Communication Tips and Techniques

One company that is really great about giving tips and guidance in the business world is Toastmasters.  It’s known for its localized education of public speaking and leadership skills, which provides a great opportunity to improve your communication skills and also to network with other business men and women in the community.  Toastmasters also has a magazine and a website that provides a wealth of information in a way that makes it interesting and fun to read. 
We have the magazine delivered to us at work and I always flip through it when I few extra minutes.  This past month has quite a few insightful articles.  One is about different apps you can download on your smart phone or ipad that will help you view and/or create presentations on the go - which is really handy in today’s technological world.  Another is about how to deal with an interrupter in your work group called, “How to Muzzle the Yakker.”  There always seems to be relevant articles which you can learn from and make you laugh at the same time.  It's always an enjoyable read.
Here’s a link to the Toastmasters website:  http://www.toastmasters.org/

Note to Staff

In the past few years, MassMutual has experienced several hard-hitting events that have tested our strength as a company, such as a market collapse, a financial recession, and increasing pressure from our competitors.  These hardships MassMutual has had to face has only made us a stronger company in the end. 

MassMutual is a mutually owned company which gives us an advantage over many of our competitors in the insurance industry and makes us less vulnerable to market fluctuations.  We have stayed true to our ourselves and our company by continuing to provide excellent products, services, and support to our customers. 

Our employees are what make us a great company and MassMutual has great employees who go above and beyond their job description and make sure the company will come out of any hardship on top.  For this, we thank each and every one of you.  By working together and for a universal goal, we can maintain our financial strength and steady growth that MassMutual is known for.   

WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME?

One of the most popular, and sometimes worst, means of organizational communication is email.  Don’t get me wrong, email is easy, convenient and provides the necessary amount of detail for audit trails, but a lot can go wrong with email conversations if you’re not careful.  Sarcasm and tone completely get lost in translation so senders need to be really cautious about how their words are coming across to others.  Using all caps is another faux pas.  It makes people feel like they’re being yelled at and can come across as disrespectful. 

Anyone on the receiving end of a sarcastic email or an email in all caps is most likely going to end up confused or think that the sender is definitely not a nice person (not to mention a few eyes will be rolled and there may be some whispering behind the sender’s back).  So to save yourself from getting a bad rep, stay positive and direct to the point when writing emails.  One thing I always do is end each email with a ‘Thanks!’.  I like to think the exclamation point puts a friendly note on the email and the receiver is more likely to respond back to my email quicker than to an email that may come off as rude or demanding.