Is your message just not sticking?

February 11th, 2014

Do you find yourself repeating the same message over and over again to certain people?

Today?s post is by Shelly Hayre; Customer Service Representative at SafeSourcing.

Do you find yourself repeating the same message over and over again to certain people, and it still doesn?t seem to give you the results you are looking for? You are not alone, but some small adjustments in your language can change the game.

I can typically see the failure of an outcome before anything is discovered. Why you ask? It all starts with the language used to request and set goals for projects. The following four tips will assist your language to get the desired results.

?Yes, but??- This is an annoying game, and it almost is a competition with all the different scenarios and things to consider. BUT you need to point something out that is not being considered! Use ?and? instead of ?but?. When your coworker says, ?I will execute the contract by tomorrow,? instead of ?Yes, but I need to review before it is sent over,? say, ?Yes and I need to review before it is sent over.? It provides the information needed and avoids the argumentative competitive ?Yes, but? game.

Just TRY– When using the word ?try? you are setting grounds for failure. You either did or you didn?t. It is the difference in ?I will go to the dry cleaners after work? and ?I will try and go to the dry cleaners after work?. When you allow the word ?try? to make it into a request it opens the door for failure and usually will resulted in just that, failure. Instead of saying ?Try to get the report in by Friday,? say, ?Get the report in by Friday.?

Setting Goals– Provide your coworkers with clear, concise, and measurable goals. ?Start working on the spreadsheet.? How much do you really expect them to get done? By when? This is a vague and unmeasurable goal to reach. Instead say, ?Complete section A and B of the spreadsheet by Tuesday.? This is easier for the receiver to understand and complete to the standards you request.

Set positive expectations– I am going to be brief on this one. This is pretty straightforward, and I am sure we have all heard some version of this. Expect failure and you will receive failure! Change your perspective and change the results. Positive outlook will show, and coworkers will want to delivery that positive outcome.

Here at SafeSourcing, we ensure we are always thorough, using language to get the desired results at all times. For more information on how we can help you with your procurement needs or on our ?Risk Free? trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative.? We have an entire customer services team waiting to assist you today.

We look forward to your comments.

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