Simpleology Blog

It's tough when you get negative feedback, but imagine how difficult it is to dish it out without hurting anyone's feelings. So how do you criticize someone nicely? I myself have yet to learn to do this. That's why I'm so thankful I'm not the boss.

While criticism is necessary for quality control and to ensure productivity at the office, it could disrupt the work flow when it's taken the wrong way. "We are universally reluctant to trigger the hurt feelings, angry defenses, or counter attacks that criticism so frequently arouses," observes psychologist Judith Sills, author of Excess Baggage: Getting Out of Your Own Way.

To make sure that criticism is truly constructive, Sills lists five ways to deliver negative feedback in the most positive light:

1. Don't be one-sided. You have to pair every negative with a positive. You can say: "You are an amazing problem solver, but you aren't following up with the paper work."

2. Stick to the facts. Give feedback on observable behavior only--don't speculate on internal attitudes. At the very least, wait for or encourage the person in question to tell you what's really causing him or her to turn in less-than-excellent work.

3. Make it clear. You have to be very specific about both the problem and the expected solution: "When you do X, it creates problem Y. Next time, try this..."

4. Go the distance. Extend yourself to maintain the relationship. After being criticized, most people withdraw. Counter that by making friendly conversation.

5. Look for the silver lining. Remember that reward is the most powerful change agent. Point out what's wrong and be heavy-handed with what's working will work in the future.

In light of these tips, Sills adds that you have to make the recipients of criticism understand that they can use the negative feedback as guides to being more efficient or productive. Moreover, she advises that you have to make them understand that "the more they matter, the more managers will try to polish their strengths and file their rough edges."

Last but not least, keep in mind that courtesy and honesty go a long way when it comes to dishing out criticism. Most people will welcome the truth, no matter how bitter it is--as long as you don't force it down their throat.

Posted by Bean Jones at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm a font fanatic. I can't begin to type anything unless I find a font that feels right. My favorites are the trusty Times New Roman, Courier New, Comic Sans, and Arial. I wondered what my font choices say about me, so I did some research and found out that there's more than meets the eye when it comes to fonts.

"Perception of Fonts: Personality Traits and Uses," a 2006 psychology study done at Wichita State University, revealed that people associate fonts with particular moods.

After going through the study's survey charts, I was amused to find out that my font choices present me as a "stable conformist" who could also be funny and "cuddly." (Me? A conformist?) Go figure. Check out the study and see how you might be judged by your favorite fonts.

In any case, the Wichita State University study confirms that fonts have indeed become significant elements of communication. In the old days, a person's handwriting was thought to be the key to his or her personality. Now--with technology as the great equalizer and a blessing to those with horrible penmanship--a person's font choices are supposed to show the world how his or her mind works.

As such, knowing the right fonts to use could spell the difference between the failure and success of communication.

It seems that the advertising industry has tapped into this "hidden power" of fonts. John Doyle, a marketing researcher at Cardiff Business School in the U.K. says that "consumers prefer consistency" and that "congruence between a typeface and an ad's message results in a more memorable product."

To illustrate his point, Doyle presented some of his findings:

1. Ornate, scripted fonts are associated with elegance.

2. A font that is slanted to the right connotes action. It's best for fast, high-paced products.

3. Products meant to exude strength and power are best shown off with heavy, block-like fonts.

Then again, I think we should all remember that the message we want to communicate or the product we're selling should be substantial enough to begin with. While fonts do pack a subtle-yet-powerful psych punch, they can only enhance a good idea or a wonderful product. People won't believe what you're saying or buy what you're selling if it's not any good--never mind if you used the right font in your marketing letter.

Side Note from MJ: Great stuff, Bean. The Direct Marketing world universally seems to agree that the standard serif fonts (12 pt. Times New Roman and 10 pt. Courier) will have a very positive impact on the response rate of any print ad. The theory is that these fonts increase readability and it's only logical that this would increase the response rate of your ads. You can have the best-written ad in the world and if no one reads it, it just doesn't matter. On the web, since serif fonts don't render so well in browsers, the preferred font tends to be Arial, Verdana, and Tahoma. Of course marketers will argue this point from every which direction, but the above seems to be the most universally agreed upon standard in the Direct Marketing world. The brand marketers are looking at things from an entirely different lens, so for them short ads with fonts selected for emotional impact can make good sense.

Posted by Bean Jones at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (23) | TrackBacks (0)

In my job interview with Mark way back in May, he asked me a question that had me stomped: "Can you work with minimal supervision?" Wow, I thought, is he kidding me? I nearly jumped out of the chair to do an Irish jig. I was ecstatic.

You see, in my first job right out of college, I had a boss who liked looking over my shoulder all the time. I hardly got any work done. I was too busy being scared that I was doing something wrong.

It turns out I'm not the only one who gets the creeps when this happens.

A study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior reveals that closely monitoring employees will only slow down productivity. Thus, 134 office workers got distracted from their data correction tasks by prompts that popped up on their computer screens. The notifications revealed that they were being "monitored for quality, quantity, or both." Rather than drive them to work harder, the prompts caused the workers to second-guess their performance

Study co-authors by Jeffrey Stanton, Ph.D., an assistant professor of information studies at Syracuse University, and Amanda Julian of Somerville and Company Inc., a Denver-based consulting firm, add that employees also react the same way when they're subjected to video and other types of electronic surveillance.

Stanton pointed out that an "efficient supervisor won't resort to any of these tactics." He then went on to advise bosses to simply get their employees aligned with the goals of the organization.

Bottom line: Bosses should trust the people they hire to do their jobs. Otherwise, why hire them at all? Playing "Big Brother" might be a cool premise for a reality show, but it's not something people (especially those who do their jobs right) want to experience at the office.

Posted by Bean Jones at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

As a follow up to the recent basketball competition I wanted to personally congratulate our top three: Charlie Bennet, Paul Kisser and Jenifer Farrell-Dreilich - all three of them won access to every Simpleology course created to date - valued at over $3,500. Congratulations! Thanks to everyone who played, it was a lot of fun. And congrats again to Boston - I'm still dizzy from the beating we took!

Posted by Mark Joyner at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (22) | TrackBacks (0)

I've realized that I haven't actually heard from some of my co-workers for a whole month now. Instead, we've exchanged e-mails. It turns out that we're part of the growing number of "e-mail people."

A business communications study done by the META Group, a provider of information technology research, reveals that 80 percent of workers prefer e-mail over the phone. Moreover, 74 percent of them believe that "being without e-mail would present more of a hardship than being without phone service."

The respondents from the 387 organizations surveyed say e-mail is better because it facilitates communication with multiple parties, enables more rapid communication, and generates a written record of all interactions.

But, state the META Group's experts, the e-mail system isn't infallible. They point out: "E-mail systems are also faced with the scourge of spam, circulation of salacious content, destructive viruses, and system failures as well as newer, malicious attacks such as denial of service and mail bombs."

On the other hand, they cited the phone's plus points: It's more personal, it creates better context for communication, and it helps clarify the tone of messages.

Though I'm an e-mail guy, I think having Plan B won't hurt. It's still a good idea to make sure that you "sound" just as good as you "read."

To ensure that your phone skills are up to par when e-mail isn't handy, business consultant C. Richard Weylman, author of Opening Closed Doors, offers these tips:

1. Sound energetic. Hold the receiver about seven centimeters away from your mouth so you won't sound muffled. Then, speak with just the right amount of enthusiasm. You'll lose your client's attention if you sound tired.

2. Don't multitask. When making important calls, make sure you won't get distracted by other tasks--it'll be obvious to the person on the other end of the line. Multitasking also reduces the ability to listen, so you might miss crucial points raised by your client.

3. When in doubt, pause. If you get flustered, take a few seconds to collect your thoughts. Or better yet, prepare an outline of what you want to say or talk about. "Ums" and "ahs" will only make you sound confused to the client.

But whether you're sending an e-mail or making a phone call, one thing should be constant: You should be able to express yourself clearly. After all, that's what communication is about.

Posted by Bean Jones at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

I just recently came across an article discussing the July 2002 survey conducted by Equisys, a business communications company, which revealed that the average employee spends 65 hours a year gossiping at the office. I was flabbergasted to realize that the time lost is equivalent to about eight working days.

The hours eaten up by office gossip may have even increased since then--as people have employed technology to spread gossip. In fact, according to a 2007 case study by Steelcase, an office equipment company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, more and more people trade office gossip via e-mail or instant messaging.

What do people gossip about? "Gossip generally takes two forms," writes USA Today's Stephanie Armour. "[They're] rumors about company changes, such mergers, layoffs, managerial promotions, and staffing changes. [They could also be] personal gossip about specific employees: who is doing well, having an affair, or grappling with personal problems."

But whatever it is that has the office grapevine buzzing, one thing is clear: productivity suffers. Lisa Cieslica, a senior human resources manager for the US-based National Professional Employer Organization, also points out: "Productivity loss is not only experienced by the gossipers... who are spending company time chatting and e-mailing back and forth about the 'latest news,' but also consider the loss of productivity that is experienced by the victim."

To eradicate this nasty productivity drain, Cieslica advises companies to:

1. Be proactive and have open door policy with their staff.

2. Enhance policies against gossiping.

3. Create a culture of mutual respect.

4. Encourage the staff to work as a team, as people tend to gossip about others if they don't know them.

But this doesn't mean that you can't engage in the occasional friendly chat with your workmates. Talk about hobbies, movies, and other fun topics if you like. Should there be any "bad" news discussed, you should just remain neutral. Fanning the flames of controversy won't do anyone--or the company--any good. And surely there are better things to do in 65 hours.

To help keep you focused on work rather than rumors, check out Simpleology 101's Daily Target Praxis.

Posted by Bean Jones at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Do you hate having a sweet tooth? If you're thinking of doing something drastic, like giving up everything sweet...don't do it. That's not the way to go.

A pattern of fasting and overloading on sugary foods may foster dependence, according to a study published in Obesity Research. "People with a genetic predisposition for addiction can become overly dependent on sugar, particularly if they periodically stop eating and then binge," explains Dr. Bart Hoebel, the Princeton University psychologist who led the study.

Lab experiments on rats showed the cycle of sugar deprivation and indulgence sensitized both the dopamine (which regulates appetite) and opioid (which triggers cravings) receptors in the rodents' brains.

Consequently, your body's insulin production also gets messed up. You see, when you go on a sugar binge, your blood sugar levels rise. This, in turn, spikes your insulin levels, which then drive blood sugar levels down--at which point your cravings are set off.

Once you're hooked into the cycle, giving up sweets will soon cause you to suffer from withdrawal symptoms that resemble those of drug addiction, such as anxiety and tremors.

But, don't fret. You can still kick the sweet habit. Dr. Caroline Apovian, a weight management specialist, offers these tips:

1. Don't let yourself get too hungry. Keep yourself satisfied with low-calorie, high-volume foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

2. Don't overdo it. It's not necessary to remove natural sugars such as lactose or fructose from your diet. You can snack on fruit in between meals. It's refined sugar that you have to be wary of.

3. Don't hoard sweat treats. Don't stash processed sweets in your house. Sometimes that is the only way to avoid temptation. Always have fruit on hand so that when you get hungry, you can snack on something naturally sweet.

So, cross out "I won't eat sweets anymore" from your list of health resolutions--or you'll end up gorging on even more sugary goodies. As you'll find out in Simpleology 103, too much of anything is a bad thing.

Posted by Bean Jones at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBacks (0)