Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 13, 2021

The post 39 Phrases Everyone Should Know and Use appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. I remember a visit at the Greyhound depot, pick up a couple of parcels. As I walked through the door, I heard a customer berating an agent in loud and abusive terms. The customer had expected something to be there … Continue reading → You just finished reading 39 Phrases Everyone Should Know and Use !

UPS 128

UPS 128

Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 9, 2021

The post How to Manage Your Time with a Journal appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Keeping a time management diary can be a valuable tool to help you to see where the bulk of your time is being spent. Continue reading → You just finished reading How to Manage Your Time with a Journal ! Consider leaving a comment! Recommended: Evernote Essentials.

Management 114

Management 114

Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 5, 2021

The post 3 tips to help support your small business’ road to recovery appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. (NC) As the COVID-19 vaccine begins to reach Canadian communities, many small business owners are viewing 2021 as the year to shift from crisis response to rebuilding and recovery. “While the pandemic continues to pose uncertainties, it’s important that business … Continue reading → You just finished reading 3 tips to help support your small business’ road to recovery !

2021 136

2021 Management 136

Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 3, 2021

The post Exercises to Improve Your Voice appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. There are a number of factors that effect the way your voice sounds: Physical – the size and shape of your mouth, nasal passages, vocal chords, etc. Health – your general well-being and the tone of your muscles. Temperament and … Continue reading → You just finished reading Exercises to Improve Your Voice !

Health 131

Health 131

Ian's Messy Desk

SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

The post Solving Workplace Problems – The Slacker appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Scott Adams has given us the classic workplace slacker in Wally. Wally not only excels at dodging work, he flaunts it. Of course, we laugh at Wally’s “skill-set” because we all know and have worked with a slacker. There are two types of slackers in most organisations, those who are in over their heads when […].

Skills 223

Skills 223

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 1, 2020

The post How to Build Effective Working Relationships appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. I came across these notes I had taken at some time. I’m not sure if they come from a book I was reading or a presentation I was attending. Leaders achieve results through the work of others. Interpersonal skills are crucial to the leader’s ability to persuade and motivate both internal and external stakeholders.

International 163

International Skills 163

Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 13, 2020

The post How to Be a Leader appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Do you get frustrated by things that don’t seem to happen the way they’re supposed to? People are milling about, but nothing gets accomplished. In the hustle, do you feel that your goals remain just that – goals? Maybe its time for you to stand up and do something about it. Most people are content […].

Goals 149

Goals UPS 149

Ian's Messy Desk

MARCH 30, 2020

The post Improve Hiring Success with Behavioural Interview Questions appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Behavioural-descriptive interviewing is an approach that looks at past behaviour as a predictor of future performance. The goal of the interview process is to predict future job performance based on a candidates responses from previous specific behaviours, which illustrate desired competencies through careful probing.

Interviewing 149

Interviewing Goals 149

Ian's Messy Desk

MARCH 25, 2020

The post Download a free ebook from Gaping Void appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. The team over at Gaping Void has put together an ebook, available for free download – Leadership In The Time Of Coronavirus There are probably few people on the face of the earth today who are not aware of the crisis we are currently facing. Your social media feeds are likely full of responses, from […].

Social Media 149

Social Media 149

Ian's Messy Desk

MARCH 17, 2020

The post How to Motivate and Inspire Others appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. The Green Bay Packers were a lacklustre team prior to the arrival of Vince Lombardi. The now legendary coach turned the Packers into the dominant NFL team of the 1960s. Why such a turnaround? Frank Gifford says it wasn’t Lombardi’s knowledge that made the difference, it was his ability to motivate the players.

147

147

Ian's Messy Desk

MARCH 2, 2020

The post 7 Steps Towards a More Satisfying Life appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, of the University of California, has conducted considerable research in the area of personal satisfaction. The following seven points summarize her findings. There’s a lot of common sense wrapped up in these steps. Unfortunately, our calendars and to-do lists often get in the way of common sense.

Calendars 147

Calendars UPS 147

Ian's Messy Desk

JANUARY 27, 2020

The post 5 Tips for Efficient PowerPoint Presentations appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Creating a PowerPoint presentation requires skill, knowledge and creativity. Here are five tips to help you create an engaging and fun PowerPoint presentation. Share a story. All PowerPoint presentations should tell a narrative which includes a beginning, middle and end part.

PowerPoint 149

PowerPoint Skills 149

Ian's Messy Desk

JANUARY 20, 2020

The post Places You can Promote Yourself with Public Speaking appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. So, you’ve decided to start giving speeches to promote your product or yourself. You know your subject and you have material ready. Where can you go to speak? Guess what? There are loads of places looking for someone to speak. The weekly e-mail newsletter from my professional association periodically carries the tagline, “We’re looking for […].

Promotion 131

Promotion 131

Ian's Messy Desk

JANUARY 9, 2020

The post Shape Thinking with Experiences that Make You Proud appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Do our thoughts shape our lives? Albert Einstein believed so. He said, “The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” James Lane Allen, author of the book “As a Man Thinketh” states, “You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be […].

131

131

Ian's Messy Desk

JANUARY 1, 2020

The post 7 Things Great Leaders Do appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Once in a while you meet a someone who stands out as a leader. They are more than just charismatic or likeable. You can quickly tell, they think and act and lead differently than most people. However, people don’t become outstanding leaders overnight. Truly outstanding leaders are made.

Training 136

Training Learning 136

Ian's Messy Desk

DECEMBER 5, 2019

The post 7 Keys to a Successful Life appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. A successful life doesn’t happen by accident. A successful life is the result of deliberate focus of your time, energy and thoughts towards what you want to accomplish. Rather than accepting what comes along as unavoidable use these seven keys to create a successful life today.

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133

Ian's Messy Desk

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

The post Learn to Say “No” appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. There was a time when I would say yes to everything. Not because I thought I had the ability to do it all, but because I felt I looked lazy if I wasn’t doing something all the time. I had to learn to say no. There was also an issue of how to handle things … Continue reading Learn to Say “No” → You just finished reading Learn to Say "No" !

Learning 114

Learning 114

Ian's Messy Desk

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

The post 8 Common Time Wasters appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Over the years, I’ve posted some thoughts on behaviours and practices that can get in the way of our productivity. To help bring some of these forwarded, this post will link to past articles, as well as adding some new material on common time-wasters. I’ve broken these time-wasters into two groups.

International 114

International 114

Ian's Messy Desk

AUGUST 8, 2019

The post 4 Tips to Trap Your Inner Pack Rat appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. A while ago, I got a new desk for my office. I figured that making room for new furniture was a good opportunity, to not only clean out my desk, but to go through everything in my office. It seems I am more of a pack rat than I realized. I found documents going back 8+ … Continue reading 4 Tips to Trap Your Inner Pack Rat → You just finished reading 4 Tips to Trap Your Inner Pack Rat !

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117

Ian's Messy Desk

JULY 29, 2019

The post 10 Tips for Effective Presentation Visuals appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. When considering what type of visual representation to use for your data or ideas, there are some rules of thumb to consider: 1. Use visuals sparingly. One of the biggest problems in presentations is the overuse of visuals. A useful rule of thumb is one visual for every two minutes of presentation time. 2.

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123

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 28, 2019

The post 7 Energy-Saving Ideas for Summer appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Non-profit organizations face the same challenges and costs, when it comes to operating their facilities. Rent, taxes, insurance, utilities are all part of the cost of doing business. Some of these costs are out of the control of the organization. For example, taxes are set by the municipality, and not many of them have exemptions … Continue reading 7 Energy-Saving Ideas for Summer → You just finished

Management 116

Management 116

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 20, 2019

The post 10 Tips for Giving Effective Instructions appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Somewhere along the line, you are going to have to tell another person how to perform a task. Whether teaching your kids how to use the dishwasher or training new staff at work, your ability to give good instructions will affect the speed at which they learn.

Training 120

Training Learning 120

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 11, 2019

The post The A-B-C’s of Personal Knowledge Management appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. The key question in filing or storing material is not, “Where do I put it?” but rather, “Where do I find it?” You can have the most sophisticated storage systems available, but if you don’t know where to find what’s inside, you’re no better off than having stacks of stuff all over the place.

Management 116

Management Filing 116

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 5, 2019

The post A Guide to Public Speaking appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Delivering an effective presentation is difficult. With the Internet, listeners have access to more information that ever before and have higher expectations for content from speakers today. In addition, because most people are saturated with entertainment, audiences want a presentation that is entertaining.

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152

Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 29, 2019

The post Oprah’s three questions for running effective meetings appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Meetings, meetings, meetings! Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. It’s estimated that on any given day in the USA, there are 11,000,000 formal meetings held. That works out to well over 200 million meetings per month.

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116

Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 23, 2019

The post Free or Low-Cost ways to reward employees appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Everyone likes to be appreciated! This sounds like it should be common sense, but it doesn’t always translate to common sense. This is especially true in non-profit organizations. There is something of an assumption that using rewards to show employee appreciation costs money.

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116

Ian's Messy Desk

APRIL 4, 2019

The post 6 Steps for Recruiting Volunteers appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Volunteers play a critical role in the operations of non-profit organizations and NGOs. For many organizations, volunteers can make the difference between successfully delivering services or program or falling short of their goals. However, it is becoming more difficult to recruit volunteers.

Social Media 106

Social Media Interviewing Training Policies 106

Ian's Messy Desk

MARCH 28, 2019

The post Theme and Variations appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. As I reactivate things here at Ian’s Messy Desk, there is going to be a bit of a shift in content. While still focusing on personal development, leadership and management skills, productivity, and related tools, the overarching theme will be the not-for-profit/NGO environment. NGO leaders face many challenges – both at a personal and organisational level.

Purchasing 101

Purchasing Environment Training Skills 101

Ian's Messy Desk

MARCH 27, 2019

The post The desk is still messy. appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. It is almost four years since I last posted anything here. Now , it’s time to reactivate. Over the next while, I will add new content. The layout is somewhat old-school blog, and needs updating. My web-design skills are rusty and haven’t really kept up with changes over the past few years.

Skills 103

Skills UPS 103

Ian's Messy Desk

AUGUST 30, 2014

'The post BLOG – LIVING ORDER: On becoming a project leader appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Earlier this year, the Consortium for Project Leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, started a new blog. The “Living Order” blog focuses on sharing stories and lessons learned about the leadership role in project management. The first story posted in spring 2014 explains how the early 20th-century concept of “living order” is relevant to today’s project leaders.

2014 100

2014 Project Management Management Learning 100

Ian's Messy Desk

AUGUST 22, 2014

'The post 12 Tips to Improve Your Stage Presence appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. When speaking in front of an audience , these tips will help you communicate more effectively on stage: Consciously lift your eyebrows. It will immediately brighten your face. Smile. A lot. Channel your nervousness into your diaphragm. Relax your neck, and your shoulders, and breathe slowly and deeply using your diaphragm.

100

100

Ian's Messy Desk

JULY 29, 2014

'The post How to Manage the Rush Jobs appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. It’s 3:00 in the afternoon and your boss calls from the road and says, “Drop everything, I need this report in an hour.”. Fifteen minutes later another manager comes by looking for last-minute help with a PowerPoint presentation. Meanwhile, you’ve skipped lunch, a courier is waiting on a delivery from you and the intern is hovering, looking for approval on the next step.

Management 100

Management PowerPoint Project Management International 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 19, 2014

'The post How to be an Effective Employee appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. Sometimes being an effective employee is easy and sometimes it’s not —work responsibilities and circumstances vary, as do relationships with co-workers. One thing is certain: your attitude makes a big difference in how successful you are at work. A positive attitude is a requirement of all of the following tips for improving your chances of succeeding at work.

Confidence 100

Confidence Learning 100

Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 16, 2014

'The post The R’s Of Employee Motivation appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. If you think your employee’s poor performance is costing you profit, instead of overhauling your employee roster, why not try motivating them to become better employees ? Smart managers never overlook this fact: loyal, productive employees are one of your biggest assets.

Cubicle 100

Cubicle Gifts Budget Calendars 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 9, 2014

'The post How to Write a Eulogy appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. I attended a funeral some time ago for a woman who had lived a good, long life. There were two eulogies given, one by a long-time friend and the other from a family member. It was interesting to hear the similar themes that came out as they spoke of someone who had played an important part in their lives.

Skills 100

Skills Learning UPS 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 5, 2014

'The post 7 Deadly Sins of Public Speaking appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. It takes a lot of preparation to craft the kind of speech or presentation that is going to grab your listener’s attention. Once the speech is crafted, you need to spend a lot of time practising, so as to make sure you keep their attention. Listeners don’t give their attention lightly and it doesn’t take much for it to wander.

Skills 100

Skills Learning 100

Ian's Messy Desk

MAY 2, 2014

'The post Tips for Communicating with Angry or Violent People appeared first on Ian's Messy Desk. A number of years ago I was involved in the termination of an employee. He was about eight inches taller than me and had 70 or 80 pounds on me. His supervisor delivered the bad news, we reviewed the termination process and documents and then stood to leave.

Confidence 100

Confidence Learning 100