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Workstorming: Why Conversations at Work Go Wrong, and How to Fix Them
Whatever your job you need to communicate with others, as even when your intentions are sound, the impact of a bad conversation can be highly destructive. If people in your work community form a negative opinion of you, they stop properly listening. Rob explains how and why your career success can depend so much on good communication at work. Each chapter is short and self-contained, focusing on a specific topic with clear steps for action and a key lesson. As in Blamestorming, there is a cast of characters placed in a variety of situations in which they experience conversations go wrong. Using five simple 'warning signs' to watch out for Rob explains how the characters could change the way they speak and listen in order to achieve a positive outcome.
224 pages, Paperback
Published September 13, 2016
12 people are currently reading
303 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 2, 2016
Thank you Goodreads for sending me this book. This book is about communicating effectively, why communication can go wrong and how to make sure that errors are corrected for the future. I enjoyed reading it. The author goes into detail about the dynamics of conversation and shows what works well and what does not. The book is very practical, structured well and straight forward to read, with lots of good examples.
September 6, 2016
Communication is key every time and this book sets out to show you how to communicate better and more effectively at work. Whether you use the advice to just better get on with the daily grind or even to seek advancement, the author offers a range of “workstorming” advice in a number of concise chapters.
It all made for an interesting, actionable read and stands head-and-shoulders above many self-help books that seem to promise the earth but suffer on delivery. Of course, the reader is still responsible for the hard work of implementing the change, yet armed with this book the possibility of communicating better is within reach for all. This is a book that encourages do-ing, rather than merely regurgitating an evaluation of theory with a flowery, quasi-inspirational tone.
Think of your average working day and consider the amount of time you spend communicating with someone else, whether face-to-face, on the telephone or even through e-mail. That can account for a hell of a lot of time, yet we are not routinely trained in how to communicate. We just seek to muddle through and find our feet by trial and error. Yet, even if a minor improvement can be made for each interaction that is a lot of potential gain for relatively little effort. What is there not to like about this? Who would knowingly want to inefficiently communicate? Then there is how we listen to consider, as that plays a part too.
Each step or lesson takes an element in focus, such as noticing how little we notice, how we respond consciously instead of reacting unconsciously and how even busy people need to hit the pause button from time to time. You can read just one chapter to focus on something or wallow in a luxurious deep, sequential read. The book gives a lot more than you might expect from a quick glance at the title and undoubtedly a lot of the advice can be equally deployed in the reader’s private life too! It is very giving. Should you wish to dig even deeper then there are further reading notes at the end.
No further words are necessary. Quit talking when you’ve said your piece. A great book, something you should strongly consider reading!
Autamme.com
It all made for an interesting, actionable read and stands head-and-shoulders above many self-help books that seem to promise the earth but suffer on delivery. Of course, the reader is still responsible for the hard work of implementing the change, yet armed with this book the possibility of communicating better is within reach for all. This is a book that encourages do-ing, rather than merely regurgitating an evaluation of theory with a flowery, quasi-inspirational tone.
Think of your average working day and consider the amount of time you spend communicating with someone else, whether face-to-face, on the telephone or even through e-mail. That can account for a hell of a lot of time, yet we are not routinely trained in how to communicate. We just seek to muddle through and find our feet by trial and error. Yet, even if a minor improvement can be made for each interaction that is a lot of potential gain for relatively little effort. What is there not to like about this? Who would knowingly want to inefficiently communicate? Then there is how we listen to consider, as that plays a part too.
Each step or lesson takes an element in focus, such as noticing how little we notice, how we respond consciously instead of reacting unconsciously and how even busy people need to hit the pause button from time to time. You can read just one chapter to focus on something or wallow in a luxurious deep, sequential read. The book gives a lot more than you might expect from a quick glance at the title and undoubtedly a lot of the advice can be equally deployed in the reader’s private life too! It is very giving. Should you wish to dig even deeper then there are further reading notes at the end.
No further words are necessary. Quit talking when you’ve said your piece. A great book, something you should strongly consider reading!
Autamme.com
September 6, 2016
Rob kendall, author of WORKSTORMING, has studied the best and the worst of communication for over 25 years and how they affect productivity, relationships and health.
The author includes as conversation any two-way exchange from face-to-face to emails. Moreover, when these conversations go wrong, it is astonishing how costs escalate to billions when researchers study and estimate them, for example:
Unnecessary or waste of time meetings: 37 billion a year in the US.
Multitasking costs US businesses: 650 billion a year in lost productivity through distractions.
Mixed messages costs: 37 billion per year to US and UK businesses.
Rob Kendall gives more examples throughout the book from funny to tragic, where costs are not money but lives, to illustrate the four survival strategies used to cope with miscommunication at work the wrong way, and how to fix them: stacking, spinning, skimming, and spilling.
Stacking: Time. A tied schedule with no room to think or maneuver through any changes.
Spinning: Attention. Going from one conversation to another creates errors as the attention span diminishes.
Skimming: Information. You miss important information trying to get more quantity than quality conversations.
Spilling: Boundaries. Multitasking that goes on detrimental to conversations, for example, reading emails during a meeting.
WORKSTORMING includes 18 chapters/lessons on why conversations at work go wrong and how to fix them. Moreover, exercises and transcripts enhance the ideas presented in each lesson. Plenty of information in previous chapters to prevent chapter 17 Managing confrontation on how to deal with difficult conversations.
The author emphasizes mindful conversations led by choice to shape the present and create the future.
A book to study and make this skill a habit.
ARC REVIEW
The author includes as conversation any two-way exchange from face-to-face to emails. Moreover, when these conversations go wrong, it is astonishing how costs escalate to billions when researchers study and estimate them, for example:
Unnecessary or waste of time meetings: 37 billion a year in the US.
Multitasking costs US businesses: 650 billion a year in lost productivity through distractions.
Mixed messages costs: 37 billion per year to US and UK businesses.
Rob Kendall gives more examples throughout the book from funny to tragic, where costs are not money but lives, to illustrate the four survival strategies used to cope with miscommunication at work the wrong way, and how to fix them: stacking, spinning, skimming, and spilling.
Stacking: Time. A tied schedule with no room to think or maneuver through any changes.
Spinning: Attention. Going from one conversation to another creates errors as the attention span diminishes.
Skimming: Information. You miss important information trying to get more quantity than quality conversations.
Spilling: Boundaries. Multitasking that goes on detrimental to conversations, for example, reading emails during a meeting.
WORKSTORMING includes 18 chapters/lessons on why conversations at work go wrong and how to fix them. Moreover, exercises and transcripts enhance the ideas presented in each lesson. Plenty of information in previous chapters to prevent chapter 17 Managing confrontation on how to deal with difficult conversations.
The author emphasizes mindful conversations led by choice to shape the present and create the future.
A book to study and make this skill a habit.
ARC REVIEW
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November 8, 2016I absolutely LOVED this book! I am so thankful and grateful that I won this book in a giveaway!
I am one of those people who struggle to have conversations with people in the work place. I never know what I should or should not say. I also avoid confrontation in the work place too which has lead to me being taken advantage of at times. This book has soooo many useful tips for me to use and take into consideration when interacting with people at work!
Really really enjoyed this and so glad that I entered the giveaway. Ill go as far to say that it has actually changed me when it comes to work!
Thank you!
I am one of those people who struggle to have conversations with people in the work place. I never know what I should or should not say. I also avoid confrontation in the work place too which has lead to me being taken advantage of at times. This book has soooo many useful tips for me to use and take into consideration when interacting with people at work!
Really really enjoyed this and so glad that I entered the giveaway. Ill go as far to say that it has actually changed me when it comes to work!
Thank you!
August 29, 2016
Good read for anyone wanting to learn how to engage in constructive conversations with "customers" or co-workers.
This review was originally posted on Books In Brogan
This review was originally posted on Books In Brogan
July 27, 2017
All of my work takes place in and through conversations. I can think of few people who don't do the same. Rob shows us in Workstorming that the best way to fulfil both my intentions, and those of my colleagues and the organisations I work for is through clear, healthy and respectful speaking and listening. The cost of not doing so can be catastrophic as Rob illustrates so well. Even though good communication can be very challenging, blocked by physical, emotional, mental, organisational and social barriers Rob shows us practical ways to break through and ensure both our message is understood, and we understand others. It's a great book to have lying around on your desk to refer to when those curly ones come up!
February 3, 2017
I really liked this book. Communication is one of the things I'd like to become better at and this is a good basic primer on it. The chapters are short and easy to absorb. I wish there had been more examples of conversations in the book, but the examples that are in the book really help demonstrate the ideas in each chapter. I will definitely re-read it periodically to brush up on the basics.
September 13, 2020
The key to communicate better is to listen well and be thoughtful, and this book give a practical example and approach on how to apply those aspect in the work life. Especially in this pandemic situation, where meeting become less, and the clue decreses due to decrease in face to face communication, this book helps to navigate it so we can be more thoughtful and avoid misunderstanding
March 30, 2019
This is a fast read that really showed how communication affects your relationship with your team, colleagues, bosses, and others.
Easy to implement changes, and really enjoyed the peace about the importance of being ‘ present ‘ in conversations.
Easy to implement changes, and really enjoyed the peace about the importance of being ‘ present ‘ in conversations.
January 11, 2023
As introvert, I always avoid to talk with people but after read this, I know the importance of talking with other people even the smallest talk
November 1, 2016
This was a well written book about the necessity for clear and thoughtful communications in the workplace. It didn’t feel like rocket science in that all the advice seemed obviously and sensible. But sometimes we need to read these books to remind ourselves that we should be interacting with colleagues and friends in this way and not in a thoughtless offhand manner.
A lot of the premise of the book was in listening well to the conversations of others and focussing on the conversation without being distracted – the basics of mindfulness that is very trendy at the moment.
The book introduces a number of characters and their workplace occupations and situations. These felt a little contrived and unnecessary. I’d rather have just read the examples of their communications scattered throughout the books without feeling the need to remember that their background was – I couldn’t remember anyway as I read the book over quite a few weeks.
I’m not sure if all the examples given were from real-life or contrived but the ones that were definitely real life had the most impact on me. One such one was the communications between air traffic control and the crew of two 747s who crashed in 1977 in Tenerife with the loss of 583 lives making it the world’s deadliest air crash. The investigation found that mixed messages were being communicated and the loops in conversations were not closed to ensure 100% understanding of all parties.
I was irritated by some of the examples given in the section recognising the role gender can play in work communications. The examples give situation such as men enquiring as what challenges women face. When told that men can come over as highly competitive and it’s hard to get into a conversation the man replies that he didn’t think men were aware of this. Few men I’ve worked with would even acknowledge this was a possibility let alone be so gracious about it as in the examples given.
However, the thing that irritated me the most about this book is that every subheading is wRittEn iN A MIxtUre oF cASes. At first I thought it was a typo. Maybe it’s only on the Kindle version I had? It drove me BoNkErS!
With thanks to NetGalley and Watkins for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A lot of the premise of the book was in listening well to the conversations of others and focussing on the conversation without being distracted – the basics of mindfulness that is very trendy at the moment.
The book introduces a number of characters and their workplace occupations and situations. These felt a little contrived and unnecessary. I’d rather have just read the examples of their communications scattered throughout the books without feeling the need to remember that their background was – I couldn’t remember anyway as I read the book over quite a few weeks.
I’m not sure if all the examples given were from real-life or contrived but the ones that were definitely real life had the most impact on me. One such one was the communications between air traffic control and the crew of two 747s who crashed in 1977 in Tenerife with the loss of 583 lives making it the world’s deadliest air crash. The investigation found that mixed messages were being communicated and the loops in conversations were not closed to ensure 100% understanding of all parties.
I was irritated by some of the examples given in the section recognising the role gender can play in work communications. The examples give situation such as men enquiring as what challenges women face. When told that men can come over as highly competitive and it’s hard to get into a conversation the man replies that he didn’t think men were aware of this. Few men I’ve worked with would even acknowledge this was a possibility let alone be so gracious about it as in the examples given.
However, the thing that irritated me the most about this book is that every subheading is wRittEn iN A MIxtUre oF cASes. At first I thought it was a typo. Maybe it’s only on the Kindle version I had? It drove me BoNkErS!
With thanks to NetGalley and Watkins for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 6, 2016
was asked to review this book by Net Galley.
Will we ever get communication nailed? it is always a bone of contention whether this is in the workplace or in our daily lives - you are not listening or I presume this will happen.
The author takes a good stance to this book ( which could have been dry) and made this quite an enjoyable read.
He has worked with various organisations - wonder if he has tried to tackle the NHS or transport issues- just a thought.
i found this to be invaluable - meetings -, how I communicate and try to put information into perspective
A little bible we all need to have in the workplace.
Will we ever get communication nailed? it is always a bone of contention whether this is in the workplace or in our daily lives - you are not listening or I presume this will happen.
The author takes a good stance to this book ( which could have been dry) and made this quite an enjoyable read.
He has worked with various organisations - wonder if he has tried to tackle the NHS or transport issues- just a thought.
i found this to be invaluable - meetings -, how I communicate and try to put information into perspective
A little bible we all need to have in the workplace.
November 3, 2016
This book is brilliant, practical and lighthearted in tackling the topic of conversation and communication in the workplace.
Rob raises some fantastic, innovative points in Workstorming - would highly recommend to anyone and everyone.
Rob raises some fantastic, innovative points in Workstorming - would highly recommend to anyone and everyone.
January 3, 2018
Another 'self-help' book for work, although specifically targeted at conversations. I found it quite useful, although it isn't really in the 'how to win friends' category.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews