by Tom Negrino, Peachpit Press, 2007.
Microsoft Office Products for 2007 have had a major overhaul that incorporates functions and processes that the users said they wanted. Although previous versions of PowerPoint had some of these features they were buried within the program and many users did not know that they existed.
This book is part of the Visual QuickProject Guide series. All of the books in this series walk you through the process of using specific software by using lots of screen shots and detailed graphics showing how each function works.
Using an actual nonprofit as the guinea pig for creating a fundraising presentation in PowerPoint we can easily see how we can utilize these previous and new features to our advantage. Creating a Presentation goes through the process of creating and revising a presentation including covering writing your presentation; gathering image and sound files; choosing a theme; working with text; illustration; and animation. It also covers the preparation and delivery of your final product. Each chapter also has an extra bits section to allow you to beef up your presentation. Additional resources are also included in this section.
The new version cannot be read by the older versions as they have many new features, but if you are working with someone who only has the older versions you can save your presentation in that format. Be aware that you may lose some features if you do that so you’ll want to preview your work before you send it to someone in the older formats.
This book is a great resource tool for the beginner or the more advanced user as all of the features are clearly defined and utilized in the presentation outline used. Reading and utilizing what you learn in this book will make your presentations much more effective and powerful as you now know what features to use to engage your audience.
Meryl Runion writes about using Power Phrases when writing performance reviews. One of the most important communication times we have is the yearly review we have with our staff. This book will help you communicate your commendations, suggestions for improvement and let the employee know the impact they have had on the company’s goals and accomplishments. It teaches how to use positive phrases when communicating with others. Criticism is hard to hear, but if phrased positively we will have a much greater chance it will be heard and acted upon. This will help us to develop our staff in the direction we need them to go to facilitate growth of the company.
She starts by sharing misconceptions about the performance reviews and then focuses on essential tips or processes to use to gain the most from our employees.
These tips are:
1. Consistent performance tracking
2. Interim performance reviews
3. Address performance problems with a plan (as needed)
4. Pull it all together in the formal performance review.
Reviewing our employees is not a snapshot of what they have done in the recent pass, but everything they were involved with since the last review and therefore requires us as supervisors, managers and peers giving input to evaluate the total contributions of the employee. To accomplish this we can follow the five steps of a masterful performance review.
These include:
Greet the employee
Set expectations
Summarize performance
Look forward
Close
Actual examples from many different jobs and levels of jobs are included to illustrate each point covered. The dos and don’ts are covered as well as the laws governing the workplace. Examples to use cover everything from interpersonal and team skills to task and technical skills to professionalism. Each section has phrases to use for exceptional/acceptable performance, bonus phrases for the exceptional performer and a needs improvement section.
Some of the sample phrases include: (coaching skills) Sees the greatness in others and draws it out through coaching; (prioritization) She prevents office fires before they happen and (organization) Needs to create easy-to-follow work systems that successfully organize operations.
Communication can be built upon by using these phrases and others in your own words to build better employees and clear organizational goals and priorities.
Ann Sabath shares with the reader various situations that come up in doing business day to day. She gives the awkward situation, then the one minute solution on how to act or respond, and then gives the background on why this is how you respond. This background includes history of the etiquette or cultural reason you do should do this.
The book is divided into eight sections:
In the Workplace
Communicate Correctly
Business Dress Conundrums
Office Politics and Meeting Manners
Dining Dilemmas
Social Events
Travel Manners
International Etiquette Emergencies.
Some of the awkward situations include: “How to reveal that you’ve been inadvertently excluded from an important e-mail, which you learned about by hearing people discuss it” and “You’re meeting a prospective Japanese client for the first time and you don’t know whether you should shake hands or bow.” The answer to the first situation is “Drop the person who sent the original e-mail an e-mail message or note mentioning what you overheard. Share your involvement with the project and ask if you were supposed to be included on the distribution list. Your inquiry may jog the person’s mind into remembering that you were inadvertently excluded.”
This is a quick read and a great refresher for those who have been in business for a while and a great resource for newcomers to the business world. Reading this will help you avoid making those faux pas in the future that could harm your reputation.
