Communication at Work:
It is about Me!
When an interaction goes wrong at work and in the business world, we tend to blame the other person:
**her behavior is specifically directed at me (and intended to cause a problem for me);
**this is personal;
**this person is being stubborn, rigid, flighty, nitpicky, immature, mean, thoughtless, ________...you fill in the blank!
What we don’t realize is that our frustration stems from
our judgment of the other person, based on how we each look at the world and our perception of the magnitude of that dissimilarity.
The multiple generations in the workplace is currently a hot topic, and provides a unique approach to dissecting the “hot spots” that can cause a conversation to go downhill.
Using the generations as our model, we'll analyze how communication can go wrong – and how we can make it right.
About Dr. Tobey...
Dr. Deborah Tobey has worked in the Organization Development (OD) field for more than 25 years. She is a full-time faculty member in Leadership and Organizations at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.
In that capacity, Dr. Tobey works with professional master’s degree students in the Leading Organizational Performance academic program. She is also the owner of a solo consulting practice.
Deb's areas of expertise include: competency models, consultation skills development; leadership development; group and planning process interventions; teambuilding; performance needs assessment and evaluation; training/instructional design; supervisory and management development; and “train the trainer”.
Dr. Tobey is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Her doctorate is in Human Resource Development (HRD) from Vanderbilt University. Prior to her full-time work at Vanderbilt University, she served as an adjunct professor for 15 years at George Washington University, Vanderbilt University, Belmont University, and Middle Tennessee State University.
Deb is the author/co-author of several books for OD practitioners: Data Collection for Needs Assessment (2007); Facilitation Skills Training (2007); Needs Assessment Basics (2005); and Facilitation Basics (2004). All of her books are published by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) Press.