Increase morale, confidence, productivity and profit ...
by changing how you communicate


Marion's Communication Tips

Marion Grobb Finkelstein offers practical, proven and powerful communication tips you can put to use in the workplace. She'll help you increase morale, confidence and productivity by changing the way you communicate. You'll have communication tools to connect with colleagues, clients, employees and bosses... fast!

  • Are You a Mover and a Shaker?

    by Marion Grobb Finkelstein, 0 Comments

    When was the last time you moved? When did you last shake it up a bit? ...more

  • Stop Complaining, Start Creating

    by Marion Grobb Finkelstein, (Disabled) Comments

    Reno ArchIn the early 1990s, I worked in Reno, Nevada doing the marketing and media relations for the airport. It was a wonderful opportunity and I learned many lessons I still use today and share in my speeches and training sessions. I learned about the type of person, boss and colleague I want to be as well as what I definitely don't want to be. One of the gifts I enjoyed most, was the lifelong friendships that began in this “The Biggest Little City in the World”.

    I had a colleague in Reno who did the marketing for one of the local casinos. He was full of expressions, experience and useful advice and he used to often say to people, "Stop complaining, start creating". There's a lot of wisdom in those words, and almost two decades later, they still ring true to me.

    Stop complaining, start creating.
     
    I bet you know someone who seems to complain constantly, don't you? You're probably thinking of someone right now, Maybe it's a boss? A client? A colleague? An employee? Whoever it is complaining to you, bearing witness to it can be painful and irritating. It's not fun to be around someone who is a real downer, especially when they complain and do nothing to change the situation.
     
    As I often remind others and myself, we can't change other people, we can only change how we respond to them. And how we respond and behave around them is underpinned by how we perceive them. So, I'd like to share a way to view complaints and complainers that may buy you some patience and a healthy appreciation, yes -- appreciation -- for their comments.
     
    I invite you to think of a complaint as an unspoken request.
     
    Think about it like this: COMPLAINT = REQUEST
     
    Hidden beneath that whiny pitched, difficult comment, could actually be a request to change something. When someone is complaining about the project he or she is being asked to do, what that person might mean is that they love the work, just can't stand the workload. Another colleague is kvetching that he is constantly being overlooked for opportunities, when really what he wants to say and doesn't know how to enunciate is that he wants a chance to get the training he needs to compete.
     
    What is it that you are really requesting?
     
    What do you find yourself complaining about and what is it really that you're asking? The files dumped in a heap on the desk is what you mention, when really what you need is someone to understand that you want a break and some time off from the chains of administrative overload. You complain about a boss never saying "thank you" and really what you're saying is that you want to be acknowledged for your contribution and treated in a respectful manner.
     
    Who are you saying it to?
     
    A telltale sign of unproductive complaining is when someone is doing it to another person who has no power to change the situation at all. If you find yourself complaining, ask yourself if you're talking to someone who can help evoke positive change. If not, can this person actively brainstorm solutions with you? Or are they the unlucky recipient of you purging your negativity? Venting is fine, everyone does it sometime. The key is being selective about who you do it with -- think best friends, family members, confidantes. If it's results you're looking for, complain to someone who can do something about it and make sure it ultimately results in productive steps forward -- otherwise, you're just a whiner.
     
    What you complain about communicates to others what you hold near and dear, what you value, and what you feel threatened about losing. Instead of painting yourself in a negative light, re-frame the complaint into a request. and flip the negativity into productive change.
     
     ...more

  • 2 Keys to Change

    by Marion Grobb Finkelstein, (Disabled) Comments

    I bet you have a lot of change in your life these days. Your workplace is a whirlwind of "right-sizing", new bosses, reorganizations and uncertainty. If you're a biz owner, your marketplace is changing and you adapt or go out of business. That old adage, "the only constant is change" holds true. So how do you cope with it?

    The first thing is to realize that everyone is different and as such, responds to change differently. What you see as exciting and challenging, your colleague, boss, client or employee may see as overwhelming and frightening. Knowing this will help you to communicate change to others in a way they are most likely to understand.

    There are many ways to look at the "change challenge" and various strategies to ease the transition. One of the most useful approaches is a simple two-step process that helps to shift your thinking. Both steps are critically important, and although simple to cognitively understand, are not always easy to implement.

     ...more

  • You've Got to Shoot to Score

    by Marion Grobb Finkelstein, 0 Comments

    I must admit, even though I'm proudly Canadian, I really don't watch hockey much. An anomaly, I know, with one exception -- the Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Special call out to my Ottawa Sens colleagues!)
     
    Last night, I and millions of other viewers across North America watched the Ottawa Senators take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. After the second period, the Sens led 3 to 1 and then it happened. Third period, the Penguins scored two goals, tied, and went on to win the game and in fact, the series.
     
    Here's the interesting stat that flashed up in the third period. It really struck me. Shots to the goal were about 18 to 5, Penguins to Ottawa. It's no wonder the Penguins scored -- they were shooting almost 4 times as much!
     
    When was the last time you needed to communicate to someone, or take a risk in your communications? In order to score some points, did you give it a shot and put your ideas out there? Or did you skate around, hold back, and wonder why everyone was cheering for someone else other than you?
     
    Sometimes the specter of communicating with certain people or with certain messages can be overwhelming. Marion, maybe you have a great idea to share with your boss and just don't know how to present it. Or perhaps your employee needs some tuning up on their skills and you aren't sure where to begin.
     
    The point is this -- start somewhere. Start small. Just start.
     
    If you want to score points in your career, relationships, and in this game called life, you've got to play in the game and take a shot. There is no sense having great ideas and sharing them with no-one. I strongly believe that we all have, not just the opportunity to share our ideas and expertise, but rather, the responsibility to do so.
     
    Putting yourself out there and taking risks in your communications can be tough. Not everyone will do it, and that's why the payoffs can be big. So ask yourself this these two questions:
     
    1) what do I stand to gain or lose if I take the risk?
    2) what do I stand to gain or lose if I don't?
     
    Would it be more painful for you to take a chance and lose? Or never take a chance and not know if you could have won? Everyone's answer will be different and that's just fine. The only answer that really counts is yours because you're the one who will live with the results.
     
    The key is this -- let your action be led by decision rather than default. Controlling your communications is up to you. Every decision you make, every time you communicate or choose not to, speaks volumes.
     
    So get in the game, and decide how you're going to make your communications score points for you.
     
    PS: JOIN ME ON FACEBOOK. Let's keep the communications going in between my e-newsletters on my "Facebook Fan Page". Just click here www.facebook.com/MarionSpeaks and select "like". I look forward to hearing your comments on my daily posts!
     
    Until next time,
    Better communication, better business,
    better life,
    Marion Grobb Finkelstein
    Keynote Speaker / Corporate Trainer / Author
     
    "Better communication, better business ... better life" MGF

    Recipient of APEX "Award for Leadership in Service Innovation"

    Marion@MarionSpeaks.com

    www.MarionSpeaks.com

    • ·Marion is a contributing author to "Award-Winning Finalist USA BOOK NEWS Non-Fiction: Anthologies" book, "The Power of the Platform: Speakers on Success", featuring 21 authors including Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy and Tana Goertz.
     ...more

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