Box of delight

It’s the start of New Year and we are all victims of the “resolutions” and “Fresh Start” bug. A viral that is in the air and somehow everyone seems to catch it. And yes, like most viral infections it runs its course and eventual we are cured of it! I am yet to meet an individual who has been able to keep a New Year resolution beyond the 30 day mark.

These days, change is almost a constant in the workplace — almost every day, it seems that there‘s another merger, new leadership, an outsourcing, a new benefits program, layoffs and more. Because of this, communicating change has become more challenging. Leaders are overwhelmed, managers aren’t engaged and employees are change-fatigued.

How can you overcome these obstacles? Try something new! Take the opportunity to step away from “the way we always do things” and implement an approach you haven’t tried before. A small innovation can make a big difference to help improve your employee communication strategy.

Describing effective communication as a 2-way street is passé. Communication is much more complicated, and leaders at all levels need to know a whole lot more than the mechanics of sending and receiving information.

Here are some things to remember:

Editor’s note: This is the seventh installment in Jennifer Abrams’ ‘Personal Development’ column for eSchool News. In her columns, Abrams focuses on leadership skills for anyone working in a school or district. Read more about the column here.]  

Something happened. Your colleague said something you found a bit harsh or inappropriate. Something inaccurate or uncalled for. She said it to you. Or to a student. Gulp.

During a recent Webinar that I co-facilitated, a participant asked me a question most of us have grappled with at some point in our careers:

How do I deal with a stakeholder that is nasty & argumentative?

My mind immediately went to: “Is your heart at Peace or at War”?

• Giving praise is more than just an occasional compliment. When done right, it can change your work environment for the better.
• Research says that praise that's sincere and specific will not only make people perform better, but makes them more open to criticism.
• Emotionally intelligent praise can create a more "psychologically safe" workplace — meaning people will feel safe to make mistakes and take risks.

When it comes to social media etiquette, we are all still learning how to interact with each other while respecting boundaries and the spaces we give ourselves.

What has translated over straight from our in-person interactions are racist, sexist and ableist micro and macro aggressions. How do we navigate those? Well it would help if folks with privilege recognized the ways in which they are routinely demanding labor from marginalized people online.

This blog is about new approaches to learning that you staff now expect - from more flexible ways to learn to content personalised to them. My decision to write this blog has been inspired by two things that I experienced recently: my son's birthday party, and some advice offered by my friend and communications consultant, Eoghan O'Sullivan, on what to include in newsletters.

t’s natural to get affected by each other’s mood. Drains and Thunderstorms are two types of people. Drains are people who suck the energy out of you with their anger or anxiety or distress. One must focus on not being a drain and managing mental balance and equanimity. Thunderstorms are people who charge you with their positive energy.

 
Why it is important to understand the various communication styles.
 
In business it is essential to build rapport with people that we want to work with. Regardless of whether it is in