JCI Cambridge's January 'Be Assertive' workshop trainer Garin Rouch, explains further about what was covered during the session.

In the session we looked at what assertiveness is, what stops people from being assertive and a structure for tackling the often difficult task of saying 'no'!

In a nutshell, assertiveness is being able to express your opinions and feelings, but in a way that also respects the rights of others. Assertiveness isn't about being aggressive or always getting your own way. It is about standing up for yourself constructively. It's not about winning, but about being able to walk away feeling that you have successfully and clearly put across what it is you wanted to say.

Asserting yourself means:

• You can say 'Yes' when you mean 'Yes' and 'No' when you mean 'No'

• You can communicate to others what you are feeling clearly and calmly

• You do not let fear of conflict stop you from speaking

• You feel good about yourself

• You feel entitled to be who you are and to express what you feel

Being assertive has many benefits; others have more respect for you, you don't allow yourself to be mistreated, you benefit from healthier relationships and you have the confidence to make decisions and have a voice.

So if being assertive is the most effective and positive way to behave and communicate, why do we sometimes find it so difficult and end up behaving in ineffective negative ways?

We are heavily influenced by our flight or fight response, originating in prehistoric times. Thousands of years ago, human's response to dangers such as wild animals or opposing tribes was either to run away or attack the danger.

Today, our society is a lot more complex meaning we can't respond to danger in the same way. For example, if our boss threatens us with the sack we can't respond by jumping over the desk and attacking them with a spear (no matter how tempting it may be!).Alternatively, we can't just run out of the building back to our home!

Our modern non-assertive responses are:

• Aggressive: Being arrogant, forceful or determined to get your own way.

• Passive: Deferring your own needs and wishes in favour of others' needs and wants.

• Passive-aggressive: indirect and manipulative communication and behaviour

In some situations you may feel capable of being assertive. But in other circumstances you may find it difficult to express yourself honestly and clearly. We asked JCI members to self-assess themselves and recognise their levels of assertiveness in 2 different contexts; at work and with friends. A lot of people were surprised with the results and took time to reflect on the reasons why they found it more difficult to be assertive in one area of their life compared to another.

There are a number of reasons why you may find it challenging to be assertive in different situations. These include your beliefs, your upbringing, relationships and levels of confidence. Your ability to assertive will also be influenced by other peoples' behaviour.

For example, with high unemployment and redundancy levels, a feeling of job insecurity means it can be difficult to assert our needs at work. We can find it difficult to say 'no' to a senior person making an unreasonable request even if it forces us into working longer hours or neglecting our own work.

As a final exercise, JCI members were given a structure for saying 'no'. In our experience as consultants to leading organisations, we found employees feel a lot of anxiety about the consequences of saying 'no'. People often don't say anything at all, agree to things they'd rather not or get landed with work that isn't theirs.

So, JCI members made a pledge to each other that they would say 'no' to a particular person or situation before the next session on the 21st February.  So when you go to the next session, make sure you ask JCI members who they said 'no' to and what happened!

This is the third time Outstand has delivered to JCI Cambridge and we always enjoy delivering sessions to JCI because of the lively debate and participation. The range of questions and the personal experiences many of you shared were really insightful and made for an extremely enjoyable evening.

If you would like to learn more about being more assertive in the workplace you can contact us today on 01223 911 811 or email us at garinrouch@outstand.org

To find out what Stuart Young, one of JCI Cambridge's members thought of Garin's 'Be Assertive' workshop then read his latest blog.

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JCI Cambridge's Committee Member, Stuart Young gives a round up of the latest business workshop - Be Assertive!!

Wow - another engaging and worthwhile presentation for JCI Cambridge and I was impressed. Delivered by Garin Rouch of Outstand he brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with us all about being assertive to make the most of opportunities.

The evening started with the normal networking and although this can be a scary prospect for some people, I must admit that everyone at JCI was really friendly creating a welcoming atmosphere.

After a bit of networking, snacking and drinking we took our seats. People tended to stay within the groups that they had been networking in however I managed to get a seat at the back in order to observe the engagement of the audience.....

Just as we got comfy, we had the first group exercise!

Our mission (should we choose to accept it), was to line up in groups of about 7 facing each other, balancing a garden cane on both of our index fingers, and lower it to the ground whilst ensuring that we all maintain contact.

Easy, I hear you say - I think not - just try it!

After the group exercise, the workshop which lasted about an hour taught attendees what is meant be assertiveness and the skills required to find business solutions in a manner that doesn't violate other people's rights or cause undue anxiety. The session helped members' develop techniques that will assist them to find solutions to business problems without putting people down, or having to back down yourself.

Afterwards, some people stayed behind and others left - the option is completely yours. All I would say is that compared to my other options for the evening, I know I chose wisely. I met a bunch of people with similar interests, I learned how to say no effectively, and had a really interesting and enjoyable night.

With restricted resources and a higher demand for additional work, isn't it about time that you were more assertive?

Well done to JCI Cambridge and look forward to the next workshop.

To find out more about what was covered at the 'Be Assertive' workshop, then read Garin Rouch's latest blog.

For more of JCI Cambridge's upcoming events visit our Events Diary.

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JCI Cambridge is supporting the blood donor service in 2012 and you can join us by just giving up a little of your time to donate some of your blood!

Blood is something we all expect to be there for us when we need it, but surprisingly only 4% of us give blood. Many people would not be alive today if it wasn't for the generosity of blood donors.

• The NHS needs 7000 units of donated blood daily
• One donation is broken down into three live saving products
• Donations are used to replace blood loss after accidents, childbirth or surgery and to treat people with blood disorders and those undergoing cancer treatment
• Most people are eligible to give blood, you just need to be aged 17 to 65 (for a first time donor), weigh over 7 stone 12 (50kgs) and be in generally good health

So why not book your appointment today for this upcoming session with the mini Bloodmobile visiting Mott McDonald in Cambridge?

Date:  Tuesday 6th March

Time:  Between 9.45am to 12.35pm & 2.25 - 4.55pm

Where:  Situated in the Car Park, Demeter House, Station Road

Contact:  BY APPOINTMENT ONLY – Please call the NBS on 0300 123 23 23 quoting postcode CB1 2RS

Can I give blood?

Most people can give blood, but you should not donate if:

• You have a chesty cough, sore throat, cold sore or you are at the beginning of a cold
• You are taking antibiotics
• You are pregnant, or have had a baby in the last 6 months
• You have had complicated work on your teeth or an extraction in the last 7 days; had a filling, scale or polish in the last 24hrs
• You have received blood, or think you may have received blood, since 1^st January 1980
• You are currently awaiting results for any tests undertaken by your healthcare provider.

In the last four months you have:

• Had a tattoo, skin piercing or semi-permanent make up
• Had acupuncture, unless this was done by the NHS or you have the appropriate certificate of accreditation

In the last six months you have:

• Visited a malarial area

You can visit the blood service website www.blood.co.uk for general information or details of other sessions in the area.

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JCI Cambridge Vice President Lisa Bredahl Thomsen, writes about JCI Inspiration Day held in Birmingham at the end of January.

JCI Cambridge had 7 delegates who went to Birmingham to attend INSPIRATION DAY 2012. 

The big inspiration for 2012 started with an introduction by our National President 2012 - Solveig Malvig. We then had an introduction of Marketing, personal development, and international opportunities coming up in the first half of 2012.

Richard Tong and Emma Eastwood then had three minutes each to talk about why we should select them to be the Deputy President 2012 and President 2013. This was a really good way to get to know more about where they want to take JCI UK in 2013.

An important part of JCI is community projects such as "World Clean Up - 13 May 2012. The hours we all contribute to the community can now be logged and we get awarded for the hours we give back.

A mentoring training opportunity is available for JCI members at  - getmentoring.org. Here we can attend training, or get a trainer to come to our local Chapters before the end of March. This compliments JCI Cambridge's mentoring of Anglia Ruskin's University students.     

The key note speaker of the day was Noam Kostucki, who made some great points how to "Turn Passion into Actions". Mr. Kostucki made us aware about how important it is to talk about what we didn't achieve last year, and what we learned from it. Did we really want it in the first place?

It's important to think about the next step, how can we take the next step?

Mr. Kostucki also spoke about how important it is to not only to put words on your visions, but to actually be able to draw pictures of your visions. This will make your visions more clear, and touchable. Another point about your visions is to share them with others, not just your plan on how to get there.

It's always important to remember to get feedback, and to get both negative feedback and positive feedback. So, know your friends, who will give you unbiased criticism of your ideas to help you gain clarity.

After lunch we have a short introduction to JCI Active Citizen Framework, which is to help the local Chapters to understand the local community, identify areas where we can help in either big or small ways.

Our big task of the day was to go out in our teams and raise awareness of JCI in Birmingham, especially regarding the re-launch of JCI Birmingham on the 9 February 2012. This was approached in different ways by each team, Many people in Birmingham saw JCI logos and talked with current members of JCI about the work of the organisation. We were very pleased that we did a fantastic job of making JCI more visible in Birmingham.

JCI Cambridge finished the day by passing over a gift to Jen Little, our past president 2009-2011, to thank her for her amazing work restarting JCI Cambridge and building it from just two members to a thriving Chamber of around 60 members in two years!

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Marcus Evans, November's JCI Cambridge speaker, tells us how the workshop went and give us spme tips on how to close a sale:

It was a wet and windy night on the 8^th of November and the JCI were having an event to hand over presidency. There were flowers and awards and the old president stepped down in style.

Then it was a case of on to the workshop. I was taking a short training class on sales. I work as managing director of an office relocation company, but also run an I.T company that helps people with their systems and computer hardware, with no company to small. The most enjoyable part of my job is sales training which allows me to talk to people one on one, or as a group and teach them about the art of sales. If anyone is interested in this just drop me an email to Marcus.evans@nutbourne.com

Over prepared I had four topics to go through but in this case we only went through one. This is to the credit of the JCI as they asked a number of questions and had a higher level of engagement to normal audiences. We went through a number of ways to deal with objections and then split into groups of three to see how these worked in practice, with one person playing the client another the prospect and the third observing. The pitch was to sell Coca Cola to a restaurant. I chose this as everyone is familiar with Pepsi and Cokes rivalry and also it's an easy concrete product to deal with. A service based product would have been much harder to deal with.

After five minutes we broke and then one by one the observers reported back what had gone well, what badly, and how the pitch had gone. By and large the feedback was positive, and each group used different objection handling techniques to deal with the questions that arose. As with all groups it was mixed as to what jobs people did and how experienced at sales they were but it was gratifying to hear the techniques and was also a great bonus to see so many good budding sales people there, especially as I had picked the groups at random.

The techniques themselves are relatively simple with each being a logical response to an objection. Some work by using the objection as a method to close, (Conditional Closing) whilst others allow for a slow moving in on the client by building credibility and overcoming specific difficulties (LAARC).

After this we went through a round of questions before I started onto the second round of objection handling. Before I knew it an hour had passed and we were nearing the end of the talk. People asked more questions as we went and I rounded off with a very brief chat about telesales. Below this blog I have included the more lengthy chat about objection handling and if anyone who was there or anyone who missed it wants to contact me or ask me anything further please let me know.

Objection-handling techniques and methods

Boomerang: Bouncing back what they give you

LAARC: Listen, Acknowledge, Assess, Respond, Confirm

Reprioritize: So ones you can't handle are lower

Renaming: Change the words to change the meaning

Objection Chunking: Taking a higher or lower viewpoint

Writing: Write down objections then cross them off as you handle them

Conditional Close: Make closure a condition for resolving their objection

Humour: Respond with humour rather than frustration

LAIR: Listen, Acknowledge, Identify objection, Reverse it

Pre-empting: Handle them before they happen.

Pushback: Object to their objection

Reframing: Change their cognitive frame

Deflection: Avoid responding to objection, just letting it pass

Feel, felt, found: A classic way of moving them

Justification: Say how reasonable the objection is.

Don't attempt to answer an objection until you are certain you know you have identified the true objection. E.g. 'It's too expensive' could mean:

Costing more than I thought

Outside my budget

More than I can authorise

I'm not convinced of the value

I don't need the product

Four don'ts

Pouncing: Don't pounce, let them talk

Glibness: Don't be glib, you'll sound like you have eaten the sales manual and appear slippery

Don't argue: If you argue you become the enemy

Don't point score: Bluntly proving them wrong will make them unhappy

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As a change to the usual workshop style business events JCI Cambridge are famous for, this month we decided to mix things up a little!

Speed networking. It's like speed dating. Fast, fun and frantic! 

We are extremely grateful to the highly energised and incredibly organised Sarah Butler-Ford for organising and running the event. Using a chart that I can only describe as looking like some sort of explanation on aerodynamics, speed dating is more than just a stop watch and some chairs. People have to be numbered, some people move seats, others stay put. Using a mathematical formula that is beyond the comprehension of us simple folk, Sarah ensured that every single person in the room got their chance to pitch to every other person for 60 seconds. 

That's no mean feat!

A fantastic turn out of 25 attendees ensured a mix of all professions and personalities. From graphic designers, to tax accountants, event organisers and fruit sellers, we all got the chance to chat. 

Thank you once again to Sarah Butler Ford for all your hard work. Sarah ensured JCI Cambridge had a fantastic evening, creating an amazing buzz and ensuring everyone made many new, valuable connections!

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You can do something amazing and become a blood or platelet donor!

Blood is something we all expect to be there for us when we need it, yet only 4% of us give blood. Many people would not be alive today if it wasn't for the generosity of our donors. The NHS needs 7000 units of donated blood daily and one donation is broken down into three live saving products. These donations are used to replace blood loss after accidents, childbirth or surgery and to treat people with blood disorders and those undergoing cancer treatment. To be eligible to give blood you need to be aged 17 to 65 (for a first time donor), weigh over 7 stone 12 (50kgs) and be in generally good health.

There is always an urgent need for whole blood but you may not be aware that there is always the same need for platelets as well - every bit as urgent. Most platelet donations are given to patients who are unable to make enough platelets in their bone marrow. For example, patients with leukemia or other cancers may have too few platelets as the result of their disease or treatment. Platelet donation takes place in a special clinic on the Addenbrookes site (there is free parking for donors) and we ask our Platelet donors to give at least 10 times a year. You need to give a small sample to see if your platelet count is high enough and if it is, and you can make the extra commitment, we will welcome you as a platelet donor.

The need for both whole blood and platelet donors is a great one so if you are interested please visit www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23 to find more information or to find a local blood donor session. 

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Get the Inside Track on... the rise of online social media.

"To what extent can we discipline employees for comments they make on Facebook?"

"How can we best use sites like LinkedIn and Twitter to boost our online profile and recruitment reach?"

"Can we control or monitor the way in which our employees use social media sites, especially if there is a risk of employee bullying or harm to our business's reputation?"

The rapid rise of social media has added an exciting but often bewildering dimension to business activities. Although there has been a broadening of opportunities for businesses who use their online presence effectively, this has been accompanied by a variety of new and unfamiliar challenges for HR professionals. These challenges include issues of privacy, online misconduct and liability and implementing effective social media policies. 

If you are interested in these issues, then Eversheds' first Inside Track event is for you.  We are hosting a roundtable discussion on Wednesday 12 October 2011 to address the ever-increasing use of social media and the employment law implications of this trend. The discussion will be held in the private Wine Shop section of d'Arry's Cookhouse restaurant in Central Cambridge and will be the first in a series of roundtable discussions on topical employment law issues that are affecting HR professionals today.

About Inside Track

The series is aimed primarily at more junior HR professionals who are starting out in their careers and who would like to get up to speed with important issues, whilst gaining the opportunity to network with their peers from other organisations in a relaxed environment.

We aim to achieve a lively and informal atmosphere, where attendees feel confident in debating issues and sharing their experiences over great food and wine. Each roundtable discussion will therefore be limited to a maximum of 15 to 20 attendees, including both HR professionals and Eversheds solicitors specialising in employment law.

The programme will be as follows:

18:15 Arrival and drinks

19:00 Dinner and discussion

21:00 Close

The event is free to attend.  Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis and this event is already proving very popular.  

We still have a couple of spaces left so, if you or one of your colleagues would like to attend, please email Frances Butler at francesbutler@eversheds.com to reserve a space.

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JCI Cambridge committee member, Lisa Bredahl Thomsen, recently attended the JCI European Academy in Sweden. She explains what the Academy is, why she enjoyed it so much and why you should go next year:

One of the best decisions I have made in my life was to go to the JCI European Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden this summer.

You are probably wondering how I can say it was one of the the best decisions of my life? Well, you experience intense training at the JCI European Academy. You learn that every single minute is about you and your choices.

You will learn new things about yourself and the people you work with. By being able to understand people, what motivated the and why they do things the way they do, you will know how to motivate and inspire them.

At the JCI Academy you also have the opportunity to use your own leadership skills and styles in a "safe" environment, with great feedback and support from your team-mates. This focusses you on your ability to do a great job; not focus on yourself but concentrate on getting the very best from the person you are dealing with.

Besides developing your own skills, you also get to experience all your team-mates leadership styles, and understand the importance in being able to adapt different styles. You will understand the team's development process, its strengths and weaknesses, in order to get the most out of the team.

In the Academy you also strengthen relationships with colleagues across JCI Europe. You meet around 100 inspiring people from Chapters all over Europe. These include future JCI leaders on a local, national and international level.

The skills learnt at the academy can be used in many scenarios; at JCI,  at work, and on a personal level. It will equip you with the skills to develop great opportunities for the future.

It's YOUR choice to make the best out of YOUR life!

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One of our guest speakers this year has been Sharon Ferguson from Thomas International. Sharon presented a workshop to help JCI Cambridge members decide if they were in the correct job, or not!

The workshop consisted of behavioural questionnaires identifying their personality traits and Sharon provided individual feedback to all attendees. Sharon explains what the tests are and how the workshop with JCI Cambridge went:

Formerly a Personnel and Training Manager with a large Blue chip company, my passion has always been in developing people to be the best they can be.

After several years in a variety of H.R. positions, I wanted a new challenge and moved into a Regional Sales Managers Position for Sainsbury's Bank. Finding I had a natural flair and ability to develop people to achieve excellent sales results I realized that I had been stifling my natural talents and amending my behaviour to be successful in my previous career. But, it was much easier to achieve results in a role, which aligned my preferred behaviour and strengths.

I joined Thomas International in 2009 as a Business Consultant covering East Anglia with responsibility for developing a portfolio of clients across, Cambridge, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Thomas International helps clients recruit, retain, develop and manage their people. We'll give you insight into your staff - what motivates them, their core strengths and limitations, and their potential. And we'll add a high level of certainty to all your people-related decisions.

Thomas is different because our assessments are straightforward to understand and quick to use, with rapid results. 

I tell people their PPA (Personal Profile Analysis) is the most important piece of information they have ever received. It is like holding up a mirror it really helps people to understand their behaviour and how others perceive them. By improving self-awareness PPA gives individuals the opportunity to make choices about their behaviour.

PPA gives an accurate overview of an individual's work behavioural preferences and describes it in terms of four opposing factors:

D = Dominance, I = Influence, S = Steadiness, and C = Compliance.

It assesses an individual's behaviour in the work environment and can answer questions such as: what are their strengths and limitations? Are they self-starters? How do they communicate? What motivates them?  Providing a valuable insight into what careers might be suitable choices.

Once aware of the DISC profile this can be used in a personal capacity to identify characteristics and aid personal communication.

As a high I Influence my preferred approach to Sales is via networking, this is where I met Jo Evans from Emerald Frog Marketing, committee member for JCI Cambridge. Jo asked me to undertake a presentation to members to increase awareness of their personality types and strengths and limitations.

The presentation evening was extremely enjoyable proving to be a very interactive workshop, with lots of positive energy and questions from the members.

For more information on Thomas International visit: www.thomasinternational.net

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