Monday, May 14, 2012

Resolution and Email

Well, I'm happy to announce that the event issue that came up last week has been resolved. It is important to always remain positive when communicating. It is important to be able to compromise, but also know when to hold the line. When you're holding your line on something, still remain positive and upbeat, even when dealing with people whose communication style can be abrasive. In this issue, I held the line, gave my reasons and offered a positive solution. The other party didn't take my offer and instead decided to no longer seek the change they had been wanting to make for the event. Even in a negative situation, one should respond in a positive manner. You don't want to tell someone what you can't do- no one needs to hear that. You can tell someone that you're not comfortable with something and then offer a positive solution. I'm not perfect at communicating, but I do make an effort to always be positive. I frequently find my self smiling when I'm writing my emails and I find that I'm almost always smiling when I'm making phone calls. A smile definitely comes through on the phone- your voice can't help but be upbeat and friendly when you're smiling. I think a smile also comes through, although to a lesser extent, via email.

Email can be a difficult communication tool when it comes to tone. I know a number of people who are friendly in person and on the phone, but when it comes to email the tone can be unmistakably obnoxious. I don't understand why that happens. I've learned not to take it personally from people that I know, but it is still a little baffling. I used to think that it happened because people are in rush when they emailed, but I think it is a bit more than that. Before I send an email, I usually double check to make sure it is concise- no one needs to read a paragraph when two sentences are sufficient. In situations that are sensitive or dealing with issues that need resolved, I make a particular effort to make sure to make sure that my tone is positive. Never respond to an annoying email immediately- that is a recipe for disaster. The good thing about email is that the person is not in front of you- they don't need an immediate response. Even if they do need a quick response, you can still take a few minutes to calm down and compose a pleasant reply.

Well, that's enough on that topic. Today, we donated to our 172 department- North Attleboro Police. They have the most beautiful police station that I've been in and I have been in a lot of stations. It is in a renovated jewelry manufacturing business that was over 100 years old. They kept the old look with the beautiful brick, but gave it a beautiful modern interior with lots of glass and a bright open feeling. It looked like it could be a high end office building. Even the outside was well landscaped. I was so impressed.  Here is a photo from today's donation. I should have done the photo so you can see the inside of the building.
Well, that's the latest for tonight. I was so hungry when I came home that I already had my yogurt, pineapple and strawberries. When I was driving, I felt very inspired about all the work I was going to do when I got home, but now my energy is melting away. I started the next book in the Hunger Games series, so I'm going to read that for a bit and write my lengthy list for tomorrow. There is so much that I need to get done, including finishing that grant I've been working on and getting it mailed. Until tomorrow friends...

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