CorpComms Magazine

Last night's The Apprentice - the 'create a naff product, with an even naffer TV commercial to promote it' task, was one of contrasts in terms of contestants' communications style - can you be too forceful, or too much of a team player? Scary Irishman Jim projected his special brand of 'don't mess with me' menace, which again enabled him to escape The Boardroom. Despite constantly being on the losing team, all project managers so far have been afraid to choose him to appear in front of Lord Sugar as they are afraid he will annihilate them with the laser-like cut and thrust of his arguments. Alternatively, he may be practising Jedi mind control, or possibly taking lessons from The Hood in Thunderbirds (remember, the one who gave you the 'evil eye', and was then able to control your every move, even from a distance). This time the task was to come up with a new pet food, and Jim's idea of 'Everydog' as a brand name captured team leader Vincent's imagination (there seemed to be some sort of bromance going on here, with Vincent looking up to Jim as 'a real contender' and unable to disagree with him), even though the vet's clear advice was that different dogs need different dog foods, and to try to target the whole market with one tin was a no-no.

Anyway for Jim, it worked once again, though for how long? Lord Sugar seems to be wising up on this one, and dark hints were dropped. Vincent, who ended up being fired along with Ellie-who-didn't-do-much, realised by the time of the taxi going home that if he'd brought Jim into the boardroom he probably would have survived himself. We have all had work colleagues at one time or another whose style is to intimidate, so nobody will mess with them - sadly these people often end up in positions of power but I don't think it will work in this case, and fortunately the majority are found out in the end. It's not a communications style I would recommend, though for some I suppose it comes naturally.

At the other end of the spectrum, mousy Ellie didn't speak up enough, and got trampled on, so out she went. Remarkable given that in her day job she is a rare woman having to give orders to burly builders, so you would have thought she could cope with anyone. As a dog owner, she also knew the market much better than many of her colleagues. But on You're Fired afterwards Ellie explained that she was not used to so many strong and outspoken partners to work with, admitting she had not made her voice heard enough. She should have tried harder to adapt her communication style to the circumstances she found herself in. 'Perhaps I was too much of a team player,' she mused.

For many people this is the biggest problem when working on a team project - you are being carried along with a majority view that you don't think is right, but do not quite have the courage of your convictions to speak up until too late, or if you do speak up it's a mutter rather than a roar. This is a constant issue on The Apprentice - Tom is the other one who speaks up, and is usually right, but doesn't have the conviction to carry the team with him. If you feel you are being ignored in this type of situation, the best thing is not to just let your point get lost in the general discussion, but to gather your thoughts until you can get everyone's attention. Then say something like 'I think we're in danger of forgetting one thing' - to get them focusing on what you have to say - and make your point coolly and cogently. Then you will at least be taken seriously, and be remembered for your constructive contribution even if others don't always agree.

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