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Missing the little things can make all the difference to the success of the task you are working on. Paying close attention to detail and making proper use of available resources will help to ensure that you are working effectively and more likely to deliver the required results.
What we mean by detail is the small features, facts or items of something (a task/project/document) that can be easily overlooked. For instance, in your written communications, it is important to check your spelling and grammar to create a professional impression. If you are using figures or statistics, these need to be precise and add up properly. Something as small as a misplaced ‘0’ can potentially make the difference between profit and loss. When you are organizing meetings or events, the dates, timings and location need to be accurate. If you get things wrong, people could turn up at the wrong location or on the wrong day.
Etiquette is also very important, particularly when you are contacting people you don’t know very well to ask them for something (e.g. when you are job hunting or trying to sell them something). Getting their name or title wrong from the outset will create a poor impression and set you off on the wrong foot.
Most people will agree that paying attention to detail is important. These tips will help ensure that you pay more attention to the small things and are more effective and professional at work.
1. Think Like the Audience
Thinking like a user of your service or the audience you are targeting will help you with the details. For example, if you are organizing a conference, thinking about it from the point of view of a delegate will ensure you don’t overlook anything. Think about – what do I need to know, what do I need to see, what do I need to do?
2. Use Available Systems to Help
Ask someone to be a second pair of eyes to check for errors in your written communications.
If you are preparing a presentation or speech, a dummy run or rehearsal can be a good way to make sure you have not left anything out. Ask a colleague to assess your performance, or video/audio tape yourself and play it back.
If your organization has any quality control systems or procedures in place, make sure you use them, e.g. project management, customer relations management or total quality management.
3. Allow Time
Give yourself time to double-check everything. If you are working to a deadline, it can be a good idea to give yourself an earlier deadline (e.g. a week, a day or even an hour) to allow time for checking over your work and making the necessary amendments.
4. Organize Your Workspace and Your Systems
Disorganization can cause you to overlook, miss or completely forget many details. Having an organized workspace and filing systems will ensure you don’t lose things and can locate key information quickly. If any part of your workspace is disorganized, take the time to get it under control. Investing your time to organize your workspace will generate increased productivity and efficiency, and also has the added bonus of lower stress levels for you.
Remember...
These steps will reduce your potential for making errors. Best of all, your increased efficiency can help improve your organization’s bottom line. If you do not pay attention to detail, you will not discover your mistakes and there will be plenty of people who will be more than happy to draw attention to them. Some people can’t help it: it is just the way they are. Other people are waiting to see you trip yourself up, so don’t give them the satisfaction: get things right before they start looking and you will have the last laugh.
