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Ask the PowerPhrase® Expert
In the December issue the article “Get
Off the Island: Bridging the Gap at Work,”
introduced News for a Change readers to Meryl
Runion, a communications expert who has written the
book PowerPhrases! The Perfect Words to Say It
Right and Get the Results You Want. We’re
pleased now to launch a column by Runion that will
help you learn how to apply PowerPhrases every
day.
What PowerPhrase can I use to get my staff to
behave more professionally?
The PowerPhrase Expert: First,
eliminate any thoughts that they are deliberately
being unprofessional. Chances are very good that your
staff really has no idea that you view their
performance that way.
Second, be very clear about what they are saying
or doing that leads you to believe they are not
behaving professionally. Change happens by getting
specific. Are they walking around with swizzle sticks
in their mouths? Are they answering the phone by
saying, “Yeah?” Are they using profanity?
Exactly what are they doing that you want them to
stop? Or what are they not doing that you want them
to start?
Third, take an inventory of the effects of the
unprofessional behavior. Have you received complaints
about it? Does it affect productivity? Does it lower
morale? Once again, get as specific as you possibly
can.
Fourth, ask yourself how it impacts you
emotionally. Are you embarrassed? Frustrated?
Disappointed?
Finally, and most important, determine what you
want them to do instead.
Once you have answered these questions, you have
three possible approaches to communicating your
concerns and expectations, as described below:
- Option 1: If there have been complaints, you
can address it from that perspective. Say,
“We have a problem. There have been
complaints about insert a description of the
problematic behaviors. This is important
because insert a description of the effects of
the behaviors and your reactions to them. What
can we do about it?”
- Option 2: If there are some employees who do
have high standards of professionalism, get their
thoughts on the issue. Call them all into your
office and ask, “What standards of
professionalism do you think we should
institute?” This provides staff members with
higher standards an opportunity to provide input
and to put peer pressure on the less professional
to upgrade their standards.
- Option 3: Simply tell staff members what they
are doing that is unprofessional, what the effects
of their behaviors are, and what you want them to
do instead. In this case, you would say,
“When you describe behaviors, I feel
describe effects and reactions. What I need
you to do instead is describe
expectations.”
Be aware that professionalism is a subjective
concept. I met a nurse in a hospital who was dressed
in the old nurses’ uniform you see in the 1960s
reruns. I mentioned that I hadn’t seen one of
those in years. She responded, “Oh the nurses
today are so unprofessional!” She thought the
other nurses were unprofessional. Personally I
thought she was unprofessional for bad mouthing her
colleagues to a visitor. So before you address the
lack of professionalism in your staff, get specific
about what they are doing, what the impact is, and be
sure there is a problem.
 MERYL RUNION began her
career by designing effectiveness measures for use by
police departments all across the country. Runion has
a master’s degree in the science of creative
intelligence and is certified as a stress management
expert. She is known as a speaker and author across
the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and
Australia. You may contact her via e-mail at ms.meryl@att.net.
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