When it comes to email in the workplace, did you know the #1 complaint is that there is just too much of it? When you think about it, probably 50% of the emails in your inbox are of low importance or of no importance. A good chunk of your valuable time and productivity is spent managing your emails. We also have to recognize that when you do write emails, misunderstandings can and do happen. So during those productive times when writing emails, here are some tips to consider.
Aside from following company policy and mandates, before you send an email to somebody’s very busy inbox, ask your self the questions . . . Is this an email that needs to be sent? Do they need to be CC’d on all of this information? Is the email of personal content and not business related? Is email the right medium for this type of communication or would it be more effective to pick up the phone or see them face to face?
When you do send an email, here are some tips:
Put the purpose of your email in the subject box. By doing this, the reader can quickly determine the priority and relevance of your email. It allows them to manage their time more efficiently. “Response required on project X” “Confirm specs by 3:00”. If the subject box says "FW: FW: FW: FW: and then the title" Well, that may merit an instant delete and absolute frustration and disrespect of one's time.
Start your email off with a personal or appropriate greeting then quickly get to the point with your stated objective. Be brief, clear, and polite.
If your email is a request for information and if you have more than 1 piece of information or perhaps multiple questions you need answered, consider using a numbered list; 1, 2, 3. The reader will clearly know there are 3 things they need to send back to you. It makes it easier for them to follow your instructions. It also makes it more likely they will send you all the information you need and save you the hassle of emailing back to remind them of something they may have forgotten to include.
With no tone of voice or body language to go with your message, recognize you may be at a bit of a disadvantage because you can only use words. Please have more focused concentration on the specific words you use. Without the sound or visual to go with the words, a phrase may mean something completely different when reading that phrase in an email. You don’t want to spark computer rage. Even something as simple as the phrase “From now on” may take on a completely different meaning if the tone isn’t there to accompany it. It may be considered a threat, a reprimand. Now to get around misinterpreting a phrase, some people use symbols or emoticons; little happy faces to denote happy in reading that sentence. Or, I’ve seen a series of colons, dashes, and parenthesis to denote happy or sad. Not everyone understands what these series of symbols mean. We also see abbreviations like lol (laugh out loud) or btw (by the way). I saw one the other day of JMO. Apparently it means just my opinion. Who knew? Never heard that one before. So please be aware not to confuse the reader.
Next tip. Never consider your emails to be private conversations. Employers may monitor email transmissions that have been initiated over corporate computer equipment. And please recognize, email messages can be used as legal evidence.
By now, most of us have learned through experience the importance of waiting 24 hours before responding to a heated email. And lastly, if you really want to make a point, or convey the severity of your words, don’t use CAPITAL LETTERS. First of all, it’s hard on our eyes to read in capitals. Yet if you have a series of words in capital letters, more so it may come across as you being very angry and out of control with your emotions. It’s like reading someone yelling. So if you need to have more impact, instead of capital letters, consider bold or italics.
Ahhhh emails. We complain about them but we just can’t seem to live without them. There is a purpose to email and we can be more effective in it’s use. So use these tips to free up your valuable time. Gain the energy of being productive at work rather than managing a workload of emails. I feel less stress just thinking about it. How about you?
LornaMcLaren
Effective Communication, Conflict Resolution, Stress Reduction
LornaMcLaren.com
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Showing posts with label conflict resolution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conflict resolution. Show all posts
Monday, September 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
3 Tips for Men when Resolving Conflict with your Woman
Gentlemen, these tips are for you. Women often have different perspectives and ways of resolving conflict compared to men. Also, the nature of the relationship you have with her will determine how you communicate; be it a business colleague, neighbour, relative, or stranger in the street. Yet when it comes to resolving conflict with your woman, your wife or significant other, it’s more important to do it well. There is more at stake when it’s your life partner. So these tips are designed to ‘open up a perspective’ on how to resolve conflict with your woman.
Tip #1
As an initial response to conflict, don’t get defensive.
It’s noble to want to protect her or feel responsible for her happiness, yet a gut instinct of defending yourself from being blamed puts you at a disadvantage. It may not be about you personally when she is expressing a criticism. If you first assume a defensive attitude, it may create a big misunderstanding that perpetuates. It takes you off course from actually resolving the conflict and it may create bad feelings between both of you. Also, if you go into defensive mode, your brain flips into emotional, knee-jerk reactions. It’s a fact. In the moment of stress and high emotion, our brains disengage from our reasoning abilities. It’s harder to see things rationally or objectively when in the emotional moment.
Tip #2
Don’t try to fix it, try to understand it.
Men, you do have a drive and capability to fix things. Remember, emotions are rarely clearly defined, people are different, and it’s hard to ‘fix’ something we can’t all agree on. Yet when it comes to conflict resolution, one of the biggest complaints from women is that their partner tries to ‘fix it’ when she simply wants or needs him to hear her out for the purpose of understanding. As you’re trying to fix the problem, she may feel it’s rude and disrespectful to not even allow her to get it off her chest. As we all know, sometimes just by being able to vent about a problem – half of it disappears just by being able to express it. So men, maybe she needs your strength as a supportive ear; a good listener. And as a bonus to this tip, if she feels that you are a good listener, it’s a great aphrodisiac.
Tip #3
Avoid blaming her ‘emotions’ as the cause and affect of the conflict.
Whether that’s the case or not, this tactic rarely works. How someone ‘feels’ is a bi-product of a specific problem or misunderstanding that has caused the conflict. And if the conflict is ignored or not resolved, it just snowballs. Emotions are not wrong per se, and sometimes we don’t choose them. Sometimes people just ‘feel’ a certain way. Yet if emotions get really raw ‘during’ your conflict resolution, it may be wise for both of you to respectfully take a break and revisit it later. As another perspective, if you blame her emotions for the conflict, it’s a weak defense. It can also be a cheap shot in trying to detach completely by blaming the whole thing on how somebody else ‘feels’ about it. It’s also a weak defense that is sometimes used as a tactic when somebody is actually caught doing something wrong. It’s a lot easier to blame the other person’s emotions than to fess up. Yet most importantly gentlemen, never, ever, ever blame it on hormones. Just trust me on that one.
Your relationship with your partner is so important. And effective conflict resolution can nurture the loving relationship you deserve.
Tip #1
As an initial response to conflict, don’t get defensive.
It’s noble to want to protect her or feel responsible for her happiness, yet a gut instinct of defending yourself from being blamed puts you at a disadvantage. It may not be about you personally when she is expressing a criticism. If you first assume a defensive attitude, it may create a big misunderstanding that perpetuates. It takes you off course from actually resolving the conflict and it may create bad feelings between both of you. Also, if you go into defensive mode, your brain flips into emotional, knee-jerk reactions. It’s a fact. In the moment of stress and high emotion, our brains disengage from our reasoning abilities. It’s harder to see things rationally or objectively when in the emotional moment.
Tip #2
Don’t try to fix it, try to understand it.
Men, you do have a drive and capability to fix things. Remember, emotions are rarely clearly defined, people are different, and it’s hard to ‘fix’ something we can’t all agree on. Yet when it comes to conflict resolution, one of the biggest complaints from women is that their partner tries to ‘fix it’ when she simply wants or needs him to hear her out for the purpose of understanding. As you’re trying to fix the problem, she may feel it’s rude and disrespectful to not even allow her to get it off her chest. As we all know, sometimes just by being able to vent about a problem – half of it disappears just by being able to express it. So men, maybe she needs your strength as a supportive ear; a good listener. And as a bonus to this tip, if she feels that you are a good listener, it’s a great aphrodisiac.
Tip #3
Avoid blaming her ‘emotions’ as the cause and affect of the conflict.
Whether that’s the case or not, this tactic rarely works. How someone ‘feels’ is a bi-product of a specific problem or misunderstanding that has caused the conflict. And if the conflict is ignored or not resolved, it just snowballs. Emotions are not wrong per se, and sometimes we don’t choose them. Sometimes people just ‘feel’ a certain way. Yet if emotions get really raw ‘during’ your conflict resolution, it may be wise for both of you to respectfully take a break and revisit it later. As another perspective, if you blame her emotions for the conflict, it’s a weak defense. It can also be a cheap shot in trying to detach completely by blaming the whole thing on how somebody else ‘feels’ about it. It’s also a weak defense that is sometimes used as a tactic when somebody is actually caught doing something wrong. It’s a lot easier to blame the other person’s emotions than to fess up. Yet most importantly gentlemen, never, ever, ever blame it on hormones. Just trust me on that one.
Your relationship with your partner is so important. And effective conflict resolution can nurture the loving relationship you deserve.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Customers Don't Want to Hear Your Excuses. aka: don't mess with my chocolate!
With any business, sometimes things go wrong; a glitch happens, an error. For whatever reason, the customer did not receive the product or service your business said it would provide. Often customers are fine with it, as long as you take ownership of the mistake you made and resolve it. Basically, deliver what you said you would.
As customers, we often like to hear the reason, so we can understand. But the last thing we want to hear are excuses for why it wasn't done right in the first place. It's a passive-defensive response, guaranteed to irritate the customer, and customers may question your consistency in providing future products/services.
Here's a classic example, it happened a few weeks ago at a Boston Pizza in Lethbridge, AB. Now, I've been to this chain in various cities. They deliver as they advertise; it's consistent. In fact, their Chocolate Explosion Cake is amazing! I've got a substance abuse problem with chocolate and their portions are huge!
So, I finished delivering a full day seminar, missed lunch, it's 5:oo, and I'm ravenous. Across the street from the hotel I notice a Boston Pizza. Great service, however the potatoes aren't hot and the salmon is overcooked and hard on the ends but no problem. I'm hungry, I'll eat the middle bits, more than enough food here and it's still delicious. What I'm really pining for is my chocolate explosion that I deserve and have been dreaming of since I walked in the door. Ooh, ooh, I can't wait!
The moment it was placed before me, I knew something was wrong. It's supposed to look chocolaty brown with chunks of white cheesecake in the center laced throughout the soft, smooth mousy/praline like substance being held up by a bottom layer of crumbled chocolate cookie. Ohh, how it cuts with a fork. Ahh, the textures. I had my coffee and Globe & Mail to savor it with; it was all planned! But instead, it was frozen solid, layered with frost, looked mostly white. It was impenetrable. I couldn't get my fork or knife through it.
In that moment, I felt a hint of righteous indignation. I didn't order a rock hard frozen cake, and why would you serve it to me like that in the 1st place? With beautiful politeness, I confirm with the server I have appreciated her service, yet did not expect or want a frozen cake. "Could I have it the way you usually serve it?" She offers to 'put it in the microwave' for me. Now, for those readers who are not shocked by this comment, perhaps this blog isn't for you. If your mouth is open with surprise, wait, theres more . . .
You can't microwave a dessert item like that and perhaps she just doesn't know. "Could you please see if the chef or kitchen staff have a different suggestion?" I ask. She returns with a message "He said all they can do is microwave it and it's not his fault. The guy who was supposed to take this dessert out of the freezer forgot so there is nothing he can do about it." Hmm, I ponder - if I was told about this oversight before being served, I could have chosen to receive it frozen, or change my dessert order.
Now, as a customer, I didn't feel like being a problem. The caramel/chocolate sauces were already drizzled over it and the dollops of whipped cream were starting to chill against my cake. There can be a solution to this without ruining it, wasting it, or having the restaurant feel they have to give it to me for free.
"Would you please prepare my dessert to go? I'll let it thaw and enjoy it in my hotel room later." I'm feeling smug as I've created a win/win - the restaurant has an opportunity to keep the customer happy and I can have my cake and eat it too . . . well, when it thaws out, that is.
However, I must say I was surprised when my to go dessert was delivered to me by the manager. He starts off by stating how it wasn't his or the chef's fault it was frozen, I heard the same lame excuse blaming someone else's forgetfulness and they would have happily micro-waved it for me. Yet the coup de grace for me was when I looked at my dessert. It was naked, no caramel/chocolate drizzles, no dollop of whipped cream. I mean where's the customer service love in that! Ouch. I didn't feel like being an inconvenience by asking it to be prepared as it is advertised, I'm still paying full price for it.
You see, this story goes beyond mere cake. It's a reflection of that particular management team, the leader, and how they train their team in customer service. As a franchise owner, I believe you have an expectation to maintain the standards of the chain - you're part of the overall team success. Adhere to your standards of consistency. When there is a glitch in your quality control, please remember, customers don't want to hear your excuses. Give them options and just do the right thing.
A glitch only turns into a problem when the customer has not been treated professionally and with consideration.
http://www.mclarenformulatraining.com/
http://www.quickcommunicationtips.com/
As customers, we often like to hear the reason, so we can understand. But the last thing we want to hear are excuses for why it wasn't done right in the first place. It's a passive-defensive response, guaranteed to irritate the customer, and customers may question your consistency in providing future products/services.
Here's a classic example, it happened a few weeks ago at a Boston Pizza in Lethbridge, AB. Now, I've been to this chain in various cities. They deliver as they advertise; it's consistent. In fact, their Chocolate Explosion Cake is amazing! I've got a substance abuse problem with chocolate and their portions are huge!
So, I finished delivering a full day seminar, missed lunch, it's 5:oo, and I'm ravenous. Across the street from the hotel I notice a Boston Pizza. Great service, however the potatoes aren't hot and the salmon is overcooked and hard on the ends but no problem. I'm hungry, I'll eat the middle bits, more than enough food here and it's still delicious. What I'm really pining for is my chocolate explosion that I deserve and have been dreaming of since I walked in the door. Ooh, ooh, I can't wait!
The moment it was placed before me, I knew something was wrong. It's supposed to look chocolaty brown with chunks of white cheesecake in the center laced throughout the soft, smooth mousy/praline like substance being held up by a bottom layer of crumbled chocolate cookie. Ohh, how it cuts with a fork. Ahh, the textures. I had my coffee and Globe & Mail to savor it with; it was all planned! But instead, it was frozen solid, layered with frost, looked mostly white. It was impenetrable. I couldn't get my fork or knife through it.
In that moment, I felt a hint of righteous indignation. I didn't order a rock hard frozen cake, and why would you serve it to me like that in the 1st place? With beautiful politeness, I confirm with the server I have appreciated her service, yet did not expect or want a frozen cake. "Could I have it the way you usually serve it?" She offers to 'put it in the microwave' for me. Now, for those readers who are not shocked by this comment, perhaps this blog isn't for you. If your mouth is open with surprise, wait, theres more . . .
You can't microwave a dessert item like that and perhaps she just doesn't know. "Could you please see if the chef or kitchen staff have a different suggestion?" I ask. She returns with a message "He said all they can do is microwave it and it's not his fault. The guy who was supposed to take this dessert out of the freezer forgot so there is nothing he can do about it." Hmm, I ponder - if I was told about this oversight before being served, I could have chosen to receive it frozen, or change my dessert order.
Now, as a customer, I didn't feel like being a problem. The caramel/chocolate sauces were already drizzled over it and the dollops of whipped cream were starting to chill against my cake. There can be a solution to this without ruining it, wasting it, or having the restaurant feel they have to give it to me for free.
"Would you please prepare my dessert to go? I'll let it thaw and enjoy it in my hotel room later." I'm feeling smug as I've created a win/win - the restaurant has an opportunity to keep the customer happy and I can have my cake and eat it too . . . well, when it thaws out, that is.
However, I must say I was surprised when my to go dessert was delivered to me by the manager. He starts off by stating how it wasn't his or the chef's fault it was frozen, I heard the same lame excuse blaming someone else's forgetfulness and they would have happily micro-waved it for me. Yet the coup de grace for me was when I looked at my dessert. It was naked, no caramel/chocolate drizzles, no dollop of whipped cream. I mean where's the customer service love in that! Ouch. I didn't feel like being an inconvenience by asking it to be prepared as it is advertised, I'm still paying full price for it.
You see, this story goes beyond mere cake. It's a reflection of that particular management team, the leader, and how they train their team in customer service. As a franchise owner, I believe you have an expectation to maintain the standards of the chain - you're part of the overall team success. Adhere to your standards of consistency. When there is a glitch in your quality control, please remember, customers don't want to hear your excuses. Give them options and just do the right thing.
A glitch only turns into a problem when the customer has not been treated professionally and with consideration.
http://www.mclarenformulatraining.com/
http://www.quickcommunicationtips.com/
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