Written communication can be difficult to interpret from
a positivity perspective. Things like tone, and non-verbal
communications are not taking place to the give the
audience indicators as to the excitement or positivity in
the communication. When I communicate via a business
communication such as an email, I try to use words
that are positive and punctuation that will reflect positive
communication. It is especially difficult to exude positivity
when dealing with an unpleasant topic or writing to
an individual or a group where you know there will
be potential differences in opinion. One example that I
can remember when I was working for my previous
company, we had to send out a memo to all the
employees that the main customer had decided to end
its contract with us. There were some negative effects
or at the least perceived negative effects that were
going to come out of this. I helped our HR
department this of all these negative or fearful questions
and address them up front in the communication. By
doing this we were able to alleviate all the main
stressors that an employee potentially could feel after
initially reading the communication. Expressing positivity is
relatively easy to do. If one has an open mind
towards achieving a goal in which the outcome is
beneficial to everyone involved, then the positive attitude
being expressed by that individual resonates towards all.
I show my positivity by always looking ahead to
helping others not become discouraged when they are
facing a difficult situation. I ask them questions about
the problem and then put myself in their situation
with the reflection of my own personal experiences and
how to derive an outcome that will be agreed upon.
Situations will not be easy and often they are hard
to deal with because you try not to hurt anyone’s'
feelings and want to listen to everyone's point of
view and find a reasonable outcome. That may not
always happen.Developing a positive writing style is be
to gather all the information, opinions, and desired
outcomes from everyone involved. Find the similarities in
what is provided and then begin to analyze the best
results that will not create conflict. Providing examples
for the results will allow people to understand the
reasoning behind the solutions. Have you ever received
an email in all caps and the tone was condescending
or just rude? I have, and it leaves me feeling
confused and shocked. Instead of focusing on the content,
I am contemplating how do I calm the sender down
with the right words. Whether communicating professionally
or personally, it is important to show a positive
attitude and tone when sending an email. This ensures
those who receive the email understand the sender is
not angry or unprofessional but is positive and assertive.
I usually start an email with a salutation and positive
words. I like to set the tone of respect, whether
dealing with an important topic or a routine conversation.
Individuals are more relaxed and open minded when they
know you are not negative.The person receiving a positive
message is more likely to be receptive to what you
are sending them and are more likely to be helpful
if you need assistance. If someone receives a message
from you that is negative, they usually get defensive
and may not even respond. My expression of being
positive are smiling, give a friendly greeting and making
a person feel comfortable. Giving a simple smile can
make a persons feel welcomed. Most places I have
worked at always stress to greet a person if you
come within in some many feet of them. Saying
hello and acknowledging someone to me shows that you
have respect for that person and it's letting them
know you see them. The expression on your face
can make a person determine how you feel and how
they will respond to you.
I have been in stores and witness so many customers
come and go without the cashier nor other associates
even acknowledging them. Customers tend to shop longer
when they feel welcomed and have been acknowledged
by the workers.
I have learned that a negative response to a situation
can escalate quickly. I try to picture myself on the
receiving end and how I would like a message to
be written to me. When I send emails/letters I make
sure I have all valid information and try to incorporate
words that show I'm smiling, giving off positive energy
and open to all ideas or criticism. Working in a
stressful environment can cause emotional responses and
make your audience feel uncomfortable and you will not
receive good feedback. Allowing others to share their
ideas or concerns shows them that you value their
opinion. Having compassion for your peers and how they
feel are ways of showing you care. The energy you
manifest or project for others to feed on can make
a difference. It can be challenging to be positive
during a time of confusion where others are afraid
to be vulnerable and loving yet positive. I try to
be kind to others and make them sense my positive
energy. We need more compassion and positive energy
to express towards each other. I always dreamed of
making the world a more positive place. I know
these acts of kindness are small, but I do see an
impact on others.
When I began working in a professional work
environment, I adapted to writing emails and messages.
Whenever I write an email to a manager, colleague,
or customers, I gather my ideas and information to
back up what I am writing. I have noticed that
writing an email with an infusion of positivity allows
someone to smile.Even though it can be a challenge
to remain positive in a busy and chaotic environment,
it is possible to lessen that chaos. I believe it
creates a domino like effect. Writing in a positive
tone is not always easy, but it is possible. It is
interesting how many ways you can spread positivity.
The tone or style of font and size can make a
difference for the audience reading your letter or email,
allowing yourself to be open and concerned for others
in a kind manner. I am letting others from my
audience to join in if there is necessary action or
share that positive energy all around to others. My
expressions of positivity is being confident and encouraging.
There are many ways where you can be confident
in many situations to make the situation a more
positive experience. If you're looking at a situation in
a negative way then it is harder to look at the
positivity in it. Being encouraging is also a big way
I express positivity in a lot of people. I always
encourage others to do their best and remain positive
in it all. One fail doesn't mean it's the end of
the world for anybody and encouragement tends to take
an individual a very.While responding to someone in a
work setting where you have to acknowledge inconsistencies
in an individual, I believe that there is a professional
way to approach the employee and be able to give
constructive criticism without demeaning them or being ugly
or rude to them while delivering. I would deliver the
message and issues very precisely and upfront so I
can cut clean to the problems in the most respectful
and professional way about the issues that are being
faced and so that nothing that I've typed is being
taken out of context. When reading through or critiquing
others work it is important to have a positive writing
style to get your message across more easily. If you
are confrontational people will see your critiques not as
arguing against the issue, but arguing against themselves.
Most times you are not attacking the person themselves,
you are simply trying to point out either where they
are wrong, or are looking at a problem from the
incorrect angle. When I worked at a bus company
that ran regular runs and shifts, we found 5 drivers
being underpaid and under utilized. While I have no
direct involvement in setting up our runs, I reached
out to scheduling to combine those runs so 3 of
our drivers could be working and utilizing their time
much better. It took about 3 weeks of showing them
how it would work within legal hours of service,
our drivers overall preferred it, and that no one
would ultimately lose out. We were able to better
utilize all our drivers and their hours, because I
reached out with positivity instead of actively arguing
against scheduling and attempting to point out how they
were wrong. Being a positive person is an individual
who can keep a level head and knows how to
look on the bright side of life even when it
seems to get a little difficult, and When a person
thinks positive thoughts positive things will start manifest
themselves and make it a lot easier to complete a
task. When a leader shows positive communication towards
his/her team of employees it will inspire them to be
great and being able to communicate to people in
different ways like writing a memo or such, its
always good to try to keep it positive so that
you can get your point across without offending anyone
or deflecting them from which problems need to be
fixed. A positive communication would contain, understanding
all angles of conversation to always being respectful but
being sturdy on your argument, not to come off
weak but willing to compromise. Being positive in the
work place is very important because it can prove
to be uplifting and also motivating during a time of
crisis. Life is just so much better when you think
positively and speak positivity to life. I believe money
is attracted to the energy and you are giving out
positive energy and always have a positive attitude then
everything you want in life will be fulfilled. A
positive style that i use for my team is creating
faith and believe in yourself. People don't get the
credit or recognition sometimes when they are doing
great things in life and informing someone of just
how proud you are of them and how far you
have seen them come can have a positive impact on
your business and the trust that you and someone
have. Some people create a negative outlook on life
and their career that it can discourage someone from
truly tapping into their potential because of the noise
they are hearing from the outside. When you create
a positive atmosphere in your line of work people
want to be around that and just learn from you
and how they can apply it to their life as well.
Being positive in my opinion is one of the best
things you can do for yourself and for others. This
would be true in your personal life and in your
professional life. When you are positive or optimistic
about a situation or idea the people around you will
often follow suit.I learned this one time when I was
the director of operations for a smaller company, and
I had to come up with a policy that met our
needs but deep down inside I knew this would not
be popular with the employees. The policy was that
the employees would no longer take company vehicles
home and that would be removed from their fringe
benefit package. As a part of this policy, I would
also lose my very own company vehicle to take
home. When I approached the group of employees who
this would effect, I presented it with a softer more
somber tone than I normally speak. Not knowing at
the time I should have been more positive about the
situation and showed more enthusiasm about it and I
could helped control the emotional effect of losing the
vehicles.People tend to feed off of each others emotions
and being positive can definitely be contagious. For me,
I often express positiveness while at work. I constantly
find myself fighting against the “on the fly” rules
and standards set by my managers and contractor. Though
the rules and standards are set to the contractor’s
preference, it’s often difficult to complete, what seems
to be a fairly simple task, of delivering packages.
Even though I disagree with the changes, some changes
should I say, I understand I am being paid to
perform the simple task of delivering packages. I don’t
speak out against the changes, since I know that at
the end of the day, I still will be able to
complete the simple task I am being paid to do.
Some of the ways I can apply a positive writing
style while at work is to be logical and to make
sure that my writing is simple and understanding. Another
way is to make sure that my audience is able to
understand me and that I am getting to the point.
Lastly I have to make sure to study what and
who my audience is to better be able to communicate
with them. I would say that I am usually a pretty
positive person in general. Throughout the day, no matter
what happens, I almost never really stress about things
and just keep a calm level head which is important
for me at work. Work can be very stressful and
stress only leads to more negative outcomes so being
able to stay positive and have a good attitude, even
when things seem to just not be going your way,
is very important. I work as a car salesman so
stress is something that we all end up dealing with
when things are not going our way and we are
not getting in as many sales as we should be
getting, but there are a lot of times where I have
to deal with customers over text or email and I
have to keep a positive writing style with them while
also being logical since a lot of customers are very
illogical and think that they can buy anything they
want if they haggle enough when in reality that is
not true. Having a positive outlook and attitude has
been drilled into my mind since I was a child.
My mother has told me from a young age that
kindness and positivity can benefit your entire life. There
have been times in my life that I have gotten
into a "funk" and having a positive attitude seemed
nearly impossible! Fortunately, I have been taught how
to stop what I am doing, close my eyes, take a
deep breath, and remember positivity is key. Starting
your day off with a positive attitude can change your
entire life around. Listening to uplifting music, making
sure you wake up on time so you are not rushed,
and making sure you are prepared are some great
ways to start your day off with positive vibes. One
way I enjoy bringing the positive aspect to my work
is to say good morning to everyone as I walk
in, give a compliment to a co-worker or stranger,
and make sure I give off happy vibes to everyone
around me. I have noticed that many people will
match the energy I give off at work and many
coworkers enjoy coming to my department to have a
quick fun conversation or enjoy working with me. Also,
I believe staying positive in the workplace will help
you get noticed and promotions. My quest to constant
and flowing positivity in all things has been a great
and revealing process for me. It has helped me to
learn to channel my emotions and process moments of
stress when they arise by learning to give myself
time. Many people struggle with dealing with home or
self, become fixated on just getting through the day
suppressing the very things that make us who we
are. These behaviors come out in several ways and
are perceived by others and often times we are
unaware of how we are coming off to others. My
biggest struggle in which I believe stems from my
sports and competition days is where I got in the
habit of always expecting others to be at the level
in which I was currently at. With time and growth
I later focused on the positive approach to things
which is a simple thing that includes meeting people
where they are and realizing that the true happiness
and satisfaction in which called to my happiness is
making an impact on others with my positivity. In
that discovery I became a better teammate and a
better person. How I apply this to my daily work
life is simply strength based. As a strength and
conditioning and High School basketball coach my level
of positivity determines how effectively I do my job.
I learned being present and focusing on the negatives
and positives are the name of the game for me.
It allows me to teach in a way that provokes
real change in the environments I work in. Thinking
about my own expressions of being positive and reflecting
on it is that my job really allows me to express
this. I am a Personal Trainer at a gym and for
my clients to be able to tackle one of the
workouts I have planned for them I need to make
sure I stay positive throughout the work out for
them. There is nothing worse then having a coach
that is negative and just not giving you that energy
that you need to get through that work out. You
want someone that is going to be interactive, pushing
you to that limit and keeping you motivated. For
that you need someone that is positive and willing
to go that extra mile for you. The hardest part
for me is being so positive in my morning class
( which is at 4:30am) the car ride over there is
always a struggle but when I set foot in the gym
the positivity just starts to flow and I am ready
to go! I am sure it helps them get through the
work out that early in the morning. I like to
think of myself as a super positive and cheerful
person. I bring positivity to my day every single day
by just doing certain things throughout the day to
keep myself upbeat. My first thoughts when I wake
up are to be grateful to be alive and well. I
do some morning stretches to get these lazy bones
going and down a big glass of water. I speak to
myself in the mirror daily. If you can't face yourself
at your best moments you surely will not be able
to do it in your worst moments. I do self talk
ALL the time. I have post its posted all around
my house of my goals, positive memos to myself,
and inspirational quotes. I choose to treat myself with
the utmost appreciation because I value myself and
everything about me; my time, my energy, my focus,
my goals, my family, my education, my well being,
and especially my attitude. My life is meaningful and
I want to make an impact or a difference no
matter how big or small while I am here on
earth. With that being said, how I treat myself is
how I treat others. I ALWAYS want to be able
to say I treat people how I treat myself and
actually mean my words.Working in the life insurance
business has definitely opened my eyes to so many
different cultures and backgrounds. You meet all walks
of life; some may be young or old, rich and
poor, educated or dropout. Since having started in this
business I have learned never to judge a book by
its cover and to always keep an open mind. I
have learned some of the most interesting things from
people who would be considered uneducated or poor. No
matter who the person is, there is always something
you can learn that you may not have known prior
to communicating with said person. Granted, you get
some nasty people from time to time but I pride
myself on breaking down those barriers that people tend
to build when just meeting someone new. A simple
smile can do the trick but just being a genuinely
nice person always trumps because you radiate positivity
when you treat people in a manner they are to
be treated and people buy from people they like.Working
for myself I don't have to worry to much about
inconsistencies unless I am the one making them. If
I had to deal with such nonsense I would like
to think I would keep the same cheery disposition I
normally have on a day to day basis. Being an
upbeat person is just alluring. I want to draw people
in not away. I do understand errors happen from
time to time but after a little conversation stating the
errors along with a great job, keep up the good
work.....just pay closer attention to.....(areas needed.) Honestly,
we are adults. We don't need to be scolded. Just
a simple conversation with clear directives, expectations, and
gratitude goes a long way. When I think of my
own positivity and how I express it, I tend to
tell people they are valued, and show support verbally
and nonverbally. My expressions of positivity also change
depending on who I am speaking to. At work, I
offer my assistance to co-workers, I acknowledge them
when they have had a success, and I tell them
I appreciate the time and attention they put into an
assignment or task. When I am with my family, I
show expressions of positivity differently. I give hugs
and I tell them I love them. I also am someone
who apologizes when I am wrong or make a mistake.
When writing in a positive tone at work, I
should know who my audience is when I am writing
an email, memo, or other types of correspondences. I
should write in a clear and concise manner that
others will understand. I should also avoid using negative
words or phrases that would receive an adverse reaction
from those I am communicating with. Maya Angelou
wrote, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you
said, people will forget what you did, but people
will never forget how you made them feel” . I
worked for Walmart. As a customer host. My job
duties were to greet every customer coming into.
store and leaving. I also had to scan their receipts.
This job came with the good, bad, and very ugly.
Don’t get me wrong I love my job but it was
very stressful. Because the customers would get offended.
If I asked sir or ma’am can I check your receipt?
I recalled this one situation I asked to checked a
customer receipt because they had items that were not
in a bag and the customer before them had items
in a bag. They called me racist it got out of
hand quite. I had to reassure myself that I was
only doing my job. Anything that’s not in a bag
I have to check. The customer even stood there why
I checked the next customer with items just like
there’s. One example they found out I didn’t treat
them any different the situation calmed down. Sometimes
you have to reassure people especially working at retails
stores. Yes I believe in the customer is always right
but to a certain extinct. I believe the way I
handle myself didn’t put me in jeopardy or the
customer. There are several areas in my line of work
that are judged by the score (%), I am held
accountable for my Market, and in turn I hold my
Managers accountable and their teams. I was the leading
Market for the Business Unit in a program called
the "Lift" where the company minimum was 12% or
higher. The majority of my 260 employees maintained a
score above 12% with a few stragglers under 10%.
When I was exploring different was to encourage my
team to strive to reach the minimum I created a
spreadsheet that ranked everyone from the highest to the
lowest with a color chart. The employees between 10
and 12% I labeled beside "go for 12%", the employees
that were under 10% I labeled "unacceptable". My direct
supervisor and mentor through a coaching moment encouraged
me to reword how I addressed the under 10 with
the same point but with "below company standards". I
was still getting the point across that they were not
performing well, but I was not as aggressive with
how I let them know. I try to be positive every
day. When I wake in the morning i find that
listening to gospel music while getting ready for work
puts me in a good mood. It calms me so to
speak. Sometimes i have to tell myself, "Today is
going to be a good day!!" Because Lord knows one
of my coworkers tries my patience! I smile a lot
and i greet everybody i come in contact with. I
try to have an optimistic approach at work and try
to stay away from negativity and people who constantly
complain about things. I feel that negative energy begets
negative energy and i feed off people. if i see
someone is having a bad day i will ask them if
they are alright and try to give them encouraging
words. When attempting to keep a positive writing style
at work i keep in mind who I'm communicating with.
I want to make sure i say what i have to
say but make sure that i keep it respectful so as
not to offend anyone. The way I express positivity
is by always being kind whether I am at work
or out in public. At work every morning when I
go into the office I always say "good morning".
Someone could be having a rough morning and a
simple good morning would lift their spirits. I am
always trying to be as positive was possible even in
negative situations or a negative environment. I don't like
to dwell I like to find a solution to the problem.
At work I am sure we all have experienced a
time when it is just a busy, overwhelming day. Days
like that I still remain positive because in a room
full of negative vibes, that one good vibe of positivity
can shift the room. For example, one day I came
to work and we had about 2 call outs and every
one was upset and worried about not being able to
get their work done and I simply told everyone don't
stress we will work together and get everything done.
Instead of thinking the worst I like to think about
the good and find a solution. Being positive in
uncertain situations can make things a lot less stressful.
Positivity (when writing) will impact the audience's outcome.
I occasionally become emotional when writing and have
to ensure I do not “overdo it” when I express
myself because it might not have the best result. I
like to express my opinion and make sure I get
my point across, but at the same time I want to
ensure there is a win-win situation (for both parties)
and want to avoid offending someone if they do not
agree with me.Some of the resources provided in chapter
5 encourage you to consider the readers' values and
priorities. If we receive an email at work we should
prioritize it and respond to it in a timely manner.
If we respond on time and in a professional manner,
the outcome will often be favorable. You are communicating
to them that you have received the message and
what your next step will be. While doing this we
also have to ensure our message is respectful. We
don’t want to sound “pushy” or demanding. Another
resource was the AIM planning process. This acronym
stands for Audience, Identify, and Message. “Effective business
communicators possess an uncanny ability to step into
the shoes of their audience members” . I can think
of a few moments where I exhibited positive behavior
in my work environment that led to us to not
only complete our assignments, but complete them in an
effective manner. We had a tough project that required
us, for weeks, to endure late nights and early
mornings. This assignment was not a field up, instead
it was a simulated exercise that required us to
dedicate most of our time. My junior marines were
on the brink of collapse as they were extremely tired
and burned out. But, every day, I would come in
with snacks and I would always tell them to not
give up, that “no man can stop time” and once
we were done we could reap the benefits. I joked
around with them in an attempt to keep their spirits
up. Needless to say, a few weeks of this led to
the accomplishment of the mission and it was efficiently
accomplished, I might add. It was done so well, that
they were recognized by unit leadership. Adding a positive
writing style can help mitigate improper habits like logical
inconsistencies even though they are common. Not too
long ago, one of my marines said “nobody wants to
be in the marine corps” and at the time I did
not know he used a logical inconsistency, honestly I
had no clue what it was. But now that I think
of it, he did in fact use a logical inconsistency.
He made that comment based off of the frustration
towards the marine corps, but his mindset might have
been different had he been in a positive environment.
I feel that with myself and giving politeness is that
I am constantly saying to people as I pass them
especially when I am work or with the ladies I
work with I am always saying "Hi beautiful". I've
been told numerous times that I make people's day
better by saying that to them. Plus, I feel by
saying that or even just acknowledging them as you
past makes people feel like they are being seen. We
never truly understand what people are going through on
a daily basis and even just a "Hi" makes a huge
difference. In my old position we had morning huddles
in the morning where we would get the plan for
the day, joke around a little, and then go on our
way to start working. Now in my new position that
doesn't happen, so I make sure I get to work a
few minutes earlier than I am suppose to start so
I am able to say good morning and see how my
coworkers are doing. I feel it helps with good work
morale and showing my coworkers that I care. When
I think positiveness, I think greeting people. Being able
to say hello to new people you may have just
met at the grocery store, or even at your new
job. Having that little bit of time to ask a random
person how they are doing? I feel positiveness is
stepping outside of that shell and reflecting your positive
energy onto others. Being at work obviously is a
different atmosphere than the at home. However, why do
we change who we are at home to a totally
different person at work? We think professionalism vs
reality, but why not be who we are destined to
be? So, each day I work my manager manages to
come by to ask me how I am doing? And I
typically respond back with good, how about yourself?
Then the conversation ends. I ask myself, why can’t
I continue the conversation to make things more positive
and worth communicating? Until one day I decided to
ask my manager how he was doing? And made more
efforts to check on him and give out care to all
my colleague’s. Then I think to myself maybe that
was the message my manager was gravitating towards.
Asking others how they were doing? To make it a
point to engage with others whether it is uncomfortable
or not. Now in my workplace us as colleagues write
out inspirational quotes, have morning huddles, and are
able to form great communication with those in and
out of work. Positive thinking is undoubtably a fundamental
factor when it comes to overall business success. People
are naturally drawn to positivity and having that positive,
optimistic attitude allows you the ability to influence and
inspire your target audience. A prime example would be
how "Negative content tends not to go viral because
who wants to read all that text? ... You don’t
need the same number of words to describe why a
cat is cute as you would need to explain why
certain hypothetical cat shelters don’t meet safety codes
of care." ("The Importance Of Positivity In Business",
2015) As a firm believer in having a positive mindset,
I utilize this daily in all areas of my work. This
includes meetings, seemingly endless emails, as well as
constant employer demands. There have been numerous
occasions where I needed to utilize my positivity in
order to successfully complete an assignment ahead of
time. There is often the tendency to resist doing
things sooner that you are used to completing them,
especially if it is a last minute request. There is
always too much to do and not enough time to
do it -in just about every occupational field. I believe
you can get much more accomplished with a positive
attitude followed by positive influence. Many things can
be going on in someone else life, and we have
no clue about. Foe example I had some customers
the other day that I have known for years, that
night when he went home he shot himself and died,
unbelievable and so sad that this happened. I always
try to help people if I can and do the right
thing. If you keep doing good things, good things
will come your way.I agree with you that a simple
"Hi" can improve a persons day. I work in a
hospital and I always make sure I acknowledge the
patient and the staff. I make sure to listen to
their concerns and follow up with them to let them
know that I care. If I can put a smile on
someone's face then I feel like I have made a
difference. You are correct in saying we don't know
what people are going through. Being friendly to someone
doesn't cost anything and it's not as hard as some
people make it out to be. My coworkers and I
try to keep a positive attitude and have been told
by others in the department that we are always
laughing and working issues out together.I try to always
be kind no matter where I am at as well. I
definitely try and be kind to those that are rude
because there obviously have been times where I have
been rude back and I just feel really bad after.
You never know what someone is going through and
they could be just having a bad day. And, there
have been so many times I have came to work
in my old position and have had more than 2
people off so it makes it hard to get the quota
met for the day when we are down people.
Unfortunately, we can't change the fact that other people
called out so staying positive helps with your day
and your attitude towards toward and like you said
a lot less stressful. I couldn't agree more with your
statement. Before I use to second guess myself and
question whether I should continue to be kind when
sometimes your kindness can be mistaken for weakness.
It wasn't until I got older that I had realized that
I am just a naturally kind person and people love
to be around that type of energy. When you are
a positive person people just know that you can be
trusted and can connect with on a higher level.
Offering acknowledgement to someone who may be having
an off day is the best way to turn that negative
disposition they are into something positive. Sometimes all
people need is a warm smile and some acknowledgement.
Being kind costs zero dollars yet most strive for the
bare minimum.
