The Communication Problem Solver: Simple Tools and Techniques for Busy Managers - Softcover

Carroll, Nannette Rundle

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0814413080 ISBN 13: 9780814413081

Verlag: Amacom, 2009

Inhaltsangabe

Learn the simple communication tools and techniques that busy yet successful managers use to constantly drive productivity and business success. 

Management trainer and consultant Nannette Carroll has spent her career instilling top-flight communication skills in managers to keep their staffs productive and collaborative. In this detailed guide to workplace communication, she shares her best problem-solving techniques to resolve the people issues that derail productivity and guides you through an analysis of your own communication skills to help you overcome personal roadblocks to success.

The Communication Problem Solver teaches you how to:

• set clear expectations;
• ask questions that will uncover important facts;
• sharpen listening skills to grasp information better in every conversation;
• avoid imprecise judgments based on emotional reactions;
• provide useful feedback;
• encourage collaborative interactions;
• delegate more effectively;
• improve performance discussions using observable facts;
• and build trusting and lasting relationships.

Easily accessible and packed with real-world management examples and tangible solutions to managers’ most common communication challenges, The Communication Problem Solver is the key to helping any leader immediately increase their effectiveness.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

NANNETTE RUNDLE CARROLL is a popular speaker, management trainer, and communications consultant. She is also a top-rated faculty member with the American Management Association.

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Communication issues challenge managers all the time. You could be managing a friend who’s become a direct report. Maybe you’re managing people with more experience than you. Or perhaps you have to deal with office politics, generational differences, or coworkers with poor communication skills. The bottom line is that if you want to keep your department running smoothly, you’ll have to deal with any number of problematic communication situations head-on.

The Communication Problem Solver brings you quick and easy techniques you can use to resolve the people problems that threaten to derail productivity at work. You’ll learn how to:

get people to understand your expectations • ask questions that uncover the facts and help you meet business objectives • sharpen your listening skills to grasp information better in every conversation • provide feedback that gets results • lead collaborative interactions and discussions • delegate more effectively • ensure productive perform­ance discussions by replacing judgments with observable facts • and build trusting relationships with your direct and indirect reports, bosses, and coworkers

Communication issues can seem daunting because often what’s said aloud is not the intended message, so communication gets complicated and can trigger emotional responses. ButThe Communication Problem Solver lets you redefine these challenges in factual terms and then use proven, commonsense methods to clear them up once and for all. Packed with real-world management examples and featuring a handy list of common communication problems with smart solutions, this no-nonsense guide gives you the tools and skills to solve even the thorniest of people problems . . . and to prevent challenging communication situations from ever becoming problems.

Advance Praise for The Communication Problem Solver:

“Read this book to conquer communication concerns once and for all.”— Dr. Tony Alessandra, author, Communicating at Work and The NEW Art of Managing People

“This book will show you, easily and practically, just how to change communication problems [at work] into successes and how to avoid future problems.”— Jim Cathcart, founder, www.Motivation.tv, and author, Relationship Intelligence®

“Buy this book. It’s packed with specific suggestions on how to turn conflict into cooperation and reasons into results. Read it and reap.”— Sam Horn, author, POP!, Tongue Fu!, and What’s Holding You Back?

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The Communication Problem Solver

Simple Tools and Techniques for Busy Managers By Nannette Rundle Carroll

AMACOM

Copyright © 2010 Nannette Rundle Carroll
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8144-1308-1

Contents

Foreword by Michael Soon Lee............................................................................ixPreface.................................................................................................xiAcknowledgments.........................................................................................xvPART I: THE SECRETS TO CREATING AND SUSTAINING ENERGIZED RELATIONSHIPS..................................1Chapter 1: The Power of Relationship....................................................................3Chapter 2: Setting Expectations with Turbocharged Clarity...............................................20Chapter 3: Communicating Your Expectations: What to Say and How to Say It...............................44PART II: HOW TO USE YOUR PROCESS SKILLS TO PREVENT AND SOLVE COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS.....................65Chapter 4: Workflow Management: Communication Tools.....................................................69Chapter 5: Top-Tier Questioning Techniques..............................................................81Chapter 6: How to Break the Judging Habit...............................................................101Chapter 7: Common People Problems—A Handy Reference...............................................129PART III: LEADING COLLABORATIVE CONVERSATIONS...........................................................169Chapter 8: Giving Feedback—Sweet or Sour?.........................................................175Chapter 9: Compelling Coaching Techniques...............................................................196Chapter 10: DREAM Delegating Ensures Clarity and Collaboration..........................................220Chapter 11: Don't Have Time to Listen? Try These Tips...................................................240Conclusion: Be a Gold Medal Communicator!...............................................................250Appendix A: Basic Job Expectations......................................................................265Appendix B: Communication Issues Unique to First-Time Managers..........................................271Index...................................................................................................279About the Author........................................................................................285

Chapter One

The Power of Relationship

This chapter gives tips on how to reinforce relationships and thus prevent performance disappointments—even when dealing with people you don't like. Good working relationships are pivotal to getting positive results and developing team harmony. When interpersonal communication at work is pleasant, people can focus on the projects and tasks instead of being sidetracked by poor relationships.

The manager's intention and decision to form good working relationships is crucial. Leaving it to chance means ignoring a great opportunity to create an environment conducive to people producing their best work.

Your staff know what your intentions are. They know whether or not you value them as persons or just as tools to get what you need done. They know if you like them or not. Managers need to communicate that they value relationships with their direct reports.

What Is a Work Relationship?

Simply stated, a working relationship is a connection between people who deal with each other in some work way. The association can be required by business interactions or can be desired based on enjoyment of productively working together and trusting the other person will contribute and meet deadlines.

Relationships can be kept at the acquaintance level or can involve a continued connection that develops rapport and mutual trust. Some people may go beyond the minimum work requirements and enjoy coffee or lunch together to learn more about each other's backgrounds and interests. Others may choose friendship based on compatibility and common pursuits. I have enjoyed friendships with both my managers and my direct reports. Some of these friendships took place only at work. For others, we chose to socialize outside of work and were close friends. Sometimes people keep up the relationship after they cease working together and sometimes they do not. So there is a wide range of acceptable work-related relationships.

The word "relationship" intimidates some managers because they think it implies friendship or getting close to someone. They don't want to invest time in a relationship and they don't want to get personal with coworkers. In reality, it can have a minimal meaning of being respectful, friendly, and courteous and getting the work done together. It does not have to be personal.

Some managers do want to be somewhat personal but want to know where to draw the line. How personal can we be in establishing work relationships? One senior executive asked, "Most people do want to talk about their kids, but how friendly and personal can we be without being nosy?" Managers do want to play it safe and not offend direct reports. There is no one way to define work relationships. The work must get accomplished and the manager needs to create a comfortable environment with open communication so coworkers can trust and help each other. The types of relationships developed depend on the people and the situation.

Types of Relationships

Years ago I had a friend named Jerry who liked to shop at the corner grocery store. Every time he shopped there he complained about how high the prices were. "Why don't you go to the big chain grocery store?" I asked. "It's two blocks closer to your home." "No," he would always say. "I go to the mom-and-pop store because they know my name."

Jerry felt good because the corner grocers treated him as an individual person. He could not expect this treatment at the chain grocery store where the checkout people would ring up his groceries but not show any interest in him. He was willing to pay more and walk farther because he enjoyed the relationship at the mom-and-pop store.

On the other hand, a relationship can be based on the quality of the work. I have used the same dry cleaner for years because I like the consistent results. Ownership and employees have changed, but the standard of quality remains. My relationship with the current woman at the dry cleaner is friendly, cordial, and surface. We smile, exchange pleasantries, and nothing personal is discussed. Our brief but regular interactions deal only with the task at hand—the dry cleaning of my clothes—and perhaps comments about the weather and other small talk. If there is a button missing or a shirt that needs to be re-ironed, I bring it up in a friendly, nondemanding, nonaccusatory way that leaves the door open for her to suggest the solution. Our relationship is based entirely on the business transaction. If I didn't like the quality of the work, I wouldn't patronize the shop.

Relationships vary depending upon how much both parties want to know about each other. Many neighbors have relationships. Typically they entail showing respect and meeting mutual community goals—cleanliness, safety, and regulations, if the neighborhood has an association. Maybe neighbors collect each other's mail and papers and care for animals during vacations. One household might have neighbors they only say hello to,...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Amacom
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2009
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0814413080
• ISBN 13: 9780814413081
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 304
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: HarperCollins; https://harpercollins.co.uk; ; "The News Building 1 London Bridge Street,"; London; SE1 9GF; Vereinigtes Königreich
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Friedensallee 273; Hamburg; 22763; Deutschland