I recently got a new job at a Hilton hotel. Couple of weeks after, the manager tells me that I was doing a terrific job, but that I just needed to polish the way that I spoke. To be completely honest, I did not think that there was anything wrong with the way that I spoke at work, or so I thought.
The manager then went over a list of words and phrases that I was saying wrong (well not really wrong but not appropriate for the job), some which included: “no problem”, “yea”, “alright”, and “hold on”, to mention a few. She wanted me to replace these words with: “certainly”, “yes”, “it would be my pleasure”, “may I put you on a brief hold”. These words and phrases sound more courteous and professional. It sounds different when you say “may I assist you with anything”, rather than just “can I help you”.
After a lot of practice and having my manager correcting me along the way, I know find myself being courteous and more professional when I speak without having to think about it twice, or even realizing that I said something wrong only after I said it.
Believe it or not, I think that by changing the way that I spoke, at least at work for now, has changed the way that I write too. I find myself writing very courteously without trying so hard, or even without having to revise the simplest e-mail two or three times to make sure that it sounds professional and eloquent. It is just becoming more natural.
Now, just take a couple of seconds and ask yourself… how do you speak at work? How do you communicate with your colleagues? Does it reflect sometimes on your writing? Could it be improved? These are just some things to think about and reflect upon… Adios!!
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This is a great post! I am guilty of using almost all of those words/phrases. I work at an animal hospital and I certainly can polish up on my communication skills!
ReplyDeleteThis is very ture. In an environment where communication is key, we need to always remember to be professional. This also can lead you to moving ahead in your job over other people. If a manager sees that people are responding to your professionalism this is a good thing. Great post!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Stephanie!!!
ReplyDeleteI do agree that your day to day communication can change how you talk as well as how well you can present yourself in person or in writing.
It was a great post!
I am glad to see a post that has personal experience written into it for credibility. I would never have guessed that simple slang words such as 'yeah' or 'hold on' are not considered the most professional of words.
ReplyDeleteI used to work at Wal Mar, and of course over there none of the managemnt cares about how you talk. But at a place like Hilton Hotel, or even our first job in our chosen profession, I now know to be a bit more careful about acceptable language. Good post!!
Great anecdote, Stephanie. I had a similar experience at my job as well. I had to learn to polish my professional speak at work and it does pay huge dividends. The bottom line is people judge you on what comes out of your mouth. With your tips, hopefully we can all avoid sounding too informal.. thanks for your post.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, Stephanie. Thanks for sharing your story.
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