atkinson advisor

When you want to reinforce the importance of communicating messages repeatedly, put this equation on a flip chart or board and ask your group if they know the “Communications Rule of 9″:

Rule of 9
 
9 x 1 = 0

3 x 3 = 1

Answer: When you tell people nine different things once, on the average they remember “zero”. When you tell them three things three times, they remember one.

The SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) is a common planning tool. If you need some variety and creativity in your SWOT exercise, try using automobile analogies to engage people more in the discussion.

At the start of the SWOT analysis, ask everyone to say what kind of automobile your organization most resembles. As the group works through each of the four elements, participants can use analogies of their chosen automobile to describe the organization. For example, one person might choose Volvo and say that a strength of your organization is the feeling of safety that customers have.

This tip works because it provides planning participants immediate context and the opportunity to visualize an idea that someone is trying to express.

Next time you need an icebreaker for a meeting, try this little mind-reading exercise. Just to prove it works, we’ll read your mind virtually. Do the following 12 steps and then scroll down to the bottom of the screen for your answer.

• Pick a number between 1 and 9
• Subtract 5
• Multiply by 3
• Square the number (multiply the number by itself)
• Add the digits until you get a single digit (for example, say your number was 64: 64 = 6 + 4 = 10 then 1 + 0 = 1)
• If the number is less than 5, add 5; otherwise subtract 4
• Multiply by 2
• Subtract 6
• Relate the number you now have with a letter in the alphabet where 1 = A, 2 = B, 3 = C and so on
• Pick the name of a country that begins with that letter
• Use the second letter of the country and think of an animal that begins with that letter
• Think of the color of the animal

ICEBREAKER ANSWER:

The majority of people who do this exercise think of a…

gray elephant from Denmark.

You have 15 seconds to get across a key point about your company convincingly. Next time try the PREP approach, which stands for “Point, Reason, Examples, Point.”

• P – State your point
• R – Give the reason(s) why you believe or support your point
• E – Provide two quick examples to support your point
• P – Restate your point to conclude

Here’s an example:

• P – “I like Coke more than coffee in the morning…
• R – …because it’s reliable and safe.
• E – I know that I am going to get the same great taste with every can of Coke. And, if I spill it on my lap while driving, I won’t be scarred for life.
• P – That’s why I like Coke more than coffee in the morning.”

The PREP approach is helpful in preparing for media interviews and during meetings. It helps you quickly state and support a point you want to make.