According to Diane DiResta there are ten ways women sabotage communication in the workplace. Here is an ezine article that she wrote…

Have a read and let me know what you think by posting in the comments box on the left hand side of this page

By Diane DiResta

Glass ceiling or partners in sabotage? While the glass ceiling exists, very often women undermine their success by how they communicate in the workplace. We’ve learned to dress for success but have we learned the language of success? When Catalyst, a non-profit organization dealing with women’s issues asked.

What holds women back from top management?
Fifty-two per cent said Male stereotyping and preconceptions of women.

When they asked, How can women succeed?
Sixty-one per cent said Developing a style with which male managers are comfortable.  It seems communication style is vitally important.

Here are ten ways women weaken their image and what they can be do about it.

1. Too much head nodding-When women nod, they mean I hear you,
I understand.  Men interpret head nodding as agreement with their ideas.
Too much head nodding will be perceived as weakness and may result in miscommunication. Continual head bobbing creates a subliminal message of submissiveness.

2. Uptalk-A rising inflection at the end of a sentence sounds tentative, as if posing a question. This is a real credibility killer. Women will not be taken seriously with this vocal pattern. To speak with authority practice bringing the voice down at the end of a sentence. American intonation patterns use a downward inflection to declare or demand and a rising inflection to question or indicate uncertainty.

This is not true for all cultures. In Canada, India, Pakistan, France and China it is more commonplace to hear the voice rise at the end of a sentence. This pattern is sometimes used by American men in the South or by Generation X. It is not effective for either sex.

3. Weak Language
Tag lines-Some communicators make a statement and then ask for validation. This is a good idea, don’t you think? We have the best team, right? Tag lines weaken conviction and authority. Eliminate them.

Modifiers-Words such as some, just, only, hopefully, and guess, minimize the message and the messenger. This is just a thought. I’m only a beginner; Hopefully, I’ve done a good job; I guess I have a question, are weak statements. They signal a lack of confidence and tell the listener that its not very important. Constant apologizing is not appropriate and will have the same effect. Weed out wimpy words and replace them with powerful language. This is most commonly a female pattern.
time to sound confident and full of conviction.

4. Allowing interruptions-Men jump in and say what they think. They tend to interrupt more than women. Women are more likely to allow themselves to be cut off and lose credit for their ideas. Instead, they can say, I’m not finished, Please hold your questions,These interruptions break everyone’s train of thought or continue talking and finish your point.

5. Not speaking up (Waiting to be called on)-Still waters may run deep but in our business culture, people who don’t speak up are perceived as not knowing anything. Commit to making one contribution at every meeting. It may be as simple as underscoring a point or adding to what’s been said. Some women wait to be called on or have difficulty taking the floor. It may be necessary to interrupt to have your say. Do it. You must be heard to be a counted.

6. Dressing too sexy-A visual impression takes seven seconds or less. Clothing and appearance are a visual shorthand. Women who wear spiked heels, low cut blouses, heavy make-up, and micro-mini skirts are communicating sexual availability rather than career mobility. To succeed in the workplace, women must dress the part. You don’t have to sacrifice femininity, but don’t appear too flashy. The goal is to look professionally attractive. To achieve advancement, dress one level above your present position. If you are a supervisor, dress, like a manager. On the opposite end of the continuum, executive women may dress too frumpy. At senior levels it’s no longer what you know but who you are as a leader. If a woman executive doesn’t look the part, she’ll lose respect and credibility.

7. Too soft spoken-A soft or breathy voice may sound sexy but it indicates insecurity or lack of confidence. Breathe from the diaphragm and project the voice so that every person at the meeting can hear. If they have to strain to listen, they will tune you out. A speaker loses conviction when ideas are presented in a soft voice. Confident women project their voices.

8. Allowing others to take credit for ideas-A common complaint of women is that men take credit for their ideas. When this happens women must learn to speak up and claim their contributions. Excuse me, I just said that a minute ago. How is that different from what I just proposed? Do not sit quietly while someone intercepts your idea.

9. Weak Body posture-Cute gestures such as shrugging shoulders, not making direct eye contact, standing with one leg crossed at the ankle and a weak handshake will weaken ones visual impact. Men naturally take up more space. Hold your ground. Stand tall and sit up straight, make direct eye contact and ground your energy. Channel nervousness by using hand gestures about the waist. Act like you belong. You have a right to be there.

10. Avoiding public speaking. This is one of the biggest mistakes women can make in their careers. Men don’t have a glass ceiling. Public speaking is an opportunity for visibility and equal exposure. Confront your fear, get some coaching, and get out there and shine.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_DiResta
http://EzineArticles.com/?Ten-Ways-Women-Sabotage-Communication-in-the-Workplace&id=992

So, What are your views on this ? I’m intrigued to discover your thoughts….

Ten Ways Women Sabotage Communication in the Workplace….. is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Technorati Tags: communication in the workplace, communication skills, improve communication skills

by Juegos-Trabajo-Empleo

If you wish to achieve good results at work, effective communication is a good place to start. You may be inadvertently undermining yourself in your use of language. There are three dirty little words in the English language which should be used with great care! They are ‘don’t', ‘try’ and ‘but’.

I might say to you ‘Don’t think of a blue tree!’ What are you thinking about? Probably a blue tree! Your mind cannot process a negative. It has to produce a blue tree first before it can delete it. It’s not logical, it’s psychological. So when you say “Don’t forget to log off when you leave”, chances are that people will subconsciously take on the message to forget to log off, rather than do what you think you have communicated.

‘Try’ is a treacherous little word. If someone says that they will ‘try’ to do something, they probably won’t actually achieve it as they are giving themselves a get-out right from the start. So watch out for your language when you say ‘I would like you to try to reach this deadline’. As Yoda said in Star Wars “Do, or do not. There is no try.”.

Don’t Carry Around Comments Like Luggage:  It’s easy to hold on to feedback long after it can be useful.  Listen to the information, consider how you can improve or continue a good practice, and then, move on.

They will probably delete the praise and concentrate on the message that they messed up. Although your intention is to help, you have inadvertently had an impact which will prevent them from performing confidently.

Start to listen out for these words and where they crop up in your conversation. You will also quickly become aware of how much other people use them! Once you have spotted them you can decide when it is appropriate to make another choice – to clean up your language! – and observe whether this has a better response.

Workplace Communication and Clean Language is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Technorati Tags: business communicaiton, communication in the workplace, communication skills

Good communication in the workplace is one such skill.

You want to be good at verbal communication and written communication. Employers are also looking for technological know-how.

Verbal communication is one of the more important ways to communicate in the workplace nowadays because a lot of written memoranda are outdated and replaced by voice mail and email.

How you express yourself verbally is the one skill that employers look for the most in todays workplace.

This is especially important for people who work with the public, such as in custormer service or at a front desk at a doctor’s surgery for example. They are also important when you work with teams. All these positions require that you’re able to empathize and give feedback.

Because poor communication in the workplace is responsible for confusion, problems and also errors. This is why you need to be able to say clearly what you mean. You also want to be able to state clearly and honestly what you want.
 
Telephone skills and being able to hold a simple conversation are other important  skills that are necessary in the workplace.

Although I said above that written communication may not be so important anymore, when you want to enter the job market you need to be able to write reports and memos, as well as use email effectively. This means that your written communication is clear, business like and concise.

Communication in the workplace is not restricted to just verbal and written communication. You now also need to be familiar with modern technology to communicate. This means you want to know how to use the workplace email program, the voicemail system, how to fax a document, and importantly you want to know how to use a wordprocessor.

If you want to get a job or get promoted you’d do well to improve your communication skills. Because employers now place a high prize on excellent communication in the workplace.

Communication in the Workplace – what employers are now looking for is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Technorati Tags: business communication, communication in the workplace, communication skills, verbal communiation, written communication

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Communication And Cooperation in the Virtual Workplace is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

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Communication @ Work is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

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They Don’t Get It, Do They? is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

There are as many types of human characters as there are people and bosses are no exception. Below are some techniques and strategies to deal with them so that your employment is not in danger:

Dealing with Eccentric Bosses

While dealing with bosses it is better that you know that some of the eccentric traits may have brought him to where he is now.

1. The Shouting Boss: The psychology of shouting bosses is that they can get the things done only by shouting. They don’t mind shouting at anyone, anywhere. Although shouting is a sign of impatience, it is also because they want to be recognized on the spot. Satisfying their ego by listening to them calms them down. Further, executing their instructions will get them your respect.

2. The Scheming Boss: He is the most dangerous of them all, always plotting to fire one person or the other. They are highly manipulative while being extremely intelligent, highly motivated and focused. His way to the top is through firing workers which he says is benefiting the company; in reality he is worried about protecting himself and his position. Being honest and acting with extreme care is the best policy when dealing with this type of boss.

3. The Just-A-Minute Boss: He is an impatient man but not rude. He wants everything to be done on the fly. He has many things in his head while talking to you and so may be unable to grasp anything you said. The next day he may surprise you with a ‘you-didn’t-tell-me-this’. These types hardly complete any tasks, so be prepared for big workloads at anytime. Keeping evidence of your communications (possibly through emails), or completing the communication/task on the spot is better.

4. The Bumbling Boss: This junk head is trying to hide his inadequacies behind big talk and other diversions. Although he is rather harmless, he is neither a good leader nor an inspiring one. Just because he has reached a higher position above you, he might also get a sense of false prestige. Occasionally showing his mistakes in disguise of guarding him and guiding him is your best bet.

5. The Fear Monger: The attrition rate of this boss is high because of the fear and psychosis he creates. No one wants to continue working with him; often he fires them himself before they can quit, because he thinks fear is the only way to motivate employees to work. Changing your job, and fast, is the way to deal with him.

These are just a few of the dominant personality traits that you may find during your career. You need to be aware of them in order to preserve both your job and your sanity!

5 Types Of Bosses and 5 Ways To Deal With Them is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

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Knowledge Game is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

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Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace is a post from: The Business Communication Blog

Oh the times, they are a changin’!

And with these changes it’s never been more important to hone your skills at communication in the workplace.

Let me ask you a question: are you undermining your success in your career by how you communicate?

What holds many people back in their career is how they present themselves and how they communicate in their workplace. And what’s worse, they don’t seem to know how just a few simple changes can have a powerful impact on how others perceive them.

Before I share some with you, just a word of warning: don’t be fooled by how simple and common sense they seem. It’s ironic, isn’t it, that the more simple something is the less we think it’ll work. Otherwise, you would do it already, wouldn’t you?

OK, let’s have a look at what you could be doing differently about your communication in the workplace.

When it comes to communication in the workplace, confidence is everything. When you’re confident, you hold your body differently, you use your voice differently, and you say different things.

Believe you’ve got a right to be there and you behave like you belong. What you have to say is important so don’t sabotage yourself.

Make direct eye contact when you talk to someone. You may want to practice this because we all tend to move our eyes away when we start to talk, and as soon the other person talks we look them into their eyes again. See how long you can talk to someone and look them in their eyes, without staring of course.

Sit up straight, and stand tall. You can stand with one leg crossed at the ankle when you’re relaxing, not at work.

If you think this is nothing, think again… You’re holding your ground, you appear confident, and people notice you when you communicate in the workplace. And because you’ll be practicing it and getting used to doing it, it will have an impact in all other areas of your life too. Just imagine that…!

Let’s press on.

How you use your voice is critical to appearing confident. When you end your sentence in a rising tone, you’ll sound tentative, as if you’re posing a question or being uncertain. Make no bones about it, it won’t do your credibility any good, and especially women will not be taken seriously.

Practice speaking by using a downward inflection at the end of a sentence. Especially in America, this vocal pattern implies a demand or a declaration. Don’t take my word for it, try it out, practice and you will notice the results immediately. You will not only appear more confident to others, you will be more confident.

The same goes for what are called tag lines at the end of a sentence. Have you ever made a statement and then immediately asked for validation? “This is a good way forward, don’t you think?” is an example of this. You don’t sound convincing and it weakens your authority.

And there’s more… Some communicators minimize their statements and use little words, such as only, just, and hopefully. Guess is another one that implies a lack of conviction and confidence in what you’re saying. “Hopefully, you’ll all agree with this”, or “I guess this is the way to move forward”, or even “I’ve only a small question”. They will indicate to the listener that what you’re saying isn’t really important.

My question to you is: how confident and important do you want to be with your communication in the workplace? Do you want to deliver your message with passion and power because you believe what you have to say will make a difference? Believe it or not, you will make a difference, either way. It’s either a positive or a negative difference, but a difference nevertheless. So why not choose to apply a couple of the suggestions above and achieve better results in your communication in the workplace?

 Communication in the Workplace — How to Speak With Authority is a post from: The Business Communication Blog