Apr 03

Managing Conflict in the Workplace

Communication Skills No Comments »

The first thing to understand is that conflict in the workplace is a reality. We can either live with it, ignore it or deal with it. We are often faced with conflict from early on in our careers but managing conflict is a key skill for effective management and can make the difference between a successful or unsuccessful manager. How a manager chooses to handle conflict defines their capability as a leader. A true leader recognises, understands and manages conflict. Avoiding it is not an option as it will not go away; instead it will only escalate.

Businessmen viewed from top sjlocke i Managing Conflict in the Workplace

© istockphoto.com/Sjlocke

To recognise and manage conflict, we need to understand:

1. Its causes
2. Its dangers
3. How to deal with it
4. Benefits of dealing with it

The causes can be as varied as the types of people working in an organisation. The causes range from competition, manipulative individuals, bruised egos, jealousy, blame games, unfair handling by superiors, to simply miscommunication and misunderstandings.

The dangers are infighting among staff, a loss of morale and loyalty to the employer, a destructive work atmosphere, anger and gossip among staff, barriers between individuals and teams, power struggle, non-co-operation, and worst of all, a high attrition rate, particularly of efficient and effective staff.

Ways of managing conflict can differ according to the nature of the conflict as well as the personality types involved. These are some general tips that can be useful in most cases.

  • First of all, if you are a manager dealing with conflict you should never be seen as subjective or having favourites. You must be seen as fair and consistent.
  • Always have a clearly defined code of conduct with an understanding that breaking this will not be tolerated.
  • Conflict should always be recognised, understood and dealt with at the earliest. It will not resolve by itself.
  • The benefits to each individual of co-operation and a conflict-free workplace with a healthy team spirit must be made absolutely clear. Effective communication and rapport building is the key.
  • As a manager you should know how to separate the person from the problem. In other words, deal with the behaviour and the situation without attacking the identity of the individual. This way it doesn’t become personal and there is a better chance of the employee listening with an open mind.
  • Invest in staff-development training in team management, emotional intelligence, communication skills including non-verbal, mediation and counselling skills, cultural awareness in global organisations, and leadership skills
  • Finally, anyone facing conflict should choose their battles. Know when to come down firmly and when to hold back so that you are not perceived as unfair and dictatorial.

The benefits of managing conflict effectively are just as numerous: high staff morale, high productivity resulting in financial gain, healthy work environment, effective team work saving time and stress, and loyalty to the employer resulting in staff retention to mention just a few. Effective and transformational leaders can even cherish the challenge of resolving conflict and take credit for a creative, productive workplace.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2013

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Dec 04

Top Tips for Effective Business Writing

Business Writing Skills, Email Writing Skills, Report Writing Skills No Comments »

Organisations are producing an ever increasing volume of written communication in the form of emails, social media posts, guides and manuals, reports, proposals and so on and as a result individuals are now expected to digest huge amounts of written information.  As writers we need to support our readers and produce documents and correspondence that are attractive and easily digestible.  Following the tips below should help you on the right track to more effective business writing.

Business Writing Viorika Prikhodko i 300x200 Top Tips for Effective Business Writing

© istockphoto.com/Viorika Prikhodko

1. Be concise – only say what you need to say and no more. Cut out any repetition or redundant text and replace long complex words with shorter equivalents.

2. Write clearly – there is nothing worse than reaching the end of a sentence, paragraph or an entire document and having to go back to the beginning to try and make sense of it.

3. Ensure your writing is complete and your reader has all the information they require.

4. Correct writing is essential – it goes without saying that your writing will not be effective if it is peppered with grammatical or factual errors.

5. Make sure your writing is coherent. Ensure that there is a logical flow from each sentence and paragraph to the next. This will guide your reader and help them understand your thought processes.

6. Be consistent – make sure your use of spelling, language and punctuation are all consistent but also consider formatting and layout. Check that your headings, bullet points and fonts are all in line as not doing so risks presenting a messy-looking and unprofessional document.

7. Checking and double checking your writing is crucial – a quick glance is not usually enough and good writers spend time not only checking for inaccuracies but also for readability.

8. Finally don’t forget to be courteous to your reader. Respect their time by keeping your writing brief and gauge their level of understanding of the subject matter. Try to translate complex concepts into simple language for non-expert readers but avoid patronising more expert-audiences through spelling out unnecessary detail.

Effective Business Writing courses can help you to reinforce the 8 Cs of effective business writing throughout your writing process and enable you to ensure a better response from your readers.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2012

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Dec 03

The Seven Deadly Sins of Email Writing

Business Writing Skills, Email Writing Skills, Writing Skills No Comments »

If you asked a sample of employees in any office in any major city worldwide what infuriates them about modern email usage you would probably end up with a list at least several pages long. However, here are seven of the most common cardinal sins of email writing

Typing Dmitriy Shironosov i1 300x200 The Seven Deadly Sins of Email Writing

© istockphoto.com/ Dmitriy Shironosov
  1. Use the reply to all function at your peril – use this very sparingly if at all; think carefully whether all the original recipients need to receive your reply and if they don’t then remove them
  2. Never send non-business related updates or requests to company-wide distribution groups – think about the impression it gives to colleagues who don’t know  you very well or to senior managers each time you send an email about your lost glasses, biscuits you’d like to share or  your latest charity endeavour
  3. Never put someone in copy if you expect them to action your email – if you want someone to do something it is only courteous that you ask them directly and that you indicate that the email is for them by putting their name in the ‘To’ field
  4. Don’t send very large attachments, particularly to multiple participants.  You risk not only clogging up their inbox but also slowing down their system as the message downloads
  5. Don’t use an old thread to start a new topic of conversation – this is lazy and many people use the subject line to search for an email they need to reference and so having information about one client stored in an email thread about a completely different project will confuse and frustrate your reader
  6. Don’t add new recipients part way through a conversation.  If they need to be involved they should have been included from the beginning or otherwise have a separate conversation with this person
  7. Never forget to give your email a read through before you send it – spelling someone’s name incorrectly, getting a date wrong or not answering all the questions you have been asked will cause great frustration to your reader

So if you want to avoid being seen as an email sinner do your best to avoid committing these email crimes.  Following an email writing course can help enormously but even taking a few extra minutes to think about the impact of your email and then making the necessary changes will save you time in the long run and no doubt improve your business relationships.

 

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2012

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Nov 02

Smartphones Prolong the Working Day

Communication Skills No Comments »

The Telegraph has highlighted recent research suggesting that smartphone and tablet users add two hours to their working day. Apparently as many as nine out of ten office workers are now able to access their emails on their phones and two-thirds of us check our emails before we go to bed and again when we wake up in the morning. Weekends and holidays are also increasingly interrupted by work related phone calls and emails. In addition to the use of smart phones and tablets, most organisations now also have virtual desktops set up enabling employees to log in, access files and systems and work from any location at any time.

Chinese businessman with cellphone Hfng i Smartphones Prolong the Working Day

© istockphoto.com/Hfng

Clearly this ability to work on the go offers great advantages to organisations. If employees have already cleared their inboxes and responded to straightforward emails in their own time, they will reach their desks ready to get down to more productive or complex tasks. It also offers greater flexibility to us as employees to know that we have the ability to communicate outside of the office if, for example, we are running late, delayed at meetings or need to attend to personal matters during the working day. It can also be less stressful to know in advance what is coming our way at the start of day rather than walking in to a crisis at 9 o’clock.

However, there are also downsides to this method of virtual working. How much do we actually absorb and digest when we are reading emails on the run and furthermore, is the quality of our outgoing communication always as professional as it should be when sent from a handheld device?

There seems to be a growing culture of constant availability in many organisations. It is no longer a question of who stays latest in the office but who responds to emails quickest and latest and who is seen to be on line during evenings and weekends. And this constant availability increases expectations; as soon as we receive a request or question by email we feel the need to respond immediately often without giving it the time and focus to construct a thoughtful and appropriate response. It has been suggested in other studies that this constant checking and fiddling with gadgets is actually affecting users’ ability to concentrate and focus and this could cause a much greater and more long term impact on productivity than gaining an extra hour or two every day for reading and replying to emails.

Smart phones can be a great asset and few of us would want to return to the days without them but we need to be careful that they don’t take over our lives and remove our ability to focus on other, often more important, things.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2012

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Feb 02

What’s in an Acronym?

Business Writing Skills, Communication Skills, Email Writing Skills No Comments »

If someone asked you for a document ASAP, sent you one FYI or offered you some TLC you would most probably understand them. If they asked for the document by COB (close of business) or EOD (end of day) you might be less sure. Asked for the MO (Modus Operandi), would you know how to respond?

woman typing Dmitriy Shironosov i What’s in an Acronym?

© istockphoto.com/Dmitriy Shironosov

The Evening Standard has recently commented on the ubiquitous use of acronyms and the way in which they can confuse and exclude those who aren’t ‘in the know’. The writer was particularly aggravated by the use of acronyms in popular culture, citing her confusion at popular reality TV programmes, TOWIE, DOI and IACGMOOH. Look them up if you’re not sure!

For acronyms to be effective they should act as shorthand and speed up the exchange of information. With our ever faster pace of life together with the increased use of social media, particularly Twitter where the number of characters per message is limited to 140, it is not surprising that we have seen a multiplication of the number of acronyms used in every day language.

However, if we move to a professional setting, this increased use of acronyms can pose a number of problems. Firstly, what might seem a fun and friendly way of communicating between friends and personal contacts does not always convey a professional image in the workplace. Professional emails should be friendly but not overly informal. You might think that using acronyms such as LOL, TGIF or BFN help to build relationships but be aware that they might not create the right impression, particularly if your contact doesn’t know what they actually stand for.

Secondly, many professions or organisations create their own set of acronyms, all very useful for regular users but liable to baffle or perplex anyone from outside. Confusion grows even more when one acronym represents different expressions in different professions. CAT for example can signify Civil Air Transport, Cultural Awareness Training or Computer Assisted Training to name but a few. This can leave the bewildered newcomer or outsider confused and unsure whether to risk looking foolish and ask for an explanation or to remain in the dark.

Many organisations have now created their own in-house style guide to provide consistent guidelines to employees producing written communication. These style guides often include advice on when and how to use acronyms appropriately. However, the best advice is to use your common sense and if in any doubt spell it out in full. Why risk appearing smug and alienating your reader when a few more characters will make your message clear.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2012

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Jan 26

How do I Sound?

Communication Skills No Comments »

The British press including The Independent has recently been reporting on the current increase in demand for speech training and elocution lessons here in the UK. Over recent decades we have seen regional accents become less of a hindrance and sometimes even a plus point in sectors such as the media or in contact centres. However, the current economic climate, with jobs increasingly hard to find, is causing new job seekers and experienced professionals alike to re-examine their skills to ensure they can present themselves to the best of their abilities. And this skill set extends as far as how they speak with more and more people resorting to elocution lessons or speech training as a way of improving the way they come across.

Scripts catscandotcom i How do I Sound?

© istockphoto.com/Catscandotcom

It is one thing to turn to elocution lessons or voice coaching to improve the clarity, accuracy and pace of the way we speak and it is a positive sign that young school leavers and university graduates are keen to invest in their speaking skills in order to improve their success at job interviews. Experienced managers and professionals are also seeing the value of improving the way they speak in order to further their career development. An ability to speak clearly during meetings and formal presentations – particularly now that so much business communication takes place through virtual methods – is integral to business success and can often make one candidate for promotion stand out from another.

However, it is slightly more surprising that a key reason cited for approaching a voice coach or speech trainer is to soften a strong regional accent or even lose it altogether. People from the West Midlands, West Country and Essex are particularly keen to neutralise the way they sound as they fear that their strong local accent might be holding them back in their careers. It is understandable that people want to present themselves as clearly and professionally as possible in order to do well in a shrinking jobs market and this might mean softening sounds that make their speech less intelligible. And a less pronounced local accent may give people more credibility. But it seems strange in this day and age that someone would want to eliminate completely an important element of their identity such as their accent.

Good elocution lessons or speech training should enable individuals to identify and improve the elements of their speech that make them harder to understand without trying to change them into someone they’re not. Gone are the days, after all, when we should be striving to sound like the Queen in order to get on in life!

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2012

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Jun 24

Meetings, Meetings, Meetings…

Communication Skills No Comments »

The Guardian has recently highlighted our love-hate relationship with workplace meetings and offered some useful advice for making them work. Why do we so often walk away from meetings feeling that they have been a complete waste of time and effort? Why is it that so many of us dread the regular and seemingly interminable internal meetings that seem to be scheduled with alarming frequency? Meetings can be an important forum for sharing ideas and information, making decisions and building team relationships but they need careful consideration and planning in order to make them effective and efficient. If you are leading or even attending a meeting in the coming days or weeks, consider the following strategies and tips:

Meeting Neustockimages i Meetings, Meetings, Meetings…

© istockphoto.com/Neuxtockimages

Plan your meeting carefully – prepare and circulate an agenda a couple of days before hand if possible. The agenda should include not only your list of discussion points but also clear objectives for why the meeting is taking place

Stick to time – before or at the beginning of the meeting agree how long is needed for the meeting to meet its objectives. If you don’t need an hour don’t take an hour.

Leave smart phones outside – it might sound controversial but the meeting will be shorter and more effective if attendees are fully focused and don’t have half an eye on their emails.

Minimise visuals – if you do need to use a PowerPoint presentation or other visual aid, keep it short and sweet – and make sure it really is visual.

Lead from the front – if you are chairing or facilitating the meeting then make sure you do. It is important to allow everyone the opportunity to air their ideas and ask questions, but if you are chairing the meeting it is your job to manage the interruptions, digressions and ramblings to ensure the meeting finishes on time and achieves its objectives.

Take notes and summarise action points – you don’t have to do this yourself but make sure someone is responsible for the minutes which are summarised at the end and then circulated after the meeting. There is nothing worse than coming away from a meeting with no clear idea of what has been agreed or what you need to do.

With resources increasingly strained in many organisations, we need to make sure that meetings really make a difference. Training in Facilitating Meetings can provide frameworks and techniques for ensuring that meetings run smoothly and effectively.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2011

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