You should not underestimate the impact of your words if you want to be seen as a competent leader at work. Certain sentences you utter carelessly can present an unfavourable or unremarkable image of yourself, as well as impair employee morale.
In business meetings, in particular, you must be extremely careful to use language that empower both you and your employees. They must project trustworthiness and confidence. Many individuals already regard meetings to be a waste of time, so you'd be wise to avoid using terms like these to prevent your staff from feeling the same way:
1. "That just won't work."
It's necessary to be honest about what is and isn't doable, but expressing this effectively shuts off any further brainstorming or debate of ideas. It also comes out as negative and even unfriendly, deterring employees from coming up with new ideas in the future.
Instead, use a more open-ended phrase like "Let's see what options there are" to convey that you're interested in contributing to the conversation.
2. "We've always done it this way."
The finest leaders have qualities like innovation, daring ideas, and problem-solving abilities. Uttering this single phrase instantly reveals that you have everything but.
We recommend something along the lines of, "That's an intriguing concept." "How would you approach it?"
3. "This may sound ridiculous, but..."
This phrase, along with any others like it, dilutes the effect of anything you say next. It also undermines your authority as a confident leader because it appears that you are doubting your own judgement.
We recommend making a statement by diving right in. "I urge we search for a provider who can deliver greater quality," for example.
4. "I've already sent you an email," says the sender.
Inferring that your employee should be more attentive to his emails is counterproductive, because it needs him to locate it, read it, and then respond to you later. While it is undoubtedly his responsibility to answer to your emails promptly, it is possible that he was unable to do so for a variety of reasons. Bringing up such topics at a meeting means wasting valuable time, not to mention the possibility of embarrassing your employee.
We recommend going ahead and repeating whatever your email said so you can start talking about it right away. There will always be time later to talk individually with your employee on the importance of fast responses.
5. "Let's get together in a few hours."
You're not only taking up more of everyone's time, but you're also implying that the existing meeting isn't productive enough to accomplish its goals.
We recommend that the folks in charge of resolving the difficulties send out an email to everyone. That way, if another meeting is required, at least everyone will have had some time to consider the next steps.
Choosing your words carefully at a meeting can have a subtle but significant impact on your professional image. It will help ensure that your meetings are productive. Finally, the goal should be to increase organizational productivity, and if you focus on eliminating the above from your meetings, you should see a change in how satisfied you are with the results.
Looking to gain the Virtual Edge on your competition? Contact us today to find out how we bring your business to the next level with one-of-a-kind virtual events.
Comentários