Have you ever received an email message that you thought could have been communicated in a better way? I bet if you were one of the 400 Radio Shack employees who were laid off last fall via an email message, you have this thought. (In defense of the situation, executives at Radio Shack said “they (the employees) were warned that firings would be made via email. . . ). Does that justify it? I don’t think so.
This situation got me thinking about all the times that sending email is appropriate and more importantly, when it is NOT appropriate. Here are just a few situations at work I thought about:
If you want people to tell you the truth, you have to provide a safe environment for that to happen.
If you find people are lying to you, or not telling you the whole truth, on a regular basis, perhaps you should look at yourself. How do you react and respond to situations when they are presented to you?
If you react in an upset or angry manner on a regular basis, people will feel uncomfortable and will soon start to hold back or omit certain details. They will try to paint the picture in a way that is more comfortable and easy for you to accept.
Consider keeping lines of communication open by reacting to information in a calm manner, even when the truth isn’t Read More...
To ensure the results you intend when you are communicating in writing, the key is to know your purpose from the very beginning of the process. Why are you writing? What is the point? What is the best way to get what you want? There are two things that come to my mind immediately.
First, it is essential that we actually know what we want. Both for us and what you want your reader to do. Too often we receive poor results from our efforts simply because we do not know what we want when we set out to write a letter or to write a request.
Without a clear target to shoot at or an end result in mind, it is difficult to lead others to see things your way and take action. Let us face it; writing Read More...
Reccomended Product – The Best-Kept Secrets of Great Communicators
When you investigate the most powerful and influential people in the world, you will discover that they all have something in common. Effective communication.
Whether they personally possess such skills or have hired a support team that did, ultimately, effective communication was one of the fundamental keys to their success. Using the Read More...
August 11 kicks off a week of articles, audio training and discussions regarding communication on the Freedom Personal Development Blog.
Part of being a great communicator is knowing what you are going to say. Preparation allows you to choose the right words ahead of time, and then speak with greater confidence and effectiveness. We are used to preparing for big presentations, but what about those little ones?
How often has someone asked you, “What you do?” Many of us answer briefly and accurately, but our answers don’t lead anywhere. Even worse, we stumble about trying to find the words. How about if you PREPARED for this?
It’s called an “Elevator Read More...
What if you were paid not by your own performance, but by how well and how diligently you encouraged and treated your co-workers? This doesn’t automatically sound like something we’d enjoy doing or even thinking about, but doing so will make you look at your life and your business in a powerful new way.
When you treat your co-workers with the respect of your best clients, you’re building a relationship that serves everyone. It builds unity within your organization, creating that well-oiled machine everyone wants to be part of. In Read More...
