Avoid "Negative-Speak" to Promote Employee Morale

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Every one has encountered "negative-speak" although they may not have had a name for this negative communication.

Negative-speak is the act of communicating only negative thoughts. It is the art of saying what is wrong and never saying what is right. It's a very bid morale killer in any organization.

I'm sure you can think of several people you have worked for or have worked with in the past that were more than ready to point out any and every flaw in a product but never, ever pointed out anything that was good or right.

These negative-speakers can ruin the morale of an entire organization if they are permitted.

Don't let yourself become a negative-speaker. There is something good in everything and by pointing out the good as well as the bad, you will be considered objective rather than accused of being only a nit-picker.

If a product is delivered to you that is less than perfect, how can you tell the employee they must improve the product without using negative-speak?

All you have to do is use a bit of tactfulness and point out some good points – even if the only good point is that they now know what NOT to do when creating this type of product.

Mistakes can be referred to as "lessons learned" rather than carelessness or neglect. An employee is much more likely to avoid repeating a "lesson learned" than they are to avoiding making "that stupid mistake".

A positive statement such as "I believe in your ability to make a few changes and significantly improve this product" is much easier to accept than "this report is trash". In the first case, the employee is likely to work very hard to generate a better report; in the second case, you may never obtain a satisfactory report and your employee will feel as if they have been beaten.

Sometimes it may be difficult to find something good in a situation or product, but with a little soul searching, you can bring any product into a good light. A pat on the back for work well done mitigates the times that you simply must point out flaws in a plan or product.

Don't let negative-speak become your main communication style and you'll find your employees have greater morale, remain more loyal, and will go to any lengths to accomplish whatever has to be done without complaint. .

Copyright © 2005 by Bill Roche.  All rights reserved.  All material on this site (www.TopResults.com) is protected by U.S. Federal Copyright law. It may not be reprinted in any form, or hosted on any Web site, without explicit permission.

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