessary. You can create a website for free using WordPress or Weebly. That's a pretty good start. Spread the word through family and friends, use email and Facebook, and in no time you will be running your own dog walking business.
3. It can pay more than your desk job
According to our research, there are even job postings offering $3,000-4,000 per month for a full-time dog walker. That's double what some companies pay an administrative assistant! If you work for a dog walking company, it is common to earn anything within a range of $10-20 per hour. That's really not bad, considering today's job market.
4. You don't need a post-secondary degree or letters before/after your name
Dogs and dog owners don't care so much about what degree you have or whether you've got the 3 letters that give you a competitive edge in the corporate world. Of course, it is nice if you have pet CPR or First Aid training, but this can be obtained easily. Most importantly, they just want an honest, trustworthy and sincere person.
5. Everyday is different
As a dog walker, your day will never be like yesterday. Everyday you will be with a different dog, working in different weather, in a different neighborhood. This is what makes your work fun, entertaining and full of new discoveries!
6. You can work outside!
No more cold, dark offices where the AC keeps blowing away even though it's winter! If you love being outside, this is your dream job! You will come to appreciate nature more as well.
7. Flexible hours
It is your business, so you can decide what your work hours are. Thankfully, dogs don't need you to work 9-5. You can schedule your first few clients from noon to 3pm, have personal time from 3 to 6pm, then walk a few more dogs until 8pm. Of course, the more flexible you are, the more appointments you can get. But you definitely have a bit more control over your schedule.
8. You will never have to feel the need to go to the gym again!
If you want to make a living as a dog walker, you will be walking a few hours each day that you work. You could be running as well, if you offer a dog running service. You will never have to pay for 1-year gym membership again, half of which eventually goes to waste anyway. Say goodbye to those feelings that make you say, "Oh my, I'd better go back to the gym before summer." This job will help you stay fit and healthy, in a more fun and exciting way than running on a treadmill while reading a trash magazine!
9. Happy you
All of the above translates to a happy, energetic person. Plus, interacting with such happy animals regularly will have a positive effect on your mental health as well. Researches show that having pets or interacting with animals can reduce stress and anxiety. Dogs will make you walk, laugh, and meet new people. You will feel more energy and happiness.
So what are you waiting for? Take the step forward, find a dog walking job or start your own, and make a change in your life. In a few months, you will be so happy that you made the decision today.
Lastly, visit http://www.dogwalkingjobsonline.com/ to learn more tips and advice on finding dog walking jobs and starting your own dog walking business.
Friday, 20 September 2013
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