Top Ten Workplace Communication Skills: How They Can Make Work Work For You!

Credit & Financial Management Review, Fourth Quarter 2003 by Hunter, Scott

Upsets necessarily and predictably result in your judgment of another who is perceived as the source of your upset; this decision requires your quiet accumulation of further evidence demonstrating its accuracy; finally, this accumulation of evidence results in your termination of the former relationship and the estrangement of the individual. Only communication can break this cycle. Only communication can provide salvation for continued viable and productive relationships.

Upsets are best communicated as a report on your own feelings and emotional state rather than as an indictment of another's actions or behaviors. For example, the statement, "When you..., I feel...," is an effective model of this kind of communication. This takes the emphasis off the other individual's behavior and puts it squarely where it belongs, on your feelings about the behavior that is rooted in an unremembered episode from the past.

Summary

None of these specific steps are particularly easy. They all require clear awareness of your own emotional state and behavioral patterns; they require a rigorous commitment to the possibility of real dignity and satisfaction in human interaction, and they require a practical discipline in their implementation as they all run counter to many of our typical reactions as human beings under stress. With practice though, these steps do offer the real possibility of a work environment characterized by genuine satisfaction, smooth productivity and authentic enthusiasm. Our lives in the workplace can continue to be spent in anger and frustration; they can continue to be used up endlessly proving our sufficiency and self-worth; they can remain devoted to faulting others and justifying ourselves, or they can be dedicated to creating a profession of genuine human interaction, partnership and peace.

Scott Hunter is a professional speaker, workshop leader, consultant and business coach. His work involves creating meaningful, quality relationships in the workplace to increase productivity, creativity, teamwork and profitability. He is the author of the ground-breaking book, Making Work Work. His company, The Hunter Partnership Alliance, does management coaching for a wide range of companies. Their focus is to coach people in business to create a partnership relationship so they are productive and creative, the company increases the bottom line, and the environment truly brings out the best in people. Scott can be reached at scott@thpalliance.com or visit his web site at www.thpalliance.com.