Gal Baggins' Post

General Guidelines for Effective Listening

Effective listening is a critical part of communicating—you can’t have one without the other. No matter where your position lies in the chain of command. Both managers and entry level employees alike need to hear feedback, take direction and understand the needs of the people around them.

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How to Speak Up In Meetings

To speak up in a meeting is considered public speaking, and according to Psychology Today, there are many reasons some people are afraid to do it:

  • Anxiety
  • Thoughts and beliefs about yourself
  • The situation (lack of experience, audience etc.)
  • Skills or lack thereof

However, speaking up in meetings is important for personal and professional reasons. When you share ideas or questions, you take part in the conversation, provide value, and show that you’re trying to be an active participant in the workplace. All of this can lead to being seen by upper management, which can be critical for moving ahead in your career.

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Keep Focus and Be a Great Leader for Your Team

A great company or team culture – one that’s productive, positive and growth-oriented – starts with a great leader.

Becoming a leader that your team members want to follow is not just a simple prescriptive or formulaic check of the box. This will require you to focus on your team, be reliable to show up, intentional with your actions, and consistent in being present.

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Improve Team Communication for Better Customer Experience

Customers are the lifeblood of any business – and keeping them happy ensures they stay loyal to your company. This is why great customer experience is crucial. In fact, an estimated 52 percent of Americans have switched their allegiance from one brand of retailer, cable provider, bank or other establishment because of poor customer services.

High-quality customer experience must be prioritized to thrive in our consumer-driven world. However, the success of your customer service approach is only as effective as the health of your internal communication.

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Why It’s Worth Collaborating with Teammates (And How to Do It Productively)

Research at Stanford University found that those collaborating on a certain assignment will tend to persist with the task 64 percent longer than solo workers. This outcome, the study suggests, also leads to more enthusiasm, commitment and intrinsic motivation. And all of these have a notable impact on the success of the organization. 

The purpose of collaboration is to unite a group of people to complete a common objective or goal, in addition to sharing the workload. As such, collaboration is beneficial for employees and managers alike. Learn more about why your team should be collaborating more often and how you can harness these benefits in order to be more productive.  

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4 Ways to Increase Productivity While Working from Home

The frequency of remote work options have grown exponentially in the past decade, with an estimated 3.6 million Americans working from home in at least some capacity, based on State of the Remote Job Marketplace.

The remote work trend has notable perks for both employees and employers – no commute, time flexibility and minimal office costs. What’s more, a study of 500 employees from Stanford University reports that working from home can lead to a boost in productivity. For example, traditional office workers in the study lost time due to traffic on their commutes, periodic water-cooler breaks and other daily interruptions, while remote employees did not.

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How Staying Fit Helps Your Health and Makes You More Productive at Work

Moving your body regularly helps you fight off chronic disease, while improving your overall mood and keeping your waistline small, but staying fit is about more than looking good. Plus, the promise of a better body is likely not enough of a motivator to get you to the gym anyway.

Research from the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), however, may have discovered the motivation you need to start working out once and for all. According to HERO, employees who ate healthy meals and exercised on a regular basis had better job performance and lower absenteeism. In fact, employees who ate healthy all day long were 25 percent more likely to have higher job performance.

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