How to Communicate effectively at work

How to Communicate effectively at work by Amber Rolfe Trouble communicating at work? Let’s talk… Communicating effectively at work can sometimes feel like an impossible task â€" especially when you’re working with a number of teams, consisting of people with all different work styles and personalities. So how do you make sure you’re getting the right message across, at the right time, in the right place?To help you improve your work-based interactions, here are our top tips on how to communicate effectively at work:Use the right medium OK, so you’re a total whizz when it comes to face-to-face communication.You contribute, you work as a team, and you generally get the job done. The problem is, you can’t keep on top of your emails. And IMs? Well, they’re straight up ignored.And although many things should be discussed in person, other topics are better suited for digital means â€" whether it’s email, text, or anything else. The bottom line? Every type of communication is important.Being a master of o ne might get you some places, but it won’t get you everywhere.So to ensure you’re covering all communicative bases, work out how you can utilise each medium for the best possible result. For example, you might find that for a simple question, a phone call or IM is appropriate, whereas ongoing collaborative projects may benefit from a continuous email chain, a shared document, or a group chat.To help you decide which medium is best, consider the urgency level of the topic, the size of the issue/question/complaint, along with how many people are involved, and how formal it is.Tl:dr: serious complaint: email. Question about tea: IM.14 work email problems everyone has experiencedAvoid a one-size-fits-all method Everyone’s different. That’s no secret.This means how they communicate (and what they want to communicate) is different too â€" whether it’s the content, method, tone, or style.Sure, Dave from Accounts is going to be fully on board with numbers chat â€" jargon and all. Hey, he’ll probably actively encourage it. But Jill from Design? Forget it.So for every message you send and every conversation you have â€" always consider your audience, and ask yourself if what you’re discussing is something they’d understand. After all, what might be second nature to some people could be gibberish to others.You should also consider your relationship with them. Are you on a first-name basis? Are they senior to you? Have you ever communicated outside of small-talk-in-the-lift?Then, adjust your tone accordingly â€" whether it’s by addressing them with (or without) a surname, or removing potentially inappropriate colloquialisms.#YOLO.Revealed: The 10 most annoying office phrasesHow to get feedback at work  Let your emotions take a back seat The key to effective communication at work? Emotional intelligence.It might seem difficult, but no matter how heated a discussion gets â€" you should 100% never, in zero circumstances, lose your cool. That means no yellin g, no arguing, and most importantly, no storming out of the room.Instead, try to keep work interactions as professional as possible, taking the time to think things over before you jump the gun (see also: react in a way you may regret).Often, it’s simply a clash in personalities and work styles that causes conflict â€" meaning acknowledging what others want, listening, being diplomatic, and taking on constructive criticism is a great way to diffuse any potentially difficult interactions.Remember: it’s nothing personal.Also, something about not stirring the pot.How to deal with work problems professionallyHow to manage conflict in the workplaceFocus on what you say and how you say it   When it comes to communication, your words aren’t the only way you’re sending a message.For example, you might be saying ‘I can totally get that report to you Monday’, but your constant chatting and pen clicking may say otherwise.Not only will this send mixed messages to your recipient (and /or give them false hope), not being open and honest with your communications could also end badly when you can’t live up to your claims.Instead, always exhibit positive body language that show you’re engaged with the conversation, you’re being honest, and are interested in what the other person has to say â€" whether it’s by smiling, eye contact, uncrossed arms, or good posture.You should also watch how others are presenting themselves. You might find that some body language cues indicate nerves, fear, or anything else.Sometimes all it takes is a different communicative approach to make others feel at ease.How to take criticism at workHow to have a positive attitude at workDon’t beat around the bush Let’s face it, it can be all too easy to get carried away with small talk.A meeting starts, and suddenly the weather, the game last night, or what you had on toast that morning is dominating your conversation, when you’re meant to be talking about weekly reports.Not only d oes this waste time, it also means nothing is actually getting done. The same goes for interactions that involve more mumbling, rambling, and ‘umming and ahhing’ than actual words.So keep your work-based chats direct, concise, and to the point, ending in clear actions that each of you can take away. That way, you’ll get more out of it than your colleagues’ thoughts on luke-warm toast.Spoiler: they are not fans.How to guarantee productive meetings  Five things all meetings can do withoutHonourable mentions: don’t work in silos, don’t use the word ‘silos’, actually listen, encourage feedback.Still searching for your perfect position? View all available jobs nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy po licy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Features Life At Work Workplace culture

Dealing with Difficult People In Your Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Dealing with Difficult People In Your Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career It happens to everyone. You have a colleague at work who wants things his way or the highway. Or you have a client who’s never happy. There is no escaping difficult people at work or in business. More challenging still is the fact that you’re not likely to say or do anything to make them change. All you can do is be professional and follow these steps to dealing with difficult people. Keep Calm It’s a challenge not to get upset, annoyed, frustrated or angry at difficult people, but doing so doesn’t change anything. It won’t make them be less difficult or you feel less negative. In fact, allowing your negative feelings full reign makes it difficult to problem solve and stay rational. The only option to avoid escalating the difficult person’s behavior is to remain calm. Deep breaths and self-talk are the best ways to prevent negative feelings from taking over. Be Respectful While difficult people may not have earned respect, you’ll do much better dealing with them if you show it. There is a saying that you can attract more people with sugar than vinegar, and it’s true. Responding to difficult people with negativity only makes it easier for them to dismiss you. Showing respect can sometimes diffuse conflict and open the conversation up to negotiation. You can show respect by listening and reflecting. Listening to rants or complaints and then reflecting back what was said, you show respect and allow the difficult person to feel heard. Be Professional Showing respect doesn’t mean you have to agree with or give in to the difficult person. You can share your thoughts and ideas as well. Hopefully, if you’ve shown respect, the difficult person will have an open mind to hear your views a well. You can increase this chance by expressing your ideas in a professional manner. Avoid showing frustration or annoyance as you respond to the person. After reflecting what you heard, stay calm as you share your thoughts or feelings on the subject. Focus on the Work/Solution Difficult people often use personal verbal attacks on you or other people to drive their point across. Avoid getting drawn in to the drama and angst of office politics by focusing on the work or how to solve the problem at hand. Live Your Brand Your personal brand is created through your action. At no time is your brand best present than in challenging times and dealing with difficult people. Remember what you want your brand to be and how you want your colleagues or customers to think of you. While the difficult person may never recognize your value, others who are involved or watching from the outside will.

Personal Branding For Two Sides Of Your Life - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding For Two Sides Of Your Life - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career How do you do personal branding for two sides of your life? What if you have two jobs in two wholly separate worlds? And what if each of those jobs could negatively affect the other â€" like being a hit man and a politician. I received an email from David â€" who is not a hit man â€" but is a religious professional and a businessman, and he wants to brand two versions of the same man.  (1) I am a [religious professional] who promotes and provides adult religious education. (2) I am a successful entrepreneur having retired at age 42, which is when I went back to school to become a [religious professional].  Now I’m 52, doing the [religious professional] stuff and starting a new business at the same time. (3) I am just lil’ ole me, a friendly guy with friends, contacts and relatives all over the place.  How do I separate them?   I need a LinkedIn page for [my day job] who teaches and would like to start doing a series of online [religion] ed videos and blogging about free or low cost quality religious educational opportunities, but I also need a LinkedIn business page â€" and neither one has anything to do with the other and could even, potentially, negatively impact the other. Same thing with Facebook and Twitter, but there I may need a third identity for my personal stuff. How do I set this up and enable people to find the me they need or want? David says he already has LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter identities tied to a previous business website and blog, which no longer exists, but the accounts are just sitting there. Two separate personal brands Here is what I would do if I were in a similar situation, trying to develop two separate personal brands. 1. Rescue the Existing Accounts First, salvage the existing accounts and save them for the business side of life. Clean out and update the bios, put up new avatars, and dust off the connection lists. These are already established as business accounts, so the connections who are already there will understand that my business life changed, and that Im doing something new. 2. Tie the Personal Account to the Religious Professional Stuff. Good idea or not, we tend to identify ourselves as our job. Thats how other people see us too. So go with that. Tie the personal account to the day job identity. After all, being a religious professional is a 24/7 job. When I go home, Im not a blogger. I get to fill the roles of neighbor and friend, as well as family man. When Im talking to my neighbors, theyre not chanting over and over in their head, hes a blogger, hes a blogger, hes a blogger. But they do for rabbis, ministers, pastors, priests, and even shamans. While I know most religious professionals dont want to be defined only by their jobs, dont bother fighting it. You definitely dont want a third identity just for personal stuff (i.e. not your day job, and not your sideline). Its going to be hard enough to keep these two balanced.. Of course, if you dont want to do the day job thing on social media and want to keep it personal, just dont list your profession. Be yourself and let people find out by accident when they swear in front of you and then ask what you do for a living. 3. Just Know That People Will Find Out People are going to find out, for whatever reason, that there is a flip side to my personal coin. Theyre work colleagues, or theyre friends who are also business contacts. But theyll be following one account and one day see the other, and theyll make the connection. For that reason, I need to make sure that what I do on one account wont turn off people on the other account. While this doesnt apply to David â€" most religious pros I know wont put themselves in an embarrassing situation â€" it does apply to businesspeople who think their LinkedIn and Facebook accounts are completely separate. Theyre not, so avoid embarrassing situations But what David does need to be aware of is that you cant do things that one side of your life will find to be completely incompatible with the other side, like being a hit man and a politicians. (All your hit man friends will be all judgmental and go, Ewwwwww!! Ga-ROSS!) Its possible to keep two sides of your life separate from each other, but dont expect that they will stay that way forever. The streams will be crossed. Your friends and connections will find you have a second side to your life, and youll be seen as a more complete person. Of course, if thats a problem for you, then do what you can to keep those two sides separate, but make sure you dont have anything embarrassing or upsetting to people from the other side. Author: Erik Deckers is the owner of Professional Blog Service, and the co-author of Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself. His new book, No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide to Social Media Marketing, which he wrote with Jason Falls, is in bookstores and on Amazon now.

Style Your Spring April Showers

Style Your Spring April Showers April is here and you know what that means: time to bust out your boat shoes and pack up the sweaters!  For the ultimate fashionable yet fun spring look, check out these six April Showers must haves:   1. Fun Flats or Boat Shoes. We love these Mia pointed cap toe flats and bright-soled boat shoes! Both are easy to take a stroll in without compromising style. 2. Light Jacket or Trench Coat. Everyone needs a trench coat or lightweight jacket in the spring! We love bright trench coats like this onefrom Target. Im also a big fan of bomber jackets! 3. Statement Necklace. Dress up a simple blouse or t-shirt with a fun, colorful statement necklace like this one from Stella Dot! If youre more of a functional fashionista, check out these fab  LoopyQ pouches which are the perfect size for your smart phone, credit cards, keys and lip gloss.  PS- These pouches are handmade by my sister Jay.  The pic below is our adorable Mom! 4. Rain Boots or Gloshes. Dont let the rain get you down! With these beautiful coral rain boots from Hunter or green glosh booties from Sperry youll be ready to be singin in the rain! 5. A Fab Umbrella. I love this clear bubble umbrella from Target. Not only does it match with everything, its dome-like shape blocks out all the rain coming at you from the side! The shape also makes the umbrella resistant to being blown inside out when the wind blows in the wrong direction! 6. Bold Lips or Cheeks. The perfect compliment to any spring look is a bold lip or cheek! I personally love peachy coral and pink shades. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes are super pigmented yet natural looking and I love Stilas conditioning peppermint smelling Color Balm Lipstick. Just remember not to rock both a bold lip AND cheek at the same time. ?? Whats on YOUR April wish list?

10 Ways to Create an Unique Personal Brand

10 Ways to Create an Unique Personal Brand Photo Credit â€" PixabayPeople always ask me how they can stand out from the crowd.Here are the ten critical steps you need to take:1. How can I do this differently?evalAsk yourself the question “How can I do this differently?” Just having the subject top of mind will lead you in the right direction. Ask yourself this question everyday!2. Be OriginalPurge every aspect of copying from your being. This is tough because it’s almost second nature to benchmark best in class and apply best practices; we’ve been conditioned to believe that we are better off when we follow the best in the herd. Nonsense. All we have done is temporarily change our position in it.3. Be a ContrarianevalLook at what everyone else is doing then do the opposite. Amazing results are achieved by contrarian acts.4. FocusLearn to focus on the critical few things you need to be successful. It’s so tempting to chase the possibilities that are out there but the problem is that you are busy but ineffective in d elivering quality results. DIFFERENT people are “mindlessly” focused on a few critical things that are not on anyone else’s radar.5. PrioritizeevalShed the “CRAP” that gets in the way of your ability to focus on your key priorities. Holding on to “comfy food” may satisfy your appetite but it won’t enable your quest to stand-out from the herd.6. Reach OutConnect with different people. If you’re going to seek stimulation from others, lean in to people who don’t follow the rules and have “off the wall” views.7. Take InitiativeBe the first to take on new projects. Covet opportunities to offer standard solutions to radical problems that have not been addressed before. Your solution to a new problem will carry the DiFFERENT tag.8. Execute MoreLoosen up on planning; tighten up on execution. Most people think the value is in the plan; don’t go with them. Jump in to the messy inelegant world of implementation where results get delivered. DiFFERENT people get stuff d one; they don’t sit around pondering possibilities.9. Ditch PerfectionBe imperfect Recover when you make a mistake (and you will, that’s what execution artists do). Fix your mistake (because that’s what people expect) and surprise them with something they DON’T expect. You will be remembered for your risk taking and brilliance of recovery . Your mistake will quickly be forgotten.There is no scientific formula to get you out of the herd of commonality but these 10 steps will do the job.I know. They worked for me.

Monsters 7 Warning Signs May Have Come Too Late - CareerEnlightenment.com

One other interesting point. Buss notes: “Comscore shows  Indeed.com leading the job search pack.” True enough when it comes to the job search traffic. But in overall careers and jobs focused traffic, LinkedIn beats everyone with 36.8 million uniques.(Attention data geeks: the Comscore numbers represent unduplicated uniques, and the job search number for Indeed is smaller than what the chart shows, since the latter counts visitors to other parts of Indeed besides job searching.)

You Can Find People Who Can Help You With Your Job Interviews and Resumes

You Can Find People Who Can Help You With Your Job Interviews and ResumesWhen it comes to finding the proper people for your company or organization, you will find that many companies and businesses now use the concept of hiring people who are actually from other places. To make your business more professional, it will help to hire individuals who have been given the necessary help to be able to obtain their own education and credentials. In some cases, this can mean that you need to provide job references. This is something that can be difficult to find, but when you know how to find the best people to help you out, you will realize that the process can be a lot easier.The first thing that you will want to consider when you are trying to please email resume and writing samples meaning companies is that they will need to be able to work in certain atmospheres. A lot of individuals with this kind of talent have an ability to adapt to any environment, especially if the situation demand s it. If you have a lot of different departments, you will be able to find someone who can handle a large number of responsibilities.Another consideration that you will want to consider is the fact that some people have not gone to college in order to work in this kind of field. This means that they may be able to take courses through the Internet in order to fulfill this requirement. As long as you are able to check with a number of universities in the area where you are located, you will be able to find the best individuals for the job.For those who do not have a certain type of skill that they can offer to your business, you can turn to that individual to provide you with this service. It will help to have them work on a project for you or your organization in order to show them what they are capable of doing. This can help to establish a solid relationship between you and the individual so that you can get them to work on your behalf once they have received the proper training a nd experience.Some individuals are very versatile in their career options. You will find that if you are looking for someone to do different types of tasks, you will find that they can provide you with exactly what you need. Instead of working on a project and not being able to get any work done, you will be able to turn to the right person for the job.Finding people who are willing to come to your location will help to ease your job search. Many people with this type of talent will be able to drive through town and be able to provide you with several different types of work. You will be able to easily find a job for someone if you only spend a little time looking.If you have an individual who does not live in your area, it will still be possible for you to work with this individual. You will be able to find people who are willing to work for the amount of money that you are offering them, and you will be able to handle all of the details of the job for them. You will not need to ha ndle the paperwork for them and you will not have to worry about setting up appointments with them.The reason that you should always consider using these ways of finding the perfect people to work for you is because it will allow you to find the best people for your job. By doing this, you will be able to ensure that you do not spend too much time or money on advertising or creating promotions. Instead, you will simply use the talents of the people who are going to be working for you will be able to make use of the services that they are going to be providing.