On The Same Page Consulting

Tickets are now on sale for our October Business Month 2024 sessions in Tennant Creek. We will be offering 3 short and interesting sessions on the 1st and 2nd of October. #TennantCreek #tennant #OBM2024 #barklyregion #Barkly #tennantcreekNT #regionalNT #NTOpportunities #NTLandOfOpportunities Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/gACcbqFE

Writing takes time, focus and concentration. That's why we have decided to start sharing when we are available to take on new clients. It's not because we are special, in fact, we are just like the rest of you - working to provide a good service and deliver on expectations. If you are interested in working with us, book a time for a chat now.

One of the things thats hard about being in a management role, whether as a business owner or manager, is delegating work to others. Sometimes it is hard to understand why someone is confused by a task you think is really simple. It can be so easy to get irritated by 'stupid' questions, and clarification requests on something you think you have already explained.  Its important to remember though, that successful communication is important for delegating well.  Successful communication is where a message is effectively sent and effectively recieved. So, if you are handing off a small part of something you have been working on, remember that you are already in the frame of mind to understand what your talking about. When you go to someone to hand off, they may have been deeply focussing on another piece of work and need time to get on the same page as you. In other words, you have to help them to understand the 'backstory' of where you are up to in your head. In Deep Work, Cal Newport, the author explains that it takes up to 20 minutes to regain focus and that this refocussing takes up a lot of mental energy.  So, if you are asking someone to jump in where you left off, remember without time to get the background, you may be asking someone to start halfway through your story.  Sometimes we also assume we know what someone needs to know, or what they are going to ask for when we are sharing information but often, we need to make sure we are on the same page before the communication can be effective.  This isn't only for delegating work and managing people - but for all communication. It's important to do your part listening and checking understanding when you are communicating with someone - otherwise it's not a conversation it's a lecture.  When effectively communicating, make sure to listen and respond to requests for information. Understanding where they are at with their knowledge is more important than trying to provide all the information in one big hit.  This is definitely harder than the one way kind of communication, but in the longer term, the person you are communicating with can learn more when they are given time to sort through and organise their existing knowledge first.  We find here at OTSPC, writing basic instructions as the first step to a procedure (a written delegation) is a big help.  But more important is the process of using the procedure together. By getting together to work through the procedure the first few times, updating the written tasks during these catchups, the hand off can be much more successful.  How do you handoff work to others? Do you have good written procedures? Do you work together to use them before finalising them?  Share your thoughts in the comments. #communication #otspc #information

How do you hire? Just on qualifications and experience or is it more about values and attitude? One of the jobs we get contracted to do the most at OTSPC is recruitment scribing. This means we spend a LOT of time in and around the recruitment process for the NT Government. Now, this organisation has very solid processes, policies and rules about recruiting - but there is still a lot of flexibility in how the right applicant is selected based on merit - or in plain English - the best person for the job, based on evidence. Good recruiters - no matter where they work, understand what is most important when they are hiring. For example, there's a difference between hiring someone based on their on-the-job experience and qualifications and hiring someone who can mesh well with the team, is trainable and has the right attitude and approach for the organisation. At OTSPC, we have gone in both directions. We have hired writers with decades of experience because that's what we needed, but we have also hired junior admin staff with minimal to no experience. This is because we think it's important to consider the position when making that decision. Sometimes hiring people with lots of technical experience can cause issues, because they have trouble adapting to new processes, platforms and people. Equally as difficult could be a team member with little to no experience or qualifications because they haven't had time to develop and hone their ability to do the job. For us, the most important thing when hiring is an alignment in values. Our people are committed to the values of our organisation and this makes it easy to have conversations about performance and customer service. How do you hire? What do you think are the most important factors when hiring? #recruitment #scribing #otspc #onthesamepage

Most people agree that happy employees are productive employees. But sometimes, as managers and leaders, we don't know what to do to help make happy employees. There are probably a million ways to improve your employees' happiness, including things like flexible hours and creating culturally and gender-safe environments. Really, though, the idea is that meeting employees' needs and supporting them in the ways they want to be supported will improve business outcomes. A 2023 study by the University of Oxford solidified this belief by comparing happiness levels and sales numbers of employees over a six-month period. It found that happiness can improve productivity by up to 13 percent. Among others, this is a great reason why employers should value employee happiness. The Australia Business Awards Association offers Employee of Choice Awards to organisations "maximising the full potential of their workforce through established policies and practices that demonstrate effective employee recruitment, engagement and retention." We think a good way to improve your employees' happiness in the workplace is to mirror the businesses that have succeeded in these awards. Adica, a small Australian Insurance company with around 200 employees, was selected as a 2023 Employer of the Year. They have a range of beliefs that supported their win, including being certified. Adica understands the importance of a holistic employee value proposition (EVP), focusing on four key areas as part of its overall remuneration strategy: compensation (salary and bonus), learning and development, health and wellbeing, and environment. As a Family Inclusive Workplace, ALDI Australia was another company selected in 2023. ALDI offers a host of supports for their colleagues across physical, mental, financial and social well-being. These dedicated wellness resources allow colleagues to look after their well-being at no expense. Visit the website to read more about this: https://lnkd.in/g-xVQ53m What are you doing to make your workplace happier and healthier? More importantly, have you asked your workers or colleagues what could be done to make it more so? #employeesatisfaction #happiness #productivity #otspc #onthesamepage

The NT Government has just published a new grant available that we want to share with you: The Aboriginal Tourism Development Support Grant Program works by helping Aboriginal owned businesses and organisations to develop Aboriginal cultural tourism experiences and tourism product that encourage visitors to travel to the NT and stay longer. Applications close 7 March 2025 6:30 PM (ACST) For further information and to see if you are eligible, Visit the NT GOV Grants website: https://lnkd.in/gt4xkYyB... For information on OTSPC's Grants writing services, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/dpTXg4xn #notforprofit #NTGrants #AboriginalTourism #TourismDevelopment

PLEASE SHARE: Whilst preparing an Aboriginal Business Development Grant application for one of our awesome clients - we found something in the form that we thought we had better share so that others don't get a last minute surprise. The form preview, which many people would use to prepare answers, asks a question that looks like a tick box, but is actually a long answer question - see image. Please beware if you are preparing application content (like we are) that up to 4,000 characters are required against each box you tick. I know none of us intend to apply for grants at #TheLastMinute but sometimes other things take priority. Hopefully this warning helps at least one person for this round - which closes on 31 July. NOTE: We wrote to NTG before preparing this post to ask this to be fixed, so hopefully they are on to it. #GrantWriter #OTSPC #OnTheSamePage #CustomerExperience #CX Conni Warren

We think it is incredibly important to be approachable and down to earth, because we strive to be the people you can to go for advice about anything, without feeling lost or out of the loop. We have wanted, since our first day in business, to fill a gap in the market which we think lots of people have felt: A place to go for help where you can ask any question (Limited of course to our range of expertise), and just get an answer with no judgement. Being down-to-earth is something we think lots of business owners could work on. Everyone needs a reminder sometimes that we are all equal, despite educational, experiential or pretty much any differences, and deserve to be taken seriously and treated as such. Approachability and being down-to-earth is incredibly important in everyday life, but is almost more relevant when trying to communicate with clients. How can people work with you if they don't feel like they can ask you anything? or that you will bite their head off for not knowing something? To bring some recognition to the people who do it well, tag another business below, that you know is doing the "approachable" thing well, and makes you feel good whenever you interact with them. #otspc #approachable #corporatewriting #askusaquestion

Did you know this peeps? No need to pay for access.

Annual reports are often created to comply with reporting requirements, but they can also be used for lots of other things within your business, including: 🔓Applying for grants/tenders. Some grants and tenders require proof of business performance and stability, and an annual report can provide this. 🔓Reporting against funding your organisation has been given. 🔓Marketing and branding- leverage your annual report as a marketing tool by outlining your businesses biggest achievements.  🔓Risk management- evaluate the risks and uncertainties outlined in the annual report and develop strategies to mitigate them. For help writing your annual report this year, contact us to book in a meeting here: https://lnkd.in/dJCanxw3 #otspc #AnnualReportWriting #HowToUseAnAnnualReport #CorporateWritingServices