 Many employees are not engaged at work, but their leaders are often unaware. So what should you do if you know your talents, expertise and interests are being under-utilized?
Writing in the Harvard Business Review, organizational psychologist Lewis Garrad and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Chief Innovation Officer at Manpower Group, offer 3 ways to communicate your dissatisfaction to your boss:
Have you ever been disengaged enough at work to request help from your boss? What was the result? To join the conversation, click on "comments" below. 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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Gratitude has consistently been shown to lower stress, reduce pain, boost immunity, and improve blood pressure and heart function. Here’s how to spread gratitude not just on Thanksgiving…but always.
We recently released a micro learning video series on how to express gratitude so it sticks, and these tools are easy to learn. Neuroscientist Glen Fox has spent his entire adult life studying gratitude. “Grateful people tend to recover faster from trauma and injury, have better and closer personal relationships and may even just have improved health overall.” Fox did an experiment using brain-imaging scans to map which circuits in the brain become active when we feel grateful. “We saw that the participants’ ratings of gratitude correlated with activity in a set of brain regions associated with interpersonal bonding and with relief from stress,” he said. To up your conscious gratitude, Fox suggests keeping a gratitude journal. On a regular basis, write down what you are grateful for, even if those things seem mundane. The positive effect is cumulative so it’s a good idea to make this a habit. You can also write letters of gratitude to those who have helped you along your way. Says Fox, “I think that gratitude can be much more like a muscle, like a trained response or a skill that we can develop over time.” When was the last time you actively expressed gratitude, and how did you feel? To join the conversation, click on "comments" below. Create lifetime communication mastery online, with our virtual programs, awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.  To get what you want, try saying nothing, or in the words of our book title, Be Quiet, Be Heard…
“A well-deployed silence can radiate confidence and connection. The trouble is, so many of us are awful at it.” So writes Rachel Feintzeig in the Wall Street Journal, and we couldn't agree more. Most of us rush in to fill any void in a conversation, but remaining still can reap untold benefits. Strategic silence can help in negotiations and selling. Instead of countering every point, try embracing a pause and soon you may find your counterpart jumping in with valuable information that will help you understand their needs and close. Sometimes holding your tongue can feel like going against biology. Humans are social animals, says Robert N. Kraft, professor emeritus of cognitive psychology at Ohio’s Otterbein University. “Our method of connecting — and we crave it — is talking.” For years, Kraft assigned his students a day without words, and many students also found that when forced to stop talking, they bonded better with their peers. Without pauses, we’re generally worse speakers, going off on tangents, stumbling over sounds, offering TMI (too much information), and maybe saying things we later regret. We can also put undue stress on ourselves, as talking to excess can raise our blood pressure, adrenaline and cortisol. So, the next time you are unsure of what to say, try saying nothing at all. Can you recall an instance when staying quiet helped you get what you wanted? To join the conversation, click on "comments" below. Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.  From casual interactions to formal presentations, there is one, simple, 3-step hack to help you get through to people when it matters most.
Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Matt Abrahams, who teaches organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business, offers a simple hack to achieve this... Structure your message to cover "What?", "So what?", and "Now what?"
This framework is applicable to a vast number of situations. As Abrahams says, it organizes your thoughts, serves as a guidepost to those you are trying to influence, and renders information easy to follow and act on. It is equally useful in presentations, answering questions, and providing feedback. This structure supports your message, so that it is heard, internalized, and acted upon. Does this structure look like something you can use? We’d love to hear your results! To join the conversation, click on "comments" below. Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.  If your out-of-office email reply suggests that you will get back to everyone…as soon as you return…it may be time to make a big change.
The number of emails sent daily has increased 34 percent since 2017. When you are on PTO, you might welcome relief from all these messages. But does your Out of Office reply make promises you shouldn’t have to keep—like, “I will get back to you as soon as I return”? Making good on this pledge might require superhuman powers, not to mention being a waste of your valuable post vacation time. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, reporter Elizabeth Bernstein found some great examples of a more creative approach:
If these replies serve their purpose, your time off may actually be your time. And returning to work, won’t be an exhausting struggle. What does your Out of Office Reply say, and do you feel inclined to change it? To join the conversation, click on "comments" below. Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.  Workplace bullying is real…and painful, too often leading to stress, burnout, and worse. Here are 5 actions to stop it.
Research from the Workplace Bullying Institute indicates that 30 percent of employees experience workplace bullying at some point, and of those targeted, 67% are at risk of losing their job. Bullying goes beyond incivility, writes Professor Jason Walker, a contributor to Forbes. “It is calculated and deliberately aimed at causing harm.” Its targets are often highly valued, competent employees who prefer to avoid conflict. So, what can you do if you are a target? Walker advises the following actions. 5 Actions To Stop Workplace Bullying:
Have you experienced workplace bullying and how did you cope? To join the conversation, click on "comments" on below. Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.  At the heart of gossip is someone else’s pain. Here are 4 actions to take if that someone is you… Once a rumor takes hold in the workplace, it is hard to stop. Writing in Inc., Mary Wright, of California Employment Law Advice and Counsel, enumerates steps to take if you are the brunt of office gossip. 4 Actions To Take If You're The Subject of Gossip
Contrary to popular belief, most people feel guilty (some less than others) about spreading false or harmful stories about colleagues. Confrontation will usually get those people to stop talking – at least stop talking about you. Have you ever been the subject of hurtful gossip, and how did you deal with it? To join the conversation, click on "comments" below. Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.  Young Americans are more unhappy these days, and a big reason is their lack of close friendships…
According to a Pew Research poll, only 32 percent of Americans ages 30 and younger say they have five or more close friends. According to psychologist Esther Perel, this factor is a prime cause behind the many emotional problems affecting today’s youth. Young people reported feelings of malaise and even hopelessness. They attributed these feelings to social media, climate change concerns, and social immobility. But loneliness cannot be discounted. “I think people are more lonely because they are less adept at being in relationships as that involves conflict, friction and differences,” Perel says. “An enormous amount of people are cutting off friends and family members like never before.” The benefits of friendship are numerous. We learn a great deal about ourselves through relating to and partnering with others. Moreover, friendships are investments. For older generations, exchanging favors over time contributed to the formation of a mutually beneficial, face-to-face social network. Today’s young people do not appear to be making these small investments. “Relationships demand obligation,” Perel says. “Communities demand obligation. Communities are not just there to serve our needs. Your community gives you belonging in return for your obligation to the wellbeing of others.” One key to maintaining friendships is having realistic expectations. Being a positive presence 100 percent of the time is not a realistic expectation to have of others or a prerequisite for you to engage with them. In fact, it can keep you from forming valuable connections. Would you say you have five or more close friends, and how does having friends affect your happiness and well being? To join the conversation, click on "comments" below. 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 best way to respond when a co-worker makes a suggestion you didn’t ask for and don’t want? Try these 4 specific replies.
Everybody has an opinion. But what if you don’t want to hear it? Maybe you are in the middle of a meeting or a presentation detailing a carefully crafted plan when a co-worker derails you. Maybe you want a specific piece of information from your boss, but they take the opportunity to turn a simple query into an impromptu coaching session. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Melody Wilding, executive coach and author of Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work, offers strategies for setting boundaries around unsolicited input with tact, respect, and a comfortable level of assertiveness.
When was the last time you received unsolicited advice at work and how did you respond? To join the conversation, click "comments" below. Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.  Nobody likes a blowhard, but the fear of being an obnoxious bragger may be holding you back...
Talking yourself up has the potential to make your team look impressive, shed light on what it is you do, and maybe even propel you toward a promotion. But many of us are afraid to blow our own horn. Even if someone complements us, we often deflect it, with self-deprecating humor or false humility. Meredith Fineman, publicist and author of Brag Better, was astounded by how many talented professionals were reluctant to acknowledge their most impressive accomplishments. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Rachel Feintzeig offers some tips for overcoming the fear of self-praise:
When was the last time you bragged a little, and how did it feel? To join the conversation, click on "comments" comments below. Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.  Research suggests that asking questions that show you're listening is a great way to make conversations click. Since not all questions are equal, here are 3 tips.
Conversations help us forge and deepen connections. And they are essential to our well being. Sometimes, though, we avoid conversations because we fear they may become tedious, awkward, or even confrontational. Writing in the Journal of the American Psychological Association, Zara Abrams notes that one of the best ways to make conversations click is to ask questions. But be conscious of how you do this:
Do you have a go-to conversational style that works for you? And what do you do to show you're listening? To join the conversation, click "comments" below. Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.  Being asked a question does not mean you are required to answer. Here are 4 options to get you off the hook when a question feels invasive.
At some point, we have all been plagued with intrusive questions: Why are you still working? Why don't you have more kids? How come you’re still single? It’s one thing to be curious about someone because you want to understand them but another to pose agenda-laden questions because you want to change them. Scott Shigeoka, a fellow at the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and author of Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World, calls this “predatory curiosity.” Writing in The New York Times, Jancee Dunn spoke with him and other experts about how to deflect nosy questions:
What is your least favorite invasive question and how do you respond to it? To join the conversation, click on "comments" below. Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning Courses of 2022.  Have you noticed how many successful people just keep racking up more wins? Here’s the secret to that kind of serial success…
When researchers wanted to test the accuracy of the old adage “success breeds success”, they designed a study that randomly assigned “rewards” to certain subjects. In all scenarios, receiving a modest reward early on “triggered a self-propelling cascade of success” for those participants. The study's author reasoned that when people receive early success, it raises their expectations for future success. Here’s how that works:
Have you, or someone you know, experienced early success, and how did that impact reputations and fortunes going forward? To join the conversation, click "comments" below. Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.  What makes a leader more relatable, more approachable, and more successful? The surprising answer: humility
“Strong cultures can only happen when team members feel safe enough to tell one another the truth -- and that starts with leaders being willing to show they're fallible,” writes Jeff Haden in Inc.. Citing numerous research studies, Haden explains why vulnerability and humility are central to strong leadership:
Humility is a predictor of high performance among leaders. Employees want to work for a boss who is willing to admit their own weak spots, eager to work to strengthen them, and willing to help others do the same. In short, a good leader is one who wants to get things done, and knows they can't do it alone. Do you believe humility is one of your traits? How has it helped you in the workplace? How might you strengthen your humility habit? To join the conversation, click "comments" below. Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.  Do we reward, promote and respect ultra-confident people, or doubt and distrust them? The answer: It depends on how they express it!
One way people express confidence is with words of faith in their own abilities. Another way is nonverbally, using body language and tone of voice. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Elizabeth R. Tenney, assistant professor at the Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, reports that In a series of studies, researchers found that overconfidence can damage your reputation — but only if you express that confidence verbally. When you express confidence nonverbally, those negative consequences fade away. Talking about your likelihood of success by making bold predictions can backfire when results don't meet your projections. When this happens, your reputation can suffer. But communicating confidence nonverbally, can be seen as powerful and compelling: Confident people tend to speak in a louder vs soft voice, offering their own opinions, and generally conveying a larger presence. So how should you communicate confidence in a way that garners positive attention and influence in groups? According to this new research, when you express confidence verbally, your credibility may suffer. However, your expression of confidence nonverbally can be a significant advantage. The reason: nonverbal behavior is not so clearly tied to a specific, falsifiable claim as are verbal expressions. How do you evaluate whether someone seems confident, and what is your response if their results are not what you expected? To join the conversation, click "comments" below. 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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