Ensure You're Always Prepared For That Meeting

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Does anyone ever actually ‘enjoy’ the process of meetings? It can often feel like a lion's den, no matter where on the hierarchy you are. Making the effort to be assertive and have your voice heard while also listening to everyone else is a valuable skill in balance, and sometimes, your colleagues do not possess that. Of course, meetings aren’t as horrific as they’re made out to be.

A simple weekly roundup can be enlightening, or a celebratory meeting can be satisfying to experience. But sometimes, you need to defend your corner, or you need to put forward a game plan you think is truly going to make the difference. To that extent, you need to be prepared. Much like a police officer questioning a suspect and placing every small element of evidence on the table, when it comes to the important meetings, you can’t afford to leave any stone unturned.

Thankfully, this is achievable. With a good amount of preparation and no small amount of self-belief, you can ace each and every meeting you attend. Let us consider how:

Have The Right Documents on Hand

It’s important to have the right documents on hand before you present anything at a meeting. This is because if you’re not careful, you can be referring to matters that you might understand, but that others aren’t quite aware of. From department to department awareness might differ, and other colleagues may not have put in the same time to a subject as you have. Even if you don’t need them, having backup materials can be important, either printed in a folder with handouts or on a tablet you can bring in. The ability to edit PDF files can also be useful here, as you can customize certain documents to their most prescient points for clarity.

Be Punctual

Being on time for the meeting, ideally even five minutes before, can help you remain in the loop. Not only that, but part of a meeting is about visibility and attentiveness. If you know you have a big meeting in the morning, perhaps set off thirty minutes beforehand to get to the office on time, instead of dealing with an unfortunate amount of traffic that forces you to arrive ten minutes late and miss some pressing introductory points. It might sound obvious, but remaining punctual can certainly be a big deal here.

Ask Questions

It’s not enough to simply accept everything being said. If you feel you do not understand you may ask for further clarification later. Or it might be you wish to challenge someone’s summary with your own ideal. If you phrase this in a manner that seems non-confrontational but inquisitive your colleagues will often be more than happy to further clarify, or potentially elaborate more on the point. So long as you don’t do this for every single point brought up you will be seen as contributing to the meeting (providing it’s within your role to,) and can generally help a higher standard of conversation flow.

With this advice, you’ll always be prepared for that meeting.

Things To Keep In Mind When Running A Business

Running a business is no easy task at the best of times, but when things start to get tough, this is when you really start questioning whether or not you have chosen well. That being said, there are some things that you need to keep in mind when you run a business, and we are going to look at some of these down below. As such, if you are interested in finding out more concerning the things you need to keep in mind, read on.

Funds

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You always need to have money on your mind when you own a company. Movies and songs may try to tell you it’s not all about the money, but it is when you are a business owner, and unless you want to be hiring a chapter 13 bankruptcy lawyer any time soon, we recommend you realize this. If you are not good with the money side of things, then you can always hire an accountant to take care of this for you. By doing this, you are going to receive the specialist help that you need while freeing up your time to take on other roles and responsibilities within the company.

You will also find that if you hire an accountant, they will be able to give you money-saving advice as well as where you could allocate your funds better. Knowing that your finances are in safe hands is always a load of pressure off of you as the owner.

Staff

You always need to be thinking in terms of your staff. Do you have enough? Are they doing their job to the best of their ability? Is this good enough? Are they happy? And so many more important questions. Often business owners forget that their staff is the backbone of their very business and that without them there would be no company. If you are not considering how your staff then one of two things is going to happen: either your staff are going to leave, or they are not going to do their job to the best of their ability, and you are going to have to fire them.

Neither of the options mentioned above are good ones, and that is why you need to make sure that you are thinking of them. Conduct performance reviews, ask them for feedback about what it is like working for your company and implement any measures that you can think of that will make working for you better.

Marketing

The final thing that you need to be thinking of constantly is your marketing. You need to know exactly what methods you are employing, how well they are doing, areas where you can improve and a whole range of other things. It is not necessarily the case that you are going to need to hire an entire marketing team, but certainly, one person who has a background in it is going to be helpful.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and will keep these things in mind when you are a business owner!

Out-of-the-Box Date Ideas

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in a rut with the type of dates you go on? Do you ever want to try something new or exciting? Do you want your first date to be truly memorable? When it comes to dating, try to step out of the old clichés. Skip dinner and a movie. Forget about miniature golf and pizza. Ditch the boring and try something new. Here are four out-of-the-box date ideas.

Murder Mystery

Murder mysteries allow you to step out of your comfort zone. Get into character as the actors play out the murder and give clues. Then take the time for you and your date to discuss what you’ve seen and try to solve the mystery. This a great way to show your creative and fun side. Many murder mystery shows include dinner. Some even have a unique form of transportation like the dinner train Tampa Bay.

Escape Room

Escape rooms are a growing craze in the country. While this experience is not a great choice for people who get claustrophobic, most people can have a great time. You are locked in a room with your date and you get one hour to figure out how to escape. You are given clues and puzzles to solve. As you solve each one, it leads you on a trail to new puzzles. The challenge is to find all the clues and solve all the puzzles before time runs out. This is a great way for you and your date to show your communication skills and see how compatible you are.

Scavenger Hunt

Another fun idea that won’t cost you much is a date night scavenger hunt. There are dozens of printable scavenger hunts on the internet. Find one that you and your date will both enjoy. Scavenger hunts come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some require that you collect items on a list. Others might require you find items and take a picture. Some may require you to interact with other people. No matter which you choose, a scavenger hunt is a great way to have a few laughs and enjoy time with your date.

Unique Museum

No matter where you are in the country, there is bound to be a weird museum near you. Maybe you live close to the world’s largest collection of dolls. Perhaps there’s a haunted house museum. Find one of these unique museums and visit with your date. While the venue might be odd, you will neither one ever forget the date.

Try one of these ideas the next time you go out on a date. Leave the ordinary behind and try something new.

               

Sweet Gift Ideas for Mom

If your mother’s birthday is coming up soon, now is the time to start planning for the perfect gift. Skip giving her the same old flowers she gets every year. Give her something fun, exciting, and new to show her that you really care. Here are a few ideas to help you find the perfect gift for the most important woman in your life.

Forget Flowers; Give Her Food

Every mother will admit she loves getting a beautiful bouquet for her birthday, but why give the same boring flowers again and again? Everyone loves cookies, and cookie bouquets are the perfect gift idea to shake things up. They can be bought online and delivered to your doorstep, so you don't even need to leave the house to impress your loved ones.

Inexpensive Jewelry Is a Mom's Best Friend

Just about every mom would appreciate a beautiful piece of jewelry, but it doesn't have to break the bank. Inexpensive jewelry can be found easily online, or at local craft markets in your area. Small vendors will sometimes do custom work so you can give her the perfect piece to show off. Plus, you can feel better about supporting smaller local businesses, and she can brag about having a socially conscious child.

Help Grow Her Skills With a Good Book

One of the most obvious tips to personalize your birthday gift is to think about her hobbies. What does she like to do in her free time? If she likes gardening, buy her a book on gardening. Does she love cooking? Buy her a new fun cookbook to challenge her skills in the kitchen! Instructional books like these are an easy way to show her how well you know her, which is always appreciated.

Your mom doesn't need an elaborate gift to help her have a happy birthday. All she wants is a thoughtful present that shows how much you appreciate her hard work over the years.                

What does a selection criteria template look like?

Key selection criteria, or selection criteria, is one of the most important elements of public position application in Australia. By relying on selection criteria, the governmental body is able to learn more about you and establish whether or not you’re the right person for a job.

As the name implies, selection criteria explain what is expected from you. It is presented in the form of a bullet list where an agency puts ahead of you a list of requirements. For example, there are statements regarding education, work experience, expertise, skills and so on. If you’re applying for a higher position, there will be more requirements. Anyway, just by reading the list, you can tell whether or not you’re the right person for a job.

Selection criteria template

You have to keep in mind there are a lot of different public positions and agencies in Australia. That being said, jobs will vary significantly and it is really hard to create a universal template that will cover all the selection criteria. 

However, here are some of the examples of how a template might look like:

• 3+ years working as a marketing manager
• High level of expertise working in Microsoft Excel
• Proven track record
• Knowledge of another foreign language is desirable with emphasis on German
• Goal oriented, able to work as a part of a larger team

As you can see, these criteria are very similar to any other job. You can get a feel for the position just by reading it. In most cases, the list is much more complex than presented here. Keep in mind that governmental bodies usually have a much more restrictive and thorough process compared to private companies. Besides that, you might go through several interviews and tests where your competencies will be put to a test.

Things to keep in mind when preparing to respond

The candidate will have to respond to these criteria to the best of his or her ability. The initial stage usually has a big impact on whether or not you will land a job. There are certain things you can do to properly prepared and execute the process:

• Learn more about this particular job
• Learn more about the agency posting an ad
• Modify your answers so they fit according to requirements
• Create a good, simple layout
• Avoid using personal pronounce
• Be specific; go into details if needed. This is especially important for positions with more responsibility
• Don’t leave any chance for misinterpretation

Answering key selection criteria can be really easy if you know what to look for. Keep in mind that are lots of professional companies such as resume companies that can help you with this step. This might be an optimal choice if you really want to land a particular job and you think you have the necessary skills for it.

No matter what, don’t apply for a position if you don’t meet the specific requirements. The screening is really thorough so there is no need to lose time on something that you likely cannot achieve.