Joyce Weiss

I work with organizations and individuals who want to kick conflict and chaos to the curb - Queen of Conflict Resolution and Communication Coach

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Do You Remember Your First Bike Ride?

ride cartoon boy sucking thumb

I hope you enjoy another story taken from my book, Take the Ride of Your Life!

Monica’s Story

Monica, a freelance web designer, has an incredibly positive outlook
today, especially as a woman who overcame depression.
She tells of her first bike, a blue one. Her dad taught her how to
ride and she learned very fast. “Dad was always very cautious, whether
it was when I learned to ride a bike or when I started to date.”
When she learned how to ride a bike it helped her gain more independence.
“I remember riding farther and farther away, toward more forbidden places.”

Monica’s Bike Lessons

As a parent, she enjoyed teaching her sons to ride their bikes.
“My older boy learned to balance on his bike when we removed the pedals.
He would get up really early and practice before school.
Once he found his balance, we reattached the pedals.
Now he’s off exploring with his friends and even going off-road.

What to do When You Fall Off your “Bike“

“Sure, he’s had some bad falls.
But what is so fascinating is that before he learned to ride, he was very cautious.
The occasional scrape would reduce him to tears.
Now, he races up to the house, hops off the bike, puts on a Band-Aid, and he’s gone again.
He’s become so much braver — and tougher —since he got his ‘wheels.’

Joyce’s Bike Lesson Tip of the Day

I challenge you to ask yourself if you are a coach helping others grow
or a negative roadblock stopping any progress.
The choice is always there how we move forward.
So, get on your bike, enjoy the ride and slap on that Band-Aid to keep moving!

Was This Helpful?
Please send me your bike story.  Place your comments in the comment box at the end of this post.
Who taught you how to ride?
What memories do you have about that important time in your life?
What lessons did you learn from your parents or other adults when you were a child?

Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts.
Feel free to share this post.  Just make sure and give credit to:
Joyce Weiss Training & Development LLC > www.JoyceWeiss.com
Please let others know about these blog posts on reducing conflict at the workplace and home.
There may be someone in your life who is experiencing some stress…who could benefit from
the inspiration and knowledge on improving their working condition or home life.

Until next time,
This is Joyce Weiss, Conflict Resolution Consultant

I help others have tough conversations so they get a better night’s sleep.

Remember…You Get What YOU Tolerate!

PS Click here to order your own copy of Take the  Ride of Your Life!
It is an easy summer read.

3d_taketheride_cover_med

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Is Stress in the Workplace Killing YOU?

I recently received this interesting message from MastersDegreeOnLine.Org who gave me permission to use their image in my blog.

My clients ask me how they can reduce stress at work and gain more control in their life.
This blog post will give you some new facts about stress that may encourage you to see how important it is to take care of YOU!!

YES…even at work.  Hey, if you don’t take care of yourself…who will?  Got you there, didn’t I? 🙂

Let me know what kind of stress you experience at work. 
I will create a new article from your comments.

Master Your Stress
Created by: www.MastersDegreeOnline.org

If you found this post interesting, click here for a blog post on New Facts About Stress

Was this helpful?
Please feel free to share this post with anyone who you think could benefit from the information.
Just be sure and give Joyce Weiss credit when you share or publish.

Sign up at the  RSS Feed on this blog site to be included in future posts from Joyce on this subject.

For more information on how to get your FREE Video Series –
20 Tips to Reduce Conflict in the Workplace sent to you and
the newly launched Communicate with Impact On Demand Course
 hit this link to Joyce’s Conflict in the Workplace Website.

Until next time,
This is Joyce Weiss…and Remember

YOU GET WHAT YOU TOLERATE! 🙂

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Add 26 Days to Your Year: Reduce Conflict in the Workplace

“If only I had more hours in the day.” How many times have you uttered those words?
If you’re like most people, you either think it or say it daily.
The good news is that we all have more time accessible to us.
The bad news is that we often let others steal it from us.

Consider this: International Communications Research in New York surveyed over 1,000 people on how many minutes per day
they are interrupted with things that they don’t want to do.
Over 42 percent of those surveyed admit that they spend 100 minutes or more every day on interruptions.

This breaks down to the following:

100 minutes (1-2/3 hours) per day
11-2/3 hours per week
26 days per year
5 weeks of vacation

While you can’t make up for lost time, you can have more time to do what you want to do – starting today!
The secret is to use Be Direct with Respect® principles.

Here’s how.

  •  When someone asks, “Can I have five minutes of your time?” the natural response is to say,
    “Sure,” even though you really don’t have  five minutes…and you know those five minutes will grow into 15, 20, or even 30 minutes. A better response is, “Sure, I’d love to help you.   Let me call you when I’m done with this project and we can talk then.”
    Now you’re still engaging the person, but you’re doing it on your terms and your timeline, not theirs.
  •  When someone tries to start a friendly conversation with you or engage in small talk and you don’t have the time,
    the usual response is to stop what you’re doing and talk to the person. After all, you don’t want to be rude.
    A better response is, “I’d love to hear more about your grand kids (or your new project, the new clients, etc.),
    Right now I have a meeting (or a deadline to meet, a report to finish, a doctor’s appointment, etc.).
    So let’s talk about this later today when I’m available.”
    Again, it’s just a matter of redirecting the person to your timeline.
  •   When you have a planned one hour meeting with someone and the hour is almost up but the other person shows no intention of leaving or ending the conversation, most people would let the meeting run over, which then disrupts their entire day’s schedule.
    A better approach is, “Our time is just about up. Why don’t we use the remaining few minutes to decide when we’ll meet again to complete this discussion.”
    At that point the person may suddenly be able to sum up all the key points. And if additional time is needed, now you’re doing it according to your schedule.

Take Back Your Time

Being Direct with Respect® is a skill that enables you to stop interruptions at work and home in order to do the necessary tasks.
It is an art to tell others that you can’t take care of their needs without sounding like a selfish person.
When you’re direct with respect, you can do what you need and want to do and get the respect from others at the same time.

Check out our new Communicate with Impact: Be Direct with Respect ON DEMAND Course.

Click here to Discover how WE can work together to help YOU become a master communicator so that you can add 26 days to your year!

Was this helpful?
We want to hear from you!
Please send me your questions or comments in the comment box below… it’s all about connecting with my clients and loyal readers. 🙂
Feel free to share this article with others…just be sure to give credit to Joyce Weiss, Conflict Resolution Consultant (www.JoyceWeiss.com).

Until next time,
This is Joyce Weiss
and remember…YOU GET WHAT YOU TOLERATE!

 

 

 

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Use Be Direct with Respect® to Reduce Conflict in the Workplace

Be Direct with Respect® Strategies

You can now go to the next level in your career development after reading this article by taking Joyce’s newest on line course which includes a coaching session on the phone.  You have the opportunity to work with Joyce on an issue that you learned about yourself during the course. Look for details about this exciting offer below the article.

Strategy 1: Eliminate Ambiguity

By being Direct With Respect®, you’ll always begin with positive statements and get right to the point. If your conversation is to point out and correct negative behaviors, describe the person’s actions, not their personality. Use language that makes an impact, yet decreases defensiveness. One good way to do this is by using “I” statements rather than “you” statements. Also, use factual descriptions instead of judgments or exaggerations.

Strategy 2: Gain the ability to be direct and truthful

When should you be direct and speak up? As soon as you reasonably can. If you wait too long, you may forget what you needed to say, which can leave a nasty residue of resentment that can explode at the wrong time ­ or at the wrong person. While it’s difficult to know precisely when to speak up, it’s equally challenging to know when to let something drop. To gain perspective, imagine how important the incident will be in six months. If you think it will still be important, then say something immediately. If it would sound a little silly in six months, then let it drop.

Remember, though, telling the truth isn’t a license to dump your negative feelings on others.

Strategy 3: Develop positive self-talk strategies that propel your career

Once you realize you’re giving negative messages, make a conscious effort to stop and say something positive instead. Stop focusing on what you feel you don’t do well and congratulate yourself for all your strong points. Also, strive to seek out other positive people so you can support each other. Challenge yourself to break away from negative people who are only holding you down. The more positive you are, the more confident you’ll be at being Direct with Respect®. In return, others will feel more confident about your abilities, thus leading to more future success.

Be Direct with Respect® is a new way of thinking and communicating for those who are used to holding things inside. Once you implement Be Direct with Respect®, you’ll find that being direct and truthful will make you self-confident and earn you the respect you deserve. Even more important, as the concept of Be Direct with Respect® takes hold in your company, your employees will communicate better and build stronger relationships with co-workers and customers alike. Before you know it, morale will be up, profits will soar, and your company will be ready to make its mark on the business world.

Check out how you can go deeper and learn more ideas on how you can communicate with impact with
Joyce’s On Demand Course.
Like my client  Lori did after she took the course.

“Things are really going well here since people started taking the Be Direct with Respect®:  Communicate with Impact Course.
We continue to see great progress within our management team which is beginning to flow down to the staff.  I had a meeting with one of my managers this moring and she commented again on your program and how well it impacted her.”
Lori Verbrugge, Human Resource Director, Midwest Financial Credit Union

Click the link below so can get ready for radical communication improvement!
Be Direct with Respect®:  Communicate with Impact On Demand Course

Was this helpful?
Let us hear your thoughts in the comment section below.
Feel free to share these tips with your team-just be sure to give Joyce credit when you share or publish.
Sign up at the RSS feed on the blog site to be included in future blog posts from Joyce on this subject.

Until our next visit, Remember…
You Get What You Tolerate!

Joyce Weiss, M.A., CSP
Conflict Resolution Consultant & Accountability Coach

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New Facts About Stress: Make the Most From a Job That You May Not Like

Admit it… you may not like your job. You might come home every evening after a long day and spend the next few hours complaining to anyone who’ll listen about how miserable your workplace is and how you’d love to quit – if only you had enough money set aside to do so.

But let’s also face today’s economic reality. Jobs are hard to find, and any job that pays is one you have to keep. So if your work situation is less than ideal and you want a way to love what you do without changing your job, here are some suggestions to help.

1. Show optimism and a positive outlook at all times.

How can you be optimistic when you dislike your job? Remember that at least you have a job. You’re paying your bills and providing for your family. You’re not part of the newest unemployment statistic. Find something positive to focus on to remind yourself of how life would be if you didn’t have any job at all. In order to stay positive, strive for excellence, not because you have to, but because you want to.

2. Learn from setbacks and convert challenges into success.

Many people feel that they have “bad luck” at work. Everything that can go wrong seems to happen to them, and they then like to talk about these negative experiences, which only makes them even more depressed. But when something goes wrong, rather than dwell on the setback, find out what you can learn from the experience so you can be successful next time.

3. Do whatever it takes to get the job done.

If you don’t like the job and don’t want to do it, then the job won’t get done at all. It’ll be hanging over your head like a dark rain cloud, so you might as well do it anyway. Also, if you don’t get the job done, someone else will, and then you’ll get the pink slip. If you feel that you can’t do whatever it takes to get the job done because of a lack of resources and your hands are tied, then untie your own hands. What could you do differently given your existing resources? There’s always a second right answer.

4. Be eager to share ideas with leaders and colleagues.

You can’t work in a vacuum. You need to talk with others and collaborate in order to expand your thinking and gain new perspective. And you never know… someone may say something that makes you realize your job isn’t so bad after all.

5. Look for ways to constantly grow.

We are all a work in progress. And growth and learning is something that we must initiate; we can’t expect others to do it for us. Additionally, lifelong learning will make you more competitive in the marketplace. So when the economy rebounds and you can find that new job you want, you’ll have the skills and mindset to make it happen.

Check out Full Speed Ahead: Become Driven by Change
which is a life coaching book
to help you deal with life’s stresses.

“A Straight forward, engaging and down to earth book for those desiring improvement in the quality and direction of their lives.”
Anthony Robbins, Author Awaken the Giant Within and Unlimited Power

“Joyce Weiss in Full Speed Ahead challenges the reader to deal with change on a personal and professional level as a way to maximize opportunity.  The book starts with charging your life’s battery with positive attitude and brakes with a discussion of goal-setting and prioritizing.  Each chapter has helpful worksheets that drive Weiss’ points home.  Chapter 7, covering creativity, was a personal
favorite because it identifies the mental roadblocks to creatvity and shows how on can detour around them.

Jim Pawlak, Book Reviewer for The Detroit News

Check out Full Speed Ahead: Become Driven by Change

 

Was this helpful?
Let us hear your thoughts in the comment section below.
Feel free to share these tips with your team-Just be sure to give Joyce credit when you share or publish.
Sign up at the RSS feed on the blog site to be included in future blog posts from Joyce on this subject.

Until next time, Remember…

“You Get What You Tolerate!”
Joyce Weiss, M.A., CSP
Conflict Resolution Consultant & Accountability Coach

 

Contact Joyce

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