1. Program Structure:

Consider what meets your learning style. It’s important to select a program that is experiential and allows you to practice what you have learned.

2. Cost:

Costs can range from $2,000 to $9,000. The difference is the intensity and quality. In general, the higher the price, the better the training. But be sure to check out what is and is not included. Ask about discounts, payment plans and other financing options.

3.Reputation and Accreditation:

Check out if the program is accredited by an external organization like the International Coach Federation . Also consider how long the school has been around and whether you can speak with graduates.

4. Location:

If you want some live classroom training, which is highly recommended, distance to training can have an impact on your time and costs. Hotels are typically not included in the tuition so ask about preferential rates. Also check out proximity to airports and highways.

5. Business Development:

If you plan to run your own business, ask the school how will help with this. Many programs do not offer any marketing education, and also ask about support after graduation.

6. Deciding:

Because there are so many schools available to choose from, people get overwhelmed very easily and procrastinate. Identify the key requirements for you, follow your gut and make a decision quickly.

If you have already been through a school, what have been your experiences?

©2010 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

So here’s the kindergarten version of how social media works:

Before you get into this race you must have a strong and flexible website. For me, the whole purpose of a social media strategy is simple: to drive people to our website so that they can learn about the business and how we can help or support them.

Blogging is the key. By providing “relevant content to your business”, at least weekly (which I am committing to do!), this fresh content will greatly help your search engine optimization. This means that when people Google a word relevant to your business you will appear higher in the rankings. Blogging can also position you as an expert and, in time, people will want to hear what you have to say. If they like it, they will drive others to your website.

A Facebook Fanpage is a very effective way to let your “Fans” know what is new in your business. This could be a new blog release, a workshop or a new product. Anybody can join this group and if you have something interesting going on, they can very easily pass that information along to their friends. In order to get a Fanpage in the first place, you need to create a personal page, but you can use this minimally.

LinkedIn tends to be more professional and focuses on you, the individual. However, due to its business bias, you can use it to share relevant information and post all sorts of announcements relevant to your organization.

Twitter allows you to put information out on the public domain and if the content is good this can lead to a “following”. People can also re-tweet (or forward) your message to their following and so virally reaches a wider audience.

HooteSuite is my favorite as it has the ability to connect all the social medias together. You can use this feature to automatically update your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts all at once and keep an eye on who is communicating with you.

What’s your favorite tool or medium?  How do you use it?

Getting ‘with it’!!

-Bill Sex

Founder, New England Coaching

©2010 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

How emotional intelligence can help you get ahead

By Bill Sex

Special to the Worcester Business Journal

02/01/10

Daniel Goleman, in the Harvard Business Review, proposed that IQ and technical knowledge are mainly “threshold capabilities” and simply exist as entry level requirements for key positions.

The key is a high level of emotional intelligence, which provides the “link” — the ability to connect with and relate to other people.

So what is emotional intelligence and how does it relate to business relationships? Feelings influence the way we think and the decisions we make. For example, you wouldn’t ask your boss for a raise or more resources if he/she was in a bad mood. The response would likely be no. The scientific term for this is “mood congruent thought.” Feelings influence our outward displays and behaviors and therefore play a huge role in our relationships.

Many would argue that there is no room for the managing of emotions in the workplace; that somehow emotions are only personal. Ironically, these are the “hard” elusive skills and are the very thing that fuels or quenches the energy of the workplace.

Gaining Awareness

According to Genos, a leading international educator in emotional intelligence, “EI involves the capability to ‘intelligently’ use one’s own and others’ emotions to intentionally and efficiently deliver individual and organizational outcomes.” Some of these skills include:

Self Awareness — perceiving and understanding one’s emotions when interacting with other people.

Self Expression — expressing one’s emotions effectively and creating a greater understanding amongst colleagues about yourself.

Awareness of Others — perceiving and understanding others’ emotions and how to engage, respond, motivate and connect with them.

Emotional Reasoning — utilizing emotional information (as well as data) in decision-making.

The following short story illustrates how these skills can impact relationships.

Ideas In Action

Tom had been running his business unit for more than four years and was doing a very accomplished job — on the surface. Despite this success, people were talking. The relationship with John, his boss, had become difficult. There were disagreements, defensiveness and conversations were not as easy as they once were. Eventually, during a review, John bluntly explained how Tom was being perceived, and if it didn’t change, there would be consequences. Some of the criticisms were that:

• He had become arrogant, self-centered and less-approachable.

• He was challenging too often and becoming more disagreeable.

• He was less supportive of his team and often confronting John in public.

• He was less concerned for how people felt and made decisions unilaterally.

Through working with an executive coach, Tom came to understand how his behavior had changed. He also discovered that if he truly wanted to change there were some very simple things he could do to rebuild the necessary relationships:

• He spoke candidly to trusted colleagues about areas he could work on.

• He changed his approach when communicating with people; he listened more and asked questions with genuine curiosity.

• He tried to be more patient with people, acknowledged them more and was supportive of ideas.

• He become more reflective in his decision making and came to understand the various parties affected in order to make better decisions.

Tom never shifted in terms of his high expectations of people and the need for accountability. What he did change was his approach.

Question: What about this article resonated most with you?

©2010 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.