the Trainer - he is gd... he mentors pple in the course

Dear pals,

I am so impacted by a trainer, Mr Tony Lee over the last few days that I must blog this.

Let me try to write such that it is reader-friendly. Enjoys ! =)


Trainer - tall, slim and v.talkative haha... lotsa to share
Course - CUSTOMER FOCUS

I was really happy to attend a course becoz there's time to rest fr. work; it's a break fr. the stressful work schedule, and can relax and listen to the Trainer. Was not expecting anything much... thus it was really a shock to me when the Trainer made such a big impact... Hmm... kay, here I go { wld just share the unique & most impactful parts }. VERY GOOD TIPS hor...

1.
SELF-INTRODUCTION
:) Mr Lee started off the 1st session by asking us to self-intro. ourselves. He introduced himself as well. He is near 50, he is happily married with two gals, he has a resort in Tioman ( wow !!! must go ) and he windsurfs, jogs, plays golf, eats healthily, just did lasik, studied a lot. In fact, he did not even graduate from Secondary School. He went back home when he did badly for his PSLE and overheard his parents' conversation... his parents was disappointed, esp. his dad. Thereafter, he 'bounced back', v.inspired to study hard. He got his O Levels, then Diploma and later Degree and Masters. All these while working - he did private studies. Teaching is his passion... he was not v.happy wif some of his teachers, he told himself to do better than that, to be a gd teacher.
He asked us to draw something about ourselves, which represents an info. which others do not know as yet.

Everybody seems to be in a sleepy mode and 'huh', ? ? ? - why did he ask us to draw ?

I like this creative way of introducing ourselves. My drawing isn't very gd, but I like to express myself & I seemed to know wat I wanted to draw. I drew a simple picture, with clouds, rainbow, sea and a little 2-D sailing boat (almst 'stick-like' diagram). I shared with my coursemates tat I like the sea, I like sailing and windsurfing and I like the clouds and rainbow. =0)

Others shared their interests, their childhood size (plump), their favourite thingy, their home + family, what they value & etc etc. It was gd to get to noe my colleagues betta (some of whom I hv never seen b4 !) =0).

2.
ROLE PERCEPTION - WHO AM I ?
;) Who am I ? Why am I here ?
What am I aiming for in this coy ? What is stopping me fr. reaching my goals ?
Mr Lee has 11 years of experience in the airline industry and worked in other places as well, including hotels.
He mentioned tat it is important to understand our feelings about who we r and what we bring to our personal & professional lives is impt.
It is a MISTAKE to think that our personal lives and work are not supposed to mix.

E.g. if a staff's loved one just passed away, how wld he/ she be able to do his/ her well... show the empathy and allow the staff to attend to the matter first.

Of which, he pointed out that we hv to understand our inner strengths
a. Self-confidence
b. Self-esteem
c. Emotional maturity
He pointed out something insightful - we all hv self-confidence; only when we do not take personal ownership of our lives, we do not think we hv.
Self-confidence level can be increased by being nurtured.


3.
UNDERSTANDING OURSELVES
It is interesting that he brought in this concept - we have 3 "persons"
a. BODY
b. MIND/ SOUL
c. SPIRIT

he mentioned that we have 3 "persons" and these 3 "persons" need to be well before we can Run/ Fly.
Run with what we are doing; Fly with what we believe in.

E.g. BODY - when we meet somebody, we go to the person - physically there
MIND/ SOUL - we connect/ communicate intellectually when we negotiate /discuss a case
SPIRIT - we all have a spirit ... it never dies... we can feel the hurt after somebody has said a nasty word


4.
AREAS FOR DEVELOPING OURSELVES
Physical
Intellectual
Social
Emotional
Spiritual

Mr Lee kept emphasizing on having healthy activities and eating healthily... giving examples and sharing stories of his frens. =)
Also, he mentioned, our body cANNOT take the negative. Think negative, be negative, the body easily reacts as well.
Think positive, be positive.

He gave examples with regards to anger and stress as well, how they affect our bodies.

Having covered the points 1. to 4., he shared that the items are impt. to understd how we can be certain of who we are in the Coy, what is the role we play, how we can develop ourselves, be secure and happy in what we do and improve constantly.


5.
SERVICE MISSION AND VALUE

He covered the Mission Statement and Vision of the Coy. And shared why we should always remember the Mission Statement and how it can work for us. E.g. we need to remember the Coy is going to be all abt the Mission Statement (how it evolves and continues to grow/ prosper). Looking at this, we can use it carefully to assert certain opinions in the case of meetings with clients, as well as during the Internal Discussions, say how Budget is set, does it 'fulfil' the Coy's Mission Statement --> cld be a 'weapon' if wisely used. It is meaningful to understand how we can stand by our Coy's Mission Statement to deliver to the customers.

In addition, he brought out some key words which I remember.
a. Passionate - be passionate abt the work we do
b. Progressive - think abt how to progress
c. Proactive - need not just wait for things to happen
d. Positive
e. Powerful - certain stuff we do, we nd to rem. tat we represent the Coy, we hv
the "power"

6.
ACTIVITY
- building a structure using sticks, thread, glue, pen-knife, using creativity and teamwork.
- goal : structure shd hold the max. no. of bricks (really the big, red ones)

This was interesting as we get hands-on 'feel' about working in a team (some totally new strangers coming together).
We saw how contribution of ideas is impt. The team also had to think and strategise how to max. the resources plus work within the time given.

My team managed to build a simple yet beautiful structure "using the kelong-on-stilts" concept combined with the design of the scaffolding-structure.

Our structure got 2nd ! Just 1 brick behind the 1st team.

The Structure - represents us - how well we 'build' ourselves-prepare in the process
would determine the outcome
The Bricks - represent the customers - how many we can handle at 1 go
- the faster we handle customers and can satisfy them,
& 'get them off the back', the better/ efficient it is

7.
AMMUNITION
There is only 1 'gun' in the organisation, that is the Coy. We all are the ammunition and we need to be good at what we do.
The following should be in place:
a. Product knowledge
b. Process knowledge
c. Service knowledge
d. Accountability knowledge

He added - as human beings, we need to prioritise what we need to do and as working pple- employees, we need to 'tighten' what we know - constantly 'upgrade' ourselves at work.


8.
SERVICE - WHAT IS SERVICE
This part is short, but after he shared the characteristics of Service, he sort of blew my mind away with the history of Service (how it came about, developed) and the root word of Service - SERVE.
To provide gd service is to serve, and serve means like a "servant".
E.g. The Civil Service pple were previously known as "Government Servants".

S. incerity
E. xceed expectations
R. esponsible
V. alue
I. ntiative
C. are
E. mpathy

Wow, the more he shares, I felt tis - this guy knows his stuff ! Is passionate abt his stuff he teaches, and walks the talk. He himself said - it's the "S" Blood in him.


9.
UNDERSTAND THE CUSTOMER

:) Besides sharing abt the usual theortical stuff ( i feel ), he mentioned stuff like do we listen ? > do we "imagine" or thought of the expectations which the customer wants instead of really knowing what the customer wants..
He said - CLOSE THE PERCEPTION GAP
sometimes we don't fully understand the customer... and sometimes we dun even bother to understand. Get to know the customer, understand, get to noe more - the background, the previous experiences, needs & etc etc.


10.
CREATING A POSITIVE SERVICE IMPRESSION

:) Mr Lee could not emphasize any more- much more on the importance of creating a gd 1st impression, coz there may never be a 2nd chance.
The first "person" is the BODY, thus it is undeniable that we have to present ourselves groomed, at least with a smile. Dress professionally, get a good haircut (find the best one that complements us). Know your product well so as to be able to converse - transmit info. well. Look into the mirror before u step out of the hse... look into the mirror before u meet ur customer. SMiLE wif a sincere heart.

He also added incessantly that healthy bodies come from eating well. It's NOT abt dieting but eating right-well. He mentioned we are what we eat. We are-becoming the foods we eat.
Haha, he mentioned dun eat too much pork... coz pigs are 'bad bodies' - their bodies are designed in such a way that they are scavengers for foods, they can eat anything, thus even if pigs eat stuff full of bacteria, their bodies can take it. HOWEVER, humans eat pork, our bodies become "filled with bacteria".
Everything is abt BALANCE... he said.

In additional, he asked us not to smoke, if want, try a smoke, and noe that it is not gd.
Haha, he said, look at our nose, it's not "created"-situated on top of our head (like a chimney for a house - imagine !), so that when we smoke, the smoke can outlet via the top... but our nose is created to face down (the nostrils) - to SMELL GOOD FOOD =).

This funny fella has a whole load of gd stuff of share, incl. stories. And he really has the passion to impart his life experiences and values to us. His stories are convicting, may coz he lives real and thus his sharing amplifies the points. His concern is non-intimidating & genuine.

: it's like he is a teacher sent to impact lives
He also shared, how we shd "Water" ourselves with the Right "Nutrients" to grow.
We are all like RAW Diamonds, that can be POLISHED and he urged us to be the VERY BEST in the Area(s) we have been given/ are in.


11.
HOW DO WE HANDLE DIFFICULT/ ANGRY CUSTOMERS

sometimes we are challenged by difficult & angry customers... sometimes we start to react...
we fail to recognise the angry person is just like an inflating balloon, his/ her anger just builds up and up....
If we allow the angry person to slowly let loose and vent his/ her anger and thereafter "deflat" - back to normal, it wld be easier to talk thereafter.


There are many ways of communication/ communication channels...
and sometimes we can make use of all of them. Use them carefully to get the best "total picture", listen, see, write down, be involved (participatory), etc.

THE KEY to good-effective communication is TO MINIMISE the Barriers of Communication.

He taught us tips how to engage a difficult. angry. complaining. negative. defensive customer.
=0)
Sometimes silence is a good way to let the customer "cool down" first.
We hv to rem. this - DO NOT REACT ! REm.: dun add on to the problem; and DO NOT go into the BLAME/ JUSTIFY mode when dealing with angry customers.
Sometimes saying sorry helps, it's not abt being "weak".


12.
SATISFYING AND DELIGHTING THE CUSTOMER

a. understd customer's needs
b. meet the customer's needs (exceed as much as possible)
c. there is an "Imaginery Line" where the customer goes fr. Angry to Delighted...
d. create an informed customer - be responsive & provide correct info. to customer
e. create an improvement / opportunities for the next "encounter" w the customer

He added: dun make enemies !
Every customer who left can return.


He shared many other stuff like what is impt. for a FRONTLINE STAFF, SERVICE TEAM - Basic Principle of Teamwork, etc.

OF ALL THE STUFF HE SHARE, i felt it is the SPIRIT which he is imparting, a SPIRIT OF SERVICE, LOVE for his teaching & his 'students' (like us), a SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE and to TEACH and IMPART VALUES.
And his words are always precise and the activities he used were carefully crafted-thought thru' to provide a way for us to "experience" and learn.

Thank you Mr Lee !
He has a heart, a relevant experience, REally !
He is a christian, who is shining in the marketplace and very gd at what he is doing.

Mr Lee, you are a good teacher... and really you inspire me to pick these notes up again and read not just as information but tips to apply, remember and remember again.

God bless U. Continue to teach and impact lives !!!

He is a shareholder of a TIOMAN resort as well ! --> CHECK THIS OUT:
www.payabeach.com

;0)