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WAIT to Avoid Communication Quirks

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conversation_bubblesCommunication is an interesting creature. It seems simple. Yet it’s incredibly complex.

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marylynnI’m not trying to be rude, George, but it’s just talking and listening. How complex is that?

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georgeObviously it’s more than just speaking and listening, Mary-Lynn. Effective communication requires a meeting of two or more minds. A message has to be relayed and received. That’s more complex than many people think.

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marylynnTrust me George, you’re making it too complicated. You decide on your message. You relay it. It is received. Voila, communication!

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georgeThink about it Mary-Lynn. First you have to decide on the message you want to convey. Then you have to think about your audience. You must state your message so your audience understands it. Then you have to hope your audience is receptive to your message. You have to find a way to engage them.

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marylynnAs I’ve said before, it’s just talking and listening. As long as both parties understand that, communication is simple.

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georgeTo be honest, Mary-Lynn, I think communication is simple too, on the surface. It’s executing it effectively that is difficult.

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marylynnTo make a long story short, George, I was just playing with you. I think you’re right. Communication can be very complex.

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Sometimes our quirks get in the way of the message. We send signals that we may not intend to send as you can see from the above conversation.

We could go through each of these one by one but you might accuse us of having a communication quirk if we did!

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WAIT …

So let’s get right into a technique we picked up along the way that keeps us from saying things we don’t need to say.

In many cases, these goofy little sayings are just a bridge to what we really want to say. They’re fillers that are unnecessary.

So the next time you’re embroiled in a conversation, WAIT. WAIT is an acronym for: Why Am I Talking?

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marylynnWhen I’m getting ready to say something, I just WAIT. I ask myself if I really need to say it. I think about how I will say it. It’s not fool-proof so I still say something foolish sometimes, but it’s really helped me communicate better.

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It doesn’t need to apply to just oral discussions. You may WAIT when you’re writing an e-mail. Just ask yourself: Why Am I Typing?

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georgeIn some cases, I discard the e-mail altogether. In other cases, it helps me really shorten it up. I still get carried away sometimes, but at least I get carried away consciously!

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How about this one: Why Am I Texting?

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marylynnThis keeps me from feeling like I always have to respond one more time. It helps me look for that natural end to the conversation.

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Speaking of ends of conversations, we’ve reached it on this post. WAIT and you’ll avoid communication quirks that send the wrong signal. WAIT for bigg success!

What communication quirks drive you crazy?

Share that by leaving a comment, e-mailing us at bigginfo@biggsuccess.com or leaving a voice mail at 877.988.BIGG(2444).

Wait! We want to thank you so much for reading our post today.

Please join us next time as we discuss an important part of life balance we don’t often think about. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

 

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
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Bad Examples of Multi-tasking

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texting

Some things go hand-in-hand. Love and marriage. Peanut butter and jelly. Even peanut butter and chocolate.

In an effort to get things done and manage our time, we multi-task. And sometimes we take it to an extreme.

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georgeFor example, is it really necessary to take (or make) a call while going to the bathroom? Yet I’ve seen guys standing at the urinal while talking on their phones. If you make this a practice, do you flush?

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marylynnI was in a store a few days ago. The woman behind the counter was vacuuming while she talked on the phone. I just don’t know how you combine those two tasks effectively.

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Can you walk and text at the same time?

We’ve all heard about texting while driving. Well apparently, there’s been an outbreak in emergency rooms of people who were texting while walking. They’re missing the step off the curb and falling into cracks. And they end up needing medical treatment.

Maybe the old question, “can you walk and chew gum at the same time”, needs to be revised!

Cruise control isn’t automatic pilot!

Unfortunately, this next one is also a true story. A woman purchased a new Winnebago. On her first trip down the road, she set the cruise control in her new motor home. Then she left the driver’s seat and went to the back to make herself a sandwich. Needless to say the vehicle crashed. Winnebago now includes instructions in their owner’s manual to explicitly warn against this form of multi-tasking!

Tossing the salad

Our favorite example, though, is the Seinfeld episode where Kramer installed a garbage disposal in his shower. He loved to shower, but it took up too much time. So he started multi-tasking. Among other things, with the disposal installed, he found he could make dinner while he showered.

Once his dinner guests found out how their dinner had been prepared, they nearly tossed their salad!

What bad multi-tasking examples can you think of? 

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Thanks so much for reading our post today. Join us next time when we say “blame, blame go away …” Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

 

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00317-012709.mp3

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Pyramid want need must

Think Want, Need, Must About Your Money

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Pyramid want need must

Today we’ll discuss a simple, yet effective, way to make sure you’re spending your money how you intend. Divide your spending into three categories – wants, needs, and musts.

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How to Attract and Retain the Next Generation of Talent

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soft_skillsBeloit College recently published their eleventh annual Mindset List about this year’s crop of incoming freshmen. Check it out to understand the perspective of the Class of 2012.

For example, Jay Leno has always been the host of The Tonight Show for this group. Bring up Johnny Carson only if you’re prepared to explain who he was!

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Putting it into con-text

We have a friend who thinks they lack social skills. He believes they’re so busy texting that they’ve never developed the ability to communication personally.

We disagree – we think they’re very social. A generation before, we e-mailed or called someone on their cell phone instead of texting. In our mind, the only difference is the medium used.

We wanted to dig a little deeper to fully understand the perceptions of young people in their late teens and early twenties. After all, they’re the ones who will be coming to us for employment in the near future.

The Media Center at the American Press Institute calls this group of people the “Content Generation” – they use text, videos, and photos (often generated from their cell phones) to connect and inform.

Understanding the paradigm

They have witnessed September 11, corporate scandals, mass layoffs, sweat shops, the burst of the dot.com bubble, and now the subprime mortgage crisis.

When they think of the future, they realize that they will have to fund their own retirement while they start and raise a family. Since their parents are older than previous generations, they will also likely have to care for them at some point in their lives.

The workplace for the next generation

All of these things impact the jobs they will choose. They don’t expect to stay at the same company for their entire career. They won’t necessarily take the job that pays the most either – they’re looking for more than money.

This generation grew up with Tom Peters and the idea of Me, Inc. They understand personal branding and seek lifelong employability. So two of the most important components of a good job are:

  • Personal and professional growth – They want a job that helps them develop skills that will be valuable in their career and at home.
  • Work – life balance – They want a job that allows them to enjoy their lives now. They’re not willing to wait until they retire to “live”.

They want to work for people in a company that truly values its employees. These people live the values they talk about. They follow through on what they say. They’re authentic.

For example, if you say you’re “green”, you better be green. You recycle. You use energy-efficient light bulbs. You work to reduce paper use. And that’s just the start!

We admire them because they’ve figured out some important things already that we didn’t have worked out at their age. They have a lot of potential. Time will tell if they live up to it.

Get the tips and tools you need to be a BIGG success.
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Next time, with the Democratic Convention wrapping up, we’ll talk about donkeys. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

 

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