planning effective shift warm-ups
DESCRIPTION
A presentation given at the 2009 Academic Impressions "Phonathon Bootcamp" conference, on how to use pre-shift warm-up discussions to develop caller skillsets, motivate staff and set a productive tone for calling sessions.TRANSCRIPT
Creating Warm-ups
Albert D. Melfo
Director of Annual Giving
Kent State University
DefinitionFour basic types of
Warm-ups
How to Plan Productive Warm-ups
Tips for Giving Effective
Warm-ups
Planning and Giving Warm-Ups
Warm-ups set the tone for your
shift
Warm-ups provide
callers with a break in their daily routine
What is a Warm-Up?
Focus your callers’ attention on their roles as representatives of
your organization.
Create a forum for you to convey your
program’s objectives your callers.
Effective Warm-ups…
Warm-ups have a time-
limit
Warm-ups are a
repeated task
Warm-ups have
structure
Characteristics of Warm-Ups
4 Types of Warm-ups
Practical
Informational
Conceptual
Motivational
Daily opportunity to build upon critical, basic skills and concepts covered in training.
Enhance your callers’ understanding of the theory behind the structure of the call, objection handling, etc.
Practical Warm-ups reinforce training!
“Tips for a Stronger Introduction”
“Using Open-ended Questions”
“Handling Objections”
“What’s so Formal about the Formal Close?”
Practical Warm-up Topics
Forum for reviewing or conveying new information
Reinforces your credibility• Particularly important for new supervisors and managers
Informational Warm-up Topics
“New School of Public Health to Launch”
“College of Education Reorganizes & Changes Name”
“Impact of Wall Street Mess on Higher Ed Funding”
“What’s the Deal with the New President?”
Informational Warm-ups
Allows you a concentrated period of time to deepen callers’ understanding of underlying communication theory
Formal training : Handshake : : Warm-ups : Relationship
Provides you with an opportunity to reinforce your program philosophy
Conceptual Warm-ups
“Conserving Your Energy on the Phones”
“The Many Roles you Play on the Phone”
“Why do we Set Goals?”
“Being Assertive vs being Aggressive’”
Conceptual Warm-up Topics
Your “quality time” with your team
Use your knowledge and energy to build your callers’ skills and enthusiasm; build team unity
Draws upon the energy of your best callers to benefit the group
Allows you to align the energy of your group and focus it on achieving your shift objectives
Motivational Warm-ups
“My Favorite Caller”
“Role-playing: The Worst Call Ever!”
“Why Work at the PhoneCenter?”
“How do you Define Success in this Job?”
Motivational Warm-up Topics
Planning Effective
Warm-Ups
Objective
• What do I want this warm-up to accomplish?
Topic
• How can I illustrate my subject material?
Strategy
• How will I present this?
Introduction Body Conclusion
Warm-Up Structure
Introduction• Always start on time!• Greet your shift• State your topic• Develop a “hook”
Body• Create tables and lists from the
responses that the group gives you• Categorize feedback that you
receive from your callers• Use a whiteboard – use markers to
"color-code" notes on the board, and add an additional level of visual information
• Draw "pictures"-- use shapes and flow-chart type images to expand visually on your topics
Conclusion• Wrap-up your warm-up
discussion and launch your shift.
• Find an individual closing style, and stick with it (“Let’s get started,” or “Let’s get on the phones!”)
• Build on the momentum of your warm-up -- make sure your callers get on the phones immediately, and don’t head off to the coffee station or break room.
Tips for Giving
Effective Warm-Ups
• You’re on stage! It’s your time to shine.
Think of your warm-up as “improv”
• Aurally (hearing), visually (sight) and symbolically (more conceptual)
Switch up your presentation -- your callers have different learning styles
• Be the “note-keeper”-- write down comments and organize the discussion.
Use your whiteboard!
• Never give a warm-up sitting down! Remember -- you’re on stage.
Move around!
• Don't generalize answers and avoid oversimplifying information.
Be precise with your use of language.
• Your role is to pare down large chunks of information into palatable pieces.
Play the role of the interpreter.
• Don’t assume that everyone understands what you’re saying.
Clarify, clarify, clarify!
• On average, we need to hear something 7-11 times before it sticks.
Repeat, repeat, repeat!
• The measure of a warm-up’s effectiveness is whether or not your callers get something useful out of it
• Do they come away feeling more prepared to do their jobs as fundraisers?
Critique yourself – be objective!
Summary
A Warm-Up is…
A focused, structured
presentation.
A manager-directed discussion, aimed at creating focus
and enthusiasm in the callers.
An open exchange of information that reinforces basic training concepts and
provides opportunity for more in-depth discussion of
specific techniques and elements of the call.
A supervisor’s primary means of
conveying campaign objectives and priorities to the
callers.
Warm-Ups are not…
An ego trip for
supervisors.
“Free time” for callers to get to know each other
better, trade stories about their
weekends or discuss current
events.
Forums for trivial telefund-related “announcements” (like
“here’s-what-we-did-yesterday-and-here’s-what-we’re-going-to-do-today”).
A substitute for supervisor one-on-one’s with callers.
