Pay Attention to Your Body Language When Giving Feedback

April 24, 2017

Pay Attention to Your Body Language When Giving Feedback

Most advice about giving feedback focuses on what to say, but our nonverbal communication is just as important as the words we use. If you convey discomfort or aggression with your body language, it could make the recipient feel unsafe, and therefore prevent them from listening to or acting on your input. So do your best to have a positive, open, and supportive tone. Make and maintain eye contact to create a feeling of connection. Don’t cross your arms. Smile appropriately to project warmth and goodwill. Nod to show you’re listening, and respond with affirmations like “mhm” and “yes.” Make sure your posture doesn’t communicate dominance, especially if you outrank the person receiving feedback. Most important, don’t do any of this if you don’t mean it. If your body language isn’t authentic, your efforts will backfire.

Adapted from “When Giving Critical Feedback, Focus on Your Nonverbal Cues,” by Emma Seppala

Keep Virtual Meetings on Track

April 20, 2017

Keep Virtual Meetings on Track

No one enjoys a meandering conference call or a disorganized video meeting. As the facilitator, it’s your job to keep things focused and moving forward. If the group is silent, you don’t know whether they’re listening intently or confused, so pause and ask a question: “Are you all with me so far?” If someone on the call goes off on a tangent, you can recapture everyone’s attention by noting the digression and getting back to your agenda: “Let’s table this point for a moment. I want to return to the comment earlier about the methodological problems we’re facing. Anyone have a response to that?” When one person gets hung up and keeps reiterating a point, acknowledge their feelings, but challenge them to come up with a resolution: “You seem concerned about this decision. What do you think we haven’t addressed?” And when you catch someone multitasking, refocus their attention by calling on them directly: “Sayid, can you chime in here?”

Adapted from Running Virtual Meetings (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series)

When Speaking Out Against Bias, Choose Your Audience Carefully

April 18, 2017

When Speaking Out Against Bias, Choose Your Audience Carefully

Almost everyone has observed bias in the workplace. Perhaps you’ve been in a meeting and heard someone joke about a particular group of people, or you’ve noticed that the men on your team seem to get the best projects, despite female colleagues being equally or better suited to the work. There is no question that objecting to such situations is difficult, so if you speak up, think carefully about whom you’re speaking to. If the person making the off-color or offensive joke is a peer or subordinate, directly addressing the issue with them can be effective. But if the person is a superior or has more power than you do, it may be prudent to talk to a trusted colleague who can provide support, help identify the right person to speak with, or maybe even raise the issue on your behalf. No matter what you do, try to remain calm. It’s normal to feel emotional, but don’t let your feelings undermine your message.

Adapted from “How to Speak Up If You See Bias at Work,” by Amber Lee Williams

To Handle a Work Disagreement, Do Nothing

April 14, 2017

To Handle a Work Disagreement, Do Nothing

Some people might tell you that the only way to manage a work disagreement is to straighten things out right away. But that isn’t always true. Sometimes, your best option is to do nothing — let the comment go or simply walk away. Doing nothing isn’t a cop-out. In fact, we do it all the time without even realizing it. It’s a smart choice if you don’t have the energy to invest in preparing for or having a difficult conversation, or if you suspect the other person might be unwilling to have a constructive discussion. Letting the issue go will keep the relationship stable. But this approach won’t work if you stew about the disagreement, making you more likely to have an outburst later, or if you start to act passive-aggressively toward your counterpart. Only do nothing if you can put the conflict behind you.

Adapted from the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict, by Amy Gallo

Speak Up in Meetings (Even If You’re the Most Junior Person in the Room)

Speak Up in Meetings (Even If You’re the Most Junior Person in the Room)

As a young professional, you might worry that you’re too junior, inexperienced, or new to speak up in a meeting. But unless you participate, you won’t catch the attention of your senior colleagues who have the power to bring your career to the next level. Find something to share that will make senior staff notice you — and your potential. Don’t underestimate the value of the experience that you do have, which might very well be pertinent to the situation. You can reference the projects you are currently working on: “I’ve been seeing this topic come up in emails with clients” or “Amy asked about how this affects the bottom line — our team has been working on this very issue, and here is how we resolved it.” But avoid coming across as arrogant or uppity. Lean on evidence by saying something like, “I read a study about X…”

Adapted from “Don’t Let Inexperience Stop You from Participating in Meetings,” by Andy Molinsky and Melissa Hahn

Recognize When You’re Repeating a Bad Habit

March 27, 2017

Recognize When You’re Repeating a Bad Habit

We’ve all got weaknesses. Fortunately, those weaknesses usually are not due to lack of ability; more often, they’re the result of bad habits. When you’re sitting in your office with a daunting presentation to prepare, and you keep checking your inbox and returning calls instead, it isn’t necessarily because you’re bad at prioritizing. It might be that you’re playing out a deeply habitual, practiced response to anxiety, inadequacy, or fear. The key to changing these kinds of habits is to identify the nature of the moments that provoke the ineffective response. Pay attention to the time of day, the location, your mood, and your physiological state. If you can pinpoint the circumstances that cause you to act in ways that lead to bad results, you’ve shrunk the size of your problem. Change seems daunting when you think it requires constant vigilance. But it’s usually about handling a few minutes per day better than you have in the past.

Adapted from “A 3-Step Plan for Turning Weaknesses into Strengths,” by Joseph Grenny