Top Tips for Interactive Skills in Business

Quick reference tips that will help you improve your interactions with others in business

Patricia Ryan

• Publisher: Communications Skills Consultancy
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9780645184082
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Communication
• Index: Business

This is a heartwarming and comical story set in post-war Dublin.It follows the trials and tribulations of a family from humble background. The father has illusions of grandeur, which results in them living far beyond their means. This is not helped by his habit of stopping off at the pub almost every night. The schemes that ensue in order to try and achieve this lifestyle lead to hilarious events.The author uses his own experiences to depict a true example of how Irish families of that era used whatever means possible, be it humour and sometimes stretching of the rules, to cope with the hardship of the times.The story centres on the youngest of the three brothers and includes many of the colourful characters that went into making Ireland the unique country it was at that time.The story follows the family's journey from the childhood of the boys through to their adulthood.

‘You can close more business
in two months by becoming interested
in other people than you can
in two years trying to get people
interested in you.’

Dale Carnegie

Chapter 1

Interacting at Work

Getting Along with Colleagues

Personality Profiles

Emotional Intelligence

Workplace Values

’Don’t find fault, find a remedy.’

Henry Ford (1863-1947)
American Automobile Manufacturer

Getting Along with Colleagues

Being happy at work is a tremendous blessing. It means you will not only look forward to your working week but shouldn’t suffer from headaches, aches and pains, depression and a host of other ailments. How to achieve that state is the question. There could be a simple answer or a particular situation may need in-depth analysis.

If we look at some basics of communication skills we find that we shouldn’t criticise others, order them around, criticise them openly and in fact we are meant to care about others and understand shall we say, ‘what makes them tick.’ How often do you think we do this, and especially at work?

It is a fact that a happy workplace increases productivity and therefore delivers a better outcome for all concerned.

Throughout this book you will find many ideas, suggestions and processes to improve your interpersonal relationships, but for these couple of pages I’m starting with basics we all know but don’t always use. The following Top Tips should bring about some light-bulb moments for you.

Some Fundamental Basics

Arriving at work with a smile on your face and a hello for everyone usually creates a friendly atmosphere.

While it’s normally nice to get along with your colleagues try not to grizzle or complain about the weather, family or work.

A positive attitude often rubs off on others.

It’s not always necessary if working in a large organisation to remember everyone’s name, but necessary for those working in your department.

You can show your interest in others by enquiring as to how they are and/or follow up on any problems they may be facing.

It seems superfluous to mention some of these very basic things, but as I go into companies and businesses to assess their communication within the workplace I continually find they are lacking in these very basics.

Working with colleagues

Appreciate the persons you work with. Be courteous and give encouragement.

TOP TIPS:

• Your colleagues will be more productive if you show approval and appreciation

• Be a good listener

• Personal hygiene – you do wear deodorant don’t you?

• Overdoing the perfume or aftershave can be uncomfortable for those working near you

• If others are encroaching on your work, speak to them about it

• If others are not doing their share or pulling their weight, assess if this is your problem before making a complaint; and/or try using an assertive message

• Gossip is always a no-no

If you really want to get along well with your colleagues, know what interests them.

It’s always a good idea, as Dale Carnegie said many years ago, to ‘make the other person feel important.’ (This still works today). We can do this by asking their opinion or their ideas, and being interested in their answers.

12 Ways to winning people to our way of thinking

Once again, I mention Dale Carnegie in ‘Winning People to our Way of Thinking’, and have done up the twelve steps he (and others since) assure us work well. (I should add that I have trained many people in these steps even today, with excellent results, so try them yourself).

They are;

1. Avoid argument and confrontation. Nobody is ever convinced against their will.

2. Respect the other person’s opinion. Never say “you’re wrong.” Best to let it lie for a moment then say what you thought and why. You will be surprised how quickly the other person will see your point of view.

3. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.

4. Be friendly, and maintain a friendly manner.

5. Always emphasise the areas on which you and the other person agree.

6. Don’t FORCE your ideas on others.

7. Let the other person do most of the talking.

8. Try to see the other person’s point of view.

9. Be sympathetic to the other person’s ideas and desires.

10. Appeal to a person’s nobler motives. Assume that the other person is honest, sincere, and truthful.

11. Dramatise your ideas. Build a picture in their minds. Show them.

12. Offer a challenge.

We probably spend more hours at work than at home so it makes sense to try and enjoy those hours. And just imagine how great it would be to begin each work day with the same enthusiasm as we begin our days off, with a spring in our step because we like going to work!

As you can see, it is not so difficult to get along with your colleagues (and others as well) if you apply some simple steps or methods to everyday interactions.

TOP TIP

Think in terms of the other person’s point of view

‘If you want to gather honey,
don’t kick over the beehive.’

Dale Carnegie

Personality Profiles

Organisations today often call in psychologists to do personality profiling on their prospective employees, to ascertain their expected behaviours, and whether that particular personality style and/or behaviour will fit in with the team.

To be an effective communicator, one of the first rules we must follow is not to label others. Another area we need to be careful of is not to judge others. So where does this leave personality profiling? By all means take personality tests – you can learn a lot about yourself and others by the focus you will need to place on your own behaviour and that of others – but keep them in perspective, as we are all individuals, with our own unique behaviour patterns.

It would fill more pages than this book has to delve into each type of possible personality style, which can range from 32 styles, down through 24, 16 or 12, until we come to a final four. For the purpose of these Top Tips, we will look at the main four types we can use as a base to improve our inter...

Table of contents

• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• About the Author
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Chapter 1: Interacting at Work
• Chapter 2: Interacting within the Community
• Chapter 3: Management Interaction
• Chapter 4: Leadership Interaction
• Summing Up
• Appendices:
• Bibliography