After you’ve covered the basics, features like recommendations, applications, LinkedIn Answers, and the Resume Builder can add value to your profile.

Via mashable.com

Business Communication Headline News

We are pleased to pass on this clip from the U-T news in San Diego:

If pets are your passion, help us cover that warm-and-fuzzy topic in a new weekly U-T San Diego page in print and online. Later this month, you’ll find our Scratch & Sniff page in the newspaper and on our website. The weekly feature will include advice about pet care, an events calendar, a “cutest pet” photo contest and many other pet-savvy features. We encourage bloggers, trainers, veterinarians, breeders, groomers, rescue organizations and others involved in the care of animals to contribute their expertise to our coverage. If you’re interested in participating in this exciting new venture, please send an email to: pets@utsandiego.com.

Let us know how this works for you.

Signing off,

Carolyn and John

www.ICSWorkplaceCommuncation.com

ICS Workplace Communication, Carolyn Shadle, PhD, and John Meyer, PhD

The stage was set for a light-hearted and friendly discussion about a serious topic. This took place during the regular weekly staff meeting of the La Jolla Veterinary Hospital. The topic was listening to others. The process was a communication case study, facilitated (and dramatized!)  by John and Carolyn.

The case we chose from our book was “I Want A Raise.”  The topic was not how to get a raise, but, rather how well both parties had listened to each other.  The staff member in the case who wanted the raise caught her manager off guard. Instead of zeroing on her concern and asking for a time when they could both be prepared for this discussion, the manager (played by John) kept belittling the concerns of Rita (played by me) and frustrating Rita.

After this little bit of drama, the 15 staff members paired off and responded to questions (provided in the book) inviting their reactions to the communication skills of the two characters.  Then they read the “experts responses” (also published in the book) and made further comments on the interaction of the two.

To wind things up, we had an open discussion of what went wrong in their exchange and the opportunities that were missed.  One of the staff members had read about paraphrasing and active listening, which launched us into a discussion of listening skills and a decision to engage all of the staff in learning and practicing such skills.

Julie Breher, the owner, is committed to building a practice that not only provides excellent healthcare (that’s a given) but also superior customer service, aided by well-developed effective communication skills.

Watch this space for more stories from the La Jolla Veterinary Clinic.

Signing off for now,

Carolyn and John

ICS Workplace Communication, Carolyn Shadle, PhD, and John Meyer, PhD

However, another important tool of communication is body language. We all know that actions speak louder than words. Our bodies give away signals of how we feel, what our true intentions are, and what we’re not saying. So we may be sitting on a crowded sectional sofa during a family gathering without saying a word, yet communicating clearly to anyone who glances over.

Gestures and body language are so ingrained that we take them for granted. We are almost unaware of behaviors such as tapping a pen, stroking the side of our noses or yawning. Yet, the fact that such behavior is virtually unconscious makes it a real clue to what we’re really thinking and feeling.

Mixed Messages of Head Gestures

When looking at effective communication then, we need to examine what our body language is saying to others. Even some of the most basic gestures, such as nodding our heads can give mixed messages.

In most cultures, when we want to say “yes” or show agreement, we nod our heads. This action comes from bowing; the person symbolically begins to bow, but stops short, resulting in a nod. Bowing is one of the most submissive gestures and the head nod stemming from this indicates that we are going along with the other person’s point of view. Allan and Barbara Pease, authors of The Definitive Book of Body Language (2004, Orion), states that research conducted with “people who were born deaf, dumb and blind shows that they also use this gesture to signify ’Yes’, so it appears to be an inborn gesture of submission.”

It’s easy to assume then, that a head nod means “yes” the world over. However, in India, the head is rocked from side to side to say “yes”, a gesture that most Westerners would associate with “either – or” or “maybe yes, maybe no”. Furthermore, in Japan, head nodding can be misinterpreted; it doesn’t necessarily mean “Yes, I agree with you”, it usually means “Yes, I hear what you’re saying.” Be aware too that in Arab counties, a single, upward head movement means “no”, whereas Bulgarians shake their heads to mean “yes” rather than “no”.

Using the Power of the Head Nod as a Tool of Persuasion

Once you are clear about the meaning of the head nod, head wobble and head shake, consider the power of head nodding as a tool of persuasion. Pease and Pease cite research showing that “people will talk three to four times more than usual when the listener nods their head using groups of three nods at regular intervals.” The speed of the head nod is a clue to how patient the listener is feeling. “Slow nodding communicates that the listener is interested in what the speaker is saying so give slow, deliberate clusters of three head nods when the other person is making a point,” they say.

On the other hand, if you want to tell a speaker that you’ve heard enough, want them to finish, or want a turn to speak yourself, it’s time to start nodding quickly. This is a way to interrupt and get involved in a conversation or bring it back under your control without using words.

“Body language is an unconscious outward reflection of inner feelings” say Pease and Pease, so if someone’s head is nodding as they speak, it is a sign that they are feeling positive or affirmative. It iss even the case that “if you simply start nodding your head intentionally, you will begin to experience positive feelings”, almost as if agreeing with yourself generates as much feel-good factor as someone else agreeing with your point of view.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Because head nodding is very contagious, it is an excellent tool for creating rapport, encouraging agreement and getting co-operation. Pease and Pease have found that if someone “nods their head at you, you will usually nod too – even if you don’t necessarily agree with what they are saying.” They recommend finishing your sentences with verbal affirmations like “don’t you think?”, “isn’t it?”, or “wouldn’t you?”, plus plenty of nodding. In this way the listener experiences positive feelings which increase the chances of their agreeing with you. Clearly, if you want to get co-operation from other people, it’s time to start using your head.

If you are interested in this post, you might consider the following posts
1) Persuasion Tactics Simplified
2) Social Situations and Small Talk
3) Improve Your Communication Skills

Better Interpersonal Communication

Via www.jeffbullas.com

Business Communication Headline News

If you’re just using Twitter to lurk, you can stop reading now: This advice does not pertain to you.

But if you intend to use Twitter for any sort of marketing, whether for yourself or your company, then I beg you: Please take a few minutes now . . .

Via www.businessinsider.com

Business Communication Headline News

See on blog.trendmicro.com

Business Communication Headline News

When employees ranked leaders in a survey from Best Places to Work in the Federal Government , their dismal score was 54.9 out of 100. Two agencies that ranked high or improved their score significantly were the Federal Deposit and Insurance Corporation and the U.S. Mint.

How did they make the high ranking or improvement score? And what can you do, too?

Improve communication with employees.

The federal agencies used face-to-face visits, individually or in town hall meetings, and conference calls to out-of-town offices. This is important because it makes communication two-way. Employees can express their ideas about policies and decisions that affect them.

Two-way communication is an essential leadership communication policy. Top down (one-way) isn’t even communication, actually. It is sending messages, quite a different matter from communication, which involves feedback (two-way).

To improve your leadership communication: Create more face-to-face meetings. Many surveys show employees want information face-to-face.

1. Meet one-to-one with your staff and team leaders
2. Have meetings with small groups
3. Explain decisions and changes and seek feedback
4. Even better, ask for input before decisions are made as frequently as possible
5. Find out the burning issues of your team
6. Ask questions and listen

The agencies improved leadership by giving up power.

How to do that: allow employees to make decisions on their jobs. According to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study, autonomy is the biggest motivator for employees. Give people the freedom to do their jobs. Give them the power to make decisions. Shared decision-making leads to quicker reactions with customers, which customers value highly.

Another big motivator is to allow people to improve their jobs. AT FDIC leaders were were asked to eliminate 3-5 low-value activities to focus on those of high value. I remember a president at Dow USA who asked all employees to do this more than 30 years ago.

An example involves reports. Often people are asked to do reports for a very good reason. Later the reports may no longer be needed, but the word doesn’t get out. A good way to find out if a report is still needed is to do the report and not distribute it. If no one notices it is missing, it is no longer needed. Stop doing it.

Think about how you eliminate low-value tasks in your job.

Jack Pyle: The Face to Face Maximizer