Top   Contents   Colloquium Main Page	Engineering Colloquium Speaker Series - "The Effective Engineer"   Making Presentations...Positive Impressions that Last (What your mother never told you)   A Teleconference between Cal Poly Pomona & CSU Hayward Web page design by Steve Van Dyke and Phil Rosenkrantz Winter 1999 Presented by:   Larry Phelan Beckman-Coulter "I want to give management a reason to invest in you."   Contents:    Introduction   Meetings Kinds of Meetings - with subordinates - with peers - with superiors Agendas Minutes Meeting Presentations   Written Presentations E-mail Memos Reports Work Objectives Performance Reports   Appearance Work Space Organization Mannerisms   Summary
Top   Contents   Colloquium Main Page	Introduction "All the world is a stage" William Shakespeare What is in this for YOU ? Reduce the shock you will experience in your first job. Better Performance. Better assignments. Larger pay raises. Promotions.   What is in this for me?   "Cal Poly Pomona is my alma mater. I want upper management to know that their Great employees are Cal Poly Pomona graduates. I want upper management to feel that when they make donations to Cal Poly Pomona, they are making an investment in the company's future."  Definition from Webster's Dictionary Presentation: 1 - a descriptive or persuasive account. 2 - something set forth for the attention of the mind.
Top   Contents   Colloquium Main Page	Meetings The purpose of most meetings is to act collectively: To transmit information. To make a decision. To draft a proposal. To maintain relations. Kinds of Meetings: Meetings with Subordinates Appear less intimidating and more open. Promote honesty and worthwhile dialog. Seek input to solutions. Participants will not have the bigger picture. Your authority is clear. You can delegate. Meetings with Peers Your authority is not clear and can be challenged. Peers perceive they have an equal voice. Use an agenda. Members will presume that you alone possess the input from all of the members. Meetings with Superiors You can not really lead. Prepare thoroughly. Present complete information. Present possible solutions. Seek clear mandate for going forward. When you call a Meeting Limit the number of participants. State what the meeting is to accomplish Send out an Agenda ahead of time. After the meeting, issue Meeting Minutes or a Summary.
	Agendas Helps people prepare for the meeting. Communicates what is to be considered. In the meeting, it can be used as a mechanism for order and control. Can be used to measure the success of the meeting. Minutes or Summary List the attendees. Summarize the discussion, acknowledge input and alternate points of view. Detail the assigned actions with due dates. Set expectation of future meeting.
	Presentations If you have good stage presence, your supervisor may use you to present. If you have excellent Power Point skills, your supervisor may assign you to generate presentations that others may present. Set up the meeting as much as possible by trying to avoid surprising people with unexpected results. Make sure someone is watching the "body language" of the audience so that negative people and points of major contention can be identified and addressed.  A Synonym for MEETING can be:   Combat, Battle, Conflict, Fight, Contest, Duel, Contention, Struggle
Top   Contents   Colloquium Main Page	Written Presentations  E-Mail Quick and easy. Good way to document agreements. Keep them brief, simple and factual. Keep the distribution to a minimum. Do NOT forward Emails to the world. No allowance for Spelling errors. There is some allowance for Grammar. Not a substitute for face-to-face communication. Do not use with sensitive or confrontational issues. Writing in all "CAPS" will be interpreted as "yelling".
	Memos There is an established format, follow it. More formal than Email. Keep them simple and factual. Keep the distribution to a minimum. Spelling and Grammar are important.
	Reports and Proposals Follow the established format. Reports and Proposals going outside of your department will be Proof-Read by your supervisor. Stay factual, do NOT be dramatic. BAD: The module got so hot, it could have burned down the building. GOOD: Testing revealed that the module exceeded the maximum allowable temperature. Monthly Reports Justify your existence. Information your customer needs, that they haven't already received from some place else. Timely.
	Use Work Objectives: To align the individual with the organization's goals. To share responsibilities for the results. To increase the individual's commitment. Developing Work Objectives: Obtain a copy of your Job Description. Identify the Essential Functions of your job. Obtain a copy of your departments Mission Statement. Objectives are outcomes, Not actions. Accomplishment Reports (used for Performance Reviews) Up front planning really pays off. Through out the year, capture items to include in it. Gather all of those "Good Work" memos. Seek feedback from your customers.
Top   Contents   Colloquium Main Page	Appearance  Workspace Never have anything in your workspace that you would not want Everyone else to see. Never have anything in your work space that is disrespectful to anyone else. Do not expect privacy.
	Organization Manage your time. Manage your To Do List. Manage your vacation and personnel time. Manage your ongoing quest for learning.
	Mannerisms Acknowledge people. Get your action items done on time. Answer your Email and Phone Mail promptly, even if it is only to acknowledge that you received it. Project a positive attitude.
Top   Contents   Colloquium Main Page	Summary You want to project: Confidence Cooperation Efficiency Professionalism