Having co-workers and colleagues automatically means that we need to be able to communicate with others on a daily basis. This may sound obvious and unimportant, but it is actually a large part of our everyday exhaustion, especially when we don’t have an effective communication method with those we are interacting with. Often times we feel like asking a question or for clarification can make us look stupid or unprofessional, but the reality is, asking questions is empowering! If you don’t know something, there is no harm in saying to a manager or team member “Hey, I am actually struggling to understand what is required of me here, can you help me?”. This may seem intimidating, but think about the alternative, which could be stressing over not knowing the needed information, or providing the wrong information and feeling even more vulnerable in the situation. Admitting you don’t know something and asking for help is a much more empowering situation than pretending you do know or stressing over not knowing. More importantly, this allows you an opportunity to connect with your colleagues and form reciprocity, meaning that they too can come ask you for help when they need it.
When confronting a conflict with a team member or manager, it is always important to remember to express how YOU see the situation from your perspective by using terms such as “I feel that…”, “when this happened, I felt…”, “The way I saw the situation was…”. These allow for more open dialogue and the sharing of perspectives. It is also important to clarify with others and ask them how they perceived the situation and what they feel might need adjusting. This form of open and honest communication can really benefit an office team and allow for faster conflict resolution!
There are many more communication hacks and tricks to be learned but I hope you can put these ones to good use!
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