Author: Yessy Lianti

Technology continues to impact the ways we work, and the Microsoft 365 suite continues to evolve with a wide range of apps for greater work efficiency.

PowerPoint is usually the go to for creating a traditional presentation. PowerPoint is a quick and easy way to organise ideas and information, but it can be linear in its structure.  Using a slide format can force the presenter to reduce complex subjects to a set of bullet items, which can oversimplify complex information and may impact good decision-making.

How about using a modern, interactive and alternative to PowerPoint? Did you know that there is an app available which is part of Microsoft 365 called Microsoft Sway?

Sway is a presentation tool and is distinctly different from those made with PowerPoint. Sway focuses more on digital storytelling using a card to organise sequences of information in a scrolling format just like a webpage. Spend less time in formatting your presentation, due to Sway’s built-in design engine. You can quickly make visually compelling, content-rich presentations without needing any serious design skills.

Sway makes it easy to add a variety of media files – audio, video, charts, maps, images. Sway can also search the Web for the content, like videos, and add it to your Sway presentation.

Sway is also great for creating visually striking newsletters, business reports, interactive presentations, resumes, blogs and personalised stories.

How do I get it?

Sway can be used for free by anyone.  This web-based app can also be accessed via Office.com, Sway.com and there is also a Sway app available from the Windows store.

Share your Sway and collaborate smartly

Multiple users can work with Sway at the same time and you can see where each user is and what is been worked on. There is no need to save as saving takes place automatically. There are also options to control the sharing of your Sway, if a person need edit rights or just viewing.  You can even showcase your Sway to social media, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

There is also a cool option to get a visual link, simply create the visual link and add this to the bottom of your e-mail, then your audience can click on the link to go to your Sway. Why not give this a try below –

Analytics

Ever wondered whether your audience has read through your information? Sway helps to get to know your readers with Analytics.  Within Sway you can gain an insight into the number of readers who glanced at your Sway, who gave it a quick read, and who gave it a deep read. You can also see the average time spent on each Sway and the average completion. With Analytics, as a creator you can tweak the content to improve reader engagement over time.

 

Feeling excited about creating a Sway?

We are Microsoft training specialists so join our great new Sway workshop. In just half a day you will learn how to create you very own Sway.  Book today for you or your team to harness the power of your technology investment. Click here to book!

Discover how much easier and more effective you workday can be by having the right IT knowledge and tools – we make IT training easy for you. Click here to see our full range of IT courses.

 

Blog written by Billy Howarth | ATI-Mirage’s Lead Consultant IT 

As we move into an uncertain 2022, leaders must create as much certainty as possible and learn to adapt their leadership styles. Team members look to their leaders for safe navigation during uncertain times.  Leaders can start with creating consistency with the following tips:

1. Set Goals and Expectations

People need to know where they are going in order to get there. Work with your team members to set goals, let them know what your expectations are, and help them to achieve those goals. Remember, your team member may have a better way to achieve the goals than you.

2. Be a Communicator

Communication is crucial for virtual teams to succeed so lead by example.   Learn how to adapt to different communication styles and practice deep listening and empathy. Ask more than tell.

3. Build Trust and Credibility

In the virtual world, it is all about your actions. Do what you say you are going to do and support and/or defend your team when necessary. Otherwise, your team members will not trust you, and you will not get the productivity and results that you are looking for.

4. Build People Up

This is one of the most basic principles of leadership and relationships: build people up rather than tear them down. Offer constructive criticism and development opportunities to help people grow.

5. Keep Learning

The virtual workplace is constantly changing. Keep learning about technology and stay in tune with what your competitors are doing. It is also wise to periodically check in with your team to see if their tools are still meeting their needs.

As well, do not forget that your primary role is a leader. Continue taking leadership courses and building related skills (such as communication, conflict resolution, and personal productivity).

Join our Leadership Uplift Week sessions to further hone your leadership skills, click on the banner below for more information.

Blog presented by Jo Riley | ATI-Mirage’s Lead Consultant PD & Wellness

At any given moment, we have the choice to start fresh. Yet there is something about an ending, such as the end of a year, that provides a springboard of opportunity for the new.

Given we have all lived through some extraordinary times, and the indication is this will continue, what do you want to create for 2022? Here are some questions to get you help reflect, gain clarity and focus:

• Where are you over investing?
• Where are you under investing?
• Your success next year relies on you feeling….
• What projects have you been putting off that you finally want to pursue?
• What do you need to let go of?

Here are our five positive habits for 2022:

1. Starting your day

Having a morning routine creates structure for your day. Whether it is the famous ‘Make Your Bed’ habit from US Navy Admiral William H McRaven, establishing a mindfulness practice, breathing, exercise or breakfast, starting your day on a positive note can boost your motivation, wellbeing, optimism and productivity. Planning your day is a great way to start the day.

2. Prioritise

There are a couple of helpful approaches to prioritizing your tasks and activities for the day.   In his book ‘Eat that Frog’, Brian Tracey says to tackle the biggest thing you don’t like in the morning, then it is over and done with and you can carry on with the rest of the day. Alternatively, you may want to ask yourself “What is the highest value task I need to do, to accomplish my goals?” “Where is the best investment of my time?”

3. Self-Care

Your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual self-care is vital to your health, wellbeing and vitality. It has been said ‘You can’t poor from an empty cup’.  If you are feeling tired, burnt out and overwhelmed it can be difficult to deal with problems and people. So, remember to breathe, eat, move, sleep, have fun, be compassionate, and pay attention to hygiene.

4. Let go of any joy robbing thoughts and habits

We all have them from time to time and sometimes we need professional help to assist in understanding them and releasing them. These can include perfectionism, being right, thinking things have to be a certain way and more. People can often engage in drama and distractions. Let it go. Mindfulness can assist in this process.

5. Perspective

Discover new perspectives that open up opportunities. We often say on our PD (Professional Development) courses at ATI-Mirage that perception is one of your biggest tools in your toolkit. Shifting how you see things can help you see things differently. There is always more than one perspective and often a colleague or a friend who share theirs can assist in opening up empathy and/or a different path forward.

To assist you with these five positive habits, ATI-Mirage has the following courses:

• Mindfulness @ Work
• Time Management Simplified
• Manage Stress, Build Resilience
• Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
• Project Management

Checklist for getting sorted before the end of the year!

Digital clutter is a huge, often invisible productivity-killer (as well as slowing down your computer over time). Before you have time off at the end of the year spend a little time decluttering so you can start fresh in the new year.

Declutter your digital documents

   Go through all your documents and delete any that you no longer need

   Resist the “just in case” syndrome — do you really need those old essays, or those notes from now obsolete projects? Didn’t think so

   If you have a lot of files and/or feel overwhelmed, organise them by date and start with the oldest documents. Break the process down into chunks so you don’t get worn out.

Make a Zen desktop

Just like a clean desk helps you focus and be productive, so does a clean desktop:

   Clean up the folders and files on your desktop

   Get consistent with naming: develop some naming conventions and stick to them

   Stop using your desktop as a default save location. Don’t put a mess in front of your face all day by using the desktop as a save location Choose a default save folder that you can sort regularly

   Set a recurring task in your task manager or calendar to go through the default folder, clean it out and move everything to its permanent home

   Find a minimalist/calm background. A new study has found that just looking at still images of nature is enough ‘natural’ stimulus to lower our stress levels.

Unsubscribe from email list/newsletters

   Stop thinking “I may need these deals/this newsletter later!”, you won’t

   If you MUST keep some kind of newsletter for a particular site/group, update your email preferences to receive fewer updates. There’s usually a link at the bottom of newsletters to edit your email preferences (some only offer the option to unsubscribe completely, however)

   For those you really can’t do without some newsletters set up mail box rules to move items from certain senders or with certain words straight into another folder for review later

   For the next week or two, every time you get a newsletter open it and either unsubscribe or adjust preferences (or set up a move into another folder rule), that way you won’t get lost and overwhelmed sorting through your inbox in one go.

Clean out your downloads

   If you’ve never cleaned up your Downloads folder, it’s probably taking up a good amount of storage on your computer

   Again, if you’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume, sort files by date and delete in chunks

   Time saver: If you’ve already backed up all important files, you can simply delete the entire contents of your Downloads folder

Clean up your bookmarks

   Streamline your browser window by cleaning out your bookmarks, keeping only those you need regularly. clean-up tools exist for both Firefox and Chrome to save you the effort.

Organise and delete images

   Organise your photos into folders by date and/or event

   Put them in a cloud drive so you don’t have to store them on your computer. (OneDrive is a good place to keep pictures and other documents)

   Delete any photos that are poor quality or unimportant.

Remember to pace yourself through these tasks so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Use a task manager to schedule and organise the above tasks, or copy and paste the above tasks/checklist to a document. Happy digital decluttering!

We have a range of courses that will help you get organised, click here for more information, or call us on 9218 9059 or email hello@ati-mirage.com.au

World Kindness Day November 13 – Kindness is not something reserved just for friends and family, we can extend it to our colleagues and work family.

Making a difference to your day and someone’s day through kindness is one small act that can have a positive impact. Our human connection of being valued, listened to, considered, seen, and heard, has its roots in kindness and compassion.

In cultivating kindness habits, BJ Fogg, author of Tiny Habits says ‘we change best by feeling good, not by feeling bad.’ It is no accident that by design, we are biologically wired to look out for one another. The physical effects of kindness include a release of feel-good hormones, reducing anxiety and stress levels with a positive and uplifting effect.

Yet often as days get busy, our minds are pre-occupied, and acts of kindness can seem like another thing to write on a long to do list. If we realise kindness is something that can be simple, easy to do and enjoyable, if done daily it becomes an essential part of our who we are and our daily experience.

In cultivating a kindness habit, BJ Fogg reminds us that ‘tiny can be transformative’.  When it comes to long term change, simplicity is an essential factor. Tiny, simple acts of kindness are just as memorable and effective. Starting with yourself, think of a simple kindness habit for your own health and wellbeing.

As kindness can be experienced and demonstrated as part of the emotional culture of a team, start with simple, tiny acts of kindness for the following;

Kindness for yourself
What is one thing you can do to be kinder to yourself today?

Kindness and your team experience
What are ways to bring more kindness into the team?

Kindness and your customer experience
What can you do to make your customer’s day?

Let us know at hello@ati-mirage.com.au your kindness habits.

Need further help?
ATI-Mirage can help you create a positive emotional culture at work, with a unique game that is fun, insightful and ready to action.  To learn more https://www.ati-mirage.com.au/creating-a-great-workplace-culture/

Below are some further resources:

The power of kindness – Simon Sinek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwmpUb006O4

Tiny surprises for happiness and health – BJ Fogg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L1R7OtJhWs

“Mental health is not a destination, but a process.  It’s about how you drive, not where you are going” – Noam Shpancer PhD

 

Early in my career, I had been asked by the Deputy Commissioner of a large Government Department to work with his senior leaders. His passion theme was ‘moving from good to great’, based on the book of the same name.

There was one person in his team of senior leaders who was considered the ‘golden prodigy’. A real go-getter, energetic and hungry to make a difference, brimming with passion, positivity, and potential.  He was new-ish to the team and wanted to prove himself. Everyone was impressed, some even a little intimidated by his enthusiasm and drive.

In our first session together, I asked him what his objectives for the coaching were. I listened carefully as he spoke quickly and enthusiastically about his desire to “be better at time management, engage my team fully, prioritise better as I have back-to-back meetings nearly all day every day, delegate better, take on bigger projects that are coming up”. When I asked him if he did all of that what would he achieve he said “I can do more and achieve more. I have several large pieces of work involving multiple facets that must be done. I have a large team who need attention, with some performance issues to sort out. I am trying to get my head around how this place operates and put things in place to cut through red tape. My boss wants to shake things up. I’m really keen to get started as soon as possible!”

I didn’t respond straight away, I paused and noticed what looked like some strain on his face, wide eyes and fast speech and movements. Eventually I responded “That sounds like a lot. I’m just curious…how are your stress levels?” He looked at me, slightly taken aback, blinked, and paused.  Then tears rolled down his face.  His demeanour collapsed, his body bent over and he slumped.

He explained he has a 3-month-old baby at home, a wife who was ill, he wasn’t getting much sleep and the demand of his work is taking 10 hours a day and weekends. The real issue was he felt like he wasn’t good enough, as a new leader, as a new father or husband. He rationalised if he could get better at time management, he could prove himself, drive himself further and succeed. In other words, to succeed, he believed he had to do it all, and do it all 100%. He was new to his role and believed he couldn’t take time off. Yet he was at breaking point, overwhelmed and masking it with a brave face while shouldering everything including high expectations.

For the sake of his mental and emotional wellbeing, we had to start with what was really going on. So although the organisation had good intentions to develop a culture of what was termed ‘good to great’ there was a lack of understanding of what was taking place.

Having conversations about emotions can be uncomfortable, difficult and can be considered ‘soft’. Yet most organisations and leaders underestimate the influence emotion has on themselves, and their culture, leadership and change efforts. The emotional culture of an organisation influences employee experience and satisfaction, burnout, teamwork, and even hard measures such as financial performance and absenteeism.

From a personal perspective, some things you can do for mental and emotional wellbeing include:

• Accept where you are.
• Reflect and be clear on what really matters.
• Create and communicate boundaries so your time and energy are protected.
• Ask for support (from professionals, loved ones, friends, colleagues)
• Let go of what doesn’t serve the ‘really matters’. Delegate, let go of the fantasy that all is ok.
• Make a new wellbeing plan that is simple and do-able. Small changes can often be the most transformative.

From a leader perspective, some things you can do to develop a healthy team emotional culture are:

• Demonstrate to your team mental health and wellbeing conversations are part of the culture.
• Don’t assume that people who are performing well don’t need help. Productivity can mask burnout.
• Create opportunities, and space for you and the team to understand more about themselves and others through training, coaching and conversation.
• Remember as a leader, you lead people – people who are human beings, with emotions, thoughts and beliefs. Learn to see things from their perspective.
• Encourage your team to use Headspace’s mindfulness content available through Microsoft Teams.  There are mindfulness guides to help prepare for presentations, as well as short sessions that can also help prevent burnout and bring wellness into your workday.

Check out what’s on offer at ATI-Mirage:

Manage Stress, Build Resilience
Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
Emotionally Intelligent Leaders
Mindfulness@Work

Cultivating positive relationships at work is crucial to ongoing work success. We are happier, more productive and have higher levels of job satisfaction when the relationships with our co-workers are positive.

The importance of communication:

Being able to communicate clearly is crucial in the workplace. Everyone works better and more effectively when there are good lines of communication open. Remember the role that being a good listener has in positive communication. Try listening without judgement, jumping to conclusions, interrupting, or thinking about what you might say next. People feel good when they have been heard and understood.

Watch how you communicate:

As with any relationship, communication in the workplace is not just about what you say, but also how you say it. Blaming others when things go wrong, speaking negatively, and constantly using sarcasm are all ways that can sour relationships with your colleagues, and won’t make you look good to the boss either.

Remember about your body language. We have evolved to pick up on non-verbal cues, and use attributes like the way someone stands, their expression, or the amount of eye contact made, to decide on things like someone’s trustworthiness, or how comfortable we feel in their company.

Make the effort:

In today’s work environment, it is easy to do much of your communicating with colleagues over email or by other electronic messaging services. These can be great tools when used properly. What many people forget is the difficulty in interpreting ‘tone’ through an email or electronic message. If you send a message you think is funny, others may not see it the same way. The quality of your work relationships can be improved by making a little extra effort and making a phone call, or better yet, go and see them in person (or via Zoom!)

Spending time getting to know a little about your workmates’ interests, family or previous work history can really improve your working relationship. Asking questions and telling a few stories about your own history can make people comfortable and more likely to share. Making the effort to turn up to a social event organised for outside work hours can also do wonders as your colleagues get to know the real you.

Being a Team player:

Some jobs require constant collaboration, and in most workplaces there are times when teamwork is needed to get the job done. If you let everyone else do the work while you just do your own work or spend time checking your social media, you will quickly get a name as someone who cannot be counted on. Bragging about your own achievements whilst down-playing the input of others who worked on the task will see no one wanting to work in a group with you again.

Get your share of the work done on time, and if you manage to get it done early, see if you can help other team members who may be struggling. Always ask for help if you need it, it is much better to do this that not be able to complete the task. Helping others, or having someone help you are both great ways to forge closer relationships with your colleagues.

Trust:

Show that you are someone who can be counted on. Make the deadlines you have agreed to, as there are others depending on you. If you miss deadlines regularly, your workmates will start to think less of you, that you are not trustworthy or not up to the task.

Many workplaces thrive on gossip, however starting or spreading gossip can be damaging on workplace morale and on your relationships with your co-workers. You are breaking confidence, and gossip always has a way of getting back to the person you were talking about.

Respect:

Showing respect to others goes a long way to forging great working relationships. Listening to other people’s contributions and taking them on board when in group meeting situations shows you respect them and their viewpoint.

Keeping in mind the diversity of people at your workplace means better decisions can be made to benefit the organisation, and how it responds to workers, clients and stakeholders. Being inclusive with contributors of different genders, ages, races, sexualities, and levels of ability when making decisions or policy shows that everyone is respected and valued.

Give credit where it is due:

Be sure to acknowledge and thank everyone who contributes to your work. People like to be appreciated for their efforts, and you will be seen as someone who makes sure that any credit goes where it is due.

On the flip side, if there is a problem or something goes wrong, don’t go to the boss and blame everyone else. Take ownership of the problem and come up with a solution. A workplace relationship can quickly turn sour if someone feels they are being blamed unfairly.

Maintaining positive working relationships makes for a more enjoyable work life. They mean your voice is more likely to be heard as you are respected, and you are more likely to achieve your work goals. The people you work with will be happy to put you forward for a promotion, or later in your career help out with a reference or suggesting you for a new position.

We spend about a third of our life at work, make it count by improving your work relationships.

How can ATI-Mirage help?

 

Transform how you communicate and influence with our great new Communication Skills course (with Extended DiSC®).

The extended DiSC report acts as a map to improve and enhance professional and personal communication. It is full of strategies to build understanding of ourselves and others while developing adaptive communication skills.

Other courses to help with creating positive relationships:

• Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
• Emotionally Intelligent Leaders (with SEIP)
• Mindfulness @ Work

Book online or call us today to book your place or to arrange a group training for you and team.

Blog written by Wendy Wilson, ATI-Mirage’s Lead Consultant PD and Wellness

 

 

The World Economic Forum sounded an alarm back in January 2020 by announcing: ‘The world is facing a reskilling emergency. We need to reskill more than 1 billion people by 2030.’ This highlights how we all need to focus on upskilling to make sure that nobody is left behind.

A learning transformation is required – one that focuses on the connection between continuous reskilling/upskilling, on the one hand, and actual work, on the other. The challenge for Learning & Development teams is to prepare for a super learning future, centred on skills and capabilities at the individual, team and organisation levels; powered by data; and integrating ‘learning in the flow of work’ across functions and organisations.

The journey towards a learning transformation involves a number of well-calculated steps. At the end of the journey is a ‘super’ workforce: resilient and adaptable to current and future disruptors.

The benefits of a strong learning culture to an organisation and individual:

• Greater efficiency
• Increased productivity
• Increased profitability
• Stronger employee and employer engagement
• A mindset of continuous improvement
• Leadership development
• Culture of curiosity
• Adaptability to change

We have a once in a generation opportunity to reimagine how we work.  Workplaces need to create a new, more effective operating model that works for organisations and people navigating a world of increasing uncertainty. Organisations need to establish future needs and training and development requirements to future proof for a profitable and productive centre.

Many organisations are realising they will not be able to recruit for all the new skills they need. Looking internally and developing existing talent is often quicker and more financially prudent, as well as being good for morale and retention.

For over 30 years ATI-Mirage has upskilled and trained the workforces of Perth and WA. We are keen to work with you as you plan your workforce needs. Call us today on 08 9218 9059 and we can provide advice and support.

Or join our free event ATI-Mirage’s Hybrid Workplace of the Future Summit 2021 on 18th August, an inspirational and informative event that will equip you with important information and essential tools to help you understand and plan for the future for yourself, your team and your organisation. Click here for more information.

Blog written by Paula Rogers, ATI-Mirage Senior Associate.