“How many supervisors like to give performance feedback?” When this question was posed to over 500 leaders in one of the nation’s largest municipal water and power companies, a scant few raised their hands. When asked to explain why, the answers boiled down to three responses: “Because I don’t want to hurt their feelings,” “She’s my friend; I don’t want her to feel bad,” and “I don’t want to deal with the anger.”
In 1956 when Dr. Carl R. Rogers and a fellow psychiatrist coined the phrase “active listening,” were they prescient? Did they know that 65 years later the skill would be needed more than ever? Did they have a crystal ball, enabling them to see how communication – the basis of all human interaction – would…
Last month, we posted “Three Tips to Implement Now to Improve Communication On The Job.” Today, we’re adding three more to the list, recognizing that many of us are transitioning back to the workplace, or at least transitioning to a hybrid-working environment. Intentional, clear, and effective communication can always be challenging. However, never more so…
Communication is something we do 24/7. Whether we know it or not, and whether we like it or not, that hackneyed phrase from an era gone by “first impressions are easy to make and hard to break” rings true today. It is more important than ever to make an effort each workday to improve communication.…
In this era of communication at our fingertips, social media with limited characters, and 50,000-word business books (or 126 pages, and some say that’s too long), it’s imperative to make a point quickly, succinctly, and with maximum impact. Our “lizard” brains are impatient: if we don’t capture another’s attention within a short period of time,…
Over the many years whether working as a management employment lawyer, human resources executive or consultant I have read proposed disciplinary letters that include phrases such as “You are being given a verbal warning for unprofessional conduct;” or “your ongoing inappropriate behavior is unacceptable and if it happens again, you will be terminated,” among others. All come from a place of authenticity: the supervisors have observed conduct that is unacceptable in the specific workplace. However, something is missing: the underlying facts that led to those conclusions.
In this era of communication at our fingertips, social media with limited characters, and short, 80,000-word books, it’s imperative to make a point quickly, succinctly and with maximum impact. Our “lizard” brains are impatient: if we don’t capture another’s attention within a short period of time, we’ve lost our ability to make the case. This…
Under any circumstances, receiving positive feedback is both wonderful and motivational. During these uncertain times, all the more so! And, as pleasing as it is to receive positive feedback, it is equally exhilarating to give it. This is the sixth in a series of blogs offering communication tips for these turbulent times. The first focused…
Unless it’s a birthday party, marriage proposal or a public display of gratitude by a boss, most of us don’t like to be surprised. Some don’t even like to be surprised with those three happy events! What about unhappy or negative events, situations or circumstances in the workplace? Many of us are shy about divulging…
In this day and age of technology at our fingertips, methods and modes of communication come in a variety of formats: emails, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Twitter, and websites, including personalized websites, to name a few. The list goes on and on, and it’s growing in leaps and bounds. While technology is handy, it can…