How assertive communication can change your life

How assertive communication can change your lifeHow assertive communication can change your lifeBossed Up recently tapped me to serve as a trainer at their life-changing Bossed Up Bootcamp in DC. (Seriously life-changing Ive met so many people over the past 5 years since Bossed Up has been around whove told me how useful it welches in making a career pivot.)I spent hours preparing for my session on assertive communication, wanting to make sure that the module spoke to each of the women I knew would be in attendance. Little did I know that being with them taught me just as much After all, they say that we do some of our best learning by teaching others.Heres what I took away from training on Assertive Communication1. Im a recovering pushover and thats OKAs a woman and a woman of color at that many of the messages I got growing up about how to be successful in the workplace had to do with playing small and being seen and not heard. So, thats what I unconsciously brought into my firs t jobs after college. Naturally conflict-averse, I even remember telling friends in my 20s that I was the Great Compromiser, hoping to avoid anything that felt like conflict. I thought it was more important for people to like me and be happy than to deal with unpleasantries or be perceived as aggressive.2. Standing up for yourself is more important than making others happyWhen I transitioned into education, the stakes felt higher because I was responsible for kids lives. I quickly learned that not standing up for myself wasnt actually good for the kids whose lives I wanted to impact and it did nothing for my ability to sleep at night. I realized I valued things like authenticity, truthfulness, and standing up for what I believe in way more than I cared about making everyone around me happy all the time.3. Assertive communication is like a muscleI realized that there was an art to having my needs, wants, and desires addressed that could also leave space for others to feel respected, honored, and valued. Its a muscle we all have to keep using or it can start to atrophy. Ive stretched that muscle over and over again during the 4 years that Ive been a solopreneur It has made all the difference in whether or not I get paid on time, how timely prospective clients respond to proposals I submit, how I prioritize my time in working with clients, and with which clients I decide to work. Its even helped me stand up to clients when Ive seen them exhibiting unconscious bias or blatant racism in their business practices.4. You will more often be respected when you assert truthThere are many times when I wish I didnt have to turn my assertiveness on when I wish others would just behave considerately, empathetically, and respectfully of my wants and needs. But I also know that there is no one who can look out for me 100% of the time but me. So, when I have the opportunity to speak truth to power, confidently and directly stand for what I need, want or believe in, the respon se from others is more often than not positive, supportive and respected.It took me years in the workplace to realize that balanced assertiveness is the way to go. Heres to all the women coming up behind me in the workplace perfecting that balance even earlierAlicia Robinson, founder ofEdPlus Consulting, works at the intersection of social justice and education.She is passionate about connecting people with opportunities to create equitable education for every student, promoting empathy across difference, and empowering social justice warriors to succeed.This post was originally published on BossedUp.org.

5 Tips for Conducting a Smooth IT Audit

5 Tips for Conducting a Smooth IT Audit5 Tips for Conducting a Smooth IT AuditIf you havent conducted a recent IT audit, your organization could be vulnerable to costly security and legal risks. If you have determined its time to line up youraudit, you want to get the most out of it.Here are five tips on conducting an IT audit1. Get a clear scopeExtra attention on the initial scope of the audit will increase the chances the procedure will run smoothly. Remember that the audits main goals are to assess the existing IT environment, identify risks, assess current capabilities and gauge whether adopting new technologies or processes would be useful. Involve all relevant stakeholders in the initial planning period to ensure each business unit is covered and all applicable laws and regulations are identified.2. Determine whether you need outside resourcesDo you have sufficient internal resources, or do you need to look for outside help? Using staff on hand may seem like a cost-effective ap proach, but unless you have a suitable audit manager or other dedicated risk management personnel on hand, it can be helpful to look for assistance beyond your organization.For example, a consultant can come in when needed and for as long as needed to support your initiative. As an added benefit, he or she can provide guidance to your full-time staff to ensure theyll have the requisiteur knowledge for future audits.3. Implement wiselyDevelop a complete inventory of information systems and determine the priority of each one. Analyze current IT methods and procedures to ensure you followindustry standards. Evaluate security controls to gauge whether you have protectedbusiness assets and mitigatedpotential risks.4. Give effective feedbackBecause IT audits are highly technical, its important that the manager who commissioned the audit clearly understands the findings. If possible, deliver your complete report in-person.The report should contain all of the details covered in the initial scope, such as applications and devices in use and security measures. Ensure that you give detailed recommendations and your solutions are feasible and costs are included. Also include a cost-benefit analysis in whichyou highlight the potential cost of not following the recommendation.5. Ensure future successProvide recommendations on how to maintain your IT resources. Most IT auditing software can perform ongoing monitoring of network users and assets. Identifying and selecting the appropriate tool to conduct the audit may aid in maintaining the solutions from the audit.Implement a plan to revisit applicable laws and regulations on a quarterly basis to stay abreast of new developments, and stay informed throughkey industry publications and media outlets, which should assist you in effectivelyreacting to changes in the business environment.For more detailed information on conducting an IT audit, check out Protivitis IT audit solutions.Related postsWhy Your Company May Need an IT Aud itFrom Cybersecurity to IT Governance Is Your IT Audit Program Up to Speed?

Learn How to Promote Your Next Music Gig

Learn How to Promote Your Next Music GigLearn How to Promote Your Next Music GigYouve got the venue booked and the band on board, now all you have to do is promote the gig. Concert promotion can be a tough job- there is a lot of work to get done, and often there is not much time in which to actually get it done. The job gets even harder if youre a new promoter. If the stress of getting a show off the ground is making your head spin, take a deep breath and check out this guide, which will walk you through it. While the steps below are a great starting point for promoting a concert, its important to note that different kinds of shows require different kinds of promotion, and as the gigs get bigger, so does the promotion job. These tips are best for new promoters and smaller gigs. Gather the Materials Before you can start promoting the gig, you need the werkstoffs in place. Gather the following so youre ready to go Promo CDs from the bandBand bios and photosPosters for the showPress release for the show If you dont have one already, take the time to build a database of local media contacts (email, fax, phone and street address), as well as publication deadlines for local papers. Make the Contacts With all of the material in place, you can build a promo package to send to local papers and radio stations that advertise local gigs. Include information about the where and when of the show and ticket price, as well as information about the artists playing the show. If the bands are available for interviews in the run-up to the show, make this known in your press release. Make this initial contact as far in advance as you can (at least eight weeks in advance is ideal). Dont worry that youre contacting people too soon- youll be following up with these contacts later. Do the Legwork Granted, this isnt the most fun part of the promotion but it cant be helped. Head out to the gig venue and every place else in town that allows people to abfahrt posters, and place yours front and center. You can send posters in the mail and ask places to hang them for you, but dont count on it actually happening. If you want to be sure your gig is being promoted, then you need to go out and do the dirty work yourself. Follow-ups, Follow-ups, Follow-ups As the gig draws closer, keep the lines of communication with the press open. Send out a few emails to your mailing list reminding them of the show. Make some phone calls and see if you can get a local journalist interested in writing about the show or the bands. How often you should be doing these things depends on how long you have between the time you book the show and the big day. Make sure in advance that the show will be listed in all of the local gig guides and send out an email to your mailing list the day of the show reminding everyone whats happening. Extend Invitations One great way to increase coverage of your show is to offer spots on theguest listto journalists. If you can convince them t o run a preview or review of the show in exchange for a spot on the list, great, but even if you cant, go ahead and let em in. Youll be able to cash in on the goodwill youve created here in the future. If you want to increase your promoter cred and get other bands in your area to turn to you for future shows, extend a guest list spot to them as well, space permitting. Dont Forget the Band Encourage the bands on the bill to do their share of promoting as well by advertising the show on their websites and sending out an email to their mailing list. Plan for Next Time If this is your first show, create a mailing list of your own by getting people to leave their email addresses at the door. This way you will have another channel for promotion in the future and youll be able to communicate directly with the people who want to come to your shows. Be Realistic Sometimes, you can promote and promote, and still, no one seems to want to turn out to the gig. You can spread the word , but you cant force people to attend. Promoters often find themselves in the crosshairs of the band after a bad show, but take it with a grain of salt and be realistic about what exactly you can pull off. If you did everything you possibly could to promote the show, then maybe you dont need better promotion techniques- maybe you just need different artists. Dont Neglect your Other Duties aufsteigen is actually only part of a promoters duties. Dont forget you also have to take care of things like working out a financial deal with the venue and the bands, making sure all of the technical requirements are met, planning the timeline of the night of the show and so on and so forth.