NOT JUST A
“FEEL GOOD” SPEECH

Workplace Attitude
The Seven Deadly Phrases

Need a workplace attitude tune-up?

This workshop is the ideal starting point for any company looking to improve morale, engagement, or productivity in the workplace. In this presentation we will identify seven deadly phrases that are toxic to the workplace environment.

Perhaps you’re asking yourself right now, “Why these seven phrases more specifically?”

Well, we’ve all heard the term, “negative thinking.” Yet, a quick Google search on “negative thinking” yields a ton of results with very little consistency. For years, this ambiguity both frustrated and intrigued me.

Because of this lack of any reliable definition, I witnessed people both overcomplicate and oversimplify the matter, ultimately struggling to grasp the concept. This left many people seeking help getting little or no value on how to practice positive thinking.

As one who always tries to find an opportunity whenever possible, I wanted to simplify the matter to make it easier to grasp. I also wanted to make it easy to practice. Therefore, throughout my career, I’ve identified seven phrases that I believe are phrases one can possibly have for their Mental Fitness. They are:

Mastering Emotions
Seven Steps to Master Your Emotions

IQ isn’t everything. In fact, research suggests it’s only about 20 percent responsible for one’s career success. But if this is the case, where’s the other 80 percent come from?

The answer is Emotional Intelligence (EI).

A review published in the journal of Annual Psychology found that highly emotional intelligent individuals have better social relations are perceived more positively by others, have better family and intimate relationships, better academic achievement, better social relations in work performance and negotiations, and even better overall psychological well-being than those with lower EI.

To put that into more concrete numbers, according to a 2016 MSN.com article, “Emotional Intelligence is such an important skill that 90 percent of top performers in the workplace have high EQs, and people with high EQs make $28,000 more annually than those with low EQs.”

So what all does this training cover?

According to Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, there are five main constructs of EI: Self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, empathy, and motivation. In this presentation we will focus primarily on the first two: Self-awareness and self-regulation.

The goal of this training then is to help the participant become more mindful of, more connected with, and better in control of their emotional state. Using a concrete, step-by-step approach, my goal is that this training gives you the skill set to master your emotions so they don’t master you!

The Seven Steps to Master Emotions are…

1. Retreat
2. Allow
3. Accept
4. Reframe
5. Explore
6. Guide
7. Action

In addition to reviewing and illustrating each step, we will also discuss real-life examples that apply directly to the workplace environment and culture.

Stress: Negative Threat or Positive Challenge?

If you’re thinking to yourself right now, “The last thing I need is the same old Stress Management lecture that I’ve heard a hundred times before!” I agree and will make four promises upfront:

Promise #1. I will not be promoting any new-age mindfulness, focused deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, essential oils, or transcendental meditation techniques. If that’s your thing, cool. We just won’t be talking about it here.

Promise #2. I will not bore you with statistics about the prevalence of stress or how much it costs American society in lost productivity and increased health costs. I’ve seen too many eyes glaze over when I get to this part of my trainings in the past and I won’t repeat it here. Just trust me, it’s a lot!

Promise #3. I will not use the terms “manage” or “deal” with stress. The way I see it, stress is to be utilized constructively, not “managed” or “dealt with” as if it’s some chronic nuisance that won’t go away.

Promise #4. Time and time again we’ve been made to believe that all stress is bad and that we need to eliminate it from our lives immediately and entirely. This is a silly, impossible, and in many ways, self-defeating goal. You will not be able to remove all stress from your life, and hopefully by the end of this chapter, you won’t want to!

The purpose of this training then isn’t to eliminate stress, but rather, to learn how to harness the energy stress creates and use it constructively our advantage!

We can do this by changing the way we label stress in our lives and thus experiencing stress in a whole new way.

Recent research has shown that it’s not actually being stressed that’s detrimental, but rather, it’s the belief that stress is bad for us that’s actually what’s harmful. We need to change the way we think about stress- from negative threat to positive challenge!

Finding Happiness
If you’re happy, you’re successful

Did you know there are numerous scientific benefits to being happy?

Happy people are…

25% less stressed
39% better health
31% more productive
34% more positive social interactions

There truly is an advantage to being happy. The question is “How do we get there?”

We’re not born stressed or depressed, we practice these thoughts and then we become stressed and depressed. It takes practice. Thankfully, this negative focus can be changed.

In this workshop, we’ll learn how to reverse this pattern and relabel our views on stress. Together we’ll practice strategies that train our mental fitness to focus on the positive, keep things in perspective, and seek the opportunities in any given situation. Having this focus will not only put you at an advantage in the workplace, but in life as well.

Crucial Conversations: Bringing Out the Best in Others

Despite advances in technology, our communication skills are actually getting worse. News outlets and social media are echo-chambers that mirror back to us and strength our already preconceived, judgmental opinions. We take offense quite easily and make a lot of assumptions. We sit behind our phone or computer screens and avoid the nuances of person to person communication. I truly fear many of the youngest generation will grow up lacking this skill entirely.

Yet, beyond just the lacking fundamentals, becoming an effective communicator, capable of persuasion and influence, is more than just speaking in a way that people understand your message. It’s that they internalize your message and feel moved to action.

This, however, is easier said than done.

Indeed, there are many obstacles to effective communication: Identifying the problem and the mutual end goal, staying focused, keeping emotions in check… these are just a few of many examples of long list of potential communication killers.

There’s no quick fix or easy way around it. In order to be Mentally Fit, one must learn how to effectively communicate.

This training we’ll learn:

• The four types of responses (educated and open, opinionated and closed, ignorant, and rude) and how best to respond to each one
• Differentiate between being passive, abrasive, and assertive communication style
• Give and receive effective feedback
• Establish and maintain healthy boundaries
• Utilize “The Four Tendencies” of Personality to best reach others
• Implement strategies to build trust and rapport
• Develop skills to be a better listener
• Create more meaningful connections

Simply said, the goal of this training is to help one do more than just get their point across. The goal of this training is to teach you, the participant, all the essential skills necessary to “avoid the monologue,” and rather, give you the ability to speak in a way that changes the entire energy of the room- making everyone in your presence better for it.

Improving Relationships
It’s All About “We”

Recent surveys of multiple organizations found the following results when asked, “What affect does incivility in the workplace have on your work?”

47% said they intentionally decreased the time spent at work

38% said they intentionally decreased their quality of work

12% said they changed jobs because of incivility in their organization

Teamwork is all about relationships, yet when relationships in the workplace are strained creativity suffers, performance and team spirit deteriorates and customers turn away.

In this workshop we’ll review research from Jon C. Maxwell, John Gottmann, and Gary Chapman who provide us with the secrets to achieving healthy relationships in the workplace.