Naomi Karten

Action-Oriented Advice to Mesh Your Customers' Expectations with Your Own People have expectations. Your clients, for example. Sometimes their expectations of you seem unreasonable. Sometimes your expectations of them seem just as unreasonable (in their eyes). The problem is that these mismatched expectations can lead to misunderstandings, frayed nerves, and ruffled feathers. More seriously, they often lead to flawed systems, failed projects, and a drain on resources. Left unmet, customer expectations can destroy the success of our products and services. Managing Expectations shows how to identify expectations and suggests ways to gain more control of them. In today's turbulent business world, understanding and meeting your customers' expectations is indeed a challenge, and it's not hard to understand why: Expectations affect a range of interactions, including service responsiveness, service capability, product functionality, and project success. Expectations are difficult to control and impossible to turn off. However, by learning to identify and influence what your customers expect, you can dramatically improve the quality, impact, and effectiveness of your services. Contents include sections on communication skills, information gathering, policies and practices, building win-win relationships, as well as a concluding chapter on how to formulate an action plan.

Managing Expectations

This is the digital version of the printed book (Copyright © 2002). The success of systems or software development depends on effective communication. But have you ever had trouble articulating a complex concept? Have you ever doubted that someone truly understood you–or that you completely received someone’s message? Managers and technical professionals have to communicate effectively in order to understand client requirements, build work-related relationships, meet market demands, and survive time pressures. So often, though, communication breaks down, and nothing gets done (or done well, at least). Thankfully, Naomi Karten–author of Managing Expectations–is here to help. Readers learn how to improve the way they handle a wide variety of communication conflicts, from one-on-one squabbles to interdepartmental chaos to misinterpretations between providers and customers. Drawing on a variety of recognizable experiences and on useful models for understanding personalities, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the teachings of family therapist Virginia Satir, Karten provides a series of powerful tools and concepts for resolving communication problems–as well as methods for preventing them in the first place. Inadequate communications include misunderstood or missed messages, contradictory or mixed messages, and messages that are intentionally sabotaged. As the author notes, these miscommunications “can have a damaging, puzzling, and counterproductive impact on projects and relationships.” Karten helps readers identify many of the common factors that can cause communication gaps. For example, mistaken assumptions of understanding lack of follow-up unfixed project terminology emotional baggage personality conflicts mismatched communication preferences Karten’s witty, conversational tone makes this book easy to read; her real-life stories and examples make it easy to understand; and her use of hilarious cartoons by Mark Tatro brings her lessons to life. Communication Gaps and How to Close Them is a must-read for anyone who recognizes that the way he or she communicates in professional encounters, as well as in personal ones, can be improved. With Karten’s useful insights and practical techniques, this book will change not only how you communicate but also how you think about communication.

Communication Gaps and How to Close Them

Gerald M. Weinberg

James Bach

Explore the People-Oriented Challenges That Software Engineers Must Master Gerald M. Weinberg, James Bach, Naomi Karten, and a group of successful software consultants present powerful ideas on how software engineers and managers can amplify their professional effectiveness--as individuals, as members of teams, and as members of organizations. The collected essays address diverse topics in personal empowerment, interpersonal interaction, mastering projects, and changing the organization. Contributors include James Bach, Marie Benesh, Rick Brenner, Esther Derby, Kevin Fjelsted, Don Gray, Naomi Karten, Bob King, Pat Medvick, Brian Pioreck, Ken Roberts, Sharon Marsh Roberts, Johanna Rothman, Steve Smith, Eileen Strider, Gerald M. Weinberg, and Becky Winant. The idea for this collection arose out of a brainstorming session for the inaugural Amplifying Your Effectiveness Conference (AYE), in 2000, for which the contributing authors served as hosts. Like the book, this annual conference is designed to help technical people become more effective individually, within a team, and within an organization. For details on the next AYE Conference, visit www.ayeconference.com. The variety of techniques and perspectives represented in the book will help you amplify your effectiveness--whether or not you attend the live event.

Collected Essays

Amplifying Your Effectiveness

This is the digital version of the printed book (Copyright © 1994). People have expectations. Your clients, for example. Sometimes their expectations of you seem unreasonable. But sometimes your expectations of them seem just as unreasonable (in their eyes). The problem is that these mismatched expectations can lead to misunderstandings, frayed nerves, and ruffled feathers. More seriously, they often lead to flawed systems, failed projects, and a drain on resources. Managing Expectations shows how to identify expectations and suggests ways to gain more control of them. In today's turbulent business world, understanding and meeting your customers' expectations is indeed a challenge, and it's not hard to understand why: Expectations affect a range of interactions, including service responsiveness, service capability, product functionality, and project success. Expectations are difficult to control and impossible to turn off. However, by learning to identify and influence what your customers expect, you can dramatically improve the quality, impact, and effectiveness of your services. Contents include sections on communication skills, information gathering, policies and practices, building win-win relationships, as well as a concluding chapter on how to formulate an action plan. A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Expectations Guard Against Conflicting Messages Use Jargon with Care Identify Communication Preferences Listen Persuasively Help Customers Describe Their Needs Become an Information-Gathering Skeptic Understand Your Customers' Context Try the Solution On for Size Clarify Perceptions Set Uncertainty-Managing Service Standards When Appropriate, Just Say Whoa Build Win-Win Relationships Formulate an Action Plan

Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, NOW!

Having spent most of her career working in and with IT organizations, Naomi Karten has written this book for IT professionals and those who work with IT. These groups are the primary audience and the context for most of the examples and stories. But everything in the book applies to any line of work, even if it doesn't entail contact with IT.

Naomi Karten

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