interactive workshop useful skills at the workplace week 1 – 29 th july 2015 latrobe.edu.au

Interactive WorkshopUseful Skills At The Workplace

Week 1 – 29th July 2015

latrobe.edu.au

Introduction

• Today we will target:

• Office politics

• Dealing with different personalities

• Standing out at work

• Achieving your goals

La Trobe University 2

Office Politics

• They are inevitable

• People have more power than others (hierarchy, etc.)

• Competition between co-workers (promotions, contradicting objectives, etc.)

• Decisions are impacted by both work-related AND personal goals (MY WAY OR.. )

• Limited resources available to teams (needs satisfied against greater good)


15 mins

Office Politics

• Make it work FOR you

• Accept it! “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors” -Plato

• Observe and plan a strategy

• Identify the real influencers relevant to your situation

• Think about the chain of influence and how to appeal to their character


Chain Of Influence

• Exercise

• A group of students stand around each other

• Each student has to secretly identify two people as his/her influencers

• A distance of almost a meter should be maintained between the student and the influencers at all times. If influencers move, the student must move as well.

• After everyone settles, move one student and watch what happens!


Chain Of Influence

• What to take from it

• If the most obvious way doesn’t work or is not possible, attempt another

• Sometimes to get what you want, you will have to think about a series of reactions rather than a direct action

• If there is a certain person of influence you want to connect with but are unable to reach, consider their circle of contacts/network and imagine a chain of influence


Dealing with different personalities

• Personality types• Diversity in the workplace is important to ensure creativity and innovation• This leads to different personalities at work• To avoid clashes, learn about people’s personalities and how to communicate with each

one

• Different communication styles have to be considered for each • Action oriented• Process oriented• People oriented• Idea oriented

• Communication style test – Handout exercise!La Trobe University 7

15 mins


• Exchange currencies • Everyone has a currency that they control (vision, contacts, reputation,

excellence, etc.)• Identify the currencies you control and the ones you value • Exchange one for another by identifying other people’s valued

currencies for mutual gain• Remember… To influence people, you have to satisfy THEIR

expectations, NOT YOURS!• Find a vision and make a plan (actions, benefits, obstacles, first steps)• Neutralize negative sources



• Tips and practical advice on influencing others• Always assume the intention is good and all are allies (hard to do but works –

needs imagination)• Update and clarify your goals & priorities regularly – planning and visualizing

your steps are very important to achieve success• Be careful of how you are portrayed. If you are sick/not feeling too well, it might

be better not to go to work rather than people seeing you as someone who is not approachable

• Trust in the “wisdom of the crowd” - common sense will ultimately prevail! Getting there together with a flawed result is better than getting there on your own with a perfect result

• Try asking questions that lead to your point of view instead of imposing it (Socratic method)


Standing Out At Work

• Meetings are usually where most decisions are made and where you can get the exposure needed to help you with your leadership goals

• Managing meetings1- Get your turn to speak:

• Sit back slightly and then lean forward (body language)• Look the speaker in the eye (or the nose) and smile slightly• Predict when they will finish through grammar and rhythm of speech• Interrupt POLITELY when the time is right with a soft hand movement

- Everyday (level 1) “Can I just come in here?”- Senior (level 2) “Could I just come in here?”- Very senior (level 3) “Could I just come in here please?”


10 mins


2- When you get your turn:• Be Brief and to the point (quality over quantity)• Don’t dominate the talk but don’t let others do so• Apply persuasive communication:


Situation• 2-3

sentences

Complication• 2-3

sentences

Question• 1-2

sentences

Answer• 1

sentence (brief & precise)


• How to leave a positive impression• Meetings

• Either go first or last if you want to be remembered• Control topic migration & limit topic magnification

• Always show passion and drive• Be a team player who is always open to new ideas (especially not your

own) • Follow the hierarchy (don’t go over someone’s head)• Don’t criticize criticism! Accept feedback and attempt to track and show

improvement


Achieving Your Goals

• Know where you stand• Exercise – Support vs. Influence Graph

• Consider getting a mentor (someone who can help & guide you achieve your goals and get you from where you currently are to where you hope to be)• Ask someone more experienced or it can happen naturally• Frequent catch ups • Set goals and seek help in achieving those goals• Make the most out of the extended network


20 mins

Achieving Your Goals

• Challenge Time! Ready to earn those extra marks?

• Scenario A: You can no longer avoid your office enemy. You now have to work with him/her in the same team and he/she continues to pose a threat to your standing in the office. What do you do? What if that doesn’t work? What do you do next?

• Scenario B: You received a promotion and the person you hired as your replacement is turning out to be a bad communicator. As a result, people hate him and some have already quit. How do you manage this situation?

• Each group has to come up with a solution to deal with both scenarios and the top two teams will act it out and a vote determines who wins. Try to apply what you’ve learnt today!


Good Luck!

• Hope this helped you prepare for working in the industry!

• Always reflect on what you’ve learnt in PRA/B to make future decisions and compare similar scenarios

• Don’t forget that you have a year’s worth of experience… Make the most out of it!


interactive workshop useful skills at the workplace week 1 – 29 th july 2015 latrobe.edu.au

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