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Updates from February, 2009

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  How to Make Business Mentoring Work

  Partner 12:00 am on February 22, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  Have you ever wondered why some business mentoring relationships seem to be working out just fine while others may start off with a bang and then eventually simply seem to disintegrate gradually? Before long, mentor and mentee have not communicated in months, and the relationship appears to be strained at best.

  Sure, business mentoring, just like any other business relationship, might not always work out, but by and large a mentoring relationship should weather the storms and offer a much used avenue of communication for those involved.

  How to make business mentoring work is of course not a one sided endeavor and even though the more experienced mentor might initially be the driving force behind making the relationship work, it is the mentee who needs to be diligent about approaching the mentor and not letting the relationship fizzle.

  It is tempting for the mentee to believe that she or he has learned all there is to learn and a few early successes might actually foster that sense of accomplishment and might make it a foregone conclusion that the business mentoring relationship has lived out its usefulness. Nothing could be further from the truth!

  It is precisely the moment of success that business mentoring becomes more crucial than ever! After all, now that the momentum has presented itself, does it not stand to reason that this is a premier opportunity to expand on the business mentoring to take the business to the next level?

  Resting on your laurels will most likely make the initial success and exception to the rule and failure to duplicate the early fiscal success most likely will result in a failure to grow the business and live up to your success potential.

  On the flipside, if you are able to maximize on your success by involving your business mentor, you will most likely set up yourself and your business for a most profitable ride. Of course, remember that a business mentor must not be taken advantage of.

  The most commonly heard complaint from those in the mentoring seat of the relationship is that they are used rather than learned from and this of course will lead to the ultimate destruction of the relationship.

  Therefore it is advisable to use the first fiscal signs of success as a springboard to alter the mentor and mentee business mentor relationship.

  Perhaps the mentee could cut in the mentor for a percentage of the profits, or in the alternative find a way to pay the mentor a consulting fee. Even if the mentor will waive any such suggestions, the fact that it was sincerely offered will go a long way to ensuring that relationship will grow and remain strong.

  How to make the business mentoring relationship work and grow over the course of the business success does not have to be a secret and it will not require a lot of contractual wrangling about assets and profit sharing. Instead, it should be a mix of gratitude and tangible remuneration seasoned with a liberal dose of respect.

  Debrah Kinsler is a network marketer based in TN.
  Her website focuses on helping people start a home
  business by providing tools, tips, and techniques and
  features three free e-books that will benefit any new
  or existing small businessnetworking Income

   

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  Benefits Of Learning About Excel Charts

  Partner 12:00 am on February 21, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  Whether you deal with scientific or business data, Microsoft Excel is a valuable tool for storing your information in powerful spreadsheets. When you need to communicate your data or extrapolate trends, Microsoft Excel has the ability to display your results in a variety of graphical formats. The user can select a chart type, a chart style and a chart layout. However, there is an art to achieving maximal visual impact which requires you to choose the format that is best suited to your needs.

  A chart is a graphical representation of your data. If you are new to Microsoft Excel, you may be unaware of the different chart types and subtypes that are available for use. Available options include the following:
  Column charts – subtypes include clustered column, stacked column, 3-D column and cylinder, cone, and pyramid charts
  Line charts – subtypes include line with markers, stacked line and stacked line with markers and 3-D line charts
  Pie charts – subtypes include pie in 3-D, pie of pie, bar of pie and exploded pie charts
  Bar charts – subtypes include clustered bar, stacked bar in 3-D and horizontal cylinder, cone and pyramid pie charts
  Area charts – subtypes include 2-D area, 3-D area and stacked area charts
  XY (scatter) charts – subtypes include scatter with markers, smooth lines or straight lines
  Stock charts – subtypes include high-low-close, open-high-low-close and volume-high-low-close charts
  Surface charts – subtypes include 3-D surface, wireframe 3-D surface, contour and wireframe contour charts
  Doughnut charts – subtypes include doughnut and exploded doughnut charts
  Bubble charts – subtypes include bubble and bubble with 3-D effect
  Radar charts – subtypes include radar with markers and filled radar charts

  Training will enable you understand the differences between these various formats and therefore allow to select the appropriate graph for displaying your data, whether you are dealing with product inventories, financial figures or scientific research data. The goal is to create a high impact chart that effectively communicates data to your intended audience.

  Having selected a chart type, modifications may be required to highlight particular trends, for example. Charts can be customized with pictures, graphics, shapes, colours, additional shortcuts, fills and labels. There are different options for viewing your charts whether on paper or on screen. Excel courses will cover ways of manipulating graphs and how to use these features to best effect.

  Even if you are familiar with creating charts in Excel, you may feel that you could be using the software more effectively and thereby save yourself time. At an advanced level, Excel courses cover the use of VBA to create and modify charts.

  Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on excel courses, please visit microsofttraining.net

   
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  Dreamweaver: Business Benefits Of Web Design Skills

  Partner 12:00 am on February 21, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  Dreamweaver software is used to design and maintain web pages and is considered to be a professional choice because of its’ WYSIWYG features. In other words, developers can code whilst viewing the website at the same time. Web design skills are becoming increasingly useful in the business world, to both small businesses and large organisations. By having the ability to create and maintain a website, businesses can enhance their reputation and profits in numerous ways.

  Enhanced Company Profile
  In the business market today, companies are increasingly expected to have a website. It suggests that a business is modern, up-to-date and has the capability to compete in the global marketplace. As long as the website is well designed, it can go a long way towards creating a positive image of the company and help to bring in new business.

  Improved Customer Service
  Good customer service is a key part of maintaining business success. A good website makes it easy for clients to browse product information at their leisure. They are often able to answer many questions for themselves from the information presented on the website. This benefits company staff because less time is spent on the phone dealing with simple queries and more time can be focussed on complex enquiries. Of course, all this information is available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week and this is very convenient for both potential and existing clients.

  Better communication
  Having a website assists communication within an organisation. Company news can be quickly displayed online and employees can therefore be easily informed of any important developments. Useful information, such as company guidelines and protocols can be stored on the website. This can assist employees in doing their duties and contribute to improved working lives.

  Better recruitment opportunities
  Using the company website for recruitment as opposed to a newspaper, for example, can bring numerous benefits. These include cost savings, ease of use, speedy posting of new jobs, twenty four hour access and increased exposure to potential employees.

  Having made the decision to have a website, it is valuable to have personnel trained in the use of the appropriate software. These skills are not only necessary in the early stages of setting up a website but for the duration of its’ existence. This is because it is important that the website is maintained and updated as new developments take place. Dream weaver training uk is well worth considering as it can benefit both your business and your potential earnings.

  Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on dream+weaver+training+uk, please visit microsofttraining.net

   
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  Advanced Level Training: Microsoft Excel And The Web

  Partner 12:00 am on February 20, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  In the business world, the ability to communicate with clients and colleagues, wherever they are located, has been made much easier with access to the internet and those without access to a computer are fast becoming a minority. Computer software companies keep pace with these changes by releasing new versions of software which allow integration between various technologies to take place more easily.

  Microsoft Excel, for example, has a feature which allows Excel data to be published on the Web. As a user of Excel, you may have mastered the necessary skills to create spreadsheets and workbooks containing large amounts of valuable business data. However, it is vital that you are able to distribute this data in an efficient and effective manner to all interested parties.

  On an advanced level Excel course, you can learn how to save your Excel workbooks as a web page. There are several different ways of doing this.

  Making an Interactive Workbook
  An interactive Excel workbook can be published on the Web as an html file. Users are able to manipulate data, change formulae and view different sheets within the workbook. The types of changes that can be made depend on the type of data that is contained within the workbook. Additionally, changes can only be saved if the workbook is exported back to Excel and then republished on the Web.

  Making a Non-interactive Workbook
  A non-interactive workbook appears exactly as it would in Excel but users are unable to make any changes to the data. It is a very useful way of distributing key data to a wide audience with just a few taps on your keyboard. Excel has an AutoRepublish feature which means that your work is automatically updated on the web each time updates are made. It is important that you are fully aware of how this feature works so that confidential data is not inadvertently made available to the wrong parties.

  Publishing portions of a spreadsheet on the Web
  Worksheets, pivot table reports, ranges of cells, filtered lists and print areas can be saved on a Web page and can be manipulated by users if they are saved with spreadsheet functionality. This means that they will be able to enter, format, calculate and analyse data. Sorting and filtering operations can also be performed.

  By attending advanced Excel ms training, it is possible to gain an insight into how Microsoft Excel can be displayed on the Web and how this can benefit your business.

  Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on advanced excel ms training, please visit microsofttraining.net

   
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  Reasons To Consider Microsoft Access Training

  Partner 12:00 am on February 20, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  Microsoft Access is a popular database program because both professionals and non-IT professionals can use it to solve a wide range of database problems in a cost-effective manner. Although more time is required to master the intricacies of this piece of software, the long-term benefits to businesses are numerous.

  Businesses can use databases in many different ways. On an organisational level, databases can be used for processing large amounts of data such as tracking customer orders and for accounts. Microsoft Access has the capability to ensure that the data is secure and protected from system crashes. Training in various Microsoft Access techniques gives employees confidence in managing business data which can lead to increased efficiency in the workplace.

  Teams within an organisation may use Microsoft Access databases to analysis data and generate reports. This can prove extremely useful and save employees much time and effort. Microsoft Access has the ability to link to many data sources which makes it an excellent tool for generating reports. Added to this, is the fact that Access integrates with Microsoft Office so that users can import data into Word or Excel with ease. Reports can be presented in numerous formats and it is not necessary to re-enter formulae and data each time. Reports can be customised to meet the requirements of the user.

  Individuals within a department may create their own databases to assist them in their day to day duties. Rather than juggling business contact data for example, between a various storage mediums, all relevant data can be accurately stored in a Microsoft Access database. Furthermore, it is convenient to track down and sort information contained within a Microsoft Access database as searches based on an unlimited number of criteria can be performed.

  When it comes to selecting database software, Microsoft Access is an extremely cost-effective solution. Each organisation has different requirements in terms of how databases can be used to improve data management and importantly, these requirements may change over time. Additionally, Microsoft Access supports the rapid development of databases as less code is required compared with alternative software solutions. This means that results can be generated quickly and productivity is ultimately enhanced.

  Having identified a need for Microsoft Access within an organisation, the next step is to plan a training program for employees. There are many options available to those wishing to become students of Microsoft Access. Access training is readily accessible and can prove to be beneficial both on an individual and an organisational level.

  Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on access.training, please visit microsofttraining.net

   
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  Reasons To Undertake Microsoft Project Training

  Partner 12:00 am on February 20, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  Some people have the ability to make decisions on the spot and to feel one hundred percent confident that they have made the right choice. Others need time to reflect on the different options available to them and carefully weigh up the pros and cons before making a final choice.

  Whichever method is best suited to your personality, it is often useful just to take a little time to think over how a choice you make can benefit you and those around you. Training options often have to be carefully discussed with your employer and perhaps you may have to justify why the training is required and how it can benefit the business in the long-term. Let us consider Microsoft Project and how training could benefit your working life.

  As with any qualification, completion of a Microsoft Project training course could enhance your C.V. Whether it simply helps to open doors for you or allows you to climb up the career ladder a little bit faster, a Microsoft Project training course may be worth considering. An additional qualification can be an extra bargaining chip when it comes to negotiating your next pay rise. Or perhaps it could allow you to take on new responsibilities at work by becoming involved in the training of new staff.

  By learning tips and tricks to use Microsoft Project in the best possible way, there is potential for you to increase your efficiency at work. Project management can be a pressurized environment in which to work and so, training can mean that frustrations with the computer software can become a thing of the past. One less thing for you to worry about!

  The manner in which you present your work is vital for successful outcomes. If your data cannot be clearly reported, then it becomes less meaningful to those working with you. Microsoft Project enables the user to produce customized reports with the aid of a wizard. An efficient user of Microsoft Project can therefore encourage and support effective coordination and communication within their team.

  A training environment offers you the opportunity to gain some hands on experience with the benefit of having an expert on hand for support. Many Microsoft Project courses incorporate real life scenarios as training tools. Furthermore, courses often include a session on the principles of project management as part of their syllabus. This is particularly important if you are new to project management because it will make the tools and functions available in Microsoft Project more meaningful to you.

  Whether you require basic, intermediate or advanced Microsoft Project training, simply taking some time to consider how it could benefit your career could make the decision making process a little easier.

  Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on microsoft projects training, please visit microsofttraining.net

   
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  Why Do I Need To Use Access?

  Partner 12:00 am on February 20, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  Microsoft Access is not an easy piece of software to learn and some people find Access courses to be frustrating as a result. The question some of them ask is whether Access might be overkill for what they are doing. Excel has simple database functions, so couldn’t you just use that instead? The answer is a definite “maybe”.

  Relational vs. Flat File Databases
  An Excel database is a flat file database. All of your information is kept in rows and columns as though on a piece of paper. The classic example of a flat file database is a list in which each line contains name, address, and phone number. This could be customer records or an employee internal extension list.

  If this is all you need from your database then Excel will work just fine. You can even perform simple database functions like extracting a list of all of the customers who live in a certain city for targeted mailings.

  Access is a relational database. The structure of a relational database is more complex. It consists of several tables, each like a flat file database, but the tables are linked to each other by common identifiers.

  Most businesses need to keep track of more than just customer addresses. A second table of all orders placed would link to the customer address table by means of a customer ID. This would allow you to perform searches such as people who ordered blue widgets in December 2006 or who ordered more than 500 dollars in one month.

  Keys that You Need to Consider Access Courses
  Often our databases grow over time and projects that worked in Excel two years ago need to be converted to Access now. How do we find these? Here are a few clues.

  - When you add or change information, do you have to do it in multiple places in a workbook or even across multiple workbooks?
  - Do several people need to view and change the data simultaneously?
  - Is the project becoming so large that it is hard to find the data you want?
  - Are you printing mailing labels or generating reports based on the data?

  These are the major reasons the people decide to take the plunge and enroll in Access courses. Once they convert the project to a relational database, they find the work flows much more smoothly and fewer errors are made.

  The Transition to Access
  As mentioned above, some people are scared off by Access courses so decide to stay with their inefficient Excel databases.

  If that has been your problem, find a vendor who customizes Access courses to your needs. The instructor can use your Excel database as an example and can show you the specific steps you need to take to convert the data. You will get the tools you need for your specific application.

  Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on access courses, please visit microsofttraining.net

   
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  Microsoft Excel Training Courses Or Consultants: Which Is Better For Your Company?

  Partner 12:00 am on February 20, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  Microsoft Excel is one of the most common software applications used in the world, employed in statistical analysis, simple database projects, and even as interactive whiteboards and branching storybooks.

  Nearly every organization uses Excel and yet its versatility makes it a difficult application to master. Many businesses face the need to use Excel in a way that is beyond their current capabilities, either to create a one-time application or as an ongoing need, and need a way to give their employees the needed skills.

  The obvious choice to do this is to investigate Microsoft Excel training courses. However many companies are hiring consultancy services instead, and have a Microsoft-certified Excel expert come in to help the staff create the application they need. Each approach has advantages.

  Consultancy for Organization with Limited Needs
  If your business has a narrow application for Excel, then Microsoft Excel training courses will contain a lot of irrelevant information that is likely to just frustrate and confuse your staff. For example, a small insurance company might want a simple employer database to generate reports on upcoming renewals. They don’t need statistical and financial functions or even simple arithmetic. All they would need is training on Excel’s database functions.

  Another business might have a spreadsheet they have been using but that was created years ago by someone who has since left the company. The old spreadsheet is becoming less useful as details of the business change. They don’t need a new workbook. They need someone who can help them update different parts of the sheet to provide needed new functionality.

  Consultancy training is more focused than typical Microsoft Excel training courses, which is both the strength and weakness of the technique.

  Microsoft Excel Training Courses for General Needs
  Most organizations use Excel in a more widespread manner. Many employees are using the application and they are using a variety of functions. Traditional training courses are likely to be more appropriate. Each student receives a broad foundation of knowledge and even experienced Excel users have “I didn’t know you could do that” moments.

  The generalized nature of the information means that some employees will be learning techniques they will never use, but instructor-led training is likely to be less expensive than bringing in a consultant.

  Customized Microsoft Excel Training
  One compromise between the two is to find a training provider who offers onsite Microsoft Excel training courses that can be customized to your needs. The instructor will create a course which will emphasize the material that is important to your company, even using your own spreadsheets as examples. For the right situation it combines the low price of traditional training with the focus of consultancy.

  This provides less one-on-one support than consultancy but may be a good solution for a staff of inexperienced Excel users. They get the basic skills they need, but directed toward the specific tasks they will perform in their jobs.

  Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on microsoft excel training courses, please visit microsofttraining.net

   
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  Communication Skills: The Key To The Bottom Line

  Partner 12:00 am on February 13, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  For every business, strong communication skills are essential. It’s impossible to function successfully without effective communication internally between employees and externally with clients, suppliers and other stakeholders. Weak communication can lead to misunderstandings, a lack of productivity, unhappy staff and poor (or non-existent) customer relationships.

  A company’s bottom line and potential for growth really are linked to the strength of its people’s communication. Good employers know this and devote training and coaching to the cultivation and development of effective communication skills among their staff.

  There are several areas people need to think about when communicating, including clarity, impact and awareness and appropriateness of method. Communication skills training can help with all of these. Here are just a few initial thoughts.

  Firstly, is your message clear? Whether you’re presenting in public, writing an email or in a one-to-one meeting, has your audience understood what you’re trying to convey? Do they take away what you want them to? Are they clear what you want them to do?

  The words you choose, length of communication, positioning of key messages and careful thought to the environment you’re communicating in will all have an effect on the clarity of your communication. Running through what you’re going to say at least on your own, but preferably with someone else, will help identify any potential misunderstandings and avoid the main message being missed.

  Secondly, are you and your people communicating with impact? And just as importantly, with the right impact? When you speak, do people listen? Are you remembered and for the right reasons? Being impactful is one of the most important communication skills. When you have the right impact, people like you, they buy in to what you’re saying and you’ll find it easier to influence, persuade and get people to do what you want. This is vital for all levels in business: for cooperation between team members, leadership of staff, partnerships with suppliers and gaining and retaining clients.

  There are many ways of enhancing impact: from making the best first impression (by wearing the right clothes, making eye contact, getting your handshake right and making your opening line count), to building rapport and adapting the content and style of your communication to be relevant and appealing to your audience.

  Communication skills training helps build an awareness of different personal styles and gives people techniques for making an impact when dealing with different personality types. Awareness of oneself is a crucial communication skill.

  Ensuring for example that enthusiasm and confidence don’t come across as arrogance and that timidity and compliance aren’t seen as incompetence. From body language to physical appearance, being aware of how you are projecting yourself to others is vital for effective communication. Training and coaching will give you feedback and guidance in this area.

  Thirdly, do you always choose the best method of communication? There are many ways of corresponding with colleagues and clients and half of the battle is choosing the right one.

  For traceability purposes it might be essential to send an email or letter, however with potentially sensitive issues it might be more suitable to speak with an individual one to one. Other considerations should include the importance of the message, the level of technical content and time constraints of the audience.

  In many business situations it is essential to be able to build relationships with colleagues, clients and prospects quickly through effective communication skills. Skills and techniques can be utilised to create open channels of communication in short amounts of time.

  Whether you are seeking to improve the effectiveness of a team’s performance, increase sales or be prepared for crisis handling, communication skills training produces positive results. Communication skills need to be developed just like any other skill.

  Communication skills training provides innovative and practical solutions for organisations who want to develop their internal and external productivity.

  Dominic Donaldson is leading consultant in communication skills and contributes regularly to trade publications on the subject.

   
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  Use Leadership Training To Halt Bad Management Practices

  Partner 12:00 am on February 11, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  There comes a point in everybody’s career where it is time to ask for a change of vocation. As Dolly said, working with service and devotion deserves a fair promotion, especially when you are working nine to five. To get there takes more than just working hard, you need to be able to demonstrate management skills and prove that you are capable of influencing, encouraging and inspiring people in the workplace. Leadership training gives an insight into the type of qualities that need to be honed to perfection to make an impression and help you climb the boss-mans ladder.

  Getting the promotion to move into a managerial position means that you will have to show strengths on many levels and be capable of dealing with many different situations. The ability to see a situation from an employee’s point of view as well as the company’s point of view is essential for being able to make well balanced decisions and judgements for the benefit of all. Leadership training can help a person develop this type of outlook.

  To have the ability to have this balanced point of view requires an ability to provide a working environment that is as equally balanced. Dealing with staff absence, for example, is a delicate issue. Of course it costs the company time, money and productivity when a member of staff is repeatedly absent, but continued absence may be a sign of poor management. It has been proven that providing a happy working environment for employees increases productivity and reduces absences.

  Working environments that have flexible working hours, a compassionate attitude towards those with young children and give their staff control of their own agenda generally have happier staff. A relaxed dress code and open working environment also help to keep a worker happy. By adopting a more laid back attitude in the working environment, the stress levels are reduced, and employees are less likely to have to take time off.

  In places where workers are forced to clock in and out and take designated breaks for specific amounts of time there is a much higher rate of absenteeism. Setting targets that must be met on an hourly or daily basis puts a worker under consistent stress, and results in ill health as well as a feeling of discontent at work. Just as happy workers keep each other happy, employees that are disgruntled are likely to amplify feelings of negativity, creating an atmosphere of us and them. Managers that do not realise this concept are not going to be successful and really should consider leadership training to improve their own performance.

  The fundamental flaw with managers that are unable to improve the happiness levels of their employees is that they have poor communication skills. If you are aiming for a managerial position, it is essential that you have the ability to listen to what your staff have to say, and be able to express yourself clearly in return. Being a good listener will show your staff that their opinions count, and therefore give them a feeling of unity with the company, which is beneficial for both parties.

  Leadership training is capable of teaching an employee how to become a good manager as well as teaching a good manager how to encourage employees. As the great Lao Tzu wrote: To lead the people, walk behind them.

  Dom Donaldson is a business expert.
  Find out more about Leadership Training and understand how you can improve your skills to get a promotion or become a more effective manager at Righttrack.