Hi,
As you all know, this newsletter is tailor-made for those of you working in a corporate environment who aspire to advance your careers. Every month, I will share exciting new podcast episodes that provide fresh insights and actionable steps for your consideration. In each newsletter, my aim is to offer additional tips and tricks to enhance your day-to-day professional life.
In this newsletter, we're highlighting two new episodes from our podcast, First WAVES. Here is a quick overview:
Episode 10: Narrative Excellence: Advancing Your Storytelling Skills with Doug Thompson where we delve into the art of storytelling and its impact on improving your presentation and meeting skills.
Our guest, Doug Thompson, is a TEDx Speaker with a remarkable talent for storytelling. He spent over two decades at Microsoft as their Director Technology Strategist and Artificial Intelligence Ambassador.
Episode 11: Lean Practices Across Industries: Top Lean Books by Mark Graban.
In this episode, we dive deep into Lean principles, continuous improvement, and more with Mark Graban, a renowned consultant, author, speaker, and entrepreneur. With a strong foundation in engineering and management, Mark applies Lean management, statistical methods, and people-centered leadership across various industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, and technology startups. He's the award-winning author of "Lean Hospitals" and "Healthcare Kaizen." Mark's latest book, "The Mistakes That Make Us," focuses on cultivating a culture of learning and innovation. Join us for insights into Lean practices across industries.
I'm confident that these two new episodes will provide significant value, especially in the areas of communication and process improvement.
The tool we will highlight this month is SIPOC.
SIPOC stands for: supplier, input, process, output, customer. This is a fundamental tool used by many Lean Six Sigma practitioners and it can be applied in any type of process or industry. Its application extends beyond Lean Six Sigma projects, making it a useful asset in a variety of project contexts.
Why use this tool?
This tool will help everyone understand the end-to-end process. It will help us see the “complete picture” of the process we want to optimize.
How to use this tool?
To effectively utilize the SIPOC tool, follow these step-by-step instructions:
Step 1: Start with the “P” for “Process” and create a high-level overview of your end-to-end process, typically represented as a Process Map Level 1. This should have approximately 4-8 activities.
Step 2: In the column “Output”, document what results or outcomes are generated by this process. It can be a service, report, transaction, product, etc.
Step 3: Write down who is the customer of these outputs under the column “Customer.”
Step 4: In the “Input” column, write down what triggers or initiates your process.
Step 5: In the “Supplier” section, list who the supplier of the inputs of your process is. In other words, the person, company, or department that provides input to your process.
When to use this tool?
SIPOC should be used in most projects at the beginning, in the define phase. It can be done right after the project charter.
3 Do's and 3 Don'ts:
· Do: Start with a “P” for process.
· Do: Use SIPOC at the project kick-off meeting.
· Do: Get approval from subject matter experts that the SIPOC is correctly filled-out.
· Don't: Put too many process steps under the letter “P” for process.
· Don't: Forget to check which “Outputs” are generated internally and externally.
· Don't: Create SIPOC by yourself.
Watch my 4-minute video tutorial for a detailed explanation of this tool and get a free downloadable template for your upcoming projects. Find it in our tool vault at this link:
Every month we will highlight one of the 22 training and certification programs offered by WAVE.
This month we’re excited to spotlight the Presentation & Communication Skills course.
This training is particularly appealing to those who:
· Create presentations.
· Present in front of a group of people or in 1:1 meeting
You will learn how to:
· Enhance your speaking and presentation skills.
· Apply effective techniques to improve the visual appeal of your presentation slides.
· Make it easy for your audience to follow the common thread.
· Manage nervousness when delivering a presentation.
· Improve your body language.
· Start and end your presentation in an impactful way.
· Optimize your video conferencing setup and room configuration.
· Master best practices for delivering presentations via video conferencing.
· Simplify communication of key messages.
As a bonus, you'll also receive a downloadable checklist summarizing all the key takeaways from this training.
Why is this training valuable?
Hands-on Learning: You'll engage in practical exercises to practice and self-evaluate your progress.
Skill Enhancement: This training enhances your brand image by improving presentation and communication skills.
Guidance and Support: You have the option to book 1:1 coaching at a 15% discount when connected to this course.
Career Development: Enhance your Lean and Six Sigma certifications by becoming a better communicator through this training.
Duration of the course?
Approximately 3.5 hours of video material, plus the time required for completing the activities
Check out the agenda and watch a 3-minute video for more insights. Presentation and Communication Skills Training (English)
This course serves as an important step in addressing the way you create slides and present them.
In the Projects section on the WAVE website my team and I are engaged in 2 compelling long-term projects:
1. Sustainability for Companies:
If your company is committed to advancing its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reducing its carbon footprint, or if you're interested in enhancing your organization's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, we invite you to explore our project page on Sustainability for Companies. I will be more than happy to speak with you about these exciting topics. Discover more by visiting: Sustainability for Companies
Project Example: One of our previous projects, named "Night Watchman," is a great illustration of our work:
· Initial Problem: A financial institution was spending more electricity than expected. They observed that many offices had lights on throughout the night, even though no one was working in the office at night.
· Goal: Reduce electricity consumption and lower the carbon footprint
· Solution: We implemented an automated system in the office building. At 21:00, all lights in the building would switch off automatically, ensuring that no lights remained on all night. If a person happened to be in
the office at 21:00, they could manually switch on the light in their office, but it would turn off automatically after 45 minutes.
· Results: This solution led to a remarkable 25% reduction in electricity costs.
2. Health, Happiness, and Planet Podcast:
At WAVE, we're not only passionate about improving your business performance but also about your overall well-being, happiness, and the well-being of our planet. That's why we've dedicated a separate project page and a podcast to these essential topics. On this platform, you'll find practical tips and valuable insights on how to boost your energy, enhance your health, and at the same time adopt habits that support a healthier environment.
Here is an overview of the previous episodes we recently featured. Our analytics skyrocketed thanks to our incredible guests.
Episode 12: The Most Important Discovery Ever! With Clint Ober
Episode 13: How Your Breathing Effects Your Health, Energy and Happiness with Tracey Howes
Episode 14: Dialogs on Earth´s Challenges and Solutions with Craig Leeson
Episode 15: Saving Wildlife with Community-Led Conversation Programs with Damien Mander
I'm thrilled to share valuable content that can help you achieve outstanding results in both your professional and personal life. Keep an eye out for a brief update in four weeks, where I'll share exciting developments with you.
Take care!
Juan
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