How Language Sabotages Workplace Communications

How Language Sabotages Workplace Communications How Language Sabotages Workplace Communications Language is a funny thing. A given order of words can mean different things to different people depending on how those words are delivered. How you are presenting yourself through language may also be undermining your efforts to appear professional and self-confident. If youve ever ended uncertain statements with the hint of a question mark or began a constructive critique with a preemptive Im sorry, but you know what I mean.What you may not know is that you may be hurting your chances for promotion or in otherwise getting ahead in your career. Why? Because you are communicating in a wishy-washy way, which makes you appear to lack authority and reeks of uncertainty. Take a look at the following common communication mistakes so that you can keep them in check at work.1. Transforming statements into pseudo-sentences unsurprisingly makes you seem unsure about what you are saying and can lea d to your listener wondering if you are fishing for approval and just trying to say what he or she wants to hear. Once everything you say starts coming out sounding like a question, youve schwefellost control of the conversation. The trick to this problem is to get behind whatever you have to say before your self-doubt begins to derail the conversation. Make sure you understand your arguments or beliefs before you start your presentation. Once you know that what you are saying is backed up by facts, you can present your case with confidence and retort with reasoned responses should you be challenged.2. A common sub-conscious conversation faux pas occurs when you apologize for things that are not your fault or when an apology is not an appropriate response. Of course, there are always situations where an Im sorry is necessary, but taking the blame for events that were not your fault only makes you appear meek. Similarly, apologizing before delivering valid criticisms has no positive effects. In a way, you are taking the responsibility for the fault of others when you should be placing it where it belongs. Bottom line Drop the unnecessary apologies. They arent softening your delivery or making anyone feel better, but they are making you appear to lack confidence.3. On the fence can be a dangerous position in the workplace. Sometimes others will want your recommendation in making important decisions, and if you arent willing to make a case for one choice you can seriously undermine your credibility. You should never seek to be seen as the person who always plays it safe and never makes final decisions. This has the effect of making you appear weak-willed and a crowed follower. Instead, when you are asked for a recommendation, pick your answer and stick to it. Even if you end up changing your mind in the end, at least your reputation will be one of strong stances, not of weak acquiescence.

How to become a morning person (11 tricks to try today)

How to become a morning rolle (11 tricks to try today)How to become a morning person (11 tricks to try today)Weve all heard the statistics about how the most successful CEOs tend towake up around 5 a.m.If youre already a morning person, congratulations, I am so jealous.If you arent a natural born morning person, you might consider morning people to besmug overachievers.After all, by the time you hit snooze on your alarm for the seventh time, the morning person has probably exercised,read for an hour, made a delicious (balanced) breakfast andarrived to work early. According tostudies conducted by 23andMe, theres evidence that morning people have different genetic makeup than evening people, or those of us who tend to stay up late at night.However, regardless of your genetic makeup, there are fairlysimple ways to ease your body into being a morning body. Sincewomen are already more likely to be early risers, were halfway there.Keep a regulated sleep scheduleThe first tip is likely the hardest one to keep up- because the first step to becoming a morning person is to go to sleep andwake up at roughly the same time. Everyday.Try to go to sleep and get up at the same time every day. Choose a bedtime where you normally feel tired. If you dont normally feel tired until well after 12 a.m., take a look at your food and caffeine consumption. Note that caffeine can cause sleep deprivation up to twelve hours after consumption. Remember that 3 p.m. coffee you couldnt live without?Unless you have young children acting as your alarm clock, you might have the urge to sleep in on a Saturday. Dont do it By switching up your sleep schedule, you are throwing your internal sleep clock off-kilter.By maintaining a sleep schedule, you are doing your body a huge favor. When your body gets used to waking and sleeping at specific times, your alarm clock becomes (almost) superfluous.Let the light wake youWe know you love your blackout curtains when youre Netflixing late into the night. But these same curtains are disrupting your bodys natural circadian rhythm into basically thinking its night, all the time.Stuck in the middle of a dark winter and need to rise before the lazy sun? Consider investing ina light-up alarm clock. No, its not going to blast you with a flashlight beam to your dome at exactly 605 a.m. Instead, it will gradually mimic the light of a sunrise. In addition, most light-up alarm clocks will also beep (first softly, then louder) to wake you with the combination of light and sound. Pretty cool.Exercise in the morningThis is advice I need to take into account myself. WhoopsChances are, you have exercised in the morning at some time in your life. It iskind ofthe greatest feeling ever. After your morning workout, you are invincible, filled with energy and ready to take anything head-on.However, it can be extremely difficult to make this happen, especially in the dark winter months. Lay out your workout clothes the night before. Book a class at a local g ym and dont allow enough time to talk yourself out of it. Get up and goJust like any other routine, starting a morning exercise ritual will teach your body to crave it. In addition, your morning workouts are harder to interrupt. Evening exercise plans are more likely to be interrupted byunexpectedly long work days, dinner plans, or (lets face it) Netflix.Eat protein for breakfastAmericans get plenty of protein in their diets. But most of that protein intake takes place at dinner time.Eating protein in the morning has beenproven to keep you fuller, longer. Protein-heavy meals help to improve the levels of your appetite-regulating hormones. As a result, youll experience fewer cravings throughout the day, and you are less likely to overeat at dinner and cause stomach discomfort throughout the night.Eat a hearty lunchOnce you are hungry again, eat a good lunch. While dinner is often touted as the big meal of the day, its better for good sleep to have a bigger lunch and a lighter dinner. By re-assigning lunch as your big meal, youre giving your body ample time to digest and avoid bedtime heartburn or stomach problems. Go ahead, have that big lunchtime burrito.Dont take a napDang, that lunch was good. So good, in fact, that we should follow it up with a nice nap NoI know that youre tired and that naps are awesome, but try not to nap. If you find yourself nodding off, try to substitute a nap with a walk or a few jumping jacks.If youre at work and you find yourself nodding off, refer to this list ofproductive work to keep you busy. Save your sleepiness for a few hours from now, at which point you can have good, restful sleep.Avoid that afternoon coffeeCaffeine will stay in your system up to twelve () hours after ingestion. If you crave a hot cup in the afternoon, try a glass of hot water with some lemon as an alternative. If you have to get through a slew of afternoon meetings and you need caffeine, consider a cup of tea instead.Starting your evening routineNighttime activities are crucial for the morning person.What you do the night before will drastically affect your morning routine. There is a huge difference between curling up with a good book at 8 p.m. and drinking sugary margaritas until 12 a.m. when you have to wake up at 7 a.m. either way.Be smart with your evening routine to make a better morning. Future you will love you for it.Replace screen time with booksPart of becoming a morning person is in actually gettinggood sleep. Instead of falling asleep to your requisite television show, consider picking up a trusty old book or one of those New Yorkers from the giant pile accumulating on your desk.Staring at screens before bed has been known tosabotage your sleep. Since most electronic screens emit a blue light, they actually disrupt your internal clock and circadian rhythm. This blue light tends to make the body more alert at night, making it harder to fall asleep and get good rest throughout the night.Put your screens away two hours befo re bed if possible. If you cannot live that long without your trusty phone (but, seriously, you can), make sure to set your phone to night mode on both youriOSandAndroidphones. If youre like me and youre addicted toASMRvideos, like cake frosting videos orsoap-cutting videos,its probably best to distance yourself from your phone hours before bedtime.But seriously,read books before bedtime. Fuel your dreams with adventures and imagination. There are farmore interesting (and less stressful) things happening at Hogwarts than on Facebook any night of the week.Prep your morning needs at nightWhat are you wearing to work tomorrow? What do you want for lunch? By prepping these aspects of your day the evening before, you free up your mind for the morning. Allow yourself to wake up ready to go by prepping whatever you can the night before.Check the weather and lay out your outfit. Know where your car keys are before you drift off to sleep. Having everything ready makes the morning effortless, freeing you up to do other things like exercise or make some fresh-squeezed orange juice. texas tea into being a great morning person by taking care of business the night before.Sleep comfortablyYour phone is safely out of reach and all glowing screens have been turned off hours ago. Your lunch is packed, and your car keys are on the kitchen table next to your gym bag.All thats left to do is sleep.Make sure your bedroom is comfy and cozy so that you can doze off and wake up with, or before, your good pal sunshine. Goodnight (and good morning)This article was originally published on CareerContessa.

Inspirational Quotes that Work as Job Interview Tips

Inspirational Quotes that Work as Job Interview TipsInspirational Quotes that Work as Job Interview TipsUnless youre one of those schriftarts that enjoy alternating cycles of hopefulness followed by rejection, chances are you dont exactly hop up and down with joy over the prospect of job searching. While we all know that one and done success story of the college friend whos never been unemployed a day in their lives, the rest of us are going to have to kiss quite a few frogs before finding that career prince charming.So what should you do when the job interview process is getting you down? We like to go back to some of the greatest thinkers, tinkers, and doers of ur past and present and garner up a little motivation. Below are a few pearls of wisdom to help kickstart your job search and keep you on track to success.Its notlage whether you get knocked down. Its whether you get up. Vince LombardiWere all going to be told no a few times, or simply not receive a response to our expertly crafted resume or hiring application. The number of times we fail wont define us, but the actions we take to continue on and achieve eventual success will. What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. Henry David ThoreauSo many lessons can and should be learned throughout the job interview process. From each individual meeting or phone or email exchange you should be constantly gleaning information. Some of this will serve you well in the current job hunt while other tidbits will be useful in future endeavors. Whatever you do, remember the process is the most essential step to any endeavor. You miss 100% of the shots you dont take. Wayne GretzkyWeve all been in the position where weve come across the job of our dreams, only to read the fine print requirements and see were missing a year of experience or dont have one of the requested advanced certifications. Were also inherently guilty of talking ourselves out of feeling worthy of taking a shot for that awesome job when we do have all of the requirements met. If you never take the shot, youll never score a win, so what are you waiting for? Hard work and dedication and perseverance and being good to people does win. It does matter. Cream does rise to the top. Gina RodriguezSometimes its easy to think of all the time youre putting into job hunting rather than focusing on the ultimate successful outcome. Know that if youre a qualified, hardworking, experienced candidate that you will eventually rise to the top of the applicant pile and end up in the winning job offer seat. The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. Walt DisneyOften times during the job search process we can get bogged down in the planning, preparing, reviewing, and discussing aspects of the job search for countless hours without taking that crucial first step. Dont get us wrong, we love when you read our regular blog entries for pointers, but at some point, youll need to exec ute instead of just reading. So send out that first interview or make that first networking call. Its the very first step youll take to ultimate success. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. ConfuciusEspecially in competitive or saturated job markets, it can often feel like the process of searching and interviewing is taking much too long. Add in the inevitable delays in individual hiring processes and the stress of being unemployed, or non-ideally employed, and the whole shebang can feel a bit like waiting for water to boil. Realize that as long as you are moving forward it is still a step in the right direction, even if things arent quite going as quickly as youd like. Never put off for tomorrow, what you can do today. Thomas JeffersonSerial procrastinators in the house, this motivation advice is for you. Cringing at the thought of refreshing that resume? Dreading tackling those thank you follow up emails? Its only natural to feel overwhelmed or unincli ned to engage in a job hunting task. The trick is to overcome that aversion and take positive steps every day in order to prevent the inevitable backlog that can sabotage your job search efforts. Success is not final, failure is not fatal it is the courage to continue that counts. Winston ChurchillWinston Churchill saw some of the brightest and darkest times of his era and had first-hand responsibility for a number of successes and defeats. Take it from him, keeping movement and momentum going when faced with both highs and lows will serve you well in your initial career search and throughout. The question isnt whos going to let me its whos going to stop me. Ayn Rand If youre the type thats always waiting for someone to open a door to your success, chances are youre going to be waiting an awfully long time. Opportunity is out there in the interview room and beyond but youll need to actively seek it out and be your own number-one cheerleader. Dont be afraid to go out on a limb. Thats where the fruit is. H. Jackson BrownLast but not least when it comes to our motivational sayings to motivate your job interview is a little jewel that talks about risk versus reward. Sometimes you may see a job listing in a different career field, new city, or a position youve never even considered. Going out on a limb, given that its strong and sturdy enough, will allow you to score some pretty juicy career rewards that wouldnt have been available otherwise.We hope that weve inspired you and your job search with our tried and true motivational quotes. Have a favorite that weve missed or that always helps spielblttchen you up? Drop us a line in the comments and maybe youll be included in our next article or update.