What makes a good piece of communication?
Read MoreThe 4 T's of Communication
Keys to Effective Communication - Active Listening
Are you a good communicator?
Read MoreWords to Use to Get What You Want
How do you get what you want?
Read MoreTechniques That Will Improve Your Communication Skills
Inspired by an infographic I discovered on Design Taxi, which was originally created by NeoMam Studios
How do you improve your communication skills at work?
Communication is the key to success in many things but especially business.
Sometimes to communicate correctly it seems difficult, but just because it is difficult doesn't mean its not worth the extra time and effort needed to ensure your communication skills are on point!
Some of you with a keen eye for detail will notice a blurry cap in my notes. The reason for this is I actually got the titles for two of the sections the wrong way around. I managed to photoshop the main spread image but couldn't fix the others.
Communication doesn't have to be a danger zone that we all tip-toe around. My hope is that these notes help you to communicate better in emails, conversations and meetings at work so you can achieve your goals faster and more effectively than ever before.
Think Before You Speak
Inspired by an infographic created by The Coaching Tools Company.
Do you T.H.I.N.K before you speak?
T.H.I.N.K is a framework originally created to help people be kinder online. But it really applies to all communications - no matter who it is friends, colleagues, family or even strangers.
Before you speak do you think about:
Is it True?
Is it Helpful?
Is it Inspiring?
Is it Necessary?
Is it Kind?
These regularly thinking about these 5 questions in everyday conversations will help reframe your mindset to a more positive and inspiring one which will filter out into all your communications.
Reframing your mindset take time and constant practice to perfect - over time it will just become second nature to interact in this way.
It's overwhelming to do them all at once and will defiantly put an awkward pause in your regular conversations, so focus on introducing one at a time so your don't end up sounding like a robot.
How To Tell The Difference Between Fixed & Growth Mindset Employees
Inspired by an infographic I came across on Pinterest.
Growth Mindset or Fixed Mindset - which is best for employees?
Understanding if you or your colleagues has a fixed or growth mindset can be a good indicator of how likely they are to overcome difficulties, in their day to day duties. So, let's break down these two mindsets:
A Growth Mindset employee is malleable - able to leverage their talents and skills, even look to obtain new skills to overcome problems to ensure a successful outcome.
A Fixed Mindset employee is rigid - tend to stay with their known talents and skills, they often won't push to learn new skills to overcome problems.
It's important to highlight that not everyone fits cleanly into one camp or the other, but understanding the needs and wants of employees with these mindsets is key to the success of any business. So, which is mindset is best?
A growth mindset has been linked to more productive and positive teams. However, it is not always the norm - it's important to access your own situation to find the best fit for you.
Personally, I feel a growth mindset is the best choice. It gives you the flexibility and belief that you and your team can achieve anything that comes their way - Adapt & Overcome!
5 Things Great Communicators Do
Inspired by an infographic created by NBO Group.
How do you become a great communicator?
Strong and effective communication skills are possibly the most important weapon in our workplace arsenal.
Concise, compelling and clear communication can make or break any project and team for that matter.
Day to day in the office communication in many forms: conversations, critiques, presentations and phone calls just to name a few.
I hope these nudenotes help you to become a great communicator in all its forms - empowering you to be more efficient and effective in your work.
Anatomy of a Great Meeting
Inspired by an infographic from advisory.com.
What makes a good meeting?
We take a look at the before, during and after of a great meeting.
According to Harvard Business School Professor Nancy Koehn, 11 million meetings take place in the USA everyday - more that half maybe unproductive.
Meetings. Can't live with them. Can't have a work day without them.
Most meetings are unnecessary. But there is a way to do it right and be successful.
12 Things You Should Never Say At Work
Inspired by Headway Capital's infographic of the same name.
Have you ever said something at work that you immediately regret?
We all have right!?
Especially in a the creative industry. A place where tensions run high on a regular basis, with passionate people investing a lot of time and effort in ideas which will or will not move forward.
Words can be very subjective. Things can easily be taken out of context by your peers and managers.
Sometimes you can spend hours thinking about some off-hand comment, and how people may have interpreted it.
Only to find out later, they didn't think about what you said anyway.
"The workplace can be a minefield of office politics, stress and complicated relationships. One way you can make your time in the office easier is by knowing what not to say"
These notes contain 12 common phrases you may hear, with what you should say instead of those phrases.
What you say and the way you say it matter, it can easily shift the way people perceive you and your ideas.
Don't underestimate the link between perception and professional credibility.
Storytelling vs. Corporate Speak
Inspired by an infographic from businessofstory.com
How much do you hate corporate speak?
That's a lot of raised hands!
I can't say it any better than they have on Business of Story:
"It's not rocket science. It's brain science. Storytelling is how we're hardwired to understand the world. And anyone can tell compelling stories. So turn your jargon into journey's, your info lists into lore, and your stats into stories."
I hate pointless corporate speak.
It can alienate your clients and your team, making those not in the know feel uneducated and it puts them on edge.
If you can't communicate your ideas in basic language, you probably don't know enough about the terms themselves.
Shift your mindset from rational language of corporate speak to the emotional language of storytelling, and watch how your work begins to resonate more with your clients and customers.