Sensitivity Training 101
 | by Drew on February 11th, 2008 |
I value honesty above all else. Anyone that knows me knows that as well. Today Diego had to be very honest with me.
I am writing this post because I think it is important for us all to realize how human each and everyone one of us is; from the top down.
This morning Diego and I were chatting online and I responded to him in a less than cordial manner. It was borderline unprofessional. I meant nothing by it but he read it as being a bit abrasive. It then came to my attention that in some forums and in some chats I tend to write very quickly and forget that my messages are not always read as I hear them in my head. And for that I apologize to each one of you. I realize now that this is a huge challenge I am facing. But I am committing to it because it will bleed into my communication with customers. It is probably something we will all want to be concerned with. How do we chat in such a way that balances the line of “fake polite” and “genuine courtesy and professionalism”.
I would love to hear how some of you maintain such great chattitudes and if any of you practice how you conduct chat conversations. This is where I become the student so please, teach away!
February 11th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Thanks Drew. We *all* need to get into the habit of being very polite through our written communication. From your personal experiences, and as noted in the Session Manual, we know that written communication is extremely more sensitive to misunderstandings. There aren’t the emotions and facial expressions to gather information from. Only strict black-and-white data.
In a fact-to-face situation, customers will take 55% of the meaning of what we say from our body language, 38% from the tone of your voice, and 7% from our actual words. Through chat, 100% of the meaning will be through your words.
It’s great to keep it real, speak from the heart and be ourselves, we just need to be extra-cautious when it comes to misunderstandings. I know our tone on the forums and the social network is very relaxed, and that’s great. We are people, after all. We need to make sure we aren’t as laissez fair when it comes to talking with, as Sir James noted awesomely, the people that sign our checks.
Thanks for the note Drew. This is a great time to start strengthening our communication skills.
February 11th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Can I be rude and insensitive since I don’t work for either of you
You guys are great. I miss seeing you both.
February 11th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Of course you can E-Man. Weren’t you always? How’s that for in your face in black and white? hahahahahaha.
(Note: E-Man is a personal colleague of Diego and I and a wonderful supporter of MinuteFix)
February 13th, 2008 at 2:23 am
I know i tend to get exited in chat sessions and lose my composure, beginning to type franticly. I have to re-read what I just type all the time, before I allow myself to press enter. You can see on the forums, I have a few posts where I ramble on. I too will have to put forth my best practices. Text chat is like a double edged sword, on one side you can think out what you say, on the other you must be aware of how your typings can be interpreted. Good article, helps to spread the chattitude awareness.
February 17th, 2008 at 5:08 am
Well as my normal hours i get up at 630 Am EST to go to my back breaking work M-Sat. But wait its Sunday, I cant Sleep to bad i wanted to sleep in. Well i say this customers read non verbal messages and verbal messages. I Would refrain from using non-verbal communication.
EXample.
1. Symbolic- sometimes a customer will not know what symbols mean. So Dont use them! Our Jobrequires no non- verbal communication therefore. So dnt use word abbreviations or symbols. The only time we need to use non-Verbal comunication is through our team via video or in person.
Another Rule.
Since i ve been working on computers ive noticed websites that offer both technical expertise, downloads etc. But some of these websites also show porn. Refrain from these websites and do not reffer customers to these websites.
That is all from now. Drew i learned psychology in College. I Loved it. I also took Speech.