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5 Things to Never Say to Your Boss (If You Love Your Job)

5 Things to Never Say to Your Boss (If You Love Your Job)

Do you have the right to dissent? Yes. Do you have the right to resist bullying at workplace? Yes. Honesty is the best policy? Yes. Does that mean you can say anything you want to your boss? Definitely not. Whether you are a fresher or someone who has been around for a while, there are certain things you should never, ever say to your boss. Not to reinforce the hierarchy, but as common courtesy and as a mark of professionalism. Here’s what we think are five of the things to never say to your boss:

  1. “That’s not part of my job”

It shows that you are not a team player, which is definitely going to reflect in your performance analysis. Being flexible is appreciated a lot, besides, think of all the additional skills you are going to acquire in the process. However, it is important to distinguish between when it is required of you to be flexible and when you are being pushed over. Even in the latter case, be diplomatic in how you refuse the work, rather than saying “that’s not what I was hired to do/that’s not what I am supposed to do.”

  1. “I’ll leave”

Never threaten your boss to leave. It is almost like digging your own grave, because after all, you may not be as indispensable as you assumed yourself to be. It simply portrays you as an arrogant person, and worse, a quitter. Once you have made the mistake of saying this to your boss, don’t be surprised to find out the next day that a replacement for you is in place and you are on your way out.

  1. “We did it better at our old work place” 

A classic ‘tongue in cheek’ situation. Of course your boss doesn’t want to be told that his predecessor did the same thing better, or that your ex-boss was smarter at it. You may be offering your advice in all innocence, but it will, in all probability, be taken as an insult. A better way is to reframe it as a suggestion – “I think this may also work if we do it (this way)”.

  1. “It’s not my fault, you should ask ‘X’ ”

The blame game never does any good and is one of the worst blunders we all seem to commit at one point or another in the ‘world of work’. If you have been called  and asked why things went or didn’t go a certain way, even if you have no idea and weren’t in charge, do not shift the blame. If you do not have an immediate answer, ask for some time and get back with a response backed with facts and without any blame shifting.

  1. “Do you want me to set you up/ do you want my expert relationship advice?”

The worst thing to say to your boss ever. Even though your boss may be extra nice and super friendly with you, getting into this zone is a strict No-No! Remember that it is highly unprofessional to offer your employer any form of personal advice, unless (s)he explicitly asks you for it. Even then, you need to be tacit and avoid that topic as much as you can. But of your own accord, never be charitable and offer your employer relationship advice! And being drunk is certainly not an excuse, it doubles your offense twice as much.

And if you have said/done any of the above already, and have had no repercussions at work – hey, you are a very lucky person, indeed. We hope that you truly value your boss, you are one of the privileged ones! Thank your stars and go thank him/her today for being a great boss! And if you don’t count yourself among the lucky ones and have to walk a tightrope at work everyday, we suggest you definitely go read our post on this – and thank us instead!

What else do you think are the things to never say to your boss ? Made any mistakes like these and learnt from them? We would love to learn too! Leave a comment below!

P.S:  If you have a career challenge that you need some confidential guidance on, mail me at suchitra@oorjabizops.com and I will call you back.

If you would be interested in partnering with an energetic, talented and committed all-women team for fulfilling all your staffing and content needs, mail us at contact@oorjabizops.com.

5 Tips on Public Speaking for Beginners to Be Fearless Speakers

5 Tips on Public Speaking for Beginners to Be Fearless Speakers

Whoever said public speaking is only for politicians and leaders? In the World of Work, acquiring the art of public speaking is just as important a skill. Be it a farewell speech, an award acceptance speech or speaking at a board meeting or an international conference. In all these areas, your public speaking skills will be put to test. If that scares you to death, well you are not alone. Fear of public speaking is a widespread phenomenon – the average person ranks it even above fear of death. There is even a word for it – Glossophobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking or of speaking in general. But let’s be more positive, public speaking is a skill that can be easily acquired through following some tried and tested techniques and avoiding some common pitfalls. If an audience is there to listen to you, you owe it to them to be well prepared in what you have to say and it is your responsibility to keep them interested and have their attention. We have put together these five tips on public speaking that will help any beginner to be a fearless speaker:

1. Tips on Public Speaking – Make Eye Contact

Making eye contact is the first and foremost step to be able to speak confidently in public. Avoiding eye contact will have your audience drift away and leave them uninterested. It also reflects nervousness on your behalf. Making eye contact with your audience is a sure way to make them feel involved and adds to your confidence when you are able to see that your audience is truly interested in what you have to say.

2. Tips on Public Speaking – Avoid Fillers

Make a conscious effort to avoid using syllables and words like “umm”, “like”, “basically”, “actually” which you use to help complete your sentences. They take away from the gravity of what you want to articulate and speak of your unpreparedness in addressing the public. Instead use silence and pauses. Rather than lose the listeners, a well-placed pause can give your audience a chance to process what you’ve already said and get them hooked on what you’ll say next. Tips on Public Speaking

3. Tips on Public Speaking – Carry a Memo of what you want to say

Make a small card with some of the main pointers of your speech so that you do not miss out on the important things you have to say. Use the card only for prompting yourself and at all cost avoiding “reading” out. Keep the memo handy only for the purpose of reference, all the while maintaining eye contact and interacting with your audience.

 4. Tips on Public Speaking – Emphasize on both What you say, as well as How you say it

A lot of people take pride in saying it matters little what you have to say, as long as you focus on how you are saying it. On the contrary, we would say that both are equally important – the content of your speech as well as your delivery of the same. The best way to sound like you know what you are talking about is to know what you are talking about :). And if you are unsure about the content and just HAVE to speak, then check out these tips from lifehacker on How to Sound Like You Know What You’re Talking About (Even When You Don’t).

 5. Tips on Public Speaking – Mind your Body Language

Very often, in order to compensate the confidence missing in our speech, we put that forcefulness into exaggerated body language. It could be actions like excessive movement of limbs to try and get across our point. Actions like fiddling with one’s hair, clothes, or accessories in an absent-minded fashion are signs of nervousness. None of us do this on purpose, it is at a subconscious level. However, recognizing it and trying to rectify the same will help you evolve into an articulate and confident speaker.

Be precise and structured when you stand up to speak. Understand that you have only a few minutes to put across your point, and you have to do so effectively. It is absolutely acceptable if you make mistakes while speaking, but do not let tiny glitches prevent you from completing what you have to say. Before your big day, practice in front of a mirror or a friend, record your speech and play it back to yourself and work on it till you are happy with the results. We all start somewhere, and we all learn with experience. So the next time you are asked to make a speech, don’t duck under the table – stand up and rock the speech!

5 Ways to Build and Improve Your Vocabulary

5 Ways to Build and Improve Your Vocabulary

Knowing how to harness the power of words for your benefit can make for a much smoother career path – be it in interviews, meetings, emails, presentations, conversations and more. If you can express yourself clearly, you have a huge advantage over most. Having a good vocabulary is crucial for written as well as spoken communication. It benefits you not just professionally but also personally. Working on your vocabulary helps you articulate yourself in a specific and precise manner, and is one of the most underrated skills. In fact, the researcher Johnson O’Connor conducted a study over 20 years, and showed that

“No matter which area he looked at, and no matter how he analyzed the data: a person’s vocabulary level is the best single predictor of occupational success.”

Read on to find out about the five simple practices which will help build and improve your vocabulary.

Improve your Vocabulary by Reading

This is one habit that will boost your vocabulary like nothing else can. Set aside at least thirty minutes of your day for some mindful reading. Read business magazines or online business journals, reading newspapers daily is a must – at least the editorials, and of course, if you enjoy fiction, nothing like it. But remember that it is not enough to just read and know the story, the whole point is to build your word power, so when you come across a word and do not know what it means, be sure to look it up. Keep a pocket dictionary handy or an online dictionary on your bookmarks menu. We would also suggest noting it down on a sticky note and putting it somewhere you can see it every day, until it becomes a part of your vocabulary!

Improve your Vocabulary by Playing

Yes, building a vocabulary can be a rather fun thing to do. Make crosswords and word games an obsession and before you know it, you will have gained fabulous language skills. It can be hard in the beginning, but the key is to keep practicing. Most newspapers have a word games section that you can try. There are several mobile apps you can play in which you can also choose to start from a basic level and move up gradually. Our favourites are Wordament, Words Words Words and Text Twist. You can also check out the FreeRice.com website which donates 10 grains of rice through the World Food program for every answer that you get right in their vocabulary quiz.

Improve your Vocabulary One Word A Day

Yes, one of the secrets to a powerful vocabulary – learn one word at a time, everyday. Subscribe to “word of the day” emails. Don’t just sign up for it, make sure you read the emails every day and don’t end up marking them as spam. While it may take you only a few minutes to read it, the benefits will truly be long-term. You can use this link to sign up for one of these programs – Wordsmith.org or Word Of The Day

Improve your Vocabulary by Listening

You might have noticed by now, the amount of stress we lay on this one point in all our communication related posts. Listening intently and carefully is a great way to improve your vocabulary and communication. If you like the way the speaker is speaking, make a note of what you like. When you listen carefully, you will also come across new words and will learn the context in which to use them. If you write the word down and use it immediately in a sentence, your brain will remember the word better. It is also very important to listen to someone who does not seem to be making a lot of sense while speaking, because that is a lesson on the mistakes you have to avoid yourself.

Improve your Vocabulary by Writing

Even though this may sound tedious, it will take you a long way in improving your vocabulary. Writing helps you form coherent sentences and is a true measure of reflecting how your vocabulary has improved. It need not be tedious, all you need to do is maintain a journal and write as little as half a page a day, even about simple things like how your day was! This habit can be really helpful if you pursue it in a disciplined and persistent manner. We can assure you that two weeks into keeping a journal, you will really start enjoying it! Start today!

Remember that practice makes for perfect. You may follow all of the above advice, however, if you don’t put into use what you learn, it doesn’t matter how hard you have been working. Incorporate into your daily vocabulary the words you have been learning. Express yourself regardless of the anxiety that you may fumble and make mistakes. Make mistakes and then learn from them, and slowly with practice, you will be perfect!

5 Simple Life Hacks to Help You Write Better

5 Simple Life Hacks to Help You Write Better

Being a writer is a full time job. You are not on vacation even when you are on vacation because you are constantly thinking about what to write next! Being creative 24*7 is quite a challenge and a very difficult one to live up to. We, at Oorja Biz Ops have been brainstorming about changes we can bring about in our daily life, to help refuel the creativity. Here are five hacks that will work for you to write better (they certainly did, for us !):

Write Better Hack #1 – Start your day early

Being an early riser has a lot more advantages than you think. This is the best way to give your day a head start. Schedule the first 45 minutes of your day to write five hundred words of anything you can think about. With consistent practice you will see your writing skills improve significantly in just a matter of weeks. Accomplishing a task right at the beginning of the day is also a great confident booster and keeps you pumped up all through the day.

Write Better Hack #2 – Replace the caffeine

Did we hear a collective gasp? We know what coffee means to writers. For many, it can be impossible to start a day without a cup. However, it is a proven fact that a regular dose of caffeine is not a very healthy thing for your body. Caffeine also causes anxiety and restlessness which may not be what you need when you are already on the edge due to work stress. Try and replace caffeine with healthier options like green tea or even regular tea or some other healthy beverage. Might be worth it to give it a shot and notice the difference!

Write Better Hack #3 – Find ‘me time’ 

Gifting yourself some time is the healthiest thing you can do for yourself and the best hack to trigger your writing creativity. Set aside about 45 minutes of your day, every day, to recharge your soul simply by indulging yourself. Cook, bake, garden, sing, dance, paint – whatever helps you connect with your inner self and makes you happy. Finding ‘me time’ can be a tall order given the lifestyles we lead. This problem may be solved by going back to what we said about waking up early. That way, you will have more time than you usually do. Even if it’s just an hour earlier, it still gives you some space to fit ‘me time’ into your otherwise cramped day.

Write Better Hack #4 – Read Often, Read More

Read as much as, or more than you write. Reading helps recharge your intellectual resources and keeps those brainy ideas flowing. Reading fires your imagination – the stuff writers are made of.  As Stephen King wrote in “On Writing”:

If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut. . . .

It’s hard for me to believe that people who read very little (or not at all in some cases) should presume to write and expect people to like what they have written, but I know it’s true. If I had a nickel for every person who ever told me he/she wanted to become a writer but didn’t have time to read, I could buy myself a pretty good steak dinner. Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.

Just like a balanced diet is essential for a healthy body, balanced reading is crucial for a healthy mind and will make you think in different directions. Make sure your reading list consists of a mixed dose of current affairs, fiction and non-fiction. What you read, reflects in what and how you write.

Write Better Hack #5 – Be Honest with Yourself

While it is crucial to have expectations from oneself, at the same time, it is important to have goals which are practical and achievable. Setting long term targets on a high-on-red-bull day, probably isn’t a good idea. What we mean is, enthusiasm is vital, however, a lot of times we tend to become over enthusiastic with our goals and go on over drive trying to achieve them. Being honest with yourself about what you can and cannot achieve in a given period of time does not mean tardiness, it means being practical. But then, a little pressure now and then does help to shoo the devil called Procrastination away!

And finally, after putting our neck on the line, we leave you with the words from our idol and mentor, Seth Godin :

The biggest takeaway for anyone seeking to write is this: don’t go looking for the way other authors do their work. You won’t find many who are consistent enough to copy, and there are enough variations in approach that it’s obvious that it’s not like hitting home runs or swinging a golf club. There isn’t a standard approach, there’s only what works for you (and what doesn’t).

We hope you enjoyed our post. We would love to hear from you on what you do to help you write more and write better!

5 Huge Body Language Mistakes That Will Ruin Your Chances At Work

5 Huge Body Language Mistakes That Will Ruin Your Chances At Work

The importance of effective body language in our professional lives cannot be stressed enough. Whether you are at a job interview or are giving a speech or an important presentation at your workplace, if your body language is positive and effective, more than half your job is done. Remember that body language came before speech and 80% of the message that you “get” or “give” in a conversation is read through non-verbal communication and not the actual words. We have written about the tips for effectively employing this powerful tool at work, and now we give you the biggest body language mistakes that you need to watch out for and avoid at work:

Body Language Mistakes #1 – Avoiding Eye Contact:

When you avoid eye contact, it reflects your lack of confidence. Maintaining a steady eye contact with your audience helps build a rapport, and makes you appear less shifty. Remember to take breaks in between maintaining eye contact, lest you appear to be staring. Looking at someone constantly, for an extended period of time could be interpreted as aggressive, but mostly it would be interpreted as creepy!

Body Language Mistakes #2 – A Weak Handshake:

Handshakes are tricky things and need to be ‘just right’, not too weak, and not too firm. A weak handshake indicates lack of authority and confidence, while an overly firm handshake would come across as aggressive. The best handshakes are described as brief, yet ‘firm’. Also, maintaining eye contact while shaking hands is a must.

Body Language Mistakes #3 – Exaggerated Gestures:

Exaggerated gestures are a sign of you having failed at effective verbal articulation. Be in control of your gestures, avoid being too forceful and gesticulating too often. It takes away from the real weight of the matter and is extremely distracting for the onlooker(s).

Body Language Mistakes #4 – Bad Posture:

While it is important to feel comfortable, it is more important to not get so comfortable that you appear lazy, nonchalant and uninterested. When seated, avoid slouching which makes you look lazy or leaning forward which makes you look aggressive. Sit as upright as possible, with your hands on your lap. When standing, maintain a comfortable posture while drawing the complete possible length of your height, but at the same time taking care to not appear stiff.

Body Language Mistakes #5 – Fidgeting:

Constantly fidgeting or fixing your hair/clothes, et al., makes you appear as though you are anxious, nervous, overly self-conscious or distracted. The nervous energy would definitely be visible to the onlooker(s) and succeed in doing the very opposite of what you intended to, distract them instead of holding their attention.

Being aware and conscious of your body language, and working on it is an effort worth making. Be it your professional, or personal life, your body language is something that will always create a lasting impression. It reflects your maturity, professionalism and confidence and speaks a great deal about how you carry yourself. After all, it is the language you speak with, without even speaking a word. Like Peter Guber says,

“Language is a more recent technology. Your body language, your eyes, your energy will come through to your audience before you even start speaking.”

What do you think ? What are the other big body language blunders that we consciously or unconsciously make ? We would love to hear back from you.

And here is a bonus : We came across this powerful Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy, a renowned social psychologist.who shows how “power posing” – standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident — can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success. Check out the high power and low power poses that she demonstrates in the video as well. She shows us that we can actually fake it to become it (yes, no kidding!). Bravo, Amy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc

5 Simple Practices to Help You Achieve Mastery Over Communication Skills

5 Simple Practices to Help You Achieve Mastery Over Communication Skills

We are living in the Communication Age and communication skills can be the make or break factor for your professional success. The ability to articulate oneself clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, is of utmost importance, no matter what job you have or industry you work in. It is an art and like every other art, you need considerable and consistent practice to achieve mastery over communication skills.  As Brian Tracy said,

“Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.”

Here are five simple everyday practices that will bring a noticeable difference to your communication skills and help you achieve mastery over communication skills.

  1. Make eye-contact while speaking:

    One of the most important things about effective communication is to make eye contact while addressing someone, or a group. We all have been in the situation where we’ve mentally screamed at the person addressing us by going “hello, my eyes are here!” or been the other person who finds it much easier to speak when looking at an inanimate object (because that’s less intimidating). I remember, in my school, we were all taught to stare at the wall while speaking so that we don’t get nervous. Now I know why it was one of the worst things I learnt. But, like they say, it is never too late to unlearn and re-learn. When you maintain eye-contact with the person you are addressing, he/she feels like you are not only being attentive, but are also interested and right there with them, and not drifting off.

  2. Remember the name(s) and mention it:

    Remember the name of the person you are talking to, and end the conversation by mentioning it. For example, “Alright Philip, it was great talking to you”, or in the middle of your conversation, “so Philip, what do you think about this?” When you refer to them by their name, instead of using generic statements, it does make an impact and the person being addressed understands you were attentive, which is crucial.

  3. Avoid using ‘fillers’ at all cost:

    All of us tend to use syllables which may range from among the following – “umm”, “like”, “so…”, “uh”, “actually”, when we find ourselves running out of words. Even when we have plenty to say, we end up using these fillers, because we tend to get nervous. Be conscious to avoid using fillers, and the only way you get good at it is by practice!

  4. Listening is the key:

    Do not listen with an intention to retort but with the intent to understand. When you listen and analyze carefully what the other person is saying, you will be able to coherently form logical and rational sentences in your head while responding, instead of simply jumping to conclusions just so that you can make your point and have the last word.

  5. Be precise and specific:

    Do not beat around the bush. A great way to avoid that is to follow the “BRIEF” acronym, for both, written and verbal communication. BRIEF stands for – Background, Reason, Information, End and Follow up. This will ensure you are clear and concise, while communicated exactly what needs to be communicated, and doing so effectively.

Practice does make for perfect. Remember these 5 tips and try to implement them whenever you get an opportunity, even when you aren’t at work. Do not shy away from conversation, express yourself regardless of the fear that you may fumble and also read a lot, especially newspapers, or at the very least the editorials of newspapers. Read some of our other posts on achieving mastery over communication skills. Good communication skills – spoken or written can open doors you never even thought existed. So go ahead, outshine the competition. Get the edge. That is some food for thought 🙂