(This piece from ‘Phil’s All-Time Hits, Vol. 1’ just ran in the Council of Smaller Enterprises ‘Mind Your Business’ e-Letter.)
A reader recently asked me, “Why doe my boss stink at communicating?” The short answer to this recurring question is that communication skills weren’t on the ‘Boss Test’.
Many business professionals diligently attempt to practice the ‘Golden Rule’ at work that we all learned as youngsters. A workplace communication version of that philosophy would be ‘Communicate with other people the way you want them to communicate with you.’ While a nice warm and fuzzy concept, a quick reality check indicates two serious flaws in the logic: the ‘Golden Rule’ assumes ‘everyone is the same and that ‘everyone is the same as you.’
I’m thrilled with your response to my latest installment of ‘Quote-ables’ – comments I’ve made for a reporter’s article on workplace communication. Here are a few more gems you might hear often in one of my workshops:
Last month, I ranted about why so many executives are such poor communicators. Several readers indicated they felt that pain and wanted to know what their organizations could do about the situation. I’d offer these suggestions, based on years experience as a workplace communication manager, consultant, trainer and executive coach:
I hear this one a lot, especially in my business writing or presentation workshops, where learners comment that their bosses need the class more than they do. Let’s optimistically assume most bosses know what they want to communicate and generally accept the importance of effective workplace communication. So, why are so many of them weak communicators? Here’s a summary of my thoughts, based on over 25 years experience as a workplace communication manager, consultant, trainer and executive coach:
‘Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands – How to do Business in Sixty Countries’, Terry Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway & George A. Borden, Ph.D., Adams Media Corporation, Holbrook MA, 1994. I’ve used this excellent resource often when working with clients from other countries and regularly recommend it. The workplace communication insight is especially helpful.
As frequent site visitors realize, this ‘BookShelf’ section regularly lists books I’ve found useful and interesting. Two months ago, I included a comprehensive list of the general business-related titles I had mentioned over time.
Looks like that idea was a hit as several readers asked for more. My pleasure to help. The list below includes all the workplace communication-related titles I’ve mentioned in the last three years:
(And a recent LinkedIn discussion was about people who don’t make presentations at work.) Besides delivering presentation training and coaching engagements for corporate clients, I teach a presentation skills course at the University of Phoenix, Cleveland Campus. Unlike many universities, we require all students to take this course and they do Learning Team presentations in … Read more