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Do you speak solely in buzzwords?
When you ask questions in meetings, are they
preceded by long monologues?
Do you make provocative statements to "foster
dialogue" or needle others?
If so you might be the office jerk and not know
it,
according to a CareerBuilder.Com quiz to
determine whether you are an annoying co-worker.
We at Speechworks find the quiz interesting
because half of the 20 questions on the
quiz involve communication issues.
According to the quiz’s author, Kate Lorenz of
CareerBuilder.com, there are some easy things to
do to ensure that you’re not the office jerk.
“Ask your boss and colleagues for feedback and
be ready to listen,” writes Lorenz. “If what you
hear doesn't fit your self-image, ask them to
help you understand what they are saying by
giving examples. You
might say: 'Tell me more about what I do that
leads you to believe that.' Then listen, without
arguing, defending or justifying your actions.”
In working with our clients, we have found that
the best way to endear oneself with colleagues
is simply to be interested in them.
Indeed, to our mind, Barbara Walters has the
best advice for avoiding being tagged as the
office jerk. Said Walters, “The best way to be
interesting, is to be interested.”
At Speechworks we help our clients learn how to
communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a
great communicator give us a call at
404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net |
