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The Etiquette of Working from Home

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Numerous companies have adopted a work-from-home policy in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Since then, video conferencing and webinars have become a new norm during working hours. This sudden change, however, has left many people baffled at remote working etiquette.

On April 23, William Zyzo, Managing Director of Z&A Knowledge Solutions and Advisor to AmCham Taipei’s Advanced Learning Lab, completed a popular series of AmCham online seminars entitled “How to Have the Impact of Face-to-Face Interactions Online.” Here is his list of advice on how to look good on screen:

  • Clothing: Put on proper attire even when working at home; appearance affects people’s perception of one’s professionalism.
  • Camera: Have cameras level with one’s head. Don’t have the audience looking at your nostrils. Stack up display screens (with monitor stands or books) if necessary.
  • Lighting: Keep the lighting coming from above. Sit close to windows if possible, since natural light is preferable.
  • Background: Keep it clean, nothing distracting.
  • Audio: Keep microphones off when not speaking in order to prevent unwanted noise from interrupting conversations. It is also important to find a quiet place to conduct video calls.

Breakout room activity

Virtual Whiteboard to share ideas with participants

Coaching Your Team to Improve Performance and Succeed

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While all leaders should have the skills to manage, train, and teach, effective leaders also possess the ability to motivate and inspire teams to perform at higher levels.

On August 22, William Zyzo, Managing Director of Z&A Knowledge Solutions and Advisor to AmCham Taipei’s Advanced Learning Lab, conducted a half-day workshop at the Chamber’s Lincoln Room. Zyzo provided a blueprint for team-coaching skills that drive team-level engagement, collaboration, and performance.

Opening the session, Zyzo asked the audience to consider the differences among managing, training, and teaching. He explained team-coaching as a continuous process that could involve managing, training, and teaching at any given time. Throughout the workshop, the audience participated in real-time polls and was divided into groups to discuss case study questions.

The workshop provided a framework of useful tools for the coaching process that leaders can apply to the workplace in order to strengthen overall organizational performance.

The Lincoln Room is made possible by the generosity of a number of sponsoring companies:

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation. 

How to Transform Complex Information into Simple, Engaging, Valuable Stories

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Communicating complex information is a necessity in any workplace, but often as the amount of information increases, the time to present it effectively decreases. In addition, as more and more companies expand internationally, new audiences and ideas can easily result in information overload and confusing messages – making it more important than ever to connect the bridge between having valuable ideas and conveying them into meaningful stories.

William Zyzo, Managing Director of Z&A Knowledge Solutions and Advisor to AmCham Taipei’s Advanced Learning Lab, discussed this challenge in a July 18 seminar entitled “How to Transform Complex Information into Simple, Engaging, Valuable Stories”.  This full-day seminar in AmCham Taipei’s Lincoln Room included workshops involving pitch analysis and team projects. Zyzo encouraged audience participation through storytelling exercises.

William Zyzo guides audience members through a demonstration.

The agenda included:

  1. Clarifying the differences among information, meaning, and value
  2. How to transform any amount of information into a three-sentence story
  3. A four-step process to validate the story
  4. Hands-on practice with on-the-spot feedback
  5. Recommended learning resources for self-study

The Lincoln Room is made possible by the generosity of a number of sponsoring companies:

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation. 

Power Emails: How to get twice done in half the time

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E-mails are supposed to be fast and easy, but in the modern workplace they can easily become a hassle. With limited time but ever accumulating messages, time is wasted and misunderstandings arise when online communication is not conducted properly. Managers and employees need to fully know how to utilize the power of e-mail, whether it is through adequate software training, email writing skills, or identifying the right type of communication.

On June 15th, AmCham Taipei invited William Zyzo, Managing Director of Z&A Knowledge Solutions and Advisor to AmCham Taipei’s Advanced Learning Lab, to the Lincoln Room to lead the seminar entitled “POWER Emails: How to get twice done in half the time”. To boost teamwork and involvement amongst attendees, Zyzo integrated e-mail style workshops and encouraged dynamic discussion regarding what types of communication guests use in their workplace.

Agenda included:

  1. How to manage the time-eating beast called email
  2. How to systematically improve your writing quality
  3. How to use the POWER Framework using actual business cases
  4. Where to get more help after the seminar

The Lincoln Room is made possible by the generosity of a number of sponsoring companies:

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

Summarize Business Information into a Compelling Story

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According to the European Commission, all the digital data created, replicated, and consumed in 2020 will reach 40 zettabytes (1 zettabyte = 1021 bytes), double the number in 2018. The huge amount of available data has forced people to be highly selective about what information to pay attention to. It has therefore never been more critical for business entities to have their messages delivered in an engaging, reader-friendly format.

On January 31, William Zyzo, Managing Director of Z&A Knowledge Solutions and Advisor to AmCham Taipei’s Advanced Learning Lab, led a one-day seminar, held in the Chamber’s Lincoln Room, entitled “How To Summarize Business Information into a Compelling Story.”

Team members brainstormed to transform a business message into an impressive speech.

To encourage dynamic interaction among members, the workshop was interwoven with speech videos, scripts for practice, and group activities. Zyzo concluded the session with a powerful framework for constructing a riveting business message:

Prepare

Organize

Write

Edit

Rehearse

Finalize

Urge & Persuade

Listen & Answer Questions

 

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

Cultivating Authentic Confidence

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How can you help your people discover what is showing up in their interactions with others? How can you be certain that what they have identified is helpful? Most importantly, how do you guide them once they have identified an area that needs improvement?

William Zyzo, Managing Director of Z&A Knowledge Solutions, addressed these questions at a workshop entitled “Cultivating Authentic Confidence: What shows up when your people show up?” held at the AmCham Taipei’s Lincoln Room on November 29. Following small group discussions, Zyzo used video-taped interactions by such famous leaders as Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Phil Schiller to demonstrate different levels of confidence, and how the way we think about ourselves directly affects the quality of our confidence and how others perceive us. Participants learned the importance of building authentic confidence and acknowledging areas that need improvement to ensure the reputation and success of an organization as a whole.

Agenda included:

  • What is authentic confidence? Where, when, and how does it show up in interactions?
  • What impact does it have on how others perceive your team members?
  • How do you help your team members discover their authentic confidence?
  • How do you guide them to cultivate authentic confidence?

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

How to Communicate Better at Work

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In our professional and personal life, effective communication is key to success and happiness. Without open communication, we cannot build lasting relationships and thrive in the workplace.

On August 29, AmCham Taipei’s Advanced Learning Lab invited David Archdall, Teaching Faculty of The School of Life and Co-founder of Abbey Road English, to hold a half-day workshop on “How to Communicate Better at Work.” The workshop, held in the Chamber’s Lincoln Room, addressed some of the greatest challenges we face in modern workplace communication and considered the various facets of our personality in the office.

In this interactive presentation, Archdall used role plays and group exercises to demonstrate the importance of communication and how it can either positively or negatively impact our relationship with others. By becoming more self-aware and “other-aware,” we can reduce communication barriers and develop trusting relationships.

Archdall also examined and highlighted several approaches to help improve workplace communication:

  • Demonstrating respect by being open and paying more attention to our thoughts and feelings
  • Moving beyond task-based relationships and becoming more convincing to others
  • Striking the right balance between self-interest and others’ interests in conflict and negotiation
  • Giving constructive feedback by remaining aware and controlling our assumptions
  • Asking for clarifications when receiving feedback and using the information as a source of growth

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

Advanced Learning Lab: How to Organize Information Logically

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Consider the number of presentations, reports, and emails you watch and read in a week. Each is packed with information: more words and data than you probably care to see. Think of how much time and effort—and misunderstanding—you and your people could save if that information was organized simply, clearly, and logically?

On July 26th, William Zyzo, Managing Director of Z&A Knowledge Solutions held a half-day workshop entitled “How to Organize Information Logically” for AmCham Taipei’s Advanced Learning Lab in the Chamber’s Lincoln Room. In the session, Zyzo shared useful tools and methods on organizing complex business information in digital form — whether that information is placed in an email, document, or presentation slide.

Through case studies and hands-on group exercises, Zyzo introduced the process of organizing information in a way that is not only emotionally appealing but also logically sound, using powerful forms including diagrams, maps, charts, tables, and text. Attendees learned the importance of reducing cognitive load and presenting information in a way that persuades and influences the audience. Throughout the session, Zyzo challenged and encouraged attendees to ask the following questions to determine whether information is well organized:

  • Are the ideas presented using a familiar form?
  • What is the organizing principle?
  • What is the logic: objective or subjective?
  • Which of the seven visualizers are used to visualize the elements?

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

How to Innovate Breakthrough Solutions Using the Design Thinking Framework

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“Design thinking” refers to a powerful methodology for identifying, clarifying, and defining customer problems and then co-creating innovative solutions for which no traditional problem-solving tool can be used. It is one of the most popular courses at Stanford University—among other institutions and companies.

On May 17, AmCham Taipei invited William Zyzo, Managing Director, Z&A Knowledge Solutions / Advisor, Advanced Learning Lab, to host a one-day workshop at the Lincoln Room, “How to Innovate Breakthrough Solutions Using the Design Thinking Framework.”  William Zyzo shared with participants how the design-thinking framework could be used to formulate company-level strategy, create business models, redesign business processes, and develop new products and services.

Participants also learned how to apply the design thinking framework using three actual business cases in order to better understand how this framework could be put to use for their own problems and opportunities at work, including:

  • How to integrate creativity into developing new and innovative products and solutions
  • How to implement and communicate change to design and redesign business processes
  • How to design and redesign business models to generate new opportunities

Participants also learned how to apply the design thinking framework using three actual business cases.

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

How to Ask Great Questions

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Good leaders ask good questions. The reason is simple: no leader, no matter how experienced, can solve every problem at work, assume every responsibility, and perform every task. They need their people to learn to think on their feet. In fact, the higher up the organization we move, the more important leading with questions becomes.

On April 26th, AmCham Taipei invited William Zyzo, Managing Director, Z&A Knowledge Solutions / Advisor, to share some strategies on how to think out of the box when engaging with clients, distributors and suppliers. In the session “How to Ask Great Questions,” attendees learned the importance of asking effective questions and using it as a mechanism to engage, influence, and inspire others to come up with answers on their own, while fostering closer, more trusting, and lasting relationships.

During the seminar, attendees participated in hands-on activities with other business leaders to further explore the following topics and engaged in discussions on:
• Understanding the implications entailed with every question and the response it triggers
• How to ask five types of questions at the right time and in the right way
• How today’s top global business leaders ask and answer questions

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.