Chris:   C’mon, we’ll play with my new ball.

Pat:  I’m not doing that- it’s dumb.  I’m climbing that slide.

Chris:  It’s not dumb. Climbing is dumb.  I’m playing with the ball.

Pat:  You’re an idiot.  That’s all you want to do is play with that ball.

Chris: I’m playing with the ball.  Climbing is dumb and you’re the idiot for doing it.

Kids, right?  Of course adults don’t speak that way in their workplaces.

Or do they?  Do you hear adults speaking in the grown-up, slightly refined version of this kind of exchange?

Name-calling?  Expressing ideas as statements? Ignoring the ideas of others?  Sticking to one’s position?  Being inflexibile?  Showing no curiosity about the interests of others? Making accusations?  Demeaning the choices that others make?

Hmmmmmm.

Call us at 202-298-7700 if you have adult six year olds in your workplace.

The post How Adults Speak appeared first on Language at Work.

But wait~ even though there are others working in the same organization, we don’t work together.  So we aren’t really a team, right?

Not exactly.  There are many kinds of teams.  Those who work in the same organization share the mission, goals, values, and standards of that organization- whether the organization is a huge corporation, or a corner bistro, or even a department within one of those places.

So what?

So, you get to have the team, and the team gets to have you.  Here’s the good stuff about teams:

• More ideas! Each person’s ideas can be shared discussed, adopted, modified, or discarded.
• Freedom to experiment!  Within a group there is room for trial and error.
• More skills!  Each person brings the possibility of a new skill which others can learn or try.
• New perspectives!  We all see things differently. Looking at something in a new way brings new possibilities.

The power of the team rests with the strength of each member.

At Language at Work, we celebrate our instructors for their creativity, passion, knowledge, commitment and enthusiasm.  Their contributions to our team are what makes our programs great. 

Are you ready to celebrate your teams?

Meet our instructors- members of our terrific team.  Let us send one to you for a Team Building workshop.

The post In Praise of Teams appeared first on Language at Work.

However~ Aurora is a less successful friend. Her pal, Demena, has disappointed her on several occasions by cancelling dates at the last minute, or arriving late, or sometimes forgetting about them entirely. Aurora has been hurt, angry, confused, and finally frustrated.  She knows she wouldn’t allow this behavior from someone at work; why is she putting up with it from a friend?

Another friend is surprised that Aurora hasn’t addressed the situation.  “Just tell her that she can’t treat you like that!”

Aurora agrees, but she doesn’t know what to say or how to say it.

Finally she reviews what she does with her employees, and wonders if she can apply her good management skills to her friendship:

• She says what she wants to happen. ‘I want to feel that you value our time together as much as I do.”
• She says what she has observed. “You cancelled the last 3 dates we had, and today you came a half hour late.”
• She describes the effects of that behavior. ‘I feel that our friendship is unimportant to you, and that you don’t respect my time.”
• She says what she expects. “If we make a date, I want you to take it as seriously as I do, or I’d rather not make plans.”

Aurora realizes that giving her friend this kind of ultimatum may change their relationship but she also realizes that clarity is critical to any good relationship – at the office or not.

______________________________________________

Feeling unclear about managing your work relationships? Check our course:  Counseling the Poor Performer.  As Aurora knows, principles of good management can be applied both in and out of the workplace.

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.

The post Poor Performers Are Not All At The Office 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.

Those who watch training trends have offered predictions about what will be most helpful in the workplace in 2017.

As we move into the uncertainty and adjustment that accompany any administration transition, but particularly this one, as it signals significant changes, we can incorporate the predictions of  the trend watchers as we plan training programs for the new year.

Training that includes guidance for engaging employees in their work will be important, as will be tools to support them in their efforts, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-management.

Team work will deserve new attention, particularly as it focuses on the contributions made by those of different generations and cultures.  Work strategies for inclusion and cooperation will be welcome.

And, of course, communication skills will be critical. Collegial, productive interactions and clear writing are foundations for all successful training.

As you plan your 2017 training program, let us help you select the topics and areas of focus that will best suit your organization.  We can build a program of courses around those topics, and we can tailor course content to exactly fit your needs.

The post Training Trends for 2017 appeared first on Language at Work.

Who are these leaders to whom we’re attracted?  She may be the woman at the next desk who always knows how the day’s little questions fit into the big picture, and what should be done to answer them.  He may be the person who listens to your problems and helps you see that you know how to solve them.  Maybe in your workplace it’s the one who asks good questions, who gathers the energy of the team, who encourages and cheers for others.  It could be your neighbor who is calm and responsive; your friend who will problem-solve with you and check later to monitor progress.

Leaders can be anyone, but they all seem to have an eye for the vacuum, and a willingness to jump into it and fill it with order, whether they are in leadership positions or not. Some organizations seek the hidden leaders, and hope to lure them into action with training.   Some leaders operate on the down low – happily guiding and steering without formal recognition.

Do you know the leaders in your life?  Maybe one of them is you!

The post The Thing about Leaders appeared first on Language at Work.