Communication Archives

The Value of Praise and Recognition in the Workplace

Why is it important to provide praise and recognition in the workplace? What are the most common excuses for not giving recognition? In his book Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work, Paul Marciano discusses why praise and recognition in the workplace are so important. When employees feel like their work is valued, they’re happier, they perform better, and the workplace becomes a more positive environment for everyone. Continue reading to learn the benefits of recognizing your employees’ work.

The Role of Temperament in Receiving Feedback

How do you react to feedback? Do you tend to get defensive when receiving feedback, especially when it’s negative? Why do you think that is? How long does it take you to “recover”? Different people react to feedback with different degrees of sensitivity. Some people can take negative feedback, absorb it, be upset by it, and then bounce back to their typical sunny dispositions. Other people are floored by negative feedback and find it hard to bounce back at all. In this article, you’ll learn why you react to feedback the way you do, according to communication experts Douglas Stone

Organizational Weaknesses: Watch Out for Weak Links

Do you want to take your business to the next level? What are the main weaknesses your organization is facing? When running your business, you must not only focus on your strengths, but you must also be aware of your weaknesses. These weaknesses might be a weak link in your operations (a department that’s not functioning properly or a product that’s bleeding profits) or it may be the development of organizational inertia or entropy (stasis or disorganization). In this article, we’ll discuss common organizational weaknesses—inertia and entropy, and how to prevent them from compromising your business at its core.

How to Promote Empowerment in the Workplace

What are the benefits of employee empowerment in the workplace? What can you do to empower your employees? In Paul Marciano’s book Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work, he discusses the many benefits of employee empowerment and autonomy. Marciano says that it’s only when employees can make independent decisions that they don’t detract from the team. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of employee empowerement and some actionable pointers for empowering your team.

Thanks for the Feedback: Book Overview

What is Thanks for the Feedback about? How can becoming a better receiver of feedback help you in your life? In their book Thanks for the Feedback, Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, two of the co-authors of the bestseller Difficult Conversations, walk you through how to become a better receiver of feedback. You’ll learn what feedback is and how it works, how we typically react, triggers that cause us to react badly, and specific techniques you can use to successfully discuss feedback and then incorporate it into your life. Here is a brief overview of Thanks for the Feedback by

Cognitive Conceptualization: Understand Your Patient

What is cognitive conceptualization? How can you construct a cognitive conceptualization of a patient? Cognitive conceptualization provides the framework for better understanding your patient. You’ll ask certain questions to get a feel for what problems the patient might be struggling with. Understanding what cognitive conceptualization is and how it works will help your patient to progress with therapy. Keep reading for more about cognitive conceptualization.

How to Reduce Phone Distractions: 2 Easy Steps

Are you easily distracted by your cell phone? Do you want to reduce your phone distractions but don’t know where to start? It can be difficult to reduce the time spent on your phone because, while it can be distracting, your phone can also be a great tool in everyday life. In his book Indistractable, Nir Eyal gives two easy steps to reduce your phone distractions: sorting your apps and going notification-free. Continue reading for Nir Eyal’s advice on reducing phone distractions.

Giving Employee Feedback: Tips for Managers

Looking for advice on giving employee feedback but don’t have a lot of time to spare? Why is giving supportive feedback so important? Many managers struggle to give good, constructive criticism to their employees outside of performance reviews. Paul Marciano, the author of Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work, says that managers should give feedback immediately rather than months later to improve employee performance. Here are some tips on how to give employee feedback that will help your team members grow.

The 3 Types of Feedback: Evaluate, Coach, Appreciate

What are the 3 types of feedback? Is it best to deliver different forms of feedback together or separately? In their book Thanks For the Feedback, Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen maintain that there are 3 types of feedback: 1) evaluation feedback, 2) coaching feedback, and 3) appreciation feedback. Further, they say that it’s best to separate these three strands when giving feedback because they can drown each other out when offered together. Keep reading to learn about the characteristics of the 3 types of feedback and some tips on how to best deliver them.

How to Close a Sale: 3 Proven Techniques

Are you having trouble closing sales? What are the most effective closing techniques? Knowing how to close a sale is a make-or-break skill in the sales profession. In his book Little Red of Selling, sales trainer Jeffrey Gitomer addresses three techniques that will help you clinch the deal: 1) help the buyer convince herself to buy, 2) eliminate the buyer’s risk, and 3) use customer testimonials. We’ll discuss these three sales techniques below.