Too often we underestimate how much others like us, and our anxieties can lead us to assume the worst. This “liking gap,” has important implications for how people work together. Across nearly 10 years of research and tens of thousands of observations, Erica Boothby of the Wharton School and four associates came to this conclusion: People underestimate how much others like them, and this negative bias has important implications for how people work together. Once you assume you’ve made a bad first impression, this gap may persist long past initial conversations, affecting all kinds of relationships, including those with co-workers. Why don’t people realize just how positively others actually view them? The researchers think self-critical thoughts are a key culprit. What can you do to better align your beliefs with reality? There’s no simple answer, they say, but when it comes to having conversations with others — whether small talk or more formal encounters — one place to start is shifting your focus of attention. “Try to zoom in on your conversation partner, be genuinely curious about them, ask them more questions, and really listen to their answers. The more you’re zeroed in on the other person, and the less you’re focused on yourself, the better your conversation will be and the less your mind will turn to all the things you think you didn’t do well.” What kind of first impression do you think you usually make? Has your self-assessment ever been disproven? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. We would love to hear from you! Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.
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Kudos to leaders who practice vulnerability and make an effort to connect with their team. Here are 5 tips so that sharing does not become oversharing and make people uncomfortable. It is best to remain “selectively vulnerable”… opening up while still respecting the emotional boundaries of your team. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy, co-authors of No Hard Feelings, offer advice on how to do that:
What methods do you use to reign in extreme emotions at work? To join the conversation, click on "comments" above -- we'd love to hear about your experiences! Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. Being seen and recognized for your work can usher in new opportunities and move your career to the next level. So how do you become more visible? According to Melody Wilding, executive coach and author of Trust Yourself, even introverts can find ways to play to their strengths and boost visibility.
What have you done to become more visible at your job, and what were the results? To join the conversation, click on "comments" above. We would love to hear about your experiences! Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. Small talk is how we open conversations with strangers, build rapport, and plant the seeds for deeper relationships — but how do you actually do it? Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Melissa Hahn, a professor at American University’s School of International Service and Andy Molinsky, a Brandeis University professor and author of Global Dexterity, offer tips for upping your small talk game:
Do you have a go-to method of initiating small talk? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. We would love to get your feedback! Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. “Growth mindset” has become a buzzword in many organizations, but many people have a limited understanding of what that really means. People who believe their talents can be developed through hard work, strategic thinking, and input from others have a growth mindset. Those who believe their talents are innate gifts have a fixed mindset and are limited by their worry that the effort and hard work it takes to learn something is a sign of not being inherently smart. A growth mindset achieves more, by putting much more effort into learning. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Carol Dweck, the Lewis & Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, points out three common misconceptions about a growth mindset:
Organizations that embody a growth mindset encourage appropriate risk-taking, while knowing some risks won’t work out. They reward employees for important lessons learned, even if a project doesn’t meet its original goals. They support collaboration across organizational boundaries rather than competition among employees or teams. They are committed to the growth of every member, not just in words, but also in deeds such as making development and advancement broadly available. When is the last time you deliberately attempted to learn a new skill? Did your employer encourage that? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. We would love to hear about your experiences! Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. It’s possible to fake emotional intelligence – like forgeries and knock-offs. But there are 3 ways to spot counterfeit EQ, not just in others but also in yourself. Interacting from a place of emotional intelligence requires empathy, active listening, and self-awareness. But some leaders can counterfeit these emotions so skillfully that they can even fool themselves. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Ron Carucci, managing partner at Navalent and author of To Be Honest, says, “Our ability to express emotional intelligence is sometimes impaired by unacknowledged, unhealthy, emotional needs." If you want to genuinely communicate emotional intelligence, pay attention to these 3 common imitations:
How would you rate your EQ, as well as the leaders you work with most closely? Are there ways to become even more authentic? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. Sometimes you just need one word to change someone’s mind. Jonah Berger, Professor of Marketing at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, compiled a list of “magic words” that can change the way you communicate. He discovered that using the word “because” while trying to convince someone to do something has a compelling result. He found that more people “will listen to you and do what you want” when you offer a justification for your requests. Berger points to a classic study from Harvard University where researchers sat in a university library and waited for someone to use the copy machine. Then, they walked up and asked to cut in front of the unknowing participant. They phrased their request in three different ways:
Both requests using “because” made the people already making copies more than 50 percent more likely to comply. Interestingly, even the second phrasing — which could be reinterpreted as “May I step in front of you to do the same exact thing you’re doing?” — was effective. The phrasing indicated that the stranger asking for a favor was at least being considerate about it, the study suggested. “Persuasion wasn’t driven by the reason itself,” Berger notes, “It was driven by the power of the word: because.” Have you noticed any reactions when you justify requests with “because”? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. We would love hear about your experience with this one, magic word! Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. What’s the secret to solving unexpected challenges, seizing new opportunities, and building strong cultures? Ask powerful questions! Leaders who assume they have all the answers are either clueless or lying. So writes John Hagel III, in the Harvard Business Review). He describes how leaders who know how to ask great questions build a reservoir of trust and team performance. Here are some effective research-based tips:
Check out our Collaborative Problem Solving Model as a vehicle for bringing teams together to solve meaningful, creative questions central to the team’s work. What is the last big question you asked your team? To join the conversation, click on "comments" above -- we would love to hear about your experiences! Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. While disagreeing may be uncomfortable, research tells us that diverse thinking is far more likely to lead to progress, innovations and breakthroughs than “nice” conversations where people hide what they really think. But how do you foster productive debate on your team? Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Shane Snow, author of Dream Teams: Working Together Without Falling Apart, offers four tips:
How do you keep a debate on track when it seems to be veering? To join the conversation, click "comments" above -- we'd love to hear from you! Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. But how does an informal leader motivate colleagues to support their initiatives and adopt their ideas? How can anyone become a go-to person that others look to for guidance and advice? Writing in the Harvard Business Review, career and workplace journalist Rebecca Knight, outlines a plan for anyone who wants to promote an initiative. First, create a map of colleagues related to the issue you want to tackle. Second, craft your message with a concise elevator pitch. Third, cultivate allies by asking for advice and incorporating it. And lastly, develop your expertise by staying up-to-date on your topic. So, even if you’re not a formal leader at work, you can influence others with these 3 action steps. 3 Action Steps To Influence At Work:
What methods do you use to influence others at work? To join the conversation, click on "comments" above -- we'd love to hear from you! Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. Ever been in a situation where you’re getting resistance to your opinion? Try switching from “you” to “we”. New research from Stanford University reveals how using “you” versus “we” affects how people respond to messages in settings such as online forums and a simulated workplace scenario. Their findings are notable: In adversarial contexts that held the potential for disagreement or conflict, messages that used “you” and “your” were less persuasive, less likely to be shared, and more likely to be censored than ones that employed “we” and “our.” People who participated in the study were also less inclined to interact or engage with the sources of messages that used “you” rather than “we.” “We’re not saying that ‘you’ invariably leads to worse outcomes,” study co-author Mohamed Hussein cautions. “We’re saying that when ‘you’ is used in an adversarial or conflict-ridden context, it has the potential to inadvertently lead to negative consequences.” “We” is more inclusive and lands less aggressively. “Most people would rather talk to a person who says ‘we got this wrong’ than ‘you got this wrong',” says the study’s other co-author, Zakary Tormala. Tormala and Hussein advise that if you’re trying to reach someone with an opposing view, be sure to signal that you are open to their perspective. Managing your pronouns is just one way to do that. What results occur when you change “you” messages to “we” messages? To join the conversation, click on "comments" above -- we'd love to hear from you! Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. Boundary violators exist in all realms of life, but at work, they can be especially troubling. What can you do to set and maintain limits? The boss that continually intrudes on your personal time, the client who demands more than you agreed to, or the team leader who piles a majority of their work on you…these are all what Priscilla Claman, president of Boston-based Career Strategies Inc., calls “boundary predators.” Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Claman explains, “Boundary predators rely on their power and authority — and your passivity — to get what they want. It’s up to you to push back by understanding how to create boundaries and maintain them.” She offers these 4 strategies:
What do you do when someone oversteps your boundaries? To join the conversation, click on "comments" above -- we'd love to hear from you! Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. If you want to create a high impact presentation, rehearsal is crucial, but memorization is not the answer. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Harvard professor Carmine Gallo says, “The best speakers make presentations look effortless, precisely because they put so much effort into perfecting their delivery.” He offers guidelines for getting the most out of rehearsal time. Here are 5 key practices.
How have you rehearsed for important presentations? To join the conversation, click "comments" on comments above. We'd love to hear your feedback! Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. In these times of economic pressures, geopolitical unrest, and even looming layoffs, kindness at work is not a luxury, but a necessity. Decades of research suggests that a leader’s kindness at work helps them retain top talent, establish a thriving culture, and enhance productivity & engagement. It also speaks volumes about individual character, commitment, and values. Writing in The Harvard Business Review, Andrew Swinand, CEO of Publicis Group Creative and Production U.S. and CEO of The Leo Burnett Group, offers advice for cultivating kindness at work.
When was the last time someone was kind to you at work, and how was that kindness expressed? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. We'd love to hear from you! Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. Tired of people finishing your sentences or cutting your stories or opinions short to interject their own? What can you do about annoying interruptions? For many of us, being interrupted can feel diminishing and condescending, says Maria Venetis, an associate professor of Communication at Rutgers University. Sometimes it’s even “enraging,” she added, “because it suggests that my ideas or my participation aren’t valid.” Interrupters often have, or believe they have, more power, and they’re used to having people defer when they talk. Jancee Dunn, of The New York Times, studied how to handle interruptions at work and in relationships, and offers these suggestions. At work:
In personal relationships:
Who interrupts you the most and how have you tried to correct it? To join the conversation, click "comments" above -- we'd love to hear from you! To find out how to create a habit around masterful communication, signup for our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022. |
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