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COMMUNICATION


involves, first and foremost, a change of attitude. Away from ‘What can I get from you?’ and towards ‘What might I be able to do for you?’ Away from promoting yourself, and towards a genuine interest in other people. Closely allied to this are the social skills that need polishing. The challenges that each of us face, in the skills arena, will be different. Some people find it hard to start up conversations at networking events; others find they run out of things to say, or struggle to develop rapport with the person they’re talking to. Other people are fine in face- to-face situations, but find the telephone a real trial, whether they are making initial calls to set up a meeting, or following up on a meeting that has past. And talking about following up, almost everybody could do with a reminder about the importance of making contact quickly and effectively after an initial meeting or phone call. After all, relationships aren’t created overnight. They take time to develop, and trust needs to be built up slowly but surely, brick by brick. It’s amazing what a change of attitude can


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achieve. Here’s a real life case study, Neil a budding entrepreneur who came to a workshop we ran at Leeds University Business School, got in touch a day or two later. “I went to an evening ‘do’ straight after the training session. It went well. In the three hours after we finished: • I met some undergraduates in sports science who want to set up an outdoor activity centre.


• I met a guy from Leeds Metropolitan University who runs lots of start-up business support functions and workshops. He has contacts galore, I’m sure.


• I met the new guy at Leeds Uni who is supporting business start-ups in conjunction with three other regional universities – good for intellectual property advice.


• I found out about an incubator cell – 18 free desks for one year for new businesses – sponsored by the Uni.


• I found out about small-scale VC funding up to £250k through local enterprise funding.


• I learnt that I can submit a business plan I’m doing at Leeds to a competition for £10k. Win


September 2015 www.trainingjournal.com


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