Problem: Article: Get together the cotton swabs and other necessary components: Cotton swabs Toothbrush A mirror Flashlight, flashlight app, or lamp that you can direct. Running water. Open your mouth and shine the light into your mouth. Do this in front of a mirror so that you can locate the tonsil stones. Close off, or flex, your throat muscles while sticking out your tongue. Go "Ahh," and tighten the muscles in the back of your throat. Do this while holding your breath, almost as if you were gargling water. This should push your tonsils forward so you can see them better. Run water and dab the cotton swab into it. This will make it softer and less irritating for your throat. Don't put it down, or you risk contamination. Minimize the contact your cotton swab makes with any germ-carrying surface, including your hands. When you remove the stones, shake them off into the sink without touching your swab to any surface, or wipe them on a clean paper towel. If you touch something like the sink or counter with your swab, trade it for a new one. Press or poke at your stone until you dislodge it. Carry it out of your mouth on the cotton swab. Be very gentle, as bleeding may occur. Although a little bit of bleeding is normal, try as much as you can to minimize the bleeding. Cuts and wounds can get infected by the same bacteria in your mouth that cause tonsil stones. Rinse if bleeding occurs, and brush your teeth and tongue as soon as it stops. Rinse with water and move on to the next stone. Rinse especially if your saliva feel sticky, which sometimes occurs after the throat has been poked. As sticky saliva starts forming, drink water to thin it out. After you have extracted all the stones you can see, place your thumb into your neck under your jaw, and your (clean) index finger into your mouth right beside your tonsil and gently try to squeeze any remaining stones to the openings (like squeezing out toothpaste). If no stones appear, don't assume they aren't there. Some craters are very deep and it is sometimes hard to get them all. If you have a stone that won't come out with a cotton swab, it may be especially deep. Don't force it, as this may cause bleeding. Use the back of your toothbrush to gently nudge it until it loosens, then remove it with the swab or with the toothbrush. If the stones still won't come out, you can try gargling with mouthwash for a few days and then trying again. If that doesn't work, you may want to try using an oral irrigator. If this doesn't work, you can increase the stream a little. Keep in mind that some people have a strong gag reflex and will not tolerate poking.
Summary: Assemble your materials. Shine a light down your throat. Flex your tonsils. Prepare the cotton swab. Poke at the stones gently with your cotton swab. Rinse with water and repeat. Check for any hidden stones. Remove stubborn stones carefully.

Problem: Article: Before you can start devising a strategic plan, you need to make sure that the people developing the overall strategy can get feedback from those that must implement it on the ground. Talk to team leaders and management and get their perspective on the problems in your organization. Include them on discussions in development and planning so that they can evaluate the plan's feasibility and uncover any unforeseen costs that may be incurred when trying to implement it. Including top management into developing strategic plans will also get them to feel a sense of ownership over the strategy, which will help with implementation. Consider the time and human capital that's required for your strategic plan and talk to managers to see if it's possible that employees can adapt or change their schedules to meet their new goals. Create an agenda that lays out a presentation of your strategic visions and that leaves time for managers and team leaders to provide feedback. Think of your organization's competitive advantages, or the set of traits that gives your company an advantage over its competitors, such as a lower manufacturing cost or proprietary technology. Reflect on how you can use your strengths to take advantage of opportunities you have available due to the consumer demand, or changes in the social or cultural climate that may help drive sales of your product or service. Strengths may include a highly successful or efficient team, such as a good marketing an advertising department or strong sales department. To find more opportunities that play to your strengths, make sure that your team is watching external factors like consumer buying habits or social trends. For instance, an opportunity may include a growing infrastructure in another country if you are a utility provider or construction company. Weaknesses are internal factors that make your organization more inefficient and that waste time and money. Threats are external factors that could hinder your business and include things like an economic downturn or a competitor. Find the departments within your company that are struggling and determine their weaknesses. Weaknesses could include things like poor leadership, a lack of skills or expertise, or a poor reputation with customers. Internal factors can be solved with additional training or re-allocation of responsibility. External threats that can be combated by concentrating on your company's strengths to overcome what is happening in the industry. Be honest about your weaknesses so that you can devise a plan that targets specific portions of your organization. Sometimes team leaders or employees can have valuable input on threats and weaknesses. Determine what goals you want your company to achieve. Make sure that there is a significant driver behind the strategic decisions that you make, and that these decisions are always made with your goals in mind. Once you have goals in mind, you can begin to create strategies to achieve them. Some goals may include increasing revenue, getting a larger customer base, or increasing employee productivity. Keep your goals realistic and attainable so that your team strives to accomplish them instead of giving up. Make sure to set a timeline to accomplish your goals. Your strategy will be determined by the type of industry that you're in or the type of work that your organization does. An overall strategy is your plan on how to achieve long-term goals. Tactics are more easily measurable and are actions that you can take that will help you reach your strategy. Think of what will assist in achieving your goals and create an action plan with tactics that you can use to reach it. Strategies can include things like increasing profits by reducing manufacturing costs or increasing employee satisfaction by improving employee training. Tactics include things like changing employee hours or updating the packaging on a product. The vision for your business is the long-term goals that you want your organization to be able to achieve. Develop a cohesive vision by making sure that your strategy adheres to your company culture, branding, and your current consumers. Build your strategic plan around accomplishing your end vision. Being able to explain your vision will give an idea to stakeholders, investors, and employees clarity in understanding the reason for your strategic planning and your goals. A vision may be something like achieving much greater eco-friendly standards by 2025 or becoming one of the largest companies within an industry.
Summary:
Call a meeting of top team leaders and managers. Analyze your strengths and opportunities. Assess your weaknesses and threats. Set goals for your business. Create a strategy and short-term tactics. Develop a vision for the business.