Do you use gold standards of positive and effective employee communication? Nah, I’m not here to say you should butter up your boss, co-workers or employees with dishonest sweet talkin’ jive. But I am saying you have better communication skills than a baboon, or a 15-year-old teenager, don’t you? Short story: Do you treat your customers or employees, who are one and the same, like yesterday’s newspaper used to line a litter box? If so, then you are promoting “rusty standards” of bad communication instead of “gold standards” of good communication.
GOLD STANDARDS OF GOOD COMMUNICATION
What are some ways that you can be more empathetic to your employees (spouse, children, customers, etc.) to make sure they know how needed and respected each and every one of them are?
1. Communicate better than a baboon. Not that a baboon doesn’t communicate, it’s just more aggressive and defensive than what works with words in the human world.
2. Treat ’em like they’re human. When positives are wrapped up and stowed away, negatives are saluted. That’s why “gossip galore is a bore.”
3. “Thanks for putting in the extra effort!” Can’t find anything nice to say? Baloney! Give great feedback that doesn’t grate on anyone’s nerves by giving thanks for extra efforts.
4. Feed right into the positive. You catch more bees with sugar than with vinegar. Feed people what they like to hear, if it’s genuinely true, and they’ll feel happier on the job.
5. Remember that talk is priceless. Positive talk softens the backlog of hard feelings and miscommunication.
6. Be a confidence-builder. Confidence-builders catch you in the act of doing a good deed, and say: “Look what you voluntarily do so well.”
7. Openly share “little” silent appreciations aloud. Blame-keepers only keep on the lookout for mistakes made, while “gold card talkers” focus on “This is another reason why I appreciate you and your going above and beyond the call of duty again!”
USE YOUR RELATIONSHIP INTELLIGENCE
Do you have the people skills of a baboon? The patience of a tick? Then become acquainted with a friend named the patience of positive communication. We human beings like feeling powerful vs. powerless. Don’t think you’re wasting words when you share your appreciation or compliments.
EVER SEEN A U-HAUL FULL OF GOLD BARS BEHIND A HEARSE?
I know you don’t take employees feelings lightly. Have you ever seen a U-haul full of gold bars behind a hearse? Nope, so remember your opinion matters to your fellow workers, customers and clients. Are you sharing openly what you like and dislike in equal fashion? Or are you being too quiet on the “employee accreditation front.”
ABOUT DR. DENNIS O’GRADY, PSY.D., LEADER COMMUNICATION AND STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING PSYCHOLOGIST AND EXPERT
E-type or Empathizer employees feel like they’re wearing their feelings on their shirt sleeve. In reverse fashion, I-type or Instigator employees wear their brainy beliefs on their chest. E-types feel more gratification from “helping others,” while I-types feel more secure in helping the mission or global company objective be achieved. Either communicator type likes to hear a nice thing or three on occasion, especially after many miles have been put under their tires on a long success trip. Dr. O’Grady is the author of “Talk to Me: Communication Moves To Get Along With Anyone.” Autographed copies are available at his Web site or books at Amazon.