Everyday Communication - There's a Wolf in the (Office) Corridor
Everyday Communication Using the Example of Little Red Riding Hood "One day, a girl with a red cover browsed through the forest, equipped with an upgraded basket hardware. Suddenly, the navigation app announces: 'Please turn around - you are in a no-walking zone.' Quickly reprogrammed and recalibrated the location, the path leads directly back to the destination. 'Please follow the direction arrow.' O. k. - the journey continues. Then, behind a tree cursor, a wolf cookie blinks and starts playing its soundcard, downloading the text..." This is how an IT professional might tell the story of Little Red Riding Hood to his colleague. When the Grimm Brothers included the story in their Children's and Household Tales two hundred years ago, the popular folktale began as follows: "Once upon a time there was a little girl who was loved by everyone who saw her, but most of all by her grandmother. One day she gave the child a little red cap of velvet, and as it suited her so well, and she wanted to wear nothing else, she was called Little Red Riding Hood..." Everyday Language Then and Now A brief look into its history and development shows that it has undergone a significant stylistic change. Social and technological changes as well as globalization leave their mark, just as different milieus influence it. This is particularly pronounced in the business world. Statements like "typical executive level," "typical IT professional," or "typical salesperson" show that even within a company and within specific professions, there are language styles influenced by the milieu. If Little Red Riding Hood is not read as a fairy tale or dramatically told at bedtime with the appropriate falling-asleep dramaturgy, but rather shared in the company cafeteria as a "real-life story," the everyday language shaped by the milieu is used. Typical Office Gossip or Something More? When colleagues meet in the corridor, in the coffee kitchen, or during lunch, they communicate with each other. Whether exchanging polite pleasantries, engaging in typical office gossip, or discussing important topics by taking advantage of informal encounters. Those who master this casual everyday communication have an advantage. In general, business communication focuses on challenging conversation situations. This is important, as this is where crises occur, decisions are prepared and made. However, it is often forgotten that ninety percent of business life consists of normalcy. Successful communication on the office corridor revolves around precisely this normalcy. Information Exchange through Office Gossip Even informal conversations can be productively utilized. Everyone can personally benefit from the "office gossip information exchange" and improve their own everyday communication. Many everyday conversation situations in the workplace can be better managed with a touch of humor. Therefore, as Little Red Riding Hood can also contribute to promoting communicative understanding and supporting respectful communication in everyday life, it should be coached once again - this time freshly: "Once upon a time, there was a little girl who wanted to bring a cake to her sick grandma. Upon arriving in the forest, the wolf approached the girl and sought dialogue. 'What is the goal of your journey on the outer and inner map and where are you right now?' The girl, slightly confused, said she was now in the forest and had to go to her grandmother. To which the wolf replied: 'That's good, you can talk about how you're feeling right now in this confrontation with the wolf...'" __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Successful Everyday Communication
Be Open
Prejudices limit you. Give your counterpart a chance not to be as you expect.
Start with a Kind Word
This works even with the most banal topics. Leave a good impression even in brief encounters in the elevator or on the office corridor. And make your counterpart look good too.
Show Interest
Listening is a royal discipline in communication. Try to be genuinely interested in your counterpart and not overshadow them with your own story.
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Successful Communication on the Office Corridor How to master everyday conversation situations in the job Click here to buy the book and learn more about the author:http://www.entertainment-excellence.de/redner/stefan-haeseli.html
