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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Exclusive Communication Skills at Work™ #1-The Importance of Be Direct with Respect® in the Work Place

 

Hi there and thanks for joining me to read my latest blog post about Communication Skills at Work™!

As a Corporate Communication Strategist & Career Coach, I work with individual business professionals at every level on the corporate ladder, as well as teams to quickly and effectively identify barriers that hinder success for themselves and the company.

I’m excited to share the launch of my new premier program called Communication Skills at Work that brings together 30+ years of my experience to help people “own their career.”

This week I would like to give you a preview of the first chapter of this program: The Importance of Be Direct with Respect® in the Work Place.

In addition to the program manual and self-study guide, I offer full phone executive and career coaching depending on your budget and time frame. Click here for all the details.

Now, let’s dive in and talk about why it’s so important to Be Direct with Respect® in the Work Place and how it can help you move ahead and help your team run like a well-oiled machine.

Learner Objectives for Be Direct with Respect®

  • Clearly, articulate respect and self-respect in your own words and explain what it means to you
  • Learn how to minimize interruptions so you can focus on priority tasks by being direct with respect
  • Respectfully question the goals of a project without sounding combative
  • Gracefully give and receive feedback

Basic Ideas of Be Direct with Respect®

  • By standing up for our rights, we show we respect ourselves and gain respect from other people.communication skills at work
  • By trying to govern our lives to avoid hurting anyone, we end up hurting ourselves and others.
  • Not letting others know how we feel, and what we think, is a form of selfishness.
  • Sacrificing our rights results in allowing others to mistreat us.
  • When we use Be Direct with Respect, everyone involved benefits in the transaction.

Through deep questioning, case scenarios, specific concerns faced at work, and role play I work with my clients to realize breakthrough moments that immediately impact the success of the individual, the team, and the company as a whole.

Participants who take the course use their own case scenarios and we practice together until they feel confident to use the valuable strategies on their own.  I’m here 24/7 via email.  This coach is dedicated to each client’s success! 🙂

Thanks again for taking the time to read my blog. I love receiving questions and comments, so please don’t hesitate to contact me or leave a comment!

Until next time,
Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

And again, if Communication Skills at Work™ sounds like something that could help you or your company, check out this link for more information or contact me here.

Career Advancement is like riding a bike:  Shift gears from coasting to owning the road!

 

 

 

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Why Conflict in the Workplace Research Matters: Part Two

If you are a manager or director, do you compare your conflict in the workplace with other managers or directors?
Would you like to find out what issues other managers experience?
Do you want to learn strategies how you can resolve some of your conflicts?

If so, the next two articles are for you.  They contain information I gathered from recent workshops on Resolving Conflict in the Workplace.  Let me know your specific stress so I can write about topics that fit your needs.

Read the first article in the series “Why Conflict in the Workplace Research Matters: Part One.”

Conflict in the Workplace for Managers and Directorsconflict in the workplace

I asked the following questions to managers and directors:

  • Where do you need support from senior level executives?
  • How would you rate the productivity of your meetings?
  • What do you need from upper management to help you achieve company goals?
  • What conflict in the workplace issues do you experience?

Here are some of their answers:

  • I need more staff because my team and I are all stretched to the max.  They tell us that they can’t afford to hire, but we’re all frustrated and the customers are starting to complain.
  • Star employees are leaving because we are not addressing their training issues.
  • Many of our leaders don’t know how to conduct a meeting; consequently, many meetings are a waste of time.
  • How can we reach company goals if I have to continually put out fires for my team?

Solutions to Resolve Conflict in the Workplace for Managers and Directors

  1. I need more staff because my team and I are all stretched to the max.  They tell us that they can’t afford to hire, but we’re all frustrated and the customers are starting to complain
  • Upper management needs to know about customer complaints.
  • Meet with other managers and directors.
  • Find solid evidence on how much the company is losing by not hiring qualified employees.

      2.  Star employees are leaving because we’re not addressing their training issues.

  • Ask them to find online courses that interest them if training and continuous improvement are on their list.
  • Proact and meet with star employees to discover what the company needs to keep them motivated.

   3.  Many of our leaders don’t know how to conduct a meeting and so many meetings are waste of time.conflict in the workplace

  • Amazon has are numerous books on How to Conduct Productive Meetings.
  • Purchase a few copies and conduct book reviews.
  • Each team leader will share what new strategies they learned and discuss these gems.
  • Ask employees how leaders can improve meetings.  This constructive feedback will be very helpful if it’s done with the right intent-positive feedback and not sarcasm!

4.  How can we reach company goals if I have to continually put out fires for my team?

  • Delegate to your team leaders.
  • Train them to resolve the conflict between employees or with customers.
  • This will allow you to work on company goals and free up your time to do what you need to do.

Let’s Get Real About Conflict in the Workplace

The comments above are typical of many of my clients who are managers and directors.  All levels of an organization share their frustration and they want to resolve this conflict in the workplace.  I suggest that you conduct your own research with your employees.  Take the ideas from the articles in this series as a starting point for your own issues to discuss.

I want to hear from you

Send me an Email with your questions or comments on your frustrations and conflict in the workplace. You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my loyal readers!  🙂

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.

Read the first article in the series “Why Conflict in the Workplace Research Matters: Part One.”

This is Joyce Weiss, Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Learn how I can leverage my 30+ years of communication and leadership consulting and coaching experience to help your organization address career skills here.

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

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Effective Communication and Leadership Strategies

Effective CommunicationDo you know if you use effective communication strategies?
Do you know how your team honestly thinks how you conduct meetings?
What do you think the #1 reason is why teamwork fails?

I ask my leaders and their direct reports to answer this questions during training and executive coaching sessions. The number one reason is poor communication strategies at work. I’m sure that this is no surprise to you.

The following reasons were also mentioned:

  • Disengaged team members
  • Unclear goals/strategies
  • One-upmanship
  • Lack of trust
  • Everyone likes to talk, but few like to listen
  • Negativity

This article will cover three effective communication strategies to discuss with your team especially if you are a leader who wants to improve your team communication.

Effective Communication Strategy #1: Strong Leadership

Ask your team how they would you rate your own communication skills. I’m sure your team is doing well if you receive honest feedback and the score is high.
I find that leaders who don’t know how to deal with disengaged team members miss a huge opportunity because the engaged members start resenting their leader for NOT taking care of disengagement.

Effective Communication Strategy #2: Leaders Taking Control of Meetings

You read this right. Sometimes we think that our meetings are better than they really are and thanks to the feedback we can find out if this is true! The following are questions to discuss with your team:

  • Do you encourage participation from everyone?
  • Do you control side bars when people discuss their own agendas to the person next to them?
  • Are your goals and expectations clear?
  • Do you follow up to make sure tasks are getting completed?Your meetings are probably not the most productive if your team did not answer yes to these questions. Asking for and accepting constructive feedback from direct reports is the sign of a strong leader.

Effective Communication Strategy #3: Knowing How to Stop Negativity

Ask yourself these important questions:

  • Is morale low because your team talks about the same negative topics and nothing gets resolved?
  • Do you notice new direct reports starting to lose their enthusiasm because of a few team complainers?

Leaders need to take negativity seriously because their team expects them to stop the negative people from draining the oxygen in the room. I’ve written numerous articles on how everyone is responsible for team morale even though it starts with leaders.

Let’s Get Real About Effective Communication

You’re fortunate if your team gives you constructive feedback about your communication and leadership skills. In past articles, I’ve discussed the importance of uncovering blind spots that we all possess. Executive coaching is a perfect venue to delve into these issues. Clients learn about themselves and the results speak for themselves especially when team members start noticing the positive change.

You can hire someone to do a 360 interview about yourself by asking your supervisor, direct reports, colleagues, and clients to anonymously discuss your strengths and areas of improvement. Feel free to send me an email if you want to find out about this important exercise.

Check out my article on Strategic Communication Strategies to Help Employees Grow.

Hopefully, you know when your meetings, morale, or team communication are productive. At times, we are so busy doing our important tasks that we are blind to see what’s really going on with our softer skills. That’s why feedback is a 2-way street and not just for direct reports.

I want to hear from you

Send me your questions or comments on how you and your leaders deal with disengaged team members, negativity or making meetings productive.

This is Joyce Weiss, Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach

Learn how I can leverage my 30+ years of communication and leadership consulting and coaching experience to help your organization address executive coaching strategies here.

Until next time,

Remember…“You Get What You Tolerate!”

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More Leadership Secrets From a Life Coach

Life Coach Joyce Weiss shares leadership secrets to help you promote your star employees.  

  • Do you want to coach your star employees so they can move forward to the next level?
  • Do you have employees who need to uncover blind spots yet are resistant to constructive feedback?

If so, this article will be extremely helpful to leaders who want to communicate deeper with their employees.  This article is not for the timid or sensitive team members who are afraid of honest communication.  The ideas are perfect for your employees who want to grow professionally and who want to know what behaviors could be blocking them from advancement.

Life Coach Secret #1:  Create a 360 Interview with Leaders, Colleagues, and Direct Reports

Here are the basics if you want to do this on your own.  Ask the employee if he or she wants to hear feedback from all of these levels.  You will not share the names of what each person answered and will only share patterns.  Make a list of questions that will be helpful to your employee such as: 
1.  What does ____ need to do to make a promotion?
2.  What is something that you would like to say to ____? 
3.  What are ____’s strengths?

Life Coach Secret #2:  Create a Report from all of the Interviews

This Life Coach secret will take some time.  Include the comments that you feel will help your employee grow. Don’t reveal who made the specific comments and include patterns.  It is mandatory to keep this report as generic as possible in order to create trust with everyone involved.

Life Coach Secret #3:  Take Time to Share the Report with your Employee

I need to repeat that this Life Coach process takes time and advanced coaching skills.  Make sure that the person who is communicating the report is a solid coach.  There will be sensitive areas to reveal.  Ask the employee if he or she agrees with each statement.  If they don’t agree, remind them that these areas could be blind spots. The process will be productive when your employee is open to the feedback. You may need to stop the 360 if the employee becomes defensive about the comments.  This could be an indication that the person who is conducting the 360 needs to coach better or the employee is not open to direct feedback and continuous improvement. 

So, Joyce What Are Your Thoughts? 

Many of my clients have successfully conducted the 360 exercise, especially when their leaders are strong coaches. Other clients ask me to create and conduct the exercise since they want a communication strategist and coach who they know will handle sensitive issues carefully and receive outstanding results.  Feel free to call me to discover how your organization can benefit from this powerful exercise at 800.713.1926 or send me an email.  

More Personalized Coaching Opportunities for YOU

Attention Executives, Managers, and Anyone Seeking Advancement- Communicate With Impact™ Now Available

Are you a senior level executive, manager, director or an individual looking to increase outcomes or leadership advancement for you or team members?

Communicate with Impact is a premier program that grows leadership and improves employee participation, workflow, productivity, and outcome in less than 30-days.

Take this short quiz to find out if this course is right for you! http://bit.ly/1UtxsI7

 I, Joyce Weiss, created this powerful step-by-step program specifically to help the hundreds of business people like you, who continually contact me for expert communication advice.

It’s ideal for individuals as well as entire teams.

Take this short quiz to find out if this course is right for you! http://bit.ly/1UtxsI7

CLICK HERE for details how your or your employees can benefit from working with me for 2 months on improving communication and leadership skills.

Ready to sign up? Click here!

I want to hear from you!

CLICK HERE to send me your questions about creating your own 360.  What is your experience with 360s at your workplace?  Please share what worked and what challenges you experienced.

Until next time,

This is Joyce Weiss, Communication Strategist and Coach

You can start tackling tough conversations with employees who need to hear your straight talk.  Believe me, it’s worth every minute of uncomfortable moments…especially when your employees discover blind spots and resolve their communication issues to grow professionally and add value to your organization. I will do whatever it takes to help you improve your culture!

Learn how you can work with Joyce Weiss, your own personal life coach https://www.joyceweiss.com/services/personal-life-coach/

Feel free to call me (800.713.1926) concerning your own team/executive retreats, workshops, and on line professional growth coaching.

Remember…You Get What YOU Tolerate!

See YOU Next Week.

PS Read more articles and listen to podcasts at our Life Coaching Strategies Knowledge Base https://www.joyceweiss.com/resources/knowledge-base/life-coaching-strategies/

 

 

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Strategic Communications: Disarm Tough Conversations

Have you been involved in difficult conversations when you wished you had strategic communications skills in your tool box?

Do you want to stop making others feel defensive while giving them constructive feedback? 

If so, Great!  This article will give you 5 strategies to use the next time you are in these complex situations. We’ve all dealt with people who become defensive.  How you react can influence your future relationship with this person.

Strategic Communications #1- Understand Your Role

  1. When someone responds defensively to you, ask yourself,“What did I just do to cause that defensive reaction?”
  1. Whenever someone says or does something that causes you to become defensive, ask yourself, “What did that person do to cause that reaction from me?”

Strategic Communications #2 – Use Constructive Feedback Wisely

Constructive feedback is a gift that you give to people you truly care about.  This statement is hard for some people to grasp.  Think about a time when someone gave you feedback in a constructive way.  What did you learn from this experience?  Use that knowledge to help your coworkers.  

Strategic Communications # 3 – Disarm Toxic Comments

The next time you’re confronted with a toxic comment, be prepared!  Pretend you’re in their situation. Figure out why they are behaving this way.  This helps us respond, not react.  Ask yourself, “How would I feel if I were in their shoes?”  We can’t put our head on their shoulders.

Strategic Communications #4 – Know How to React

If the toxic comment were delivered as constructive criticism, would there be any truth to it?  If so, how will you react?

  • Don’t explain or defend yourself when something goes wrong.
  • Acknowledge, apologize and act – versus explain.  Explanations come across as excuses. 
  • Agree if what they say is somewhat true. 
  • Don’t blame it on someone else, even when you know who made the mistake.

Strategic Communications # 5 – Know What NOT to Do

When people give feedback, they do it to influence future behavior – not to change the past.  Though it may be difficult to hear, try to listen and:

  1. Don’t defend yourself
  2. Don’t deny responsibility
  3. Don’t counter attack
  4. Don’t withdraw

I want to hear from you!

CLICK HERE to send me your questions about your communication issues at work. How do you react when someone pushes you?  What have your learned about yourself when you have pushed others?  Understanding these reactions will improve your communication skills and take you to the next level in your career development.

CLICK HERE if you want more ideas on how to improve your career and working condition by signing up for Tips2BeHappy.com.  You will receive weekly strategies to put to use immediately.

Until next time,

This is Joyce Weiss, Communication Strategist and Coach

I share powerful techniques on tackling tough conversations to build employee engagement, accountability, and improve my client’s quality of life.

Feel free to call me (800.713.1926) concerning your own team/executive retreats, workshops, and on line professional growth coaching.

Remember…You Get What YOU Tolerate!

See YOU Next Week.

Contact Joyce

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

Sign up for Joyce’s Weekly Blog

Kick Conflict to the Curb: Stomp Out Your Stress

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