Tag Archives: communication

Get comfortable with giving feedback

Skill development No Comments

My colleague Jo Fairweather has written this post on how to give effective feedback.  Giving feedback is an important part of being a good colleague or line manager, and this post will also help you to reflect on what you want when you are asking others to give you feedback on your work.

We regularly give feedback in our lives. It could be writing a review on TripAdvisor, commenting on a colleague’s email or giving feedback on someone’s essay.

Considering your approach to giving feedback can help make you and the person who receives feedback feel more comfortable.

Reflect on your current approach to giving feedback. Are you on target, go in with a sledgehammer or avoid the issue for fear of upsetting the individual? The purpose of providing feedback is for the recipient to benefit from that new knowledge. Giving feedback is not about trying to change that person, be judgemental, or make them like you. Being aware of your natural response can help you analyse how you view feedback.

Be clear on what the feedback relates to. Be descriptive not interpretative. Feedback is like holding up a mirror to someone else. Try to keep personal opinions and concerns out of the message. Emphasise the “what” and “how” rather than the “why.”

Present a balanced view. Pay attention to giving both positive and negative feedback. Most people listen out for and remember negative feedback received first so a good balance is important.

Put yourself in the other person’s place. Assess the readiness of the other person to make use of what you say. Pick your time and place. Consider if the feedback will be given face to face. Receiving feedback via text, email, or phone can affect the tone and lead to misinterpretation.

Be specific rather than general. Stick to concrete examples you have noticed and be aware of getting side tracked by unrelated matters. For example, if you are being asked to comment on the tone of an email don’t start commenting on the spelling too.

Be direct and courageous. You may feel uncomfortable saying something unpleasant to the person. Remember your intention is to be helpful. Keeping information from the person can be more harmful than telling them.

Say your information and let it go. It is up to the person what they do with your feedback, don’t be offended if they don’t take it.

By following the above principles you will become more comfortable in giving feedback.

Do positive role models increase public speaking confidence?

Leadership Skill development No Comments

confidenceThere is some interesting research about role models and public speaking confidence that I want to share.  In particular, an article entitled Successful female leaders empower women’s behavior in leadership tasks* (and any male readers bear with me because this isn’t just for female students).

A sample of 149 male and female students were asked to give a speech in a virtual reality environment.  During their speech they were exposed to a picture of Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel or Bill Clinton.  The length and perceived quality of the speeches were measured to give an indication of behaviour in a stressful leadership task.  The essence of the research findings were:

  • Female students spoke for less time than men when a picture of Bill Clinton or no picture was used
  • But female students spoke for longer and rated their presentations more highly when speaking in the presence of a picture of a female role model, speaking for similar times to male students
  • There was no significant effect of any role model on the speech length or rating of male students
  • They concluded that subtle exposure to successful female leaders inspired women’s behaviour in stressful leadership tasks.

Putting aside your views on how good these political figures are as role models (and there was a lot of interesting / funny debate on this on another post about this I read somewhere!) I wondered what you thought about this?  What factors influence your confidence when giving presentations (and you can extend this to presenting yourself at interview, having difficult conversations in a work or academic context…)?

At the conference where I came across this research, Dame Sally Davies (Chief Medical Officer, the UK government’s principal medical adviser) said she imagines winding herself up before going into difficult meetings.  A senior member of staff in College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine mentioned she always makes sure she wears a jacket (and applies some lipstick!) before important presentations.  We’ve written about power poses before and how these can increase confidence levels.

So what works for you?  It would be great if you could share your tips for increasing confidence (and decreasing nerves) before presentations or difficult conversations in the comments below.

* Ioana M. Latu at al Journal of Experimental Social Psychology Volume 49, Issue 3, May 2013, pages 444 – 448. (You can get access to the full text through the library e-journals).

Interview Simulator

Interviews Job hunting No Comments

An invitation to a job interview can bring a mix of emotions. An initial rush of excitement can also be accompanied by feelings of concern; especially if you haven’t had an interview for some time. One of the resources you may find helpful is called Interview Simulator.  I referred to this in our recent post about video interviewing but this resource can have wider benefits.  My colleague, Jane Challinor, explains how Interview Simulator works below:  

As a University of Edinburgh student you’re able to access Interview Simulator, an online interview preparation module we subscribe to for your benefit. Find it in the Resources tab of MyCareerHub.

When you’re in Interview Simulator, a short video gives you an overview of how to use it.

Simulator

Watch the video – but here’s an outline to give you a quick impression of what Interview Simulator can do for you.

You have two main options – to go straight into the “Mock Interview” option, or to browse through a list of questions. These questions are grouped into categories and for each question you’re given a written explanation of why the employer might ask it, and what they’re hoping to hear in response. You can also choose to hear an employer outlining the purpose of the question, and their expectations.

In the Mock Interview section you can choose a pre-built version, or custom-build one by selecting questions yourself. It’s a good idea to set the timer, so you experience genuine time pressure! If you want, you can record your answers, or type them on screen. At the end, view the explanations given by employers – as seen in the “browse questions” section – and assess for yourself how close you’ve come to meeting their expectations. You’re not being given personal, 1:1 feedback on your performance but you are getting a good idea of the sorts of things to say – and not to say – to increase your chances of success. So why not see what you can learn from it?

For more advice on interview technique see http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/careers/using-careers-service/cvs-apps-interviews/interviews/overview

 

Communicating effectively

Career Management No Comments

CommunicationThere are many different theories or tools which can help us to understand the way in which we communicate and the impact this may have on others.  Obviously effective communication can be a key feature of good career management.  Some of the ways in which good communication can have a positive impact on career are:

  • communicating what you are gaining from postgraduate study to a current employer (or at interview for a new job)
  • making sure a manager is aware of the contribution you are making to the goals of the organisation you work for
  • building a strong network who can keep you up to date with news and information relevant to your field or link you in to interesting experiences

and there are many more!

I came across something called Wilson Learning’s Social Style model recently which states that there are four main communication styles.  The types are:

Expressive – strengths are open, friendly, enthusiastic, and imaginative.  Communicate with them by:

  • Supporting their views
  • Socialising
  • Talking about people issues
  • Asking for opinions
  • Offering personal incentives
  • Supporting their ideas

Amiable – strengths are supportive, patient, and diplomatic.  Communicate with them by:

  • Beginning with a personal compliment
  • Highlighting people issues
  • Finding common ground
  • Being open and candid
  • Asking “why?” questions

Analytical – strengths are thinking, thorough, and disciplined.  Communicate with them by:

  • Being prepared
  • Acknowledging their expertise
  • Giving credentials
  • Discussing pros and cons
  • Sticking to business
  • Giving more specific evidence

Driver – strengths are independent, decisive, and determined.  Communicate with them by:

  • Being clear, specific and brief
  • Presenting facts
  • Being logical
  • Providing alternatives
  • Focusing on results
  • Asking “what?” questions

The theory says that individuals are much more likely to communicate effectively with people who have the same style.  However, understanding how different people like to communicate, and making changes to your approach accordingly, may help increase the impact of your communication.  You may not recognise which of these four types you, or others, are but that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate some of the ideas into your communication.  It’s something to think about!

If you’d like to find out more, and decide if you agree with the model, go to the Wilson Learning website.