Joyce Weiss

I work with organizations and individuals who want to kick conflict and chaos to the curb - Communication Strategist and Master Coach

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What is your Favorite Quote That Gets You Through the Day?

Do you have a favorite quote that represents how you think about life?
Would you like to put the words on a tee-shirt?  Don’t worry, I’m not selling clothes! 😉

This blog post consists of a video that describes my favorite quote by Martin Luther King Jr.  After you watch the video, please share your favorite quote that gets you through the day.

Joyce’s Favorite Quote by Martin Luther King Jr. favorite quote | Martin Luther King Jr.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Anyone who knows me realizes why I use this quote in my online communication course:  Kick Conflict to the Curb:  Get the Respect YOU Deserve!

I support clients who don’t know how to use their voices as much as they need to in order to get taken seriously or even heard.
Clients relate the moment I share Martin Luther King Jr’s words of wisdom.  We practice strategies to make them feel more confident.
I love this part of my job when people see the light after only a few sessions.

What’s Your Favorite Quote?

You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my readers! 🙂  You are always welcome to send me a private email
with concerns that you are experiencing at work.

Please contact me on my cell: 248.310.6998 or office: 800.713.1926 to explore how career coaching could be a great action step for your career development. There are many options to fit your budget and time schedule!   My last 4 clients have asked me to help them feel more comfortable giving tough conversations to employees who will not be returning to work after the pandemic.  It only takes a few sessions to make this happen.  Hey, what can I say?  I’m quick and clients use their new communication skills immediately to reduce their tension.  A win/win for all.  🙂

Until Next Week,

Joyce Weiss, M.A., CSP
Career Coach and Communication Strategist

Remember, You Get What You Tolerate!

 

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One of my Favorite Communication Strategies to Help You Keep Your Cool

One of my favorite communication strategies is one that I use when others try to make me defensive.  I’m paraphrasing Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”  Those of you who have read my blogs know that no one can make you feel defensive without your consent.  We are in control of how we react.  No one is in control of that.

You may be thinking, “Joyce, how can I be in control when others push me?”  It isn’t easy.  Most of us push back when someone judges us.  We are all guilty of losing our cool at times.  My secret sauce is verbal aikido.

Communication Strategies #1:  The definition of verbal aikido

communication strategies

In aikido, the person who pulls back from an attack is the stronger one.  Stop defending yourself when someone yells at you that you are late. Instead of defending yourself by saying, “The traffic was bad,” start using verbal aikido.  Say, “You are right, I’m late.  I know how punctual you are and I will leave 15 minutes earlier the next time we meet.”

Communication Strategies #2: Focus on what can be done

It’s more important to concentrate on solutions rather than blaming what went wrong.  The next time a meeting communication strategiesbecomes a screaming match with a lot of blaming and accusations, use verbal aikido.  Pull back by saying, “Instead of the blame game, let’s figure out how we dropped the ball and resolve this issue with our client.”  Fixing what went wrong needs to be discussed at another time. We all want our issues to be resolved and we don’t care about excuses or blaming others.  Verbal aikido is a tool that cuts through the noise and focuses on the present.

Communication Strategies #3:
How Robert Kennedy used verbal aikido

Robert Kennedy knew that he was going to be pushed by the press after President Kennedy appointed him as his attorney general of the United States.  Senator Kennedy was prepared when he met the press the day after the appointment was made.  A journalist said, “Senator Kennedy, what gives you the right to become attorney general of the United States?”  Senator Kennedy took a breath and said, “That’s a great question.  You have to attend a good school, know a lot of people, and have a brother who is the president of the United States.”  The press melted and started to laugh at this brilliant statement.

Verbal aikido allowed Senator Kennedy to pull back and he caught the press off guard.

Let’s Get Real

There are times when I forget all of the skills that I write about.  Let’s face it, we are all human!  The important thing about forgetting to use these skills is that you are reminded of them immediately after a communication doesn’t go as well as you wanted it to!

I want to hear from you

Add a comment to my blog on how you think verbal aikido will help you keep your cool.  You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my readers! 🙂  You are always welcome to send me a private email with concerns that you are experiencing at work.

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company.

Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts. Help us help them reduce conflict and improve leadership skills and quality of life.

 

This is Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Have a great week.

Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

PS  My passion and talents are to help individuals and small groups reduce stress, advance their career,  and improve their quality of life and work. Learn how I can leverage my 30+ years of leadership consulting and coaching experience to help your organization address executive coaching strategies here.

 

 

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Joyce Recommends a Best-Selling Book about Amazon’s Communication Strategies

Do you use Amazon to purchase items, listen to music or watch a video?
Do you wonder how Jeff Bezos started Amazon.com?
Are you curious why some people stay, and others leave Amazon’s antagonistic company?

If you want answers to these questions, I recommend reading The Everything Store:  Jeff Bezos and The Age of Amazon by Brad Stone.

Bezos named his company Amazon.com in 1994.  The Amazon is not only the largest river in the world, it’s many times larger than the next biggest river.  Bezos said, “It blows all other rivers away.”  This gives you an idea of how the company was destined to be bigger than life.

You will get an inside look at Amazon in my future articles.  I find the story of Jeff Bezos fascinating and could not put the book down.  Some of his ideas are contrarian on how I feel about teams and communication strategies; while I applaud his tenacity.  I am interested in how you react to Amazon’s communication strategies.  Please send me your opinions after you read his book or my articles.

The communication strategies below will get you started.  Strap your seat belts on and decide if you could work in the unique environment.

Communication Strategies:  4 Principles at Amazon

  • Step by step ferociously
  • Impossible goals will win the day
  • Setbacks are temporary
  • Naysayers are best ignored

I agree with these principles.  Decide if you or your company can add any of these ideas to the success of the company.

Communication Strategies:  Communication is a Sign of Dysfunction

Communication StrategiesOuch.  Bezos believes that his employees should try to figure out a way for teams to communicate less with each other, not more.  Coordination among employees wastes time and the people closest to problems are usually in the best position to solve them.

I don’t agree that teams need to communicate less – yet meetings need to be more productive.  Include the right people at your meetings.  I know that employees who work directly with customers need to be part of the decision-making process.  They hear both complaints and positive feedback daily.  The answer to resolving conflict is about productive communication strategies that dig deep and solve problems in a direct and respectful way.

Communication Strategies:  Ideas from Jeff Bezos

  • Risk taking is cool
  • Defeating bigger, unsympathetic guys is cool
  • Inventing is cool
  • Explorers are cool
  • Conquerors are not cool
  • Obsessing over competitors is not cool
  • Empowering others is cool
  • Conviction is cool
  • Straightforwardness is cool
  • Thinking big is cool
  • The unexpected is cool

Which ideas from Amazon’s list do you need to discuss at your next brainstorming session?
My favorite one is straightforwardness.  No surprises for those of you who know of my work. 😊

Communication Strategies:  Amazon’s Culture is Confrontational

Communication StrategiesThis begins with Bezos, who believes that truth appears when ideas are banged against each other.  Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable.

The people who do well at Amazon are often those who thrive in an adversarial atmosphere.  Managers are required to grade their employees and must dismiss the least effective performers.  Many Amazon employees live in perpetual fear.

Despite the stress, former Amazon employees often consider their time at the company the most productive of their careers.  Their colleagues were smart, the work was challenging, and Amazon offered constant opportunities for learning – while others expressed anguish about their experience.  Bezos says, “the company attracts a certain kind of person who likes to pioneer and invent.”

Joyce’s Thoughts About Amazon

I am an avid fan and purchase most of my business and professional items because the price is right, returning items is a breeze, and 2-day delivery can’t be beaten – did I mention that it saves time by not going to stores?

I’m drawn to stories about brilliant people like Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos.  Their communication skills may not be the best but their dreams and tenacity to move forward no matter what, speak to me.

Bezos told his parents that there was a 70% chance they could lose all their initial investment in their son’s company.  “I want you to know what the risks are because I still want to come home for Thanksgiving if this doesn’t work.”

Readers, is this straightforward enough for you?  It is for me!

I want to Hear From You

Add a comment to my blog on Amazon’s philosophy.  Have you ever worked in a contrarian work environment?  If so, please tell us how it worked for you and others.  You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my readers! 🙂  You are always welcome to send me a private email with concerns that you are experiencing at work.

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company.
Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts.  Help us help them reduce conflict and improve leadership skills and quality of life.

Check out another of my book recommendations:  The Power of Why

This is Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Have a great week.
Until next time, remember…“You Get What You Tolerate!”

 

 

 

 

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Powerful Quote on Confronting Problems

Joyce Weiss | Communication Strategist | Career Coach | Favorite Quote

#favoritequote
#WilliamHalsey’sQuote

I live by the sentiments of this quote.  Life is actually easier when we get things off our chest.  I also know that many people find it hard to have those tough conversations at home or work.  Share if you agree.

Joyce Weiss | Communication Strategist | Career Coach | assessment

I’m here for my loyal readers to share easy strategies for resolving conflicts in their life.  Find out how your communication skills impact your work by taking the FREE Communication Skills Assessment.

You will receive immediate feedback from me.  You can send the link to as many people as you want.

Until next time,
Joyce Weiss

 

 

 

 

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Hiring Strategies to Improve Communication in the Workplace

How to improve communication is always a topic that my clients want me to cover in training or coaching projects.
Here are 3 questions to get us started:

  1.  Have you ever hired a loser?
  2. What did you learn from this experience?
  3. What are your favorite interview questions?

The answers to the questions above were discussed in my last group coaching training with HR Professionals.  This article will cover all 3 questions.  I look forward to hearing about your own best practices that work for your company.

Hiring Strategies to Improve Communication #1:  Know the Cost of a Bad Hire improve communication

  • Interview time
  • Reference checking time
  • Manager training time
  • Potential customer problems

The important thing is to realize the cost of a bad hire.  This happens to all of us at times.  We were caught off guard because the person came so highly recommended or you may have needed a body immediately because of a timely project and the person in charge just quit.

Hiring Strategies to Improve Communication #2:  Learn From the Experience improve communication

Participants in the training shared the following mistakes and what they learned:

  • To evaluate the candidate even if he or she is a close friend
  • To put your ego aside and don’t hire a candidate just because he or she is like you
  • To look at both the personality and skill set of the candidate
  • To make sure that the hiring manager has enough information about the job

I can see many of you shake your heads right now, because you may have made the same mistakes.

An Hr Professional told us that he hired someone because he was so impressed with the resume and missed obvious flaws in the candidate’s personality.  We can teach skills, it’s a challenge to show someone how to be a good team player.

Hiring Strategies to Improve Communication #3:  Use Creative Interview Questions

  • Describe a typical workday at your previous/current job.
    This is the time when you can hear if there’s a lot of blame or negativity.
  • Tell me about the best boss that you ever had.
    You can see if there’s leadership potential.
  • How would your coworkers describe you?
    Go deep here.  Ask the candidate for specific examples when he or she tells you about the positive qualities.
  • Did you ever have to deal with a coworker who didn’t pull his or her weight?
    This question may uncover how the candidate handles conflict.

Share these 3 hiring strategies to improve communication with your team to discuss new ways to make the hiring process as productive as possible.  Stay tuned for future articles that contain information about interviewing strategies, orientation options, and performance appraisals.

I want to hear from you!
Send me your biggest mistake in hiring or interviewing candidates.  Let us know your best hiring practices. You can respond directly to the blog or send me an email HERE.  

 

This is Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

 

Remember…You Get What You Tolerate!

P.S.  Read more articles and listen to podcasts at our Team Building Strategies Knowledge Base

 

Contact Joyce

Joyce Weiss
6737 Oyster Cove
West Bloomfield, MI 48323

Email: joyce@joyceweiss.com
Phone: 1-248-681-5831

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