Communication Tips for the Office

Do you ever have a great idea you want to express at a meeting but find yourself posing it as a question? Example: “What do you think about doing x,y,z…?” “Have any of you thought of doing x,y,z…?” This can seem like a good way of putting forward an idea without seeming overbearing or pushy, however in doing so, you risk surrendering ownership of your idea and its outcome.

It’s understandable that you do wish to appear vociferous or forceful so I suggest, rather than turning your idea into a question, that you add something like, “Any thoughts?” or “I’d be interested in your thoughts on this” directly after you’ve made your statement. That way, you’ve softened the directness slightly without giving the impression of being uncertain.

Next you’re in a meeting or in an exchange of ideas at work, pause for a second before you communicate an idea. How are you planning to convey it? Are you thinking of expressing it in a question or in a way that disempowers you, that relinquishes the idea to another person or people? Take a moment and if necessary, convert it into a statement – a positive statement.

Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t ever ask questions of course. Just ask them when you actually need information or want someone’s input on something.

Oh yeah, um…one more er…thing to add today:

Do you ‘er’, ‘um’, ‘ah’ a lot? If you liberally pepper anything you have to say, with ‘um’, ‘er’, ‘ah’, ‘ya know?’ ‘know what I mean?’ and the like, you can come off as vague or doubtful. Recurring words, phrases or sounds that stop up gaps in your speech can diminish your message and, in turn, your creditability.

It can be tough to check yourself if this is a habit. For the most part you probably aren’t even conscious of it. One possibility is for you to ask a friend or co-worker to alert you whenever you do it. I can envisage arguments ensuing from this, unless you’re an incredibly even-tempered person : ) My suggestion is to use an audiocassette recorder. Have it sitting in a convenient place on your desk and hit the ‘record’ button before you make or answer a phonecall. This goes for leaving voicemails too. The more aware of how often you do it, the quicker you can break the habit : )

Consider questioning all your repetitive behaviours. If they’re not serving you, maybe some of them are habits you would like to break. That’s for another article though : )

Wishing you the best in life : )
Louise Goddard