Intelligent Enterprise

Whether you want to advance your career or just improve your team's chances of success, IT professionals would do well to read this week's installment of "Kimball University," entitled "Better Business Skills for BI and Data Warehouse Professionals". The title notwithstanding, it's a great guide for any IT pro who wants to better understand the business, improve interactions with colleagues and superiors, and develop better communication skills. I can personally vouch for several of the 12 resources author Warren Thornthwaite suggests.

As a veteran journalist and editor, I've read and reread two of the three books the article suggests as guides to better writing. The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, is a classic, and the first 50 pages alone will help you avoid the 20 percent of problems that show up in 80 percent of poorly written e-mail messages, letters, proposals and reports. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, by William Zinsser, is not as concise as "Strunk and White," but it's a good read that goes well beyond the basics.

When it comes to public speaking, I've given speeches in front of large audiences and, in recent years, hosted many Webinars, but I'm actually less comfortable in front of smaller groups. In fact, I once choked in front of a group of about 25 top editors and colleagues. I was so nervous my then-new boss had to get me to pause and take a deep breath. Soon afterward I joined a Toastmasters club, another resource recommended by Thornthwaite. A typical Toastmasters meeting is a two-part affair. During the first half of the meeting, members are called up at random to answer "Table Topics" questions. You have no idea what the question will be in advance, yet you're challenged to speak on that topic for one to two minutes. It's a great way to practice and build confidence in speaking extemporaneously in front of groups.

During the second half of a Toastmasters meeting two to four members will give prepared speeches, which are typically timed to run five to seven minutes (and no longer). The presentations are evaluated by fellow members, who deliver supportive, three-minute critiques with a bit of constructive advice on what you can do better next time. Throughout the meeting, one member serves as an "ah counter," keeping track of how many "ahs, ums, ya knows" and other filler words each member utters. I think I had 13 "ahs" in my first meeting, which is pretty typical for a beginner, but after 18 months, six speeches and a score of table topics sessions, I had that down to one or two "ahs" per meeting.

"Better Business Skills for BI and Data Warehouse Professionals" also offers advice on building business and interpersonal skills, and here's where I could benefit. Many years ago a gung-ho boss who had overcome poverty and a poor education gave me a copy of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. I have to admit I never cracked it, but I still have it in a stack of books I've been meaning to read. I've also long had Dale Carnegie on my list to read, but there's something about this genre that strikes me as self-help — something I wouldn't want to be seen reading.

It may be hard to admit to others or to yourself that you need improvement, but sometimes it's refreshing even for seasoned veterans to go back to the basics and get a refresher on fundamental skills. Whether it's an upcoming data warehousing or BI project, an upcoming Webinar or trade show appearance or an upcoming job interview, find an excuse to get better and just do it.