The Listening Bridge

THE LISTENING BRIDGE

You are at the center of the world when it comes to being a confident and competent communicator. So, how do you build a “listening bridge” to safely speed travel between yourself and your talk partner, as you move on down on the two-way communicator highway? Recent workshop participants provided these tips…

1. Respect is spelled LISTEN.

2. A little effort is often all it takes to maintain good relationship communication at home and at work.

3. Even though someone doesn’t respond to your idea, it doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea. Don’t take the non-response to your idea personally.

4. Listen…Listen…LISTEN. Don’t make a snap judgment or premature decision before you hear the entire thought.

5. R-E-S-P-E-C-T = LISTEN.

6. Confidence and competence matter equally in trusting communication.

7. Don’t let perceptions get in the way of getting things done!

8. Trust and respect flow from the hub of internal communication…down the spokes to others in the company…and out to your external customers.

9. Go to meetings with an open mind and give each person around the Communicator Table time to ask questions or to respond to the new idea. And if they don’t respond, don’t let it hurt your feelings or inhibit future presentations of your ideas. Don’t take it all to heart.

10. Be more understanding of both sides – Empathizer and Instigator – in order to forge an alliance and accommodate needs. Meet in the middle of the Communicator Table to co-develop strategies which will result in improved results that astonish everyone.

11. Treat everybody the way you would like to be treated!

You are at the center of the communication bridge, building rapport, trust, and connections to boost a bummer mood and nurture confidence. Old bridges start to crumble when maintenance isn’t performed on a regular basis. So, too, is the case with communication – you must inspect your interactions with family, friends, and co-workers on a routine basis, just to make certain that your communication is still as strong and dependable as it was on the day you began using the Talk2Me© system.

Dr. Dennis O’Grady is a Dayton family psychologist who teaches confidence-building mood management relationship communication tools. Phone: 937-428-0724.

Talk-Team Mood

TALK-TEAM MOOD

What’s the mood tone of your team at work? Grumpy, frazzled, sad, apprehensive, glad? Teams who talk about moods consciously boost output. You, too, are a mood-maker or a mood-breaker. The choice is yours.

STRENGTHS WHICH SET THE MOOD OF AN A-1 TEAM

I worked with one team which acknowledged their individual and collective strengths. The following list illustrates how this loss-experienced team stood shoulder-to-shoulder to create the mood of their team. Talk-Team Mood demonstrated…

  • Multiple personality expertise
  • A “My door is half-open” vs. “My door is half-closed” attitude
  • Multi-cultural appreciators
  • Mentoring empowerment
  • Being an informational hub
  • That all people are unique Empathizer or Instigator communicators
  • Role modeling positive attitudes during defeat
  • Supporting others by allowing dumping of feelings without dumping on others
  • Spreading around a Mood of Trust
  • Humorous dedication…dedication to using humor to relieve stress
  • Getting a grip on differing viewpoints without driving a wedge
  • Problem-fixers and change-experts
  • Minding the Mood Store…don’t spread around a bad mood like manure
  • Being flexible dressers: Wear different hats during the day
  • Being accomplishers who get the “to do” list (DO)NE
  • How to make everyone on the team feel important
  • How to help anyone up who has been knocked down
  • Being great Calmers of Apprehensions
  • Following the Fairness Doctrine (Do as I do, not as I say you should do.)
  • Applying the Golden Rule
  • Being fearless: Don’t fear change…March off the map into the unknown
  • An atmosphere of encouragement to be A Bringer of Peace
  • Guts galore: “I’ll go to bat for you.”
  • Unifiers: “Let’s connect tunnels to the silos and not be so self-absorbed”
  • How to Listen Up: Take the pulse…Listen…Put your listening ears on…Be flexible…Collaborate for change
  • Going the extra mile with a smile on
  • Volunteerism: A good work ethic
  • Open-mindedness: “We’re just here to talk” attitude
  • Who’s #1: “We’re all 1-team!”
  • “Hands on” support for different types of people
  • Provide supportive…safe…sacred space
  • How to Navigate the Mood of The Organization
  • Being a good sport: “I’ll be back…” movie impersonations
  • Being People Lovers
  • Being cultural integrationists
  • “Less butt touches on chairs…” AKA don’t waste customer time
  • Customer Focus: “Make it easy…quick…painless…appreciated”
  • Ways to reduce friction and frustration wherever you go
  • How to relieve disheartenment by spreading around a Mood of Hope
  • Always using courtesy and respect, no matter what you’re getting back
  • Valor: “We live these values because this is who we truly are.…”
  • Simplification: Get back to what’s working when what you’re doing isn’t working
  • Being a strong Pillar of Honest and Effective Communication
  • Devotion
  • Putting salve on a pervasive sense of loss and grief

Do you use strength-focused Mood Talk to make the best lemonade out of bad times that ordinarily put you in a sour mood? I’ll bet you do, using Mood Management Tools.

TEAM UP USING A GOOD MOOD

Team Drive is impacted by intersecting organizational issues such as:

► staffing

► budgetary constraints

► integration of departments

► effective communication regarding change

► mood

You can choose your mood. Mood spelled backwards spells D-O-O-M…but only if you allow it to.

Dr. Dennis O’Grady is a Dayton psychologist, family business consultant and marriage counselor. Dr. O’Grady can be reached at (937) 428-0724.