October 6, 2010 5:36 pm
One of my main partners is The Bergerac Group out of Dallas, Texas. They are the world leaders of communication skills training and consulting. Here are some ideas from what they consider to be the Ten Essential Elements of Communication. I will do one each week for the next few weeks to keep you plugged in!
1. Confidence – As a mom of a young lady about to do the Miss South Carolina pageant, I know how hard it is to exude confidence in front of a large audience. But what about in our everyday presentations and meetings. Or our interactions with tough customers. Confidence is one of those things that you either have, or you just need to act like you have! They say “fake it til you make it”. We teach people to pay very close attention to their body language because that is the first place people look for confidence. A lot of people think that their data and information speaks for itself. But that just isn’t true. Yes you need the data to be correct. But you also need to communicate it in a compelling way.
So, how do you do that? Think about things like posture, whether or not you hold good eye contact when looking at other people. Use your hands and gestures to create your ideas in space rather than just flapping your hands around or holding them tightly in front of you. Make your gestures meaningful. And as we say at the Bergerac Group, “always let your armpits breathe!” That means bringing your arms away from your body which opens you up and makes you look confident. Think Broadway actress at the end of a song. Of course if I had videos on here I could show you. I’m working on that! Really!
Confidence also comes from your facial expressions. Don’t be afraid to use what God has given you. Smile, or be expressive. Have energy and enthusiasm for your content. Nothing “sells” like enthusiasm.
And finally, be sure you are prepared. Whether or not you have a difficult conversation or a big presentation, you need to think and practice what you will say. I do it in the car on my way to an appointment. I don’t even feel like a crazy person anymore when I talk through content in my car because everyone is talking on their cell phones.
Hope this has been helpful. If you know someone who could use fabulous communication skills training, please let me know. sbgregory45@yahoo.com
May 3, 2010 6:36 pm
Truth or Consequences: How to Give Employee Feedback By Judith Lindenberger
Why is it that many of us put off giving feedback to our employees even though we intuitively know that giving and getting honest feedback is essential to grow and develop and to build successful organizations? Maybe it is because there are so many ways to screw it up.
Here are ten common feedback mistakes:
1. Speaking out only when things are wrong. “Praise to a human being represents what sunlight, water and soil are to a plant – the climate in which one grows best.” – Earl Nightingale
2.”Drive-by” praise without specifics or an honest underpinning. – “Great job!”
3. Waiting until performance or behavior is substantially below expectations before acting on it.
4. Giving positive or negative feedback long after the event has occurred.
5. Not taking responsibility for your thoughts, feelings and reactions. “This comes straight from the boss.”
6. Giving feedback through e-mail messages, notes, or over the telephone.
7. Giving negative feedback in public.
8. Criticizing performance without giving suggestions for improvement.
9. No follow up afterwards.
10. Not having regularly scheduled performance review meetings.
Giving and receiving clear and constructive feedback requires courage and skill, and is essential to building good relationships with and motivating peak performance from your team.
Here are four tips for how to do right:
1. Be proactive. Nip issues in the bud and avoid the messy interpersonal tangles that result from neglected communication. Meeting with employees on a monthly or quarterly basis instead of annually, for example, conveys, “Your success is important to me, so I want to be accessible to you.”
to me, so I want to be accessible to you.”
2. Be specific. It’s never easy to provide negative feedback regarding someone’s work, but as a leader you can’t avoid it. Be as clear as possible when providing feedback (both positive and negative). Give specific examples that illustrate your points.
For example: Instead of saying, “Your attitude is bad” or “That didn’t work,” you might say something like, “When you miss deadlines, then cross your arms and look away when I discuss it with you, it gives me the impression that you don’t care about the quality of your work. I’d like to believe this isn’t true. Can you help me explain this better?”
3. Develop a progress plan. Be clear about the specific changes in behavior that you expect in a specific period of time, and follow up as scheduled.
4. Link employees’ performance to organizational goals. Reinforce the value of your employees’ contributions by giving specific examples of how their work and positive behaviors serve the organization and its customers.
If you are not doing these
work and positive behaviors serve the organization and its customers.
If you are not doing these things, why would anyone else in your organization do them? Craft a performance appraisal process that encourages truth or consequences
May 3, 2010 6:35 pm
Truth or Consequences: How to Give Employee Feedback By Judith Lindenberger
Why is it that many of us put off giving feedback to our employees even though we intuitively know that giving and getting honest feedback is essential to grow and develop and to build successful organizations? Maybe it is because there are so many ways to screw it up.
Here are ten common feedback mistakes:
1. Speaking out only when things are wrong. “Praise to a human being represents what sunlight, water and soil are to a plant – the climate in which one grows best.” – Earl Nightingale
2.”Drive-by” praise without specifics or an honest underpinning. – “Great job!”
3. Waiting until performance or behavior is substantially below expectations before acting on it.
4. Giving positive or negative feedback long after the event has occurred.
5. Not taking responsibility for your thoughts, feelings and reactions. “This comes straight from the boss.”
6. Giving feedback through e-mail messages, notes, or over the telephone.
7. Giving negative feedback in public.
8. Criticizing performance without giving suggestions for improvement.
9. No follow up afterwards.
10. Not having regularly scheduled performance review meetings.
Giving and receiving clear and constructive feedback requires courage and skill, and is essential to building good relationships with and motivating peak performance from your team.
Here are four tips for how to do right:
1. Be proactive. Nip issues in the bud and avoid the messy interpersonal tangles that result from neglected communication. Meeting with employees on a monthly or quarterly basis instead of annually, for example, conveys, “Your success is important to me, so I want to be accessible to you.”
to me, so I want to be accessible to you.”
2. Be specific. It’s never easy to provide negative feedback regarding someone’s work, but as a leader you can’t avoid it. Be as clear as possible when providing feedback (both positive and negative). Give specific examples that illustrate your points.
For example: Instead of saying, “Your attitude is bad” or “That didn’t work,” you might say something like, “When you miss deadlines, then cross your arms and look away when I discuss it with you, it gives me the impression that you don’t care about the quality of your work. I’d like to believe this isn’t true. Can you help me explain this better?”
3. Develop a progress plan. Be clear about the specific changes in behavior that you expect in a specific period of time, and follow up as scheduled.
4. Link employees’ performance to organizational goals. Reinforce the value of your employees’ contributions by giving specific examples of how their work and positive behaviors serve the organization and its customers.
If you are not doing these
work and positive behaviors serve the organization and its customers.
If you are not doing these things, why would anyone else in your organization do them? Craft a performance appraisal process that encourages truth or consequences
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