Page 56 - Today’s Business Communication; A How-to Guide for the Modern Professional

WhY MUST I REMEMBER ThAT COMMUNICATION 45

1. Think before you speak or write. Consider the way in which your audience will receive
your message.
2. Listen and ask questions. Demonstrate that you care about others.
3. Listen more than you talk. Show others that you know how to give and take in a
communication exchange.
4. Avoid the blame game. Prove you’re a professional by accepting responsibility for
mistakes, rather than blaming others and making excuses.
5. Steer clear of “shoulds” and “should nots.” Show your professionalism by suggesting
what others might consider doing, rather than telling them what they should do.
6. Deploy positives rather than negatives. Encourage others by showing what they are
doing well and how they can do even better, rather than focusing on what they’re
doing wrong.
7. Use “we” and “you” more than “me” or “I.” Build credibility and likability by avoiding
the quicksand of self-centeredness and self-aggrandizement.
8. Offer to help, rather than waiting to be asked. Maintain relationships by volunteering
proactively to help out, suggesting resolutions to problems, or both, instead of hang-
ing back until someone calls on you.
9. Avoid speaking negatively about others. Consider the array of possible types of pro-
fessional relationships, personal relationships, or both, one individual may have with
another.
10. Keep (negative) emotion in check. Short-term surrender to anger, frustration, annoy-
ance, or hurt can easily derail your success and your professional future.
Figure 4.1 Ten tips to build positive professional relationships

she lives and works in South Florida. But Brooke’s situation could have
been very different if her supervisor had followed our 10 tips in Figure 4.1
to help you while communicating, whether orally or in writing.
When we ask you to remember that communications is about relation-
ships, you can probably already see where we are leading you, especially con-
sidering Brooke’s and Judith’s stories and the 10 tips. To reiterate, relationships
can be positive or negative, and as such the communications that accompany
those relationships can be positive or negative. Consider the following two
responses to a child’s question about whether he or she can have dessert.
Remember that the parent is trying to get the child to make healthful choices.

Parental Response #1: No, unless you want a peach�
Parental Response #2: Yes, of course� We have some juicy, sweet peaches�
Would you like me to get one of those for you?

You can guess that the second response would be more likely to create
excitement about peaches. Plus, it gives the child a sense of control over
the situation because the parent encouragingly asks, rather than authorita-
tively dictates. The second response might even help the child to develop
lifelong healthful eating habits and a more positive relationship with food.