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Knock, Knock! Who’s There? Inspiration – Top 5 Inspirational Short Movies

Knock, Knock! Who’s There? Inspiration – Top 5 Inspirational Short Movies

by | Nov 9, 2015 | Career, Communication, Managing Yourself, Motivation, Productivity

At Oorja Biz Ops, we understand that some days you just can’t get out of bed. All you want to do is stay under the sheets and feed the “I am feeling existential” monster, literally and metaphorically. We have those days too. But as a team, we have our ways of dealing with them and love to share them with you. We have a secret treasure chest where we store all the inspiration we come across, and if you were wondering, our posts on the movies, books and Ted talks are from that secret store. If you don’t have a long time to obsess about life’s worries and get ready to face the world again, and need a quick fix, here is a list of five Inspirational Short Movies which will leave you feeling motivated and up and ready even before you’ve finished watching them.

1. Glory Days (11 minutes) –

You feel like a hurricane has wrecked your life? Well, watch this movie and find out what it is like to really have a hurricane wreck everything you hold dear to your heart. But you never give up on what is dear to you, and no matter how tough the going gets, you get up and start building again. A truly inspiring movie on the football team of the Warren Easton High School of Louisiana and how they rebuilt their football program post the catastrophe of hurricane Katrina.

2.Rosa – These Storms (11 minutes)–

All about living, and living your dreams. Nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it and Rosa proves that to you. The movie is about a young Mayan woman, Rosa, and how she overcomes her past to live her dreams – what she thought was impossible being a woman in rural Guatemala.

3. Never Give Up (8 minutes) –

An award winning short film, it features a man with a partial disability with his legs, his struggle to overcome the disadvantage and his victory. A truly classic example of “where there is a will, there is definitely a way.” You can move mountains if your will power is strong enough, and here is an example of a man conquering a disability that medicine gave up on, through his sheer will power. Time to kick away the blanket then?

4. Vincent (6 minutes) –

This classic animation short film made by Tim Burton back in 1982, is still one of the best in this genre. Psychedelic, funny, yet thought provoking. This wonderful creation will leave you confused between what’s real and what’s imagined, and if we complicate our lives simply by imagining problems that don’t even exist!

5. The Gift (5 minutes) –

Portrayed against the backdrop of a futuristic Moscow, this movie also bagged an award at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. What is “the gift”, is it the redemption that humanity desperately needs? Watch to find out!

We hope you feel all better after watching some of these and are back to believing that there is no problem which is insurmountable. After all, as we keep reminding ourselves and you, all you need to do is be #HappyInTheNow! Onward!

 

Office Etiquette: 5 Things NOT to Say to a Pregnant Colleague

Office Etiquette: 5 Things NOT to Say to a Pregnant Colleague

by | Oct 15, 2015 | Communication, Communication Skills, Managing Yourself, Office Etiquette, World of Work

Motherhood, and the whole experience, isn’t an easy one. And it can get especially tough for pregnant women at the workplace, warding of uncomfortable questions and awkward comments on a daily basis. Usually, talk about personal life and sex is off-limits at work, and this topic falls in the gray area in between the two. Knowing what you can and can’t say to a pregnant co-worker can be a little tricky. It all begins with awareness, and the fact that you are interested enough to know more, does earn you a brownie point. Respecting her privacy and personal space is key here. Read on to find out more about the things NOT to say to a pregnant colleague (irrespective of your gender!).

1. Was the baby planned?

This can be an uncomfortable question for her to answer, since you are asking her a particularly intimate one – about her contraceptive choices! While you may ask it very innocently, it may not be as well received as you would expect. Besides, imagine if the answer is “no”, wouldn’t the conversation get particularly awkward then?

2. You look huge, are you expecting twins?

This question has great potential to be regarded as an insult. Under no circumstance is it acceptable to make a comment on the size of a pregnant lady. They already have enough trouble negotiating all that extra body mass without people pointing it out! Another thing worthy of mentioning here is, never assume someone is pregnant just judging by their size, unless they’ve explicitly told you they are. Even if someone else has told you a co-worker is expecting, it is best you reserve any comments about the same, lest it lands you in an uncomfortable situation.

3. Are you excited about your maternity leave?

Not a very sensitive thing to say, since a maternity leave does not exactly equal a vacation, unless sleepless nights and nappy changes are your idea of a vacation! If given a choice, to deliver the baby without all that preparation, she would choose to work than take the maternity leave, any day! She’s having a tough enough time without having to respond to comments like these.

4. You should have this. You shouldn’t have that.

You know how when you have acne, you have hundred different people giving you all kinds of advice? Mostly stupid advice. This is almost like that, only much worse. Trust this that she is more concerned about her health and her baby’s health than you ever will be. So let her, and her gynecologist decide what she should or shouldn’t drink or eat!

5. Can I touch your belly?

Just saying that sounds so gross. Imagine how uncomfortable she will feel if she really doesn’t want random people to be feeling her bump, but says yes just to be polite! It’s different if she is excited enough to ask you if you want to feel the baby kicking. You might ask with warm intentions but it is best not to ask, since again, this being an extremely intimate experience, she may not want people touching her tummy all the time.

Things that you can say though (and that she will appreciate hearing from you) : a heartfelt wish – “I am so happy for you – congratulations!”, a genuine compliment – “you look awesome!” or a sincere offer to help – “Can I get you something from the cafeteria ?”.

A Quick Guide to Writing Compelling Ecommerce Content

A Quick Guide to Writing Compelling Ecommerce Content

by | Sep 29, 2015 | Career, Communication, Content Writing, Infographics

You are staring at an image of this plain white tee on an ecommerce website, wondering if you really need it.  Beside the image, the word ‘versatile’ catches your eye and you decide to read. Here is how it goes – ‘This versatile, white t-shirt is a must-have in your wardrobe. An everyday essential, this simple round-neck t-shirt is cut from the finest cotton with an extra-soft feel. A straight fit, it has a ribbed round neckline, short sleeves and neat stitched edges. Wear it under a casual shirt or pair it with denim shorts and loafers, the possibilities are endless.’ Sold.

Content and content marketing is all about offering value to your customers, keeping them engaged and giving them all the necessary information they need to make an informed buying decision. Ecommerce content is every form of write-up that goes into building an engaging ecommerce website. It includes Home page content, keyword optimized category and sub-category descriptions, SEO blurbs, product descriptions and blogs, newsletters and editorials about the latest trends. The content needs to be creative, crisp, original and engaging because compelling content is always a competitive advantage. It is important to capture the customer’s attention and hold it just long enough to convince them to take the buying decision. In fact, content marketing generates 3 times as many leads as traditional outbound marketing, but costs 62% less (see infographic below).

To be able to sell your product, you need to first have SEO friendly descriptions that will target the right kind of customers for the right kind of products. Next, your description must convince the buyer that he/she “needs” the product and that it would be a worthy buy.

Here are some tips and tricks, dos and don’ts to help you write great ecommerce content:

  1. Be Simple and Relevant – Always keep your sentences simple and short, and your grammar impeccable. Assume the reader has very little time and patience, and keep your writing crisp and fluff-free. Sell style, sell quality, sell trust.
  2. Do Keyword Research – Learn the basics of SEO. Use properly targeted words. Think about the consumer that you would like to convince to buy. Decide what you would want them to feel.
  3. Think USPs – What makes the product special? When writing about this, follow an order, macro to micro and top to bottom. This allows for easy and quick reading by the buyers.
  4. Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes – Why would he/she want to buy this product? Emphasize on how this product will add/improve the buyer’s lifestyle. If you’re describing household items like bedsheets, for example, mention how well it would go with that bedside table and the wooden finishing of the bed.
  5. Don’t exaggerate – Remember, it is all about trust. Your words should match the product image and be consistent. If any feature isn’t matching, the buyer will get confused and just go buy something else or end up buying something that he or she didn’t want or expect.

To sum it all up, good content will engage the right audience and boost sales by making the products more appealing. The content on your website is your voice – authoritative and confident. It should list high up on your marketing and sales strategy.

Thoughts? Questions? If we have missed anything, do let us know!

Bonus: To learn more about what content marketing is, how it can benefit your organization and how to get started using this technique to promote your company, check out the great infographic from Demand Metric :

How to use Good Communication Skills to Stand Out – II

How to use Good Communication Skills to Stand Out – II

by | Sep 14, 2015 | Career, Communication, World of Work

If you just communicate, you can get by. But if you communicate skillfully, you can work miracles. ~ Jim Rohn

In the first part of the post, we spoke to you about how communication is not only a medium of transfer for information, but also emotion and how the way you communicate could affect your own process of learning. You may consciously or sub-consciously decide to block some information coming your way just because you are in a hurry to respond and not really understand. Here is going forward with the post and talking a little more about the subtleties of good communication skills, which are easy to overlook.

 

The three P’s of communication
They are:

  • The PURPOSE, of the communication you’re going to undertake.
  • The PLAN that is designed to achieve the purpose.
  • The PRIORITY of actions, the things in the plan that need to be done and in what order.

While trying to communicate a certain matter or issue, if you focus 80% of your efforts towards the purpose, the plan and the priority tasks, then your communication will be productive and will move the organization forward. However, if you waste your time talking about things that are not about the purpose, the plan or the priorities, then you will be unwittingly sabotaging your own productivity.

Paraphrase your views
The goal of communication is complete only when you’ve understood what the other person is trying to tell you. If you want to show that you have really understood someone, then paraphrasing is a great method to do so. All you do is repeat to someone what they have just said, before you comment or pronounce your own judgement upon what you just heard. That way you will have an edge to process the information you have just received, not leaving any room for miscommunication. Here’s an example: “So ‘X’, what I’m hearing is that results are the number one objective for you right now and we need to find some fast solutions for you?” This can be done while you’re verbally communicating or replying in a written format.

 

Don’t finish other people’s sentences

If you think that by completing other’s sentences you are doing them a favor, you are wrong. Research has shown by doing so, you intentionally disempower the other person because you are taking control of the conversation, so bite your tongue! Never speak out of your turn unless it is an open discussion, even if you’re trying to communicate ideas about a group project. During a brainstorming meet always decide and distribute the communication of ideas among your partner(s). This gives a more clarified image and also helps your audience retain their concentration. If you’re part of the audience always wait till the other person has finished and you’ve collected all the right information, before hurrying for a response. It is worthwhile to repeat what we stressed upon in our previous post, that it is important to listen with an intention to understand and not respond!

These are the very basics you must be conscious of, in order to hone your communication skills. However, in order to proactively do so, you must practice your verbal skills on a daily basis. Some ways to do so is by not shying away from conversation, expressing yourself regardless of the fear that you may fumble and also to read a lot, especially newspapers, or at the very least the editorials of newspapers. Good communication skills – spoken or written can open doors you never even thought existed. That is some food for thought. 🙂

How to use Good Communication Skills to Stand Out – I

How to use Good Communication Skills to Stand Out – I

by | Sep 14, 2015 | Career, Communication, World of Work

Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity and the emotions to affect other people ~ Jim Rohn

Communication is the basis of all engagement and we know how integral a part of our professional lives it is. One can be a CEO, a Human Resources manager or a fund-raiser for a not-for-profit organization. However, to be successful in any role you play, an important prerequisite is impeccable communication skills. It is important to be precise, non-verbose and yet make a point, especially while conducting business. In this post and the next, we talk to you about tips and pointers that can help you hone your communication skills to perfection. Here is the first of the two!

Communication as the Transfer of Information: Whenever possible, use numbers. Quantifying enhances the clarity of communication and it should not be vague or left to the choice of the person being instructed.
Whenever possible ask the other person to describe what he is saying, numerically. Don’t accept statements such as, “Could you please send over to me, some more leaflets, A.S.A.P.”.

Instead say, “Could you please send over 30 leaflets so that they get to me no later than 6pm tomorrow?”

Using numbers is the best and easiest way to make your language more accurate and specific. Using numbers reduces the chances of misunderstandings, errors and therefore, of conflict.

The other branch of information is conveying the right idea. In order to do this always use affirmation, say what is to be said instead of irrelevant information. For example, don’t say what you are not going to do. Instead, state what you are going to do. Don’t say what you think cannot be done, instead, state what you think can be done!

Communication as the transfer of information and of emotion. Listen with the intent to understand, not to retort: There are three levels of listening:

  • Not really listening – Drifting off, mentally, whilst the other is speaking is a major problem, be mentally present in the conversation, this will help you gather all the details
  • Listening with intent to reply – You listen. But, you are, in fact, simply waiting for her to finish speaking so that you can tell the other person what you think. You listen with intent to answer with your counter or to give your, (more impressive) opinion.
  • Listen with intent to understand – In this method of listening you are not listening with intent to reply. You are listening with a true intent to understand WHAT the other person thinks, and WHY she thinks it.

You may disagree with everything a person says, however, dissent does not necessarily mean loud arguments which could have the potential to turn ugly. Instead, you continue questioning, in an attempt to understand the other person’s perspective. If you keep questioning with the intent to learn, then you may discover that the person will surprise you with a set of reasons that you had never thought of before. This may lead you to evolve your view. Listening with intent to understand is surely an art worth developing.

We leave you here to allow for these concepts to sink in, but when you are ready for more, do tune in for the concluding part on the essentials for good communication skills! Happy reading!

Office Etiquette: 5 Guidelines for Working in a Shared Space  

Office Etiquette: 5 Guidelines for Working in a Shared Space  

by | Sep 6, 2015 | Communication, Office Etiquette, World of Work

Being “cubicled” is a professional reality, at least at some point in time in all our careers. We spend hours tapping away at our keyboards, like human woodpeckers, and it is only natural that we will, once in while want to take a break and interact with our neighbor, listen to a song, take a phone call. What we seldom realize is we may be doing things (whether we’re working or taking a break) that are coming in the way of other people’s work. Also, some of these things might also come across as rude, even though it may be unintentional. Working in shared spaces can be tricky. If you are getting cold shouldered by your coworkers and you think it is for no apparent reasons, maybe you could check if you are violating any of the guidelines we have put together for you, right here in this post!

1. No loud phone calls – It is hard enough to be holed up in a cubicle for ten hours in a day (we are sorry if it’s even longer for you!). There are enough disruptions (the constant sound of the keyboard, the humming you can’t do anything about, the occasional giggle or laughter) one has to ignore and keep working, however, the tipping point is often the loud phone calls. Even if it is just for two minutes, and even if it is your mother, it is only proper manners to take the phone call outside and not disturb your co-workers.

2. Avoid personal talk and loud conversations – Even if you and your best-friend work one cubicle apart, conquer the urge to tell her/him who puked at the party last night or who broke up with whom. If you just can’t, then keep it to texting. Be assured, not many want to be a part of these conversations, and by default become a part of it because they unfortunately share the same working space. However, if you really do need to approach someone, make sure to keep your decibel levels really low so that you don’t disturb anyone.

3. Don’t use phrases which could hurt someone’s feelings – “Nigga” – not cool. “Biatch” – not cool. “Abey”, “Kutte”, “Kaminey” – cool in Sholay, not at work. While you may think you are just being friendly, the other person might be getting offended. Extremely informal lingo like the examples above is best to avoid at your work place.

4. Respect the privacy of your co-workers – Don’t stare into their monitor screens. Don’t insist on having conversations when they seem to be really busy. Even if they aren’t busy and look like they want to be left alone, take the hint. Don’t go asking everyone about who the people in the photographs on the cubicle wall, or their desks are. Remember there is a difference between being nosey and friendly, and the line is very fine and easy to blur. Take care to not toe the line!

5. Always ask before you borrow, or use – Even if you don’t mind if someone takes your stationery, your headphones, or a bite of the chocolate you left unattended for a second, do not assume everyone else to be the same. Always ask before you borrow something, if they aren’t there, wait for them to get back or don’t take it at all. While this may seem juvenile and kindergartenly to some, it is considered bad manners if you borrow things without the owner’s knowledge. Also, avoid eating at other people’s desks, even if they are not around. No one likes to start their day by cleaning up coffee stains or dried curry from their desk!

We hope what we shared in this post will help you take a step towards a more peaceful and productive shared working space environment. What have been the worst or best experiences you have had while working in a shared space? We would love to hear from you! Write to us or comment below. 🙂