Content about Hospitality

March 23, 2012
What NOT to Say

When it comes to customer service, tell learners about the bad things that happened to you—primarily to make them laugh about it, but also so they think about what notto do or say to a customer. Document every customer service interaction you have, or the experiences of others you hear about—especially the bad ones—so you can pass along the dos and don’ts to your learners.

By Gisele Canova

March 7, 2012
Why People Don’t Remember You
The reality is that if you sell complex solutions, for example, it’s difficult enough to get people to understand what you do in the first place, much less enable them to remember what you do a few days later. That’s where your “unique sales stories” come in. They not only enable people to understand what you do, they also enable them to repeat your story to others.

By Mark Satterfield

To set the stage for what I’m about to share, let’s focus on something that would appear to be “a blinding grasp of the obvious.”

In order to get more referrals, people need to know who you are and what you do. You need to be top of mind when opportunities arise for people to send business your way. Now, if you sell a tangible product, this may be relatively easy. Need tires? Go to Bob. But what about when you sell services, especially high-value services that don’t lend themselves to a 10-second elevator pitch?

November 2, 2011
Developing Brilliant Leaders

Can spatially gifted, ultra-smart executives be developed? Yes, thanks to breakthroughs in neural science, say Morris Graham and Kevin Baize, authors of “Executive Thinking: From Brightness to Brilliance.” They document a neural technology of visual informational processing (VIP) training needed to increase capacity—to turbo-charge the right hemisphere of the brain for greater cross-connectivity and spatial assimilation to better accommodate new data.

By Morris Graham and Kevin Baize

October 28, 2011
You Can’t Want Anything

When it comes to creativity, wanting something does seem to get in the way of actually achieving anything. That’s why organizations should consider creating “creative zones,” little oases within the company that allow for goal-less creative activity. The oasis could be a room or it could be a certain time each week, when employees can pursue any creative assignment they like without the pressure of instant success.

By David Intrator, president, The Creative Organization

A few years before his death in 2004, Charlie Rose interviewed Henri Cartier-Bresson at his home in Paris. For years, Carier-Bresson had been recognized as one of the greatest photographers of his time, having produced an uncanny amount of photographic masterpieces. Rose was curious as to how Cartier-Bresson went about his work.

“What’s the secret?”

Without missing a beat, Cartier-Bresson answered: “You can’t want anything. You just need to be receptive.”

September 13, 2011
Supercompetent Speaking: Using Stories in Presentations

Stories help us process, visualize, and remember facts and raw data, giving complex information meaning. This makes them an invaluable part of any professional presentation, since all the bullet points and graphs might otherwise overwhelm the listener. Furthermore, because we all love to hear stories, they help us connect with people.

By Laura Stack, MBA, CSP

May 11, 2011
Riding the Rapids: Stress Management

Since we are all individuals taking the ride on this raft called life, the question is: What choices are you making? You can choose to suffer and give up, or you can practice the techniques in “Managing Your Stress in Difficult Times” by Dr. Jerry V. Teplitz to create smoother water inside yourself for you to ride.

By Dr. Jerry V. Teplitz

There’s no doubt about it—times are difficult, and that’s leading people to experience more and more stress. From being laid off, to losing your house, to having to work past when you planned to retire, you may be facing a difficult time yourself. Even if none of these calamities is affecting you personally, you know people who are being affected. At a minimum, just by reading the newspapers and online reports and by watching TV news shows and listening to commentators, you’re probably feeling nervous about the future.

July 30, 2010
Fit To Lead

Are your C-suite and high-level managers lacking something, but you can't put your finger on it? Their plans for the company sound reasonable, but when they talk about the strategy in meetings, there's a lack of vitality to the delivery. "They're just not into meetings and public speaking engagements," you tell yourself. Unfortunately, the problem may be graver than that. They may be suffering from ill health ranging from undetected heart disease to a general malaise from overwork. The solution? A wellness program targeted to their needs.