The new Language at Work course catalog will make planning and scheduling easier, quicker, and more comprehensive.  Here’s what to know:

  *   Download the catalog for easy reference
  *   Our well-loved traditional courses have had an upgrade
  *   We’ve introduced many new courses that reflect today’s training concerns

To celebrate the launch of our catalog, we’re offering a 10% discount for October bookings.  Let us help you pick the ones that will start your fall training with success.

Professional Development Tips

Strong communication skills are the basic requirement for every job.  Does your team know and practice these simple communication tools?

1.      Listening – This may be the most important skill, as it can give you information about your audience, demo your intent to engage, and lead to solutions.

2.      Clarity – Avoiding difficult parts of a message leads only to confusion.  Take time to be sure you are saying what you mean, not just what someone wants to hear.

3.      Understanding – Communication is not just about conveying information; it’s also about building relationships.  Find commonality and find cooperation.

See our catalog for the courses that help with these tools:   Listening for Results, Emotion Management, The Art of Conversation, Reframing: Turning Problems Into Opportunities, and others.

Quick Quiz

Question:  What is a feature of Active Listening?

  1.  No interruptions
  2.  No planning your response
  3.  Show that you understand by rephrasing what you hear
  4.  Ask if the speaker wants your opinion

Answer:  Lucky you!  All are correct.  See how easy it is?  Let us bring a Listening class to your group~ Listening can be the key to the improved communication we all want.

Join the Conversation

We’d like to hear your thoughts about Artificial Intelligence in your workplace.  What are the current concerns and issues with which improved communication skills could help?  Send us an email to: contactus@languageatwork.com

Visit our website to learn more about how our courses and services could improve your operations — www.languageatwork.com.

Thanks!
Judy

Judith Pollock, President
Language at Work
4931 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016
Phone 646-491-1089
www.languageatwork.com

The post What’s New! appeared first on Language at Work.

• Speaking with Power, Assertiveness, Managing Conflict & Confrontation, Listening for Results
• Develop Your Inner Leader, Influencing and Negotiating, Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving, Cross-Cultural Communication
• Collaboration, Making Feedback Work, Keeping Your Edge in the Virtual Workplace,  Handling Sticky Situations
• Better Business Writing, Grammar Gremlins

Visit our website to learn more about how our courses and services could improve your operations — www.languageatwork.com. If it’s easier, call me directly at 202-298-7700.

Thanks!
Judy

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Listen to them

Here’s why it’s so good:

• It costs you nothing.
• You don’t have to think of anything to say.
• The speaker will like it

Also, it can be easy to do once you get used to doing it.  But if you have not been in the habit of listening, you may have to demonstrate your new skill and intention a few times, because up to now you’ve trained your speaker to be wary, suspicious, defensive, and prepared to speak in ways that are provocative and challenging.

Declaring your intention can help. Try this:  ‘I want to hear what you have to say/think/want/believe/like/suggest, and I promise I will listen and not argue or comment until you ask me to do so.  I may ask a clarifying question, but if I do it is only to help me understand.”

Then open your mind and receive info.  No eye-rolling, head-shaking, smirking.  Don’t waste time answering in your head or gathering outrage.  Recognize that what you’re hearing is something that is true for that person at that moment.  Let it in.

If the encounter needs help, remember that speakers are as cautious about speaking as you may be about listening- say encouraging things like  ‘Go on; say more about that; help me understand what that means.’  If your mind control is set at ‘accept’, your comments will be acceptable.

When the speaker finishes, you say thank you.  ‘Thank you for telling me that; I understand now.’  You can say this because understanding doesn’t mean agreeing.

Do you get to talk?  Maybe, but not in this round.  This is your gift- Listening.  Do it.

Spend some time on our website to learn more about how our courses and services could improve your operations — www.languageatwork.com. If it’s easier, call me directly at 202-298-7700.

Thanks!
Judy

Judith Pollock, President
Language at Work
4931 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016
Phone 202-298-7700

The post The Perfect Gift appeared first on Language at Work.

Whatever it is, the result is communication chaos.  Mistrust seeps into interactions, and we speak as though we need to protect and defend our most benign comments.  We bristle at remarks of others and cut off conversation lest we get ourselves in arguments.  We see other people talking past each other without making connections.  We feel too quick to anger or irritation, we say things that reflect these feelings, and others respond with outrage, annoyance, defensiveness or aggression, and we wonder how we got into this!

It’s hard to control emotions.  We can’t prevent them, but we can manage them, and doing so in communication will make a big difference in our relationships- and mental health!   We can learn to speak in ways that discourage emotional reactions, and we can learn to listen to others in ways that allow them to better manage their emotional responses.

Our two new courses focus on keeping communication open and productive even when tension is high: Emotion Management and Yes, It’s Safe to Listen.

Scary times are upon us, but let’s keep the ghosts and goblins away from what can really help us – communicating with each other.

2 New Courses!

Emotion Management

Good communication is key to productive work, collegial relationships, and conflict avoidance.  Too often, however, communication is derailed by misunderstandings that are fueled by emotion.  A speaker sounds aggressive, a listener feels defensive, and it’s hard to find a way back to clarity.

This course explores the effects of emotion on communication, and helps participants recognize and manage interactions in which emotions play a role.

Objectives

• Review the critical elements of successful communication
• Understand the importance of knowing the concerns of the listener
• Distinguish between assertive and aggressive language and behavior
• Learn what can cause defensiveness and how to manage it
• Learn to manage one’s own emotional triggers
• Develop strategies for controlling difficult situations

Yes, It’s Safe to Listen

Listening effectively has many barriers in the best of times, but in a climate of strong opinion, mistrust, and suspicion, it’s in big trouble. For many people, opening the stage to another speaker signals agreement with that speaker. For fear of seeming to be in alignment with whatever is heard, some people feel that it’s better to not listen at all – or to quickly shut down the interaction.  The reality, however, is that listening means getting information, and information is power.

This course will help participants use listening to better structure their own messages, and to feel more confident in uncomfortable situations.

Objectives

• Understand the difference between listening to learn, and listening to agree.
• Learn to demonstrate acceptance of the speaker, if not the message
• Recognize one’s own barriers to listening
• Use techniques of active listening to facilitate the conversation
• Understand how to end an interaction when you choose
• Learn to determine when, how, and if to begin your remarks

Scary times are upon us, but let’s keep the ghosts and goblins away from what can really help us – communicating with each other.  Call us at 202 – 298-7700 to schedule a class today.

The post Scary Time! appeared first on Language at Work.

For some people, a communication exchange is always short and snappy: (I need the info; you have it. Done.) They aren’t comfortable with exchanges in which one person’s contribution leads into, invites, and depends on the thoughts of the other person: (Do you think we should do this; maybe this and what if that. Discussion) and they are especially not comfortable if the exchange involves a lack of understanding: (Do you think we should do this; I thought you said; not in this case; why don’t you.  Escalation)

In reality, communication above the ‘gimme that’ level usually requires a few backs and forths before resolution, but many of us have been conditioned to believe that if more than 2 or 3 rounds are required it means that someone is wrong, obstinate, stupid, or hostile and definitely not worth sticking with. In the patience-deprived pandemic, this belief has become toxic.  After a round or two we hear some version of ‘never mind’ – at best.

Good communication requires us to ask for clarification, share our perceptions, identify the words or tone or facial expression that influenced our thinking, reword our offerings, listen to responses, adjust our presentation in light of what we see and hear, and be willing to say some version of ‘let’s think about this’.  And all of that requires patience.

As an experiment, test your communication patience:  how many rounds are you willing to go in the interest of understanding? What strategies do you use to encourage the listener to stick with you?

Want help?  Give us a call.  We’re very patient.

Visit our website to learn more about how our courses and services could improve your operations — www.languageatwork.com. If it’s easier, call me directly at 202-298-7700.

Thanks!
Judy

The post Patience, and Her Role in Communication appeared first on Language at Work.

Talking involves a face-to-face interaction where we have to deal with the other person right then and there.  We have to choose words on the spot; we have to hear their responses; and we have to think of what else to say, and what if they get mad?! No wonder we’d rather just tap out a message and hit ‘send’.

But here’s the advantage of having the difficult conversation in person:  the other person is much less likely to be defensive and annoyed, and even if they are, you have a chance to sooth and smooth.  There’s a chance that a misunderstanding can be understood, that escalation can be avoided, and that a problem can be solved on the spot with some back and forth discussion.

How to do it?  The first rule is that this is a speech that is about you.  It begins with what you observe, how you feel about it, and what you would like to happen not what the other person did, thinks, feels, shows, or intends.

“I can hear the music you’re playing in your office, and I’m distracted by it.  I wonder if the volume could be lowered or the door closed, or something.”  (You can even add something self-deprecating to soften the statement: “I’m sorry, but I’m so easily distracted!”)

Not: “You play your music too loud.  Can you turn it down?”

Even if you’ve created a pretty message, if it’s delivered in any method other than in person it will be received – even slightly- with resentment or annoyance, and maybe even embarrassment or hostility. And these are not the ingredients for successful problem solving.

Afraid to talk?  See us about confident communicating.

Please visit our website to learn more about how our courses and services could improve your operations — www.languageatwork.com.  If it’s easier, free to call me directly at 202-298-7700.

Thanks!
Judy

Judith Pollock, President
Language at Work
4931 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016
Phone 202-298-7700
www.languageatwork.com

The post Afraid To Talk? appeared first on Language at Work.

Email to Dooney from Enware:

Hey, I need to know if you’re running the meeting or if Jengo is doing it.  I want to print the agendas.

Also, can we get more copies of the quarterly report?

Email to Enware from Dooney:

Sure, I’ll get more copies made and send them up.

Dooney again:

Who is running the meeting?

No answer, because Enware is out getting more copies made of the quarterly report.

Modan sent an email to a vendor asking what was needed for a project, and giving instructions for parking.  The vendor thanked Modan for the parking info and asked if she needed to bring more than one form of identification.  No mention of any project needs.

At the time of the project, the vendor expressed displeasure at not having the materials she needed and asked Modan why they weren’t provided.

Are we to conclude that attending to more than one thought is more than one thing too much to ask?   Apparently so.  Many email guides, including our own class on Effective Email, suggests asking only one question in an email, if the question is an important one.

One wonders what reading material folks are choosing…..

The post Answer the Question! appeared first on Language at Work.

Panet, the owner of a bookstore told me of trouble with Yani, one of her employees.  She’d asked him to restock a few shelves but he hadn’t done so.  When she asked me to talk with him about it later he said he thought she just wanted to know if he could do it, not that she wanted him to.

She said, “Do you think you could restock that section?”

He said he told her yes, of course he could but then thought no more about it, since she didn’t ask him to do so.

When I relayed this information to her she said with some frustration, “Well, that’s how I talk!  He knows me!  He should know what I meant.”

Another situation involved two people charged with arranging furniture in the conference room.

“Let’s put the big table against that wall,” said Moyo to Fontan.

“No!  That doesn’t make any sense!  Wasted space. Not happening,” from Fontan to Moyo.

Moyo to me, “He shoots down anything I say.  I can’t work with him”

When I talked with Fontan about this he said, with much frustration, “What?  That’s how I talk!  She knows me- that’s just an invitation to discuss it! She should know that.”

Who is responsible for the success or failure of a communication?

Any one of these four people could improve the above interactions, but it seems to me that using one’s ‘style’ of speaking as a reason for others to intuit meaning or overlook rudeness is asking a lot.

Then again – if you want the communication to succeed, check for clarity whether that’s how you talk or not.

We are offering our Quick Guide to Managing Difficult Communication Situations to our blog subscribers.  If you’d like to receive the Quick Guide, just send us an email at: contactus@languageatwork.com.  Already a subscriber?  Contact us and we’ll send you the eBook.

The post Whose Fault Is It? appeared first on Language at Work.

Spring seems like a good time to get rid of unwanted stuff.  For some of us, the shedding is fairly organic, and a good scratch helps the process along.

For others, shedding requires a little more effort, and there are many areas in which one might want to focus shedding attention.  Speech might be a good place to start

Those of us who don’t say much are generally good listeners, and we hear people say things that would be good candidates for a shedding project.  I’m sure you hear some unwanted verbiage from time to time.  Unnecessary words that make the speaker sound inattentive to language.

Such as:

‘Like” – as in “She did the report, and I’m like what time did you start?”

Or

“I’m like too busy today to like put up with that.”

“I mean” – as in beginning every sentence with it.

“really, sort of” – as in  ‘He wants to really, sort of  encourage their work.”

I’m sure there are more, but these are standouts to me.  How about you? Is there any shedding that would scratch your itch?

 Contact Jane at Language at Work today to schedule a listening course or other communication skills training class at your organization.

The post Shedding appeared first on Language at Work.

Again and again we hear employers say that they can train new employees to do the work of their organizations, but they need people who can communicate and manage themselves.   They want people who can navigate through a discussion and listen to the ideas of others.  And they want people who know how to position themselves in a work group – using their communication and self-management skills to be ready to go.

Alas, not everyone comes to the job with these skills.  But many enthusiastic, bright, eager workers can quickly learn them, and when they do, everyone benefits.

Here are some of the topics that are addressed:

• Recognize your role in the mission of the organization
• Review basic communication and interpersonal skills
• Speak so others will listen and take you seriously
• Understand the levels of initiative and their applications
• Develop the skills to expand your work responsibilities
• Learn strategies for negotiation and persurasion
• Use listening as a key communication strategy
• Develop strategies for managing your time and resources

In addition to these topics, our Essential Professional Skills course allows you to add any topics or tasks that are specific to your needs.  We encourage all participants to bring their ideas and concerns, as well.  We want the course to be essential to everyone!

The post Essential Professional Skills appeared first on Language at Work.