***************************************************************
Communication Cues:
Are you interpreting them correctly?
***************************************************************
Body language refers to the meaning and intent behind communication. Also referred to as nonverbal communication, body language can come in the form of gestures, facial expressions, posture-practically anything that isn't spoken.

Whether in the professional world or in your personal life, reading body language is a valuable skill. However, much of our understanding is instinctive-and a good deal of it is wrong, according to some recent research. What follows are some of the more common myths, and the reality behind them.

Myth #1: You can't trust a person who doesn't look you in the eye. There is a persistent belief that people with shifty eyes are probably lying. However, because this belief is so widely known, someone who is withholding the truth may go out of his/her way to make eye contact. Indeed, researchers have found that one group in particular excels at making eye contact that appears very sincere: pathological liars. Hence, it is not always safe to rely on eye contact as a measure of sincerity or truthfulness.

Myth #2: The more eye contact, the better. Many people make excessive eye contact, mistakenly thinking that it exudes confidence and truthfulness. For example, during a job interview, a candidate may stare fixedly at the interviewer. However, this behavior is just as likely to make the interviewer uncomfortable as not. Most of us are comfortable with eye contact lasting a few seconds, but any eye contact that persists longer than that can make us nervous. We assume that there is something else going on-an attempt to initiate flirtatious behavior, perhaps.

Myth # 3: Putting your hands behind your back is a power gesture. For years, presentation coaches have taught people to put their hands behind their backs. But research shows that many people find the gesture untrustworthy-if we can't see what your hands are doing, we're suspicious. So if your goal is to increase trust in any given situation, think twice before you put your hands behind your back.

Myth #4: A smiling person equals a happy person. People smile for all sorts of reasons, only one of which is to signal happiness. There are many kinds of smiles, from the fear smile, the contempt smile, the dampened smile, the miserable smile, and so on. Whatever their origin or motivation, smiles have a powerful effect on us-just don't always assume that a person is smiling out of happiness.

Much of the research into nonverbal communication shows that people are not very good at masking their feelings. And yet, the research also shows that most of us are not as good at decoding those emotions as we think. Bottom line: you should always remain cautious. Body language conveys important, but often unreliable clues about the intent of the communicator.

Source: McNeill, Daniel, The Face: A Natural History

***************************************************************
Maximizing Your Employees' Strengths
***************************************************************
The best managers can accurately pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of their employees. Furthermore, these managers can figure out how to build on those strengths and minimize those weaknesses. This is undoubtedly a tough job, and one of the biggest reasons managers are such an important asset to healthcare organizations!

Hone In On the Strengths
While figuring out one's weaknesses is indeed important, it is more critical for managers to recognize the strengths of their employees and help reinforce self-assurance. To do this, try not to praise an employee for working hard. Instead, tell the employee that her success is due to her growing ability to use specific strengths on the job. Doing this will give the employee an optimistic outlook on her effect on the workplace and will give her more confidence in facing future challenges.

Minimize Weaknesses
If an employee repeatedly fails at a goal, it may be that some weakness needs to be strengthened. You must first assess whether the failure is due to a lack of skill or knowledge. If this is the case, all you need to do is provide the education, training, etc., necessary to bring the employee up to snuff. However, if the failure is due to a lack of talent, then you will have to find a way of managing around the problem. You can do this by finding a co-worker whose strength balances the weakness of the failing employee. If this tactic is not a possibility, then you will want to help the employee develop a discipline that will help her overcome her weakness. For instance, if she has trouble being direct with others, then a visualization exercise, in which she imagines how her mentor might handle the situation, might help.

Remember, every employee possesses unique strengths. While spotting their weaknesses may be a lot easier than identifying their strengths, you're ultimately creating a better work environment by consistently focusing on the positive.

Source: Harvard Business Review


"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."
-John Wooden


***************************************************************
How to Prepare for Surveyors (and have fun while doing it!)
***************************************************************
Today, healthcare facilities have to stay "survey ready" because of changes in methodology in accreditation surveys and state licensing procedures. To ensure that requirements are being met, much more coordination and planning-within all areas of your facility and staff-is a must. After all, according to the Healthcare Compliance Company, up to 60% of the time surveyors spend at your facility these days will be with frontline employees.

Preparing Your Staff
Forming committees is a common and effective way to help staff prepare for a survey. If your organization is looking at forming a survey committee, you may want to consider adding a little twist by forming a "fun committee." Implementing fun into adult learning can help create compliant employees who receive, process, and understand the information in a more accepting manner.

There are a variety of fun and exciting ways you can prepare your staff for surveyors. Take note of the tips below:

Be visible. Create a colorful display board near or in the employee cafeteria with cutouts and phrases that staff could look at as they walk by. The display can focus on specific standards, highlighting any key changes and phrases, i.e., "every patient should be taught about his or her diagnosis," "every patient should be taught about any new medication started," etc.

Puzzle them. Place crossword puzzles in break rooms and cafeterias. The puzzle can quiz employees on facility policies and specific standards. Such puzzles pique staff's curiosity, and they will be more likely to look into the policy books to make sure they have the right answers. Visit www.puzzlemaker.com to create your own customized puzzle.

Mock them. Implementing a mock survey is another fun option. Committee members can take turns visiting different departments to ask staff survey questions. When visiting a unit, committee members can carry a basket filled with questions from which employees draw. Make sure you include questions that are frequently asked by surveyors, and also be sure to cover new information and standards.

Reward them. Whatever activities you decide to implement, make an effort to recognize and reward all employees who participate. This can be as simple as handing out candy to employees who complete puzzles or participate in mock surveys. You could also consider holding a drawing for bigger prizes such as gift certificates, shirts, a paid day off, etc. Such incentives usually always drive up participation and make employees feel good about their involvement.

Reinforcing accreditation standards and policies with fun activities such as the display boards and crossword puzzles can prove very helpful. And perhaps best of all, it takes minimal amounts of money. Money that is spent (on items such as prizes) helps increase participation and is much appreciated by staff. Remember, when it comes to surveyors and accreditation, there are always new and unexpected changes. So, the time to start thinking about and planning for these changes is now!

"By learning you will teach;
by teaching you will understand."
-Latin Proverb

***************************************************************
Famous People Who Refused to be Failures
***************************************************************

We've all heard the stories of famous people who had rough or bumpy starts. Here are a few for the record:

Lucille Ball: She began studying to be an actress in 1927 and was told by the head instructor of the John Murray Anderson Drama School, "Try any other profession. Any other."

Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds: In 1959, a Universal Pictures executive dismissed them at the same meeting with the following statements. To Burt Reynolds: "You have no talent." To Clint Eastwood: "You have a chip on your tooth, your Adam's apple sticks out too far and you talk too slow."

Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jean Baker): In 1944, Emmeline Snively, director of the Blue Book Modeling Agency, told modeling hopeful Norma Jean, "You'd better learn secretarial work or else get married."

Elvis Presley: In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis after one performance. He told Presley, "You ain't goin' nowhere son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck."

Alexander Graham Bell: When he invented the telephone in 1876, it did not ring off the hook with calls from potential backers. After making a demonstration call, President Rutherford Hayes said, "That's an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?"

Thomas Edison: One of the greatest inventors in American history, when Edison first attended school in Port Huron, Mich., his teachers complained that he was "too slow" and hard to handle. As a result, Edison's mother decided to take her son out of school and teach him at home. In his lifetime, Edison produced more than 1,300 inventions.

Chester Carlson: In the 1940s, this young inventor took his idea to 20 corporations, including some of the biggest in the country. They all turned him down. In 1947-after seven long years of rejections-he finally got a tiny company in Rochester, N.Y., the Haloid Company, to purchase the rights to his electrostatic paper-copying process. Haloid became Xerox corporation, and both it and Carlson became very rich.

Franklin D. Roosevelt: Paralyzed by polio at 39, he went on to become one of America's most beloved and influential leaders. He was elected president of the United States four times.

Julia Child: In 1953, she and her two collaborators signed a publishing contract to produce a book tentatively titled French Cooking for the American Kitchen. Julia and her colleagues worked on the book for five years. The publisher rejected the 850-page manuscript. Child and her partners worked for another year totally revising the manuscript. Again the publisher rejected it. But Julia Child did not give up. She and her collaborators went back to work again, found a new publisher, and in 1961-eight years after beginning-they published Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which has sold more than 1 million copies.

***************************************************************
April Product Specials:

Save $40 on Getting "In Charge": A Leadership Seminar for Nursing Management thru July 31, regularly $177 now $137!

Proven Solutions -- $137 thru 07/31/05
http://www.clintmaun.com/products/

This program examines how nursing professionals can reduce turnover, improve employee morale, communication, quality of delivery, and effectively handle today's nursing leadership issues. This 2 VHS Tape program consists of the following segments:

* Leadership vs. Management
* Team vs. Turf
* The 5 Fingers
* "Eating One Piece of the Elephant"
* "Takeoffs" are Critical
* The "No Excuse Policy"
* 5 Step Involvement Process
* Coaching vs. Counseling
* 4 Questions for Motivation
* Developing Self-Control Systems
* Using Self-Reports
* Handling the BMG

We offer a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, which means if we do not meet your expectations, we'll make it right or you don't pay us. It's that simple and we're confident we'll exceed your expectations.
***************************************************************