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To achieve your mission, you need to monitor and influence the political environment. The wrong piece of legislation could eliminate your organization. A favorable piece of legislation could be the key to achieving your mission. I’ve developed a brief tip sheet for you to use during the 2019 Louisiana Legislative Session. Text/call Dr. Thea Ducrow at (225) 363-7992 to schedule legislative testimony coaching so you can achieve your mission in 2019.

 

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As a leader/manager, you have the challenge of leading individuals on the spectrum of communication skills. Some individuals will be literal/concrete thinkers. Think Dr. Sheldon Cooper of the Big Bang Theory. In order to increase productivity and cooperation, there are some communication techniques that will help.

Positive communication with literal colleagues and clients:

• Literal individuals often face challenges in interpersonal communications. Specifically they are often unaware of the nuances of body language and non-verbal communication techniques such as vocal tone. They will often misinterpret body language cues.
• Literal individuals will often over-explain. It’s okay to say, “I understand.”
• Other characteristics of literal individuals:
  • Determination to seek the truth
  • Advanced vocabulary and interest in words
  • Perseverance in gathering and cataloging
    information
  • Encyclopedic knowledge of topic
  • Focused desire to maintain order and accuracy

 

• Do NOT take it personally when they do not
  make small talk, smile, or engage in typical interpersonal communication behaviors.
• Think about your word selection and use specific words that exactly capture what you mean.
• Refrain from using lots of hand or arm gestures.
• Provide lists and detailed justification for your proposals and/or actions.
• When possible, communicate via phone and e-mail.

to think about: who on your team is a literal/concrete thinker?

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As the new year begins, I tend to reflect on the past year and my life in general. This year, I was thinking about what I know now that I wish I knew before and jotted them down. I hope they are helpful to you.

Life
is easier when:

You don’t get embarrassed.

You don’t worry about being nice for niceness sake.

You don’t worry about people liking you.

You embrace good enough for some projects.

You treat others the way they want to be treated.

You are true to yourself.

You exercise at least 10 minutes every day.

You talk to strangers.

You let your light shine.

You have a comfortable work chair.

You have a jam free stapler.

You check in curbside with heavy luggage.

You let go of could’ve, would’ve, should’ve.

You treat yourself and others with kindness.

You use carrots rather than sticks.

You realize everyone is doing the best they can.

You silence the negative voice in your head.

You don’t look to others to determine your worth.

To think about: For you, life is easier when…….

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Lately, I’ve had several friends tell me that facebook has lost its fun factor. When I asked them about it, they say things like “it’s become so political” and “everyone is selling something.” I can see their points. Facebook can be useful in creating personal and business relationships. I’ve developed some communication tips for keeping facebook fun.

1.  Decide what you want out of facebook: connecting with friends, colleagues, potential clients, etc.

2. Do not approve people just because they’ve friended you. Only approve people that you want to connect with and whom you’re comfortable knowing about your life.

3.  Hide negative or political posters. One of my friends didn’t realize that she didn’t have to unfriend someone, she could just hide their feed. If anyone has repeated negative or poor me postings, I hide their feed. If anyone is selling any type of MLM product, I hide their feed. If anyone is intolerant, I hide their feed.

4. Unfriend people. Life is too short to be around people who are negative. If someone posts something you find offensive or distasteful, unfriend them. Chances are these are not people you see regularly in your real life.

5. Develop a thick skin. I have several facebook friends who routinely weed out their friends’ lists and unfriend people. My philosophy, if someone doesn’t like what I’ve written on facebook, it’s probably not a good fit for a real friendship anyway.

I’ve crafted my facebook experience to be one of people I like who have positive postings. Consequently, it’s a fun experience.

 

To think about: whose feeds should I hide and whom should I unfriend?

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