From the course: Communication Foundations

Tool kit: Criticism

From the course: Communication Foundations

Tool kit: Criticism

“

- Prioritize the following situations by identifying the one you most need to practice. Buying time to pull your thoughts together, regulating emotions with a neutral face, fielding tough questions when you don't have the answer or clarifying confusing or vague criticism. Pause the video and select your number one need. Great, you have your number one situation to work on. If you selected number one, buy time, practice in these low stakes situations. Tell someone you need to call them back when they stop by your desk. When a friend or family member asks for something, practice saying, I need to think about it first. Or when your waiter comes to take your order, ask them to come back. All of these everyday opportunities help you practice buying time. If you selected number two, regulating emotions, go to a mirror and alternate back and forth between your distressed or angry face and your neutral face. Go back and forth, really paying attention to what neutral feels like. Next time you're caught off guard, let that muscle memory kick in and take you back to your poker face. If you selected number three, fielding tough questions, get ready to respond using the formula, here's what I know, here's what I don't know, here's how I will find out. For example, if I say, what is Tatiana's favorite color? You might say, I know she's wearing blue. I don't know if that's her favorite, so I'll message her and ask. Now, are you ready for a few more? Here we go. When did LinkedIn learning first come online? Which Fortune 500 company has the most women on their board? How long is the flight from Detroit to Seoul? You can ask a friend to throw you a few more random questions until you feel totally comfortable with the three part formula. If you want to practice number four, clarifying vague criticism. Think of the last two or three times someone gave you confusing criticism. Write out what you could have said using the situation, behavior, impact model. Don't forget to start with, thank you for the feedback. Now, keep practicing until you feel confident that you can manage these curve ball situations like a pro.

Contents