Pitching is an important skill that every entrepreneur should master. For many the art of winning a pitch comes from the preparation. In this article we share four ways that will help you prepare for, and in turn win your pitch.
Not only is it important to learn the ins and outs of your business audience, it’s also important to learn about the person you’re pitching to. Look them up online and speak to people who know them or have pitched to them before. By learning about the person you’re pitching to you can tailor your delivery to ensure that your pitch appeals to the way in which they work.
You should never go to a pitch without researching your competition and being able to discuss with the investor what is currently being done in the market, or has previously been done. Instead of being scared to approach the subject of competitors, turn it into a positive! Highlight how you’ve researched the market, showcase your knowledge of what others have done and what has and hasn’t been successful – show your investors that you will be better than any competition.
Firstly, your financial plan should clearly show how much money you need, a projection of costs and an idea of turnover. However, to show investors that you have really thought through every area of your pitch bring with you a best case, an average case and a worst case scenario of outcomes – investors will appreciate that you’ve covered all eventualities.
If an investor is serious in their consideration of your business, they are going to throw tough questions your way. In order to secure their financial backing, you will need to answer their questions in a way that satisfies and impresses them. Before you pitch, take a moment to consider any questions that investors may send your way; especially the difficult ones. Make sure your answers are ready, but don’t allow them to feel rehearsed.
10 habits of successful peopleIt’s been said before that success isn’t just a given, it’s something you need to work for. Here we look at ten habits adopted by the world’s most successful people, day in and day out.
The age old saying the early bird catches the worm is popular for a reason. Not only does waking up early give you more hours in the day, the hours after you wake up are the ones where you’re most productive. Behavioural scientist Dan Ariely claims that the two hours after we become fully awake are, potentially, our most productive. These two hours should be used to do our most important tasks rather than wasting them responding to emails etc. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing what you can achieve before your competition even wakes up.
Robert Iger, C.E.O of Disney says: “I get up at 4:30 every morning. I like the quiet time. It’s a time I can recharge my batteries a bit. I exercise and I clear my head and I catch up on the world.”
There’s a reason it’s the most important meal of the day. Having the right breakfast helps give you the energy you need to keep you alert throughout the day. By waking up early you will be able to find the time you need to fit in a proper breakfast before you start your working day. If time is still tight you can always prepare your breakfast the night before. Give it a go with these super simple make-ahead breakfast ideas.
Al Roker, American TV Personality says: “I usually make a protein smoothie, which consists of protein powder, fibre powder, 8 ounces almond milk, frozen berries, a little ginger, and a little agave.”[3]
Not only does exercising daily help keep you fit and healthy, it can also help improve your productivity. Find time to fit some form of physical activity into your day; it doesn’t have to be a ten mile run, it can be as simple as five minutes of yoga or a quick walk around the block. Staying active and healthy will help ensure you’re able to work to your best ability. If the president of The United States can find 45 minutes a day to sweat it out, you can to![4] Try some of these easy ways to fit activity into your day.
Instead of spending their free time scrolling through social media (we know it can be tempting) or being distracted by TV, use this time to read. Whether it is something fictional, as a way to de-stress, or a piece of non-fiction to improve your knowledge, reading is a great way to improve productivity levels. Reading stimulates the brain and gets the creative juices flowing.
Bill Gates, cofounder of Microsoft makes sure he reads the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and the Economist daily.[5]
We all know what Benjamin Franklin said “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail!!” You need to know what you’re doing, when you’re doing it and when it needs to be done by. Those most prepared will start their day jotting down the tasks they want to accomplish in those 24 hours. This makes it clear in their mind what it is that they want to achieve in their day. Knowing what you have to do and when you have to have it done by prevents mistakes happening and tasks being left incomplete.
Greg Mckeown, the author of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, advocates conducting a quarterly personal review to define your most important objectives for the next three months.[6]
As with the previous point, successful people are able to prioritise their tasks, ensuring nothing slips by the wayside. Start by ordering your daily list from highest priority to lowest. By working on bigger priority tasks first thing, you’re using your brain whilst it’s in its most productive state. However, only you know the way your brain works, plan your tasks so that you’re working to your body’s own rhythm.
Stephen R. Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People says “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.
Successful people have goals! No matter how big or small your goals seem, write them down. Take a look at them every now and again; have they changed? Try keeping visual reminders around you so that you’re always aware what it is you’re working towards.
Antony Robbins, a motivational speaker in America says: “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”[7]
No one got anywhere by resting on their laurels. So don’t sit around and wait for success to come to you, get up and take some action. Look at what you’re doing with your day; are you using your time effectively? Could you be doing more to achieve your goals? What steps could you take to be more proactive?
Abraham Lincoln said: “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” [8]
As with our point about reading, take the time to learn about new things. It’s important to seek out information about innovation in your industry. What can you learn from all this information? Make changes to fine tune the services or product of your business. Use the information you read to decide weather you would benefit from upskilling yourself or your team. Make all the information which is readily available work for you!
Conrad Hilton said: “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving.”[9]
Now we are giving you a reason to relax and take 5. It’s important recognise when you’re going to benefit from taking some time for yourself. If you’re working too hard you can cause yourself to burn out, which is not conducive to a successful environment. Take some time each day for yourself to re-focus and re-group and you’ll soon begin the see the benefits. If you need some help, try this.
That’s two minutes for you, from us. You can thank us later.
[2] http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/business/03corner.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
[3] http://www.bonappetit.com/columns/my-morning-routine/article/what-al-roker-eats-for-breakfast
[4] http://uk.businessinsider.com/exercise-routines-of-successful-people-2015-6?r=US&IR=T
[6] http://www.lifehack.org/327177/8-ways-highly-successful-people-plan-their-time
[7] http://www.inwealthandhealth.com/inherit-7-habits-of-insanely-successful-people/
[8] http://www.success.com/article/1-on-1-how-to-set-a-goal-and-achieve-it
[9] http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/conradhilt130635.html?src=t_successful_people
Afternoons can be one of the toughest times in the working day. Often we’ve worked at maximum capacity during our morning tasks and find ourselves wondering where we will get the energy to work on the afternoons remaining jobs. In order to combat this, we’ve found five energy boosting tips that will leave you ready and raring to go; prepare to finish your day on a high!
Did you know a quick ten minute walk can provide you with enough energy to power through a further two hours’ worth of work? What better reason could there be to get up and move around a bit? We don’t recommend napping at the desk but if you have the time and space, why not try a 15-20 minute power nap? It’s been scientifically proven to help boost energy levels and make you feel more alert. Just don’t go longer than 20 minutes otherwise you may end up feeling worse.
Whilst reaching for a sugary treat may be the most tempting thing to do to give you that boost you need to get you through to home time, it can actually cause a bigger crash than the slump you’re already contending with. Instead, try reaching for something nourishing like a handful of unsalted nuts or some fresh fruit. What you need is something that will sustain your sugar levels, rather than a quick hit of sugar.
Keeping your body hydrated (ideally with pure water) helps your body to function correctly whilst also revitalising your muscles and digestive system. Keep a bottle of water on your desk as a reminder to keep hydrated. Remember, you should be aiming for a minimum of two litres a day. Also, try and avoid the coffee and go for a tea instead. Whilst coffee may seem like the obvious solution, it can often affect your evening in a negative way, for example stopping you for being able to sleep which will then impact you the following day, easily turning into a vicious cycle.
Do you find that the afternoon is always the time where you check your emails that little bit more, or give yourself extended ‘breaks’ to check your social channels? Whilst you may feel that you’re just rewarding yourself with this break, you’re actually making yourself less effective. Try and switch off the distracting devices, or turn off your email notifications for a while and give the task in hand your full focus.
The way you spend your morning can often have a significant impact on the way you feel in the afternoon. Think back to earlier in the day, did you have a sufficient breakfast? What did you have for lunch? Did you give yourself a break for lunch or did you work through it? How often did you come up for air during your morning tasks? All of these questions can provide you with an answer to why you’re feeling the way you do, and help you make better choices for the following day. For example, a small or non-existent breakfast, followed by a lack of lunch (or fast-food filled lunch) can have a negative impact on your afternoon energy levels.
Consciously taking on board some of the above steps should help you defeat the afternoon slump and have you completing your to-do list in no time.
The us and co guide to getting things doneSome people call it “being in the zone”. You know that dream where you run really fast for really long and don’t get out of breath. That’s where Bill Gates was at when he was building Microsoft, and that’s where you can be to, with the right source material.
We’ve put together a list of resources designed to help spur you on when you reach the wall at any stage of a project. Whether you’re struggling to think of an idea, wondering how you can put your latest brilliant idea into action or trying to learn from past experience, these incredibly useful resources will help.
https://www.reddit.com/r/InternetIsBeautiful/– There are so many Reddit threads that we could direct you to for a daily dose of brilliance, but if we had to pick just one it would be r/internetisbeautiful. It’s a great place to learn how some of the world’s boldest thinkers are applying their skills, even if you’re not into technology.
https://www.producthunt.com/– New products, apps, games, podcasts and books are added to Product Hunt every day, meaning it’s the go to destination for discovering new ideas and cutting edge thinking. Watch tomorrow’s unicorns as take shape and give the creators feedback in the process.
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/– Seth Godin is refreshingly logical. Sign up to his newsletter or just visit his blog every now and again- you might not find your next big idea there, but his common-sense approach will keep you on the right track.
http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/– Turn on, tune in and drop out. Visit this website and do absolutely nothing for two minutes. You’ll quickly learn that just two minutes of doing nothing can quickly change the way you look at a problem.
http://www.ted.com– Bite sized nuggets of video inspiration to get you in the best frame of mind possible to dream up your next big idea, or just turn a few minutes downtime into valuable learning time.
http://99u.com – 99U’s tagline is “Insights on Making Ideas Happen.” Need we say more?
http://1000awesomethings.com/– Possibly one of the most refreshing sites on the web. 1000 Awesome Things is just that, a list of 1000 awesome things updated every weekday. Our favourite? #104 “Any restaurant where old ladies are doing the cooking.” When you’re stuck in a rut, take a look and remember you’re just having a bad day, not a bad life.
So you’ve had that great idea and now you’re thinking “How do I make this happen?” Whether you’re looking to raise funds or bootstrap from the ground up, you’ve got some serious hustling to do. These resources will help you get in the right frame of mind.
http://fourhourworkweek.com/blog/ Tim Ferris is on a mission to deconstruct world-class performers and find out what makes them so great. This hasn’t just led to some really entertaining podcasts (check out his interview with Jamie Foxx) but also some life-changing, highly actionable tips for transforming productivity and performance.
http://www.slideshare.net/ryanholiday/10-classic-growth-hacks Marketing and PR has changed beyond recognition. Did you know Facebook, Hotmail, Twitter and AirBnB didn’t undertake any traditional advertising in their earliest, biggest phases of growth? Ryan Holiday’s thoughts on Growth Hacking distil what it means to be a smart marketer in the 21st Century.
http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/docs/bootstrap.pdf In the words of Seth Godin- There’s never been a better time to start a business with no money. The man is the godfather of bootstrapping, so is it any surprise he’s written the ultimate guide to putting your idea into action?
http://andrewchen.co/ Andrew’s blog might have a tech focus, but anyone who is building something can learn from his musings on growth and start-up culture.
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive– This is the place to go to learn the answers to the questions you were too afraid to ask. No matter how elementary, ask your question here and get ready to learn!
https://www.mooc-list.com/– Ever heard of a MOOC? Massive Open Online Courses are offered by some of the best universities in the world. That’s right, you can get a red-brick, ivy league education for free! Mooc List is a substantial collection of courses from multiple resources from universities around the world.
https://udemy.com – Udemy have a mission: to help anyone learn anything. With a mix of paid and free modules, Udemy offers a great opportunity to catch up on those lectures that you might have slept through the first time around…
https://www.codecademy.com/– Learn the basics of coding for absolutely free with Codecademy. From making a website, to learning languages like Rails, AngularJS and Java. It’s all free and absolutely vital.
http://ed.ted.com/ – We’ve already mentioned Ted Talks, but have you heard of TedEd? Take a look at TedEd’s library of actionable lessons created by some of the world’s highest achievers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qykl – Transform your commute with Melvyn Bragg’s In Our Time, where each week Melvyn and a panel of experts discuss the history of ideas. Don’t wait for them to come on the radio though, just search Melvyn Bragg
15 tips to perfect the pitch: public speaking hacks that will have you pitching like a proHave you ever heard of glassophobia? It’s the fear of public speaking, the most common fear (even more so than death), and 75% of Americans suffer from it. [1] However, likelihood is that public speaking is something all successful entrepreneurs will have to face at some point in their career. In order to help you feel more prepared and give you the confidence you need for future pitches, we’ve put together a list of 15 tips that will have you pitching like a pro in no time.
The age old saying, ‘practise makes perfect’ is still around for a reason! Not only does practising help you to perfect your pitch, it will help you feel more in control of what’s going to happen, which in turn, makes you more relaxed.
Imagine, in your mind, your pitch going perfectly. Imagine the look on your audience’s faces; think about how your voice sounds, how your body is moving and the way the words are flowing. Picture your face, consider your outfit and think about the environment around you.
Continue to do this until it feels like second nature. Then, as and when you’re ready for your pitch you will have the confidence of knowing that it can go well.
When we’re nervous or anxious we can often find it hard to focus on a regular breathing pattern. Before you pitch take some time to focus on your breathing, find your regular pattern and focus on it. If you find yourself losing breath during the pitch just take a moment to return to that pattern. If you know this can be an issue for you, work in breaks into your pitch to allow you to catch your breath.
Likelihood is that the people you’re presenting to won’t notice these strategically placed pauses and it gives them a chance to absorb what it is you’re saying.
Your audience may seem uninterested when really that is just their natural facial expression. Don’t feel put off by the look you see on their faces or try to second guess what they’re thinking. Instead, keep eye contact and tell yourself that they’re intensely interested in what it is you’re pitching.
The way you stand and the posture you hold can say a lot about you. Maintaining a good posture can work wonders on making you appear confident when in reality you may not be feeling it. Try standing in the ‘Wonder Woman’ pose, feet hip width apart, chin up, chest out and hands on hips, for a few minutes. This can raise your testosterone and increase confidence whilst decreasing your cortisol levels and improving your ability to deal with stress. [2]
When you’re nervous you may want your pitch to be over as quickly as possible, but speaking in a fast paced speed will not help. Instead, take a moment and imagine your usual speaking pace, then slow it down a little. Whilst this may seem like you’re speaking far too slow and may bore your audience, you will actually be speaking at a pace that will allow them to fully understand what it is you’re saying.
This may seem daunting, but asking for feedback from your audience can help you improve for the future. If you don’t feel that you can ask the people you have pitched to for their feedback, bring a friend or colleague with you who will be able to give you detailed and honest feedback once the pitch is over. You could also record the meeting and play it back to yourself, this allows you to see areas in which you are able to build upon in future.
When you’re already ill at ease with the thought of pitching, wearing something you’re uncomfortable in can make you feel even more uncomfortable. If you know you’re not good at wearing heals, wear flats. If you know a certain shirt is too tight around your neck, wear a looser one. Wearing clothes you feel comfortable in will be one less thing for you to worry about on the day. Looking good whilst feeling comfortable will help you find the confidence that you need.
Give yourself time before the pitch to prepare yourself mentally and check things over one more time. Where possible get to the venue in plenty of time to ensure all technology is working and to see the place you’re pitching from. In the moments before your pitch switch off from everything and focus on creating a positive and calm mind-set.
We don’t mean spend the whole time talking about yourself, adding in personal highlights to your pitch (that make sense) show the audience that you’re human and helps create a closer connection. This closer connection, in turn, will help you feel more at ease with the people you’re pitching to.
Having notes in your hand can often make people feel more relaxed and comfortable; however they can also be a distraction that increases tension. By following precise notes you limit yourself to what you’re able to talk about and can often cause stress when tangents are created.
You should ideally have practised enough that you know what you’re talking about (see our first point) without having notes, but if you need something in hand, try using small cue cards instead.
Whether you do pitches daily or just every once in a while; having a routine can help you feel calmer and more comfortable when they do come around. What this routine consist of is entirely up to you, but having something in place that feels natural can help you feel more comfortable. The more comfortable you feel the more confident your pitch (you’re getting the gist of things now).
Nobody is going to buy into your pitch if they can tell your nervous, or don’t feel you sold yourself well enough. Channel your nerves into energy and get the audience excited. Having energy can help build upon the points you’re making along with getting your audience excited about the idea you’re pitching.
Knowing everything is working before you begin your pitch will make you feel more at ease. Check the technology you’re using as many times as you can to ensure any hiccups are smoothed out before your pitch. However, bear in mind that things can go wrong due to the unreliable nature of some technology, so always have a backup plan, just in case.
This Ted Talks playlist is full of videos that can help you prepare for a pitch and qualm any nerves you may have. http://jamesclear.com/body-language-how-to-be-confident
Top films to inspire you to be a great leaderInspiration can be found in all different places, including film. Whilst many films are based on fiction within their morals and messages there are often grains of truth. Here we suggest films that will inspire you to be a great leader.
Follow Denzel Washington is this US military film surrounding the concepts of truth and courage. It will leave you questioning that when things go awry, how does a leader pull their team through? Something every new leader needs to be able to do in order to achieve success.
Collin Firth stars in the 2010 biographical drama film about King George Vi who is learning to cope with his stammer. Highlighting the importance of a good support network, and the need to pursue activities in the face of challenges, there are some clear takeaways from this film for what it means to be a leader.
Here is a film about the first formal unit of the Union Army during the American Civil War to be made up entirely of African-American men, told from the perspective of their white commanding officer. After being told that they could be executed if they do not take honourable discharge, this film shows the courage that is needed of a leader.
Based on the book ‘The Freedom Writers Diary’, ‘Freedom Writers’ follows the journey of an American High School teacher who is dealing with a new racial integration plan. Watch as this leader works to gain her pupils trust and works with them to help them succeed. Something that all leaders need to learn how to ensure they do well.
Based on a true story, this film centres on the efforts of a debate coach who wants to place his historically black team on equal footing with the white Americans in the south. Explore how leaders can defy obstacles presented to them, such as social constructs. This will leave you feeling empowered and ready to tear down any obstacles in your way.
Sit back and watch as Meryl Streep portrays the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of the 20th Century. With a main theme focusing on the personal price an individual pays for power, it’s an intriguing must see for all leaders.
An epic historical medieval war drama, based on Blind Harry’s epic poem ‘The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir Will Wallace’, focused on a 13th century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence.
Set at the conservative and aristocratic Welton Academy in the Northeastern United States, this film tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry. A leader who encourages his students to “make your lives extraordinary”, which is what all great leaders should encourage.
Based on a best-selling novel, ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ focuses on a recent graduate beginning her journey into a career in journalism. Not only does this film highlight what is needed to become a leader, but crucially what some leaders are often lacking. This film will leave you contemplating how your actions as a leader will affect those you are leading.
Do everything faster: the ultimate productivity hackIf the 80/20 split had applied only to Italian landowners in the early 20th century, we wouldn’t be talking about it today. But it turns out that the rule (the 80/20 rule, or Pareto Principle), is relevant to much more than olive groves in Umbria. It’s a basic expression of what happens in the daily life of a small business.
How many hours do you work in a typical day? 10, 12, 15? The Pareto Principle states that 80% of your best work will be done in the most effective 20% of those hours. In other words, if you’re a morning person, you’ll have the most effect on your start-up’s success in the first few hours of your working day. If nighttime gets your creative juices flowing, you’d be wise to leave that important presentation until after dinner.
And it isn’t just time to which the Pareto Principle applies. Pluck business-related examples of the 80/20 rule at random from the internet, and you get:
You need to start by identifying when you’re most productive during a working day. As noted above, some people are morning people. Some are night people. And while an entrepreneur’s working days are often defined by circumstance – when can you get uninterrupted hours to sit at the laptop? When are your investors likely to be available? – everyone has a most-productive period. Screenwriter Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, From Dusk til Dawn) does most of his work in the first 1.5 hours of his day, sitting up in bed and bashing out scripts on a laptop. Hey, if that’s what works for you, become a pyjama entrepreneur. As long as you can figure out when your working brain is at its most effective, you can leverage your best smarts to streamline real tasks in the life of your small business.
Take the to-do list. Every small business owner has a list of jobs that goes on for miles. The Pareto Principle teaches a nice trick for cutting that list down to just a few feet. Look at the tasks most likely to generate highly positive business outcomes – like sales, or networking opportunities, or high-visibility advertising – and focus on them. In other words, allot the magic 20% of high-productivity time to the relatively small amount of work that’s guaranteed to produce high outcome. There’s no point in preparing that presentation when your work brain is just about done for the day. And if you’ve got a deadline looming, the way to beat it is to smash the bulk of the grunt-work while your mental and physical energies are at their highest.
The Pareto Principle applies to any distribution of time/income/productivity figures. And that makes for a very interesting effect. Within your top 20%, there’s a top 20%. In other words: if 20% of your customers account for 80% of your sales, then 20% of the 20% account for 80% of the 80%. In real terms, this means your top 4% of customers generates 64% of your income.
There’s a good and a bad side to this. On the good side, you can use the Pareto Principle to pare down your to-do lists and target your most effective working hours to your most important jobs. You can also segment your existing consumer base into its most profitable percentages, which – with the right application of social channels and analytics – may let you target more customers just like them. And you can reliably assign the highest priority business tasks in your day, week, or month to the ultra-high 4% of your time, when your brain is able to bring in 64% of your total results.
On the other side of the Pareto Principle, though, there’s a warning. It’s tempting to focus solely on the big 20% (or 4%, if you’re going to keep reducing the rule to find the highest possible return on your effort), at the expense of the remaining 80%. But here’s the thing. That 80% still generates some work, and some revenue. Reducing the principle down to distil your most effective and profitable time can generate great results. But ignoring the less-productive times in your working day, or cutting out the customers who only bring in 20% of your revenue, is a bad idea.
Focus on the good stuff, but don’t leave any profit behind. And do the most crucial tasks first, but don’t neglect to catch up on invoices or clean out your email.
The Pareto Principle is a big productivity hack for the entrepreneur who needs to parcel out her time in meaningful ways. If you’re daunted by the multitude of tasks required to set up a small business, it’s also a great way to break down your journey into achievable chunks. Sit down (during your most productive time of day, of course), write a list of everything you need to do, and assess which elements are the most critical to your start-up’s success. With a little preparation, a big dream, and a list created using the Pareto Principle, you can go a long way.
How your working environment affects your productivityWhere you work can affect how you work, which means finding the right work space is essential to your businesses. In this post we look at the different ways your work space could be affecting your productivity.
Working in an environment with bad air quality can affect your concentration and reduce your energy levels[1]. This is because the more oxygen the brain receives the more effectively it will work.
A good way to create oxygen is to include plants in your workspace. This is because plants are great at creating good oxygen. It has also been found that working near green environments can help with productivity and mental health.
Low levels of vitamin D can make us depressed and weaken our immune systems making us less productive. Find work spaces with as much lighting as possible or invest in SAD lamps. Poor lighting can cause fatigue, eyestrain and headaches. Windowed offices have been found to be 15% more productive than windowless ones. [2]
Research by MusicWorks found that 65% of owners of small and medium sized businesses say music in their workplace makes employees more productive and 40% believe that it can increase sales or results for the business.[3] Whilst it may be hard to find music to everyone’s taste, having music playing in the background can help make your business more productive.
When office temperatures are low workers are likely to make 44% more mistakes than people working at optimal room temperature. [4] The appropriate office temperature should be set between 16 – 24 degrees, who knew?!
Multiple screens can increase productivity by up to 50%, a VIBE study has found. [5] Make sure your desk is wide enough to consider extra monitors that may be needed. Having access to multiple screen will help you ease from application to application with ease.
[1]http://www.areasq.co.uk/news/impact-working-environment-productivity/
[2]http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/resources/newsroom/pdf/2003/Daylighting&productivity.pdf
[3]http://www.areasq.co.uk/news/impact-working-environment-productivity/
[4]http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/Conferences/EECE_IEQ%20and%20Productivity_ABBR.pdf
[5]http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/vibe.aspx
Proven effective ways to better manage stressIf you’re reading this, the likelihood is that you will experience some form of stress on a regular basis, however how you chose to let it affect you is in your control. Read below to find out some proven effective ways to better manage the stresses in your life.
You don’t need to run marathons or climb mountains, but a little bit of exercise a day can help you clear your head and de-stress. Any form of physical exertion will release endorphins which can help relieve stress and tension. Getting some fresh air by going for a walk in the morning, on your lunch break or in the evening will help you to clear your head space and add some clarity by giving you something else to focus on. You may not fancy it at the time but trust us; it will do you the world of good. Scientists believe that regular exercise can reduce overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilize mood, improve sleep and improve self-esteem. [1]
Whilst busy schedules can make catching up with friends and family difficult, make sure you’re finding the time to socialise outside of working hours. By meeting up with friends and family you can offload the troubles to those closest to you; or you could even ban the mention of work and focus on something else for a while.
In a world full of smartphones and tablets hooked up to Wi-Fi, it can often be hard to leave work in the office (or physically leave the office yourself). It’s tempting to make sure you’re keeping on top of things by checking emails whilst at home, but by never switching off you’re bound to be making your stress levels worse. Give yourself a cut-off point, for example make the decision that you won’t be turning your laptop on once you’re home, or no checking emails past 8pm. Setting yourself a limit and giving yourself space to switch off and focus on something other than work will help you feel calmer and more relaxed.
When you’re stressed your judgement can often be clouded by negative thoughts. Instead of feeling like there is no way out, channelling your negative thoughts into more positive/manageable ones could make a big difference. Try thinking around the problem that’s causing you stress; could you ask someone for help or is there an option you haven’t explored? If you can’t think of a solution straight away, try doing something to take your mind off it and go back to it later. It’s believed that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful effects that stress can have on your body. [2]
Good time management can often make you feel more in control of the things that are causing you stress. Begin your day by writing yourself a list, and then prioritise that list beginning with the most urgent and ending with the least. If you feel you have too much to do, see what items you can delegate to your colleagues. Don’t forget that if you can’t physically take on any more work, it’s ok to say no!
Tiredness can make you feel agitated and can increase stress levels. 21% of adults have reported increased stress levels when they don’t get enough sleep. [3] Getting a good night’s sleep can help you wake up feeling fresh and often gives you a new perspective on the problems that are causing your stress levels to rise. Getting enough sleep leads to improved mood and well–being. [4]
[3] http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/sleep.aspx
[4] http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/mood
5 tips to building effective lasting relationshipsIn an increasingly digital world, it’s fair to say that it can be a challenge to build lasting business relationships. So we’ve put together a list of important considerations to help you sort the wheat from the chaff and build, what we hope will be, long lasting effective business relationships.
How can you expect to meet likeminded people if you yourself aren’t presenting an authentic version of yourself to the people you meet? People want to connect with genuine, likeminded people in business. People who share the same visions and values but not necessarily always the same views are more likely to build lasting relationships than people who only present a staged version of themselves.
You don’t need to build a relationship with everyone you meet. It doesn’t matter how ‘influential’ or ‘well connected’ people are, if they aren’t relevant to your business or goals you don’t need to try and force a relationship with them. A small group of worthwhile connections will prove to be far more significant than a bunch of people on an entirely different wavelength.
We deal with difficulty, challenge and change on a daily basis. Showing that we can be vulnerable in these situations only makes us more human and adds to our authenticity. Vulnerability should never be seen as a weakness to those who really ‘get’ us. Cautionary point however, this is usually best saved for a select few rather than in full blown public view. The world and his dog do not need to witness every bump in the road.
If you want to really get to know someone, take them out of the working environment and spend time getting to know one another over a coffee or lunch. This allows you both to drop your guard and should also encourage the conversation to take a more relaxed turn. Nothing too personal mind, no need to air your dirty laundry at this point, but you never know you might start talking about what you get up to at the weekend and find you have a mutual hobby. Chances are you would have never had these conversations in the formal setting of a work space.
By this we mean, don’t fixate your preconceived expectations of people onto them. If you project your expectations of people onto them, chances are they fulfil them. Instead understand that people are rarely exactly as we want them to be, that way you are not setting yourself up for disappointment.
It’s fair to say co-working gives you a chance to work in close proximity to a whole multitude of people who you may just find turn out to be the business connection you never knew you needed.