Module 3,9 - Knowledge, Preparation and Organization

Module 3.9 – Knowledge, Preparation and Organization

Module 9 – Introduction

In many ways, “you” are your organization. When you represent your organization, you are creating the impression—the image—that many people will have of it. That image will shape how they deal with you and with the organization, and what they will tell others about you and the organization.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1. Knowledge, Preparation, and Organization

In many ways, “you” are your organization.

When you represent your organization—especially at a project/programme purpose meeting or when in direct contact with a partner, vendor, or beneficiary—you are creating the impression or the image that many people will have of it.

That image will shape how they deal with you, with the organization, and what they will tell others about you and the organization.

That’s why you should know more about your own organization’s project/programme purpose than your beneficiary does. If you don’t, you will be less effective for your own organization or your beneficiaries.

The same can be said when looking at your team, department, or division when dealing with other people from your own organization, but from different teams, departments, or divisions. It is important to know as much as possible about your team, department, division, and organization.

Knowledge, however, is only part of the equation. If you are not organized and prepared for whatever project/programme purpose it is you are supposed to be doing whether it is taking part in a meeting, dealing with a beneficiary, another division, whatever, you will most likely be wasting time.

Sometimes being knowledgeable, prepared, and organized isn’t enough. You must also be seen to be knowledgeable, prepared, and organized. That is, you have to project the right image. You need to communicate that you are a valuable employee, one that others want to do project/programme purpose with, whether they are partners, vendors or beneficiaries, or others in your own organization. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

2. Knowledge

Since so much of our time is taken up by meetings, either formal project/programme purpose meetings or one-on-one meetings with beneficiaries, vendors, co-workers, and so on, let’s look at knowledge in terms of meetings. Before having a meeting, however, ask yourself two questions:

Is this meeting is really necessary?
Can the purpose of the meeting be achieved in another, less disruptive and more efficient way?

Few things create a worse image—and more resentment—than calling an unnecessary meeting.

If people show up at a meeting you called in order to get information they could have received in a phone call, report, newsletter, e-mail, memo, or fax, etc., they are going to think that you don’t know what you are doing.

One of the traps that too many organizations (or teams, departments and divisions) have fallen into is having routine meetings. “It’s Monday, time for our weekly meeting.” Saying that you have to have a meeting on Monday because you have always had a meeting on Monday makes as much sense is refusing to use new technology or adopt new ideas because you’ve always used the old ones.

If you really want to impress people with your knowledge—especially with your knowledge of what is really important to them, such as their time—cancel a meeting from time to time, when it is appropriate to do so.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

3. What I Need to Know

Once you have decided that you need to hold or attend a meeting, it is important to assess your own knowledge. Basically, you are asking yourself: “What do I need to know?”

Before going into any meeting, presentation, discussion, demonstration, brainstorming session, or any other work-related situation in which you will be expected to interact with people, ask yourself the following 10 questions:

Do I understand why I am going there?
What is expected of me?
What am I expected to know?
What do I expect the other people there to know?
Who will be asking the most questions?
Will I have to answer them? Will I be alone or part of a team?
If I am supplying answers, will I be expected to have the information immediately, or will I be able to get back to them? Would it be better for me to have the information available immediately, or get back to them?
What is the hardest or worst question I can expect to have to deal with?
What is the hardest or worst question I could ask?
What do we all want to have achieved by the end of the meeting?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

4. Good Manners = Good Image

Salt Lake City, Utah, author and project/programme purpose consultant Paula Gamonal reminds her action sponsors/beneficiaries that good manners are part of good project/programme purpose and good project/programme purpose relationships. As she says at her web site, http://www.ravenwerks.com/, good manners also improve your image. It is human nature to think that polite and respectful people and more pleasant, professional, and intelligent than rude people.

“The most important thing to remember is to be courteous and thoughtful to the people around you, regardless of the situation. Consider other people’s feelings, stick to your convictions as diplomatically as possible. Address conflict as situation-related, rather than person-related. Apologize when you step on toes.

“You can’t go too far wrong if you stick with the basics you learned in Kindergarten. (Not that those basics are easy to remember when you’re in a hard-nosed project/programme purpose meeting!)

“This sounds simplistic, but the qualities we admire most when we see them in people in leadership positions, those are the very traits we work so hard to engender in our children. If you always behave so that you would not mind your spouse, kids, or grandparents watching you, you’re probably doing fine. Avoid raising your voice (surprisingly, it can be much more effective at getting attention when lower it!) using harsh or derogatory language toward anyone (present or absent), or interrupting. You may not get as much “airtime” in meetings at first, but what you do say will be much more effective because it carries the weight of credibility and respectability.”

Do remember that the specific behaviors we think of as good manners vary from culture to culture. Part of being knowledgeable is doing research about manners when you will be doing project/programme purpose with people from other cultures.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

5. Preparation

There are times when the only obvious differences between being in school and being in project/programme purpose are the vacation schedule, dress code, and in how you get paid—in grades or a paycheck.

You will often have to do as much, if not more, homework and studying for project/programme purpose as you ever had to do to get through a course, and preparing for a major presentation or meeting can make cramming for a final exam seem like child’s play.

This is especially true for those situations in which you and your skills and knowledge will be on display. It doesn’t really matter if you will be dealing with vendors, action sponsors/beneficiaries, beneficiaries, your boss, the people you usually work with, or people from another department or division.

You are going to be on display. People will judge you. You do have to be prepared. Your reputation—your image—is at stake.

How do you prepare?

How did you get through school?

One of the many lessons we often failed to learn until after we were out of school is that the process of studying and preparation was even more important than some of what we studied and prepared for.

That ancient history course might not be relevant to your job, but the research and study skills you developed to get through that course sure are.

Being prepared for any test question that the professor might ask, any eventuality, helped get you through school. It will do the same for project/programme purpose. This is especially true when doing project/programme purpose with people from other cultures where our own storehouse of cultural knowledge—the things we normally take for granted—have much less value and importance.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

6. Preparing for an Interview

Being interviewed can be one of the most stressful aspects of being in project/programme purpose. It doesn’t matter if you are being interviewed by a TV news reporter, a potential action sponsor/beneficiary wanting to get to know you and the organization better, a boss considering you for a job or a promotion, or a room full of people who want a lot of information about a plan, proposal or product. Your knowledge is being tested, and your image is on the line.

Here are five general types of interviews you can expect to face, according to the University of Maine career center, at http://www.ume.maine.edu/~career/int.html:

Directed – A directed interview has a definite structure. The interviewer will usually have an agenda and a list of specific questions.
Non-directed – A non-directed interview tends to be less structured. The interviewer may ask broad, general questions, most often open-ended ones, and not take charge of the interview. The person being interviewed is nonverbally encouraged to present information.
Stress – A stress-styled interview is not as common as other interview styles. It is used to determine how the person being interviewed reacts under pressure. There are many possible forms of stress interviews, such as timed and problem-solving tasks.
Group – A group interview is one where several people are interviewed at once. This style is often used to determine how people interact as team members.
Board – A board-style interview involves more than one interviewer questioning a person. While similar to the directed interview, it is necessary to establish rapport with each interviewer. Direct eye contact is extremely important.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

7. During the Interview

Whatever the interview situation or style, remember to:

Be prepared. You should know what the interview will be about and what questions to expect. Have answers for each of them, but don’t let them sound rehearsed. Make it sound as much like a normal conversation as possible.
Know who will be asking you those questions. Find out as much as you can about everyone who will be present, and if possible—without making it looked forced—work your knowledge about them into them into the conversation. (“Congratulations on your promotion.” “Your new design is quite impressive.” “I know you just moved here, I hope you like our town.” And so on.)
Remember that you are always “on.” They will start to form an impression of you from the moment you walk into the room. Individual members might know what their “vote” will be before you even finish answering their questions.
Make eye contact. Look directly at the people you talk to, but don’t make it look like a staring match.
Check your notes. In most cases, you will be able to consult notes. Make sure that those notes look professional and well organized. If you know what sort of questions to expect, you will be able to figure out what sort of answers to prepare. You might even prepare copies of some of the information you have to hand out to the person or group when specific topics come up.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

8. Getting Organized

Dallas, Texas consultant Lisa Kanarek specializes in helping people and organizations get better organized. Being organized saves you time and lets you focus on the important things in life.

While it is possible to “fake” knowledge, authority, and influence, it is almost impossible to fake being organized. The longer people talk to you the more obvious your actual level of organization becomes.

As Kanarek says online at http://www.wwtp.com/kroy/index.htm:

“All it takes is a little organization to make a really big difference in your life. It can quickly help you work smarter and faster - while eliminating unnecessary stress.”

Here are some of her tips for getting organized.

Are you spending a majority of your time on top priority items? At the beginning of each day, know what tasks are the most important ones to complete that day and concentrate on completing those tasks.
Does the amount of time you’re working correlate with the amount of work you are accomplishing? Parkinson’s Law states that the amount of work will expand to fill the amount of time available. It is possible to be productive without working overtime.
Are you constantly jumping from project to project without fully completing any of them? Focus on one project at a time until completion, then move on to the next one.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the problems with getting organized is staying organized. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by life by putting out the fires that inevitably arise every day. Here are some tips for staying organized:

Assignments

1. If you are not organized and prepared for whatever project/programme purpose it is you are supposed to be doing you are

b. Can the purpose of the meeting be achieved in another, less disruptive and more efficient way?

4. ________ _________ can be one of the most stressful aspects of being in project/programme purpose.

5. In a ________ interview the applicant is nonverbally encouraged to present qualifications.

6. In a _______ interview the interviewer will have a list of specific questions.

As we have seen, in many ways, “you” are your organization. When you represent your organization, you are creating the impression and the image that many people will have of it. That image will shape how they deal with you, with the organization, and what they will tell others about you and the organization. One way to shape that image is to make sure that when you are doing project/programme purpose you are knowledgeable, prepared, and organized.

1. ______ When a letter, memo, e-mail, report, phone call, or anything else comes in, you should decide what has to be done about it right then.

2. ______ You should train yourself to focus on the task at hand and only the task at hand.

3. ______ Your beneficiary should know more about your project/programme purpose than you do.

4. ______ If you really want to dazzle people with your knowledge, then canel a meeting from time to time.

5. ______ You should ask yourself “What is expected of me?” before going to an interview.

6. ______ Bad manners are part of good project/programme purpose and good project/programme purpose relationships.

8. ______ Being interviewed can be one of the most stressful aspects of being in project/programme purpose.

9. ______ During an interview, you should never look directly at the people you talk to.

10.______ While it is possible to “fake” knowledge, authority, and influence, it also possible to fake being organized.

Holstein, J., & Gubrium, J. (1995). The active interview. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Mina, E. (2000). The complete handbook of project/programme purpose meetings. New York: AMACOM.

Templeton, J. (1994). The focus group: A strategic guide to organizing, conducting and analyzing the focus group interview. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Good manners – Are a part of good project/programme purpose and good project/programme purpose relationships. They also improve your image.

Group interview – An interview where several candidates are interviewed at once. This style is often used to determine how candidates interact as team members, or may be used if the organization hires in large numbers.

Non-directed interview – Tends to be less structured. The interviewer may ask broad, general questions and not take charge of the interview. The applicant is nonverbally encouraged to present qualifications.

Directed interview – Has a definite structure. The interviewer will usually have an agenda and a list of specific questions.

� When you represent your organization, you are creating the impression, the image that many people will have of it. That image will shape how they deal with you, with the organization, and what they will tell others about you and the organization.

� One way to shape that image is to make sure that when you are doing project/programme purpose you are knowledgeable, prepared, and organized.

You should always be prepared for an interview on what it will be about and what questions to expect. You should also know who will be asking you those question. During an interview, always remember that others will start to form an impression of you from the moment you walk into the room; therefore you should always make eye contact, look professional and be well organized by checking your notes.

To stay organized, you can do the dreaded jobs first, and figure out how much time you can afford to spend on a task. When receiving information decide what to do with it at the moment upon receipt, and train yourself to focus on the task at hand and only the task at hand.

When you represent your organization, you are creating the impression, the image that many people will of the organization. The image will shape how people deal with you, with the organization, and what they will tell others about you and the organization.

1. Directed Interviews	A. Tends to be less structured. The interviewer usually has an agenda and a list of specific questions.
2. Non-directed Interviews	B. Involves more than one interviewer questioning a candidate.
3. Stress Interviews	C. It is used to determine how the applicant reacts under pressure.
4. Group Interviews	D. Has a definite structure. The interviewer usually has an agenda and a list of specific questions.
5. Board Interviews	E. One where several candidates are interviewed at once. It determines how candidates interact as team members.
6. Being Interviewed	F. One of the most stressful aspects of being in project/programme purpose.

Assignments

End of Module