Perspectives

Cash, Please

I recently traveled to Belize and had an interesting encounter with communications.  There were signs in the airport indicating that everyone leaving the country must pay a departure fee.  There were two rates:  one for citizens and one for foreigners and it was to be paid in cash only.  I got out of the line and asked an airport employee about the policy and he reinforced it and directed me to a bank branch in the airport.  I first had to go to an ATM, withdraw Belize currency and then go to the bank to buy American currency to pay the departure fee.  Back in line and having lost my place, another traveler inquired about the policy and I shared my experience of a few minutes earlier.  After checking in and inquiring as to when the departure fee was due, the airline employee advised me that it was included in the price of the ticket.  Removing the signs could not be that difficult and would certainly have avoided the unnecessary trouble of scrambling around for exact change in U.S. currency.  It is unlikely that I am the first traveler that this has happened to.  It is important to send a consistent message as there can be many opportunities for confusion and misunderstandings.

Ilan Smith

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Excuse Me?

I was on a flight from Dallas, Texas to New York this past Sunday which was very crowded.  Customarily, passengers would walk to their seats, put their bags away and then allow the person behind them to pass by.  I found my seat, put one of my bags away quickly but noticed as I had just finished that the young man behind me squeezed past before I could allow him to pass by.  This stuck me as unusual, as we usually wait until the person in front moves out of the way.  Granted that I did not take more than two or three seconds I felt that he could have waited - I have had to wait a lot longer.  I later found out that he was from the Kingdom of Swaziland(he had his passport out in the open).  This reminded me that courtesy practices may differ between cultures.  However, we must remember that this is not always the case and that some people are just discourteous.   

Ilan Smith

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I thought we were clear

Earlier today my wife and I were discussing taking our younger daughter to see Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.  She told me that the movie would start at 1:15 PM but there was another at 2:15.  It was just after noon at the time and I was working on something that would take another half hour to finish, which I told her.  She wanted to go to the 1:15 show and suggested that I meet them at the movie theater, to which I agreed.  I finished what I was doing at about 12:30, took a shower and was surprised to see them still there. After a  few minutes I asked about the movie  and to my surprise she said to me that we were going to the 2:15 show.  We had walked away from the previous discussion with two different understandings of what we were going to do.  You would think that something as simple as making movie plans would be easy but miscommunication can occur at any time and during any conversation.  The lesson I learned was to make sure to double check arrangements to make sure we are on the same page.

Ilan Smith

Please visit our web site at: www.oakleyassociates.com

In a crisis...

As I listened to reports of how the emergency services responded to the bomb attacks in London yesterday I could not help but think back to the questions raised after the 9/11 attacks.  There were numerous allegations that both emergency and building communications systems suffered complete failure.  Hopefully the authorities in London had the opportunity to examine the issue and take precautions accordingly. They have been commended for their  rapid and effective response to the biggest crisis they have had to face in a long time.  We often talk about the importance to personal communication in a business setting but let's not forget that it is much more critical to do so in emergency situations.  It is a different kind of communication but it also requires that messages be clear and concise.

Ilan Smith

Please visit our web site at: www.oakleyassociates.com

Defensive??

Many of us are familiar with the idea that crossing the arms is a defensive posture but how many have found ourselves doing it during normal conversations?  I have started to take keen notice lately as to what type of conversation is occurring and how I feel when I cross my arms.  Oddly enough, the conversations have been friendly and this leads me to examine it even more.  The hostility is not there and I am inclined to believe that it is more than just a habit so it is difficult to figure out what is going on.  Could it be that it is just a habit and there isn't any more to it?  It is good to analyze things but sometimes there is no hard answer.

Ilan Smith

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The right response

    Have you ever had a sales clerk make an error?  If so how did you address the problem?  Your reaction plays a major role in how expeditiously it is resolved.  I was in a local Bed, Bath and Beyond today shopping from a bridal registry.  I noticed when I walked into the store that one of the clerks seemed disgruntled and unfriendly.  To avoid contact, I stood on his colleague's line but he became available and beckoned me over.  He had some trouble finding the future bride's name but eventually did and printed the registry list for me.  I spend the next half hour finding my items, paid for them  and left.  As I was about to put the bags into my trunk I noticed that the names on the registry were incorrect(they were in Michigan and the couple I know live in New York).
    I went back into the store and explained calmly that I had been given the wrong list.  I also stated that I really did not have enough time to go through another list.  The offender was nowhere to be found and the other clerks were not at fault.  The registry coordinator apologized and offered to personally get any items I was interested in.  I accepted graciously and thanked her for the offer.  I had a personal shopper who brought my items to me and opened a register just to ring up my purchases.  I wonder what the response would have been if my reaction had been hostile.  I am positive that I would have been looking for the items myself and would have had to stand in the checkout line again.  My reaction probably surprised them as someone else would have been quite hostile and made a scene.  I said very little throughout my ordeal except to thank whoever was assisting me and I did smile often.  You may not always have control over things that happen to you, but you always have complete control over your reaction.

Ilan Smith

Visit our web site at: www.oakleyassociates.com

   

Something is not right

Just about a month ago we learned of the "runaway bride" story.  I watched a television interview with the fiancee and was struck by his body language.  Even though he was talking about a very serious issue he did not seem upset or overly concerned.  The woman he was about to commit to spending the rest of his life with was missing without warning and he seemed to not be taking it seriously.  He smiled a lot during the interview and his body seemed very relaxed.  I must admit that I thought he had something to do with her disappearance based on his conduct.  This just goes to show the impact body language can have on how you are percieved and how important it is to be aware of the subconscious messages you send. 

Ilan Smith

Visit our web site at www.oakleyassociates.com 

Are you really listening?

Ever go to your manager's office to speak to him or her, get waved in but then he or she continues to type away?  Body language is a critical component of communicating well.  When we speak to people we like to feel as if we have their undivided attention.  The old saying: "go ahead, I'm listening" while continuing to work may send the message that what is being said is not that important even if you do not intend it to.  If your stop what you are doing and face the person speaking it says that you are interested in what is being said and will encourage him or her to speak more openly.  It is not always what you do, but how you do it.

Ilan Smith

Visit our web site at www.oakleyassociates.com