WORDSMITH'S
TOOLBOX
Being able to use the right words for the right occasion, writing or saying them correctly in the proper context...it's a skill that anyone
aspiring to be a "better communicator" must learn to acquire and constantly, improve on. As the line in that popular song, "Words", by the
Bee Gees says: "It's only words, and words are all I have to take your heart away....", the right words are the key to bridging that communication gap and bringing people closer and working well with each other. So, from our wordsmith's toolbox, here are some tips on
how we can make "words work for us".....
Time Management
Become a Workplace Diplomat
You're
working on a task for the one co-worker when another interrupts and asks you
to drop what you're doing to help him or her. You want to refuse but son't want
to damage the relationship.
Solution
- Avoid saying "Yes,
" which will derail your schedule and probably irk the person you're doing
the work for. But don't say "No" either, because that could cause hard feelings
or lead to a disagreement.
- Say something such
as, I'm compling the market survey results for Cody and he has have them by
2 p.m. DO you feel that your job rates a higher priority than his?"
- Reply to a 'Yes"
by calmly saying "I'll be willing to help you if you talk to Cody and
he says it's OK to drop his work and do yours."
Payoffs: If your co-worker
doesn't get Cody's OK, you're not the one who said "No." And no matter what Cody's
decision is, the fact that you sought his approval means your relationship with
him also remains intact.
Source: Secretary's Letter,
The Economics Press Inc., Fairfield, NJ 07004
Three Methods Of Feedback
Let employees know how they're doing in three ways:
- Appreciation. Show
this-with suitable emotion - when employees' efforts please you or you're
grateful for what they've done.
- Advice. Use this
coaching approach to suggest how employees might change - or repeat - a behavior.
But make sure you focus on performance and don't stray into judging their
personality.
- Evaluation. This
is what you do when it's time to rate how well employees have performed according
to agreed-upon standards.
Source: Getting It Done: Working
With Others When You're Not in Charge, by R Fisher, Park Evenue S., NY 10010
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