AgileWorkLand

The importance of communication can't be overemphasized, both at work and in private life. From uttering different views to our colleagues, to expressing difficult feelings to our loved ones, it requires skills and techniques to communicate ideas and emotions appropriately and to-the-point in various situations. Below are 6 ways that can help each of us become a better communicator.    1. Think through beforehand whenever possible. Be better prepared will never harm, and if necessary, draft a note outlining various layers of the idea. This will not only help to make sure nothing is missed, but also help to control the flow of conversations.    2. Come with a good intention. We often tend to forget this, but it's essential to remind ourselves what we are trying to achieve. This can make a big difference in setting the tone of the conversation, and ultimately influence the outcome.  3. Use analogy for complicated ideas will make it easier for the other side to und...

One thing that a lot of people miss of being in office physically is the easy access to a casual conversation. Working from home, we could still just send a quick message to start a conversation, but it's not really the same as just walking up to someone with warm greetings. We may have to wait for a long time before we could conjure up our virtual presence, like what it is like in the latest season of the West World. The good news is that we still have a few options to make up for this.  One option we have is to create a "chat room" that is not intended for a specific purpose (no, this is not what it is! ) We have new tools such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, etc. This is basically just trying to imitate what it is like of being in the office cafe by creating a space where people are free to join and chat randomly on various things, just like if this is actually in office physically. As there is no specific topic or agenda, it gives more flexibility to discuss and gives more...

The starting of a new era - large-scale remote working triggered by the coronavirus - has come to everyone’s surprise. The side effect of an epidemic might be a signal for a revolution at the workplace. This is a good opportunity to show the employers that working from home or remote working arrangement is feasible, or even no less efficient than the traditional face-to-face office working arrangement. This is also an occasion for the employees to reflect upon how much they could really accomplish if they have more freedom to choose what to do and when to do it. The time may finally arrive one day when no one is bounded by a contract to just one company. Everyone will be more like a freelancer, offering services to different companies on the market, and free to choose. Companies will no longer need to have a standard payroll, and they could only hire when they need. Everyone will be like a business on their own, and their own ability is their own brand. What will come will be fasci...

In the well-being training sessions that we hold for different companies, we often encourage people to refrain the caffeine intake to a healthy amount, usually no more than 2 cups a day on average. Although there are studies saying that less than 5 cups of coffee a day is just fine, but the suspicions are always there since 5 cups seem to be a lot, and most of us would not exceed that anyway. The average number is also just about 2 cups a day in the companies that we have conducted surveys. And we all know that most of the tea also contains caffeine, and we need to factor that in as well. Besides, there is also the side effect of addiction to caffeine. People working in different companies have told us that they drink more coffee or tea when they are in office, compared to when they are at home or in vacation. This is quite understandable. Coffee or tea is not just something to keep us awake and energized, but is also a source of inspiration for the email or report that we are str...

Offices and homes could be very noisy sometimes, and the noise could really bother us, causing mental health issues such as high level of anxiety and stress. People talking and laughing loudly, neighbors moving in and out, vehicles passing by... It can get worse and worse once you start to notice the noise unconsciously. You may have talked to your colleagues and neighbors, or even the police, in vain. But I am sharing a few experiences in controlling how much unwanted noise we could hear. 1. Run the washing machine, dishwasher, ventilator or fan  if you are at home. This can help to cover up the noise that your neighbors are making. Otherwise, white noise that can be found now in most of the mobile apps for music will also work well to cover up the unwanted noise. 2. If you are at office, find an empty meeting room to work if it's getting really noisy near your desk. Book some time on your calendar when you want to focus on something without being disturbed. Not everyone has ...

Anger is such a common emotion in our everyday life. It can be triggered by noise, a word, a look... Sometimes you are just driven crazy by the things that push your button, and you want to simply find a place to scream. But the issues are still there, and screaming could probably only help for a very short while. What can be effective ways to cope with anger, or even rage? Things will never last forever. Avoid overgeneralizing that it will keep happening or there is no way out of it. Do not freak out. Things could change rapidly.  Avoid obsessing over the "shoulds" and "musts". Things do not always go according to our expectations. If we are too insistent on how everyone else should behave, it is too easy to get disappointed and frustrated.  Think of the positive side. Take another perspective in looking at the trigger, or the results. Are there any potential benefits? Chances are that there are indeed some positive sides that we have ove...