Top Tips For Effective Business Writing

With the advent of the internet and mobile technology, there are so many forms of communication at our disposal that today’s business world is almost entirely driven by information. In order to be successful in this world it is no longer enough just to be a good strategist or effective organiser – you have to learn to be a skilled communicator.

The problem is that most business-minded people probably don’t have a huge amount of experience in writing, and business courses don’t tend to stress building up strong writing skills as part of their programme. But think about it: Almost every day in business you will be required to send emails, compose newsletters or proposals ... the list goes on. A carelessly written email or report may well cost you dearly, so it’s imperative that you make effective business writing a top priority. Here are some things to consider:

Economy: In business, when you have a point to get across you want to do it succinctly before the recipient gets bored or becomes distracted. Remember that just as you are a busy person, the person you are messaging is likely to be the same and won’t have time to read a lengthy missive. Work out the most important points of what you want to say and get them down straight away. You don’t have to be rude or abrupt, but busy people appreciate brevity wherever possible.

Avoid jargon or clichés: By now most people in business are heartily sick of hackneyed phrases like ‘thinking outside the box’ or ‘blue-sky thinking’. Today, people much prefer it if you use simple, clear language that anyone can understand and says what you really mean. Using vague, clichéd phrases in reports or proposals can even make you sound as though you are trying to hide an essential lack of substance which will instantly put potential business partners or clients off.

Proofread everything: Reading through every document before you send it or present it is an essential part of your job if you want to avoid embarrassment. Typos happen to everyone, but if you leave them in there then it reflects badly on your company. It’s important to proofread twice, as sometimes your brain can pick up on some things the first time around but miss others.

Get the tone right: When sending out business emails, for example, you need to strike the right balance. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be overly formal to sound professional – in fact it helps to build up business relationships if you are friendly and remember small details about the person you are contacting. Don’t go too far though: avoid any jokes that might be offensive, however harmless they seem to you; don’t complain about your job or colleagues; and don’t swear. Basically, the idea is never to send anything you wouldn’t be comfortable with anybody else in your company reading.

Whilst the above are all helpful pointers, if you are not confident about your grasp of English for business purposes you may want to consider learning English online. There are several good online training courses, such as ‘Better English: A Better Future’ which is specifically targeted towards business people to improve their grasp of grammar and the correct forms of business communication, and also has a staff training programme. Learning English online should enable you to feel more confident about your writing skills or those of your staff, and it’s far easier for businesses as it allows learners to work around their own hours and at their own pace rather than having to attend classes.

Stress Management in the Workplace

The first thing that springs to mind when someone mentions stress in the workplace is unhappy staff, employees taking time off work and essentially a drop in productivity. The stress – productivity correlation, however, may not be quite so simple. There are a number of studies that show a certain level of stress does actually increase a person’s productivity depending, of course, on the cause of said stress.

Many people do actually perform best under pressure; be it a student cramming in last minute revision or a senior manager staying up until the early hours to finish that presentation to the board. From a manager’s perspective, it is imperative to allow employees to experience a certain level of stress and pressure to really stretch them to the best of their ability. Deadlines, goals and clearly setting out expectation are all constructive ways of achieving this.

In the same breath, it is very important for a manager to know their employees well enough to spot the signs of too much pressure and unhealthy levels of stress. According to the Labour Force Survey for 2010/2011, depression or anxiety contributed to the loss of 10.8 million working days.

Even the most professional of employees will find it hard to prevent stresses from their private life spilling into their work and so it is important for managers to treat every employee as an individual person. Good man-management is probably the most important trait a manager can posses.

There are ways of reducing work place stress on a larger scale. Team building workshops and trips are a great place to start, as are social activities outside of the work place. On a much more fundamental level, a temperate office climate, a supply of fresh water and plenty of space are all going to contribute to reducing work place stress.

There is plenty of evidence to support the theory that laughter can improve productivity within the workplace. Laughing increases blood flow around the body, as well as reducing the level of hormones in the body that can cause stress and anxiety. Again, there is somewhat of a balancing act to perform as staff will relish any opportunity to sit around in fits of giggles all day!

To conclude, remembering that every employee is human will do wonders for productivity within a company. Clear targets and goals will encourage staff to give their best but be there as a person, rather than a boss, should stress begin to have a detrimental effect on a member of the team.

 

How to raise money for your charity

Everybody has certain causes dear to their hearts for which they would like to raise money, but not everyone finds the time to actually get round to doing this. We all lead busy lives today, but if you are really serious about doing your bit there are a huge variety of fun, easy and inexpensive ways you can do this – and don’t forget to learn the ways of increasing Gift Aid revenue for your charity. Here are some fundraising methods you could consider:

Sponsored skydive: This is a challenge in itself which many people think they would like to have a go at but wonder if they have the nerve. By doing this for charity you are challenging yourself and raising money for a good cause at the same time. The good news is that, if you look around, you will find that many charities will cover the cost of your skydive themselves if you can guarantee to raise a certain amount of money for them.

Walk-a-thon:  For those who aren’t able to participate in the more extreme option above but would still like a more physical challenge, why not consider a sponsored walk-a-thon? The great thing about doing this is that you can get as many people involved as you want, which makes for a great community spirit as well as raising more money for your cause. Advertise your walk-a-thon online, in local papers and billboards or through word of mouth and friends, and you may be surprised at the interest and support you are able to drum up.

Organise an event: This can be any size, from a small local bring-and-buy sale to a large rock concert – the important thing is to advertise it well enough to bring in enough punters. Just make sure, if you are going for a more ambitious event, that you have the right systems in place to ensure you collect donations efficiently.

As mentioned above, it is also important, whatever method of fundraising you choose, to know how to maximise the amount of Gift Aid your charity can claim back after you have made your donation. Bear in mind that Gift Aid can only be reclaimed on money from individuals or sole traders, so any donations from a company on behalf of someone else will not be recognised. Make sure your donation has clearly come from the correct sources.

Also, you need to keep accurate records of each donor who has sponsored you – otherwise the Gift Aid cannot be verified. If you are running a large event, then using EPOS (electronic point-of-sale systems) are another great way of increasing gift aid revenue as they will process the information automatically and accurately.

The benefits of EPOS

Electronic point-of-sale (EPOS) systems are today the fastest and most efficient way to deal with customers and sales. They provide all the functions of conventional tills, such as totals and change calculations and receipt issues, but also offer a great deal more. They can be integrated with credit card payment systems and keep track of stock and customer information. Here are some of the reasons why so many shops are investing in EPOS systems:

Stock control: The ability of EPOS systems to manage stock is a massive boon for businesses and can make a real difference to profits. They can, for example, keep track of which products are performing best and automatically generate purchase orders when you are low on these so you can make sure you don’t run out at critical times. Keeping track of your products in this way also means you can maximise profitability by adjusting prices judiciously according to the popularity of each item.

Time saving: Speeding up the sales transaction makes for happy customers and greater productivity. Customers are more likely to come back if they have had a positive experience previously, whereas if they have had to wait for some time in a queue whilst your employees work with an old-fashioned till system they may be inclined to take their business to a shop with a more efficient sales process. In today’s hi-tech world, consumer patience is limited to say the least, so a point-of-sale system that processes transactions automatically can only work for the good of your business.

Increasing charitable profits: For charitable organisations with chains of shops, tailored charity EPOS till systems are now playing a key role in helping to ensure they get the most possible profits from every donation made. They enable charities to process Gift Aid donations, which would previously have been done manually by filling out forms, so that the correct amount of tax can be claimed back.

Bearing in mind that the majority of charity shops are staffed by volunteers who may not have a great deal of training or experience, the old system meant that not every donation could be processed efficiently in order to claim Gift Aid. Charity EPOS till systems store information about each donor efficiently and easily, meaning that anyone can use them.

Employee monitoring: An up-to-date EPOS system can even allow shops to keep track of their employees by keeping records of which staff member was responsible for each transaction and when. This allows them to identify which employees are performing best and where improvements could be made. If there is a customer complaint about a specific transaction, the EPOS system will be able to pinpoint exactly which staff member dealt with it and what happened so the issue can be sorted out speedily and with the minimum of fuss. After all, remember that good customer service is the cornerstone of any business.

Tips to Make a Landlord’s Life Easier

Landlords and property companies have a bad reputation but the majority of them are just trying to maximise their income and aren’t out to give their tenants a hard time. With the global financial crisis of recent years, it is becoming harder than ever for first-time buyers to get a foot on the ladder, meaning that more and more young people are looking for good quality rental properties as an alternative. Investing in rental property can potentially be very lucrative for those willing to take the time to do it right.

But whilst there can be great financial rewards for renting out properties, it can also be a headache if you don’t understand the way the system works or aren’t properly prepared. Here are some tips on how to take the stress out of this business for both you and your tenants:

Get fully insured: Of course, you are required to get buildings insurance when you own a property, but not every landlord is aware that they should also get contents insurance. Perhaps it is because they assume it is the responsibility of the tenant to insure their own belongings – but this is to forget items such as carpets, kitchen or bathroom fixtures which will come as part of the property and can be damaged in the event of fire or flood. Cover yourself for every eventuality and you could save yourself a lot of time and expense further down the line.

Invest in property software: Many landlords are reluctant to put their faith in an agent to manage their property for them – and sadly, often rightly so. But if you have several properties to manage it can soon become too much of a strain to try and keep track of everything yourself. In this situation, property management software exists to do a lot of the work for you so you don’t even have to think about it. It can, for example, send automatic arrears letters to tenants, provide you with instant access to specific details about your portfolio, produce accounts and bank statements and even generate reports.

Get a tenancy agreement: This is an absolute essential as it means both you and your tenants are protected by law. I have heard so many cases of landlords letting to ‘friends’, only to lose out badly when they refuse to pay rent or damage the property and then leave without giving notice. You should also run a credit check and ask for references on potential tenants to give you further peace of mind.

Do it yourself: Once you have the above-mentioned property software, there is really no need for an agent. To further cut costs, use skilled friends and acquaintances to carry out maintenance or repairs, or do it yourself if you are able to. Do be aware of your tenants’ rights though: for example, once the tenancy agreement has been signed you can’t enter the property without giving proper notice.

Get certified: You will soon get into hot water if you don’t have all the necessary certifications in place before you let your property. Since 2008, all landlords are required to have Energy Performance Certificates for their houses, and the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1985 legally obliges all landlords to ensure that all electrical appliances and installations are safe before the tenant moves in, as well as carrying out checks every five years. Gas installations also have to be checked, so bring in a CORGI registered engineer to do this.

Musical Theatre Schools How Your Child Could Benefit From Taking a Course in the Performing Arts

Whether your child is reserved or outgoing by nature, he or she will almost certainly benefit from taking a course at one of the many established musical theatre schools. Although musical theatre is considered the toughest of all performance mediums, the three core activities of musical theatre, namely: singing, dancing and drama, offer many positive benefits including:

Confidence BuildingSchool children, students and adults are often called upon to present or perform to their peers. Instilling the qualities necessary for accomplished performance in a creative, yet structured environment, produces exceptional results, and builds a sense of self-worth and personal achievement. Whilst shy children find their confidence through unearthing and developing their unique talents, more confident, outgoing children, will develop valuable life skills such as listening and empathy.

Nurturing IndividualityThrough providing a fun and entertaining learning environment, students feel nurtured, inspired and constantly positive. It’s vital that teachers promote individual creativity and that each child’s contribution is acknowledged and valued.
Children should be encouraged to dream, to challenge themselves and grow in line with their goals. An uplifting environment where each small achievement is celebrated is conducive to producing uniquely creative individuals who can think and act for themselves.

Encouraging Great TeamworkFinding a class which motivates your child and encourages social interaction, enthusiastic participation, cooperation and teamwork is essential. Learning to work well in a disciplined environment with respect for their tutors and fellow ‘performers’, is essential training for any youngster. Teamwork and team-building skills are highly valued in the world of work. Just look how many times the Team Leader gets fired on The Apprentice! Seriously, encouraging youngsters to work well in team activities will definitely stand them in good stead as they progress to adulthood.

Developing Musical AppreciationMusical theatre is perhaps unique in that offers training in three arts-related disciplines for the price of one! It’s the perfect course for any young person who is either multi-talented, or else, isn’t sure where their talents lie exactly, and may be in need of some ‘coaching and coaxing.’
To give a young person the gift of an introduction to the performing arts is a fine and generous thing to do. No doubt as the proud parent waiting in the wings, you will be graciously rewarded the first time you see your child perform on stage.

But much more than the extent of their singing, dancing or acting ability, you will be providing your youngster with valuable life skills that will see them well, whatever career choice they decide to pursue.

Management Software The Best Way to Run a Property Business

Whether you are running a large property business or are a private landlord with just a few houses to rent, the time has come to bring your methods up to date. Forget about your paper-based systems or Excel spreadsheets and invest in the latest landlord management software. You will notice a difference immediately as the fully automated system takes charge of every aspect of your portfolio, saving you a significant amount of both time and money. You’ll never want to go back.

So what exactly are the main benefits of using property management software? To begin with, it can be tailored to meet the needs of anybody working within the property business, from those with just a few tenancies to those managing lettings into the hundreds of thousands. For example, if you have a mixed property portfolio then you can purchase software which, along with accounting and reporting services, also comes equipped with a special service charge module to allow you to deal with complex lease provisions.

Furthermore, landlord management software gives you the ability to maintain real control over your portfolio. We all know how easy it is to let things slide, and one forgotten payment here or routine maintenance visit there can soon see your business descending into chaos. Control over your portfolio means the total automation of routine jobs such as arrears collection, letters to tenants or maintenance reminders. It also means a fully detailed event and transaction history retained in the system as long as you need it, so you can access any important or relevant information in seconds.

Security is also very important to most landlords or property agents, and again this is where managing your business using software emerges as the winning approach. With a paper-based system it is much easier for unauthorised persons to access information on your portfolio, whereas landlord management software will come with a security system which allows you to set individual access rights for each of your staff – or not, as the case may be.

Lastly, if you want a more detailed report on a certain aspect of your portfolio, using specialised software is the best way to get hold of this both quickly and accurately. Built-in report generators will allow you to pick and choose the information you want to create reports and statements which are tailored to the needs of your business. Yes, this kind of software comes at a price initially, but once it is implemented you will soon see savings in terms of both time and money.