Toastmasters’ Training Problem Solving Method TM Risman Hatibi http://rismandukhan.wordpress.com

1. Page 10 Communiqué Issue 3, 2011 Jan
Toastmasters’ Training
Problem Solving Method
TM Risman Hatibi
I would like to share my first cific solution prepared yet.
training experience with Toastmas- O - OUTCOME . When any problem
ters. I was lucky to attend the train- comes up, we must define the desired
ing conducted by Division-E of Dis- final outcome, “If you don’t know
trict 79. The module “Improving where you are going, you might end up
Your Management Skills” was some place else” – Yogi Berra Quoted.
presented by Cyril Anand, CL,
(Senior Sales Manager—Qtel The are three outcomes to problems:
Business Solutions). The module L - LESSON LEARNED. Learning
was a brief description on the follow- from previous failures and know weak-
ing. nesses are very valuable. They help de-
 Is management an art or a science? velop more effective process & identify
 Why manage when you can lead? resources to prevent or handle re-
 How to imply the problem solving occurrences.
methods? L - LIMITATION. To be able to solve
The problem solving method dis- problems, we must know the existing
cussed was known as “APOLLO” systems. But also the limitations of
A - ASSIGN talented, capable, ex- those systems.
perienced, effective people to lead O – OBSERVATION. Once a problem
tasks and projects. We must have comes up, Don’t Act. Stop and Pay At-
trained and responsible people or we tention! The details are very impor-
will jeopardize any endeavor. tant. Sherlock Holmes never developed
P - PREPARE for the inevitable “theories” until he had investigated all
problems that can occur with your of the data.
equipment and processes and oh! yes, Accurate, detailed and complete
even with people. After all, we know Observation is one of the most
that “Stuff Happens”. And whether important aspects of the prob-
flying through outer space or office lem solving method and the one
space, every endeavor will experience most ignored. Many people will
two classes of problems to prepare jump to conclusions from lim-
for: ited, incidental or misleading
Normal, ANTICIPAED problems data and this lead to wrong ac-
due to the ordinary expected tions.
“We must not
focus on just the situations or the systems We must observe all symptoms
which have failed in the past. and ultimate consequences
problem, since we
We should have already de- of the failed system but also the
will also need to veloped, documented and Good system that are remain-
maximize the good trained with specific proce- ing. We must not focus on just
system for the dures and solutions. the problem, since we will also
solution”. New, UN-ANTICIPATED situa- need to maximize the good sys-
tions or system failures which tem for the solution.
have never come up before
and for which there is no spe-