A Quarterly Newsletter

Accomplishing Your Goals
Through
Effective Communication

One way to start the communication process is for you to be candid and self-disclosing. Tell others how you feel about a situation and encourage their feedback. “How successfully a team, department or group functions is directly related to how effectively the members communicate with one another in group situations.”

One of the most basic things we need to learn to do, in our personal relationships, and at work, as well, is to communicate effectively. Effective communications are those which accomplish our goals.

In the case of work, these are work-oriented goals, where effective communication can help us play a more productive role, get greater recognition for the tasks we accomplish, and ultimately, help those around us communicate better, leading to a more productive workplace.

Work on your own goals by learning to say no
The first step in getting ahead is learning to work on your own goals. In order to move from manager to leader, you must shed many of your day-to-day tasks, so the art of saying no is a particularly valuable one to learn. All too frequently women are asked to “help out” at work, and they accept, even in instances where they will get no credit, and will have less time and energy to devote to their own goals. One key to avoiding this dilemma is to be very clear in recognizing which are important goals for you to accomplish and which are merely draining your energy because someone else, who actually is responsible for the task, expects your help and urges you to be a “team player” or “a corporate nurturer,” similar to the cub scout den mother baking cookies for all the troops, except this man is not your child.

In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, author Steve Covey suggests a way to say no without offending. “Of course, I'll be happy to do anything you want me to do. Just let me share with you my situation.” Then you map out in great detail your many projects, pressures, and deadlines.

Although it is far better to avoid draining tasks which don't support your career goals, there’s also a second or fall-back approach. Agree to help but negotiate for something you want in exchange. (This will also serve to place more perceived value on your time, as it will not be free but must be paid for with something in return.) You say, “I will do what you’re asking under the following conditions...,” then set them out. You may want a newer computer, more staff, a rescheduling of due dates on some of your projects. . . whatever you decide would make an equitable trade. If the person has nothing to offer at the moment, if for whatever reason, you decide to acquiesce anyway, your final position is to say, “O.K., I’ll do it this time, but you owe me one.”

Problem Solving
There are recruiters who say companies only hire one kind of person: problem solvers. Every day your company or department faces some kind of problem. If you solve it, you will continue moving up the ladder. Usually it takes a lot of communication to first define what the problem really is. If a unit is not accomplishing its goals, it could be that they have a poor manager, that they are given too great a work load, that they are understaffed, working on the wrong goals, or are not clear on how they should be focusing their energies. Usually the only way to get at the real problem is to get people to talk to you. You must not only communicate but help others communicate and share their feelings with you. As they do, the heart of the problem will become clear and perhaps the solution as well. One way to start the communication process is for you to be candid and self-disclosing. Tell others how you feel about the situation and encourage their feedback.

Team Building
According to Hendrie Weisinger, Ph.D., author of Emotional Intelligence at Work, “How successfully a team, department, or group functions is directly related to how effectively the members communicate with one another in group situations.”

Non-productive meetings are marked by discussions which go in circles, outbursts of hostility, anger, frustration, and not much getting accomplished. Productive meetings are those where someone, perhaps a chairman of a committee or a team leader, guides the discussion, clarifies points and keeps everyone on track, dealing in issues not personalities and focusing on accomplishing a goal. This positive interaction, where issues are resolved and productive plans are made, results in people feeling good about themselves and each other and beginning to take pride in the fact that they are achieving results working as a team. This is the first step in team building which rests squarely on good communication where issues are discussed openly, people may disagree without criticizing each other personally, and everyone is encouraged to express an opinion.

Once you have identified a team member’s strong points, make a point of complimenting her, or him. “Jack,
I’ve never seen anyone get to the heart of a problem as fast as you do. You have such a fine analytical mind.” Or, “Helen, the ad campaign you designed for our new computer game was right on target. You are so creative, thanks for the great job.” Once someone recognizes his/her own strong points, and feels valued for them, he or she will be anxious to do more. And once the right person is in a particular job, that makes everyone’s job a little easier and more pleasant. As more and more people find their niche, doing what they're best at, and working as a team to support the whole, pretty soon the whole place will start humming.

Focusing on doing the right things, solving problems, resolving conflicts, and building teams can all be accomplished through effective communications.

Article adapted from the AdvancingWomen.com web site at www.advancingwomen.com.

"Investing By the Book”

Steve Hendrickson, investment representative with Edward-Jones in Jonesborough, will present “Investing By the Book: A Winning Strategy for Women,” on Tuesday, January 25, 2005. In this investment-based seminar designed to assist you in putting time-tested rules of successful investing to work for your future needs, Hendrickson will discuss a long-term, buy-and-hold investment philosophy, as well as budgeting for investing, diversification, identifying quality companies, and working with investment professionals.

Location for this Personal Finance Lunch Break Seminar is the East Tennessee Room, D.P. Culp University Center, at noon.

“Negotiation Skills for Women”

Margaret Kellogg, L.C.S.W., will return during February 2005 to conduct the interactive series, “Negotiation Skills for Women.” Do negotiations make you nervous so that you end up just settling for less? Are you unsure of the techniques for successful negotiations? Do you lack the confidence to negotiate for what you want? If any of these questions sound familiar, then join us for this three-part series.

Scheduled for February 3, 10, and 17, the series will provide practical techniques that can be implemented whether you are negotiating for that big raise, a promotion, or just buying a car. Kellogg will share the top three secrets successful negotiators use, along with other useful techniques that will better enable you to keep your focus under pressure.

All sessions will be held at the Women’s Resource Center, Panhellenic Hall, basement suite 2, at noon. Reservations are required. To reserve a spot or should you need additional information regarding this series, contact the Women’s Resource Center at 423-439-7847.

Women’s Health Series Highlights

Did you know that most falls happen to women in their homes in the afternoon? For people over the age of 79, falls are the leading cause of death according to the National Safety Council. Falls are serious at any age, and breaking a bone after a fall becomes more likely as a person ages. “Fall Prevention: Physical Therapy Strategies for the Caregiver” will be presented by Mary Jo Davenport, P.T., assistant professor in the ETSU Department of Physical Therapy. Scheduled for Tuesday, February 8, 2005, location for this Women’s Health Series Lunch Break Seminar is the East Tennessee Room, D.P. Culp University Center, at noon.

Davenport, who spent twenty years in private practice before entering the higher education arena, will discuss heightening awareness regarding some of the common risk factors associated with falls. Also, Davenport will cover strategies related to personal factors and environmental factors, which include tackling aspects such as balance problems to hazard control of elements related to environmental factors, like clutter.

On Tuesday, February 22, 2005, “Body Image: Changing the Culture,” will be presented by Kim Bushore-Maki, a counselor with the ETSU Counseling Center. Bushore-Maki will discuss the narrow definitions of beauty defined by the media, which many of us fall victim to, along with some concrete tools for uncovering the beautiful inner self and building a more confident, solid base from which to explore one’s unique purpose and value.

In today’s society body image dissatisfaction is so epidemic that it’s almost considered normal. Recent studies show preschoolers are already exposed to hearing that certain types of foods, especially sugar, might make them “fat.” Kids, as early as third grade, are concerned about their weight. But the most vulnerable are teens. This is the age we are most impressionable and start to develop self-confidence and self-perception. About half of female teens think they’re too fat and almost 50 percent are dieting. There is a lot of pressure to succeed and fit in. One of the ways to fit in is to have “the perfect body.” Location for this Women’s Health Series Lunch Break Seminar is the East Tennessee Room, D.P. Culp University Center, at noon.

For additional information related to any of the Lunch Break Seminars listed above, please contact the Women’s Resource Center at 423-439-7847.

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