Naomi Karten

Naomi Karten is a highly experienced speaker and seminar leader who draws from her psychology and IT backgrounds to help organizations improve customer satisfaction, manage change, and strengthen teamwork. She has delivered seminars and keynotes to more than 100,000 people internationally. Naomi's newest books are Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals and Changing How You Manage and Communicate Change. Her other books and ebooks include Managing Expectations, Communication Gaps and How to Close Them, and How to Survive, Excel and Advance as an Introvert. Readers have described her newsletter, Perceptions & Realities, as lively, informative, and a breath of fresh air. She is a regular columnist for TechWell.com. When not working, Naomi's passion is skiing deep powder. Contact her at [email protected] or via her Web site, www.nkarten.com.

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All Stories by Naomi Karten

How to Deal with Crabby Coworkers

We've all had to deal with crabby coworkers—the people who have good technical skills but are a pain to work with. They grouse, gripe, and are generally negative. Luckily, there are more things you can do than just hope you don't have to interact with these people. Here are tips for dealing with your crabby coworkers.

The Normalization of Deviance Could Be Hurting Your Team

Normalization of deviance refers to becoming blasé about counterproductive behavior or activities. The concept applies to processes that become ingrained in a team even though they contribute to negative outcomes, such as slipping deadlines. Employees become so accustomed to the deviance that, to them, it seems normal.

The Power of a Single Question in Understanding Customer Needs

People tend to see their circumstances as more unusual, difficult, or troublesome than anyone else’s. As a result, by asking about their problem, priorities, or responsibilities, you can gain important information about their situation and how they perceive it. Here's one question to learn a lot about your customers.

Thinking Inside the Box before Venturing Outside It

In their rush to solve a problem, teams often overlook conventional methods in favor of out-of-the-box ideas. But sometimes, the old standbys—thinking first, reviewing criteria, and asking questions—work the best. Before jumping to creative tactics, start by examining the possibilities readily available inside the box.

Things Managers Should Never Say

Managers have to communicate regularly with the people they're managing. However, managers also need to try harder to be mindful of what they are saying, instead of speaking before they think. Here are some things a manager should never say—avoid these lines and people will be more likely to follow your lead.

Send the Right Message: Monitor Your Choice of Voice

When we communicate with our coworkers, what’s important in getting our point across is not just what we say, but how we say it. Most of the time, we intuitively moderate our tone to convey friendliness, seriousness, or disappointment, but that can change when we're stressed. Be sure you're sending the right message.

What Intelligent People Say Instead of “I Don’t Know”

It takes a certain level of self-confidence to admit to not knowing something when people view you as the expert. Still, if you don’t know the answer and you (or others) think you should, you have some options other than “I don’t know.” These alternative responses are more useful to you and to your questioner.

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