Professional Conduct - 3 Hours

Page 1 LHAP 301: Professional Conduct & Customer ServicePresentation by T Warke/E. Kawahara Page 2 In the Classroom… ❖Late/Absences (AIT Policy: 6 hours = report, 12 hours = meeting, 18 hours - dismissal. Late = 1 hour) ➢What if the roads are bad? CHOC/Pomeroy reduced rates, leave early, save your absent time for emergency➢What if I’m sick? Communicate. Demonstrate that you want to be here. ❖Phones on silent (I drink lattes)❖Please refrain from eating in class ❖Smoking areas - Smoke Free Campus. ❖Fire / Emergency Alert App (Muster in the west parking lot)❖ Multi Factor Authentication ❖ Provincial Exam - The best advice is to build study tools now, as you go for quick review in the final week. Study strategically based on hours and course outline outcomes. Mention/show yellow pad for summary of course Page 3 Activity! What does professionalism look like? Make a top 5 list Take a moment to identify a place where you have experienced a high calibre of professionalism (or the opposite). Class discussion then open Professionalism TOP 10 Page 4 What professional standards does your company employ? Clothing? Hygiene? Smoking? Conversation? Vehicles? Customer Service? There’s no real right or wrong, here - most company policies spring from bad experiences. How would you describe someone who embodies a high calibre of professionalism? I have had a company handbook that mandated regular showering! Does your company mandate how often and where you can smoke as workers who are outside? Page 5 Professional Conduct ❖Standards of Behaviour (the obvious, so we’ll focus on these in the next slides) ➢Appearance➢Body Language & Attitude➢Speech & Listening ❖Ethics & Morals also come into play➢How you problem solve - “that sounds like a YOU problem”➢How you sell services - “it’s not a lie, it's just not 100% true” You can have all your standards of Behaviour in check and appear to be very professional… but Ethics and Morals are a big one HOW you problem solve - do you provide excellent customer service? - What do you do when job costs are running high? - Do you own your mistakes or point fingers? Sales - Are you upfront and truthful about the costs of a job? - Do you offer free quotes and undercutting but then make up the costs somewhere else? - Do you oversell yourself and your qualifications without putting in the time? It's the ethics and morals part of it that make us describe someone as “slimy” - they might LOOK and ACT the part perfectly, but there’s just something that’s not quite right. Page 6 Appearance: What does professional presentation look like? ● Personal hygiene○ Alcohol/Pot/Tobacco? Gum?○ Beards? Hair? Hats?● Clean clothing○ How do clothing standards differ within our own trade?○ Is Branded clothing essential?● Clean vehicles● Company Logo● Separation of Work and Home; Project Management and Consultation ❏ First Impressions are critical!! We are in a trade that is all about aesthetics. ❏ Manners are vital - we live in a casual culture - use “Mr. or Mrs. / sir or ma’am” unless otherwise introduced… ❏ Separate work from home - and the customer from the company… even if you just had a blowout with a colleague, do NOT carry that forward to the customer meeting. Page 7 Body language and Attitude: Verbal and Non Verbal Communication Page 8 Nonverbal cues: What does it mean when: ❖Someone will not make eye contact?❖Someone looks frequently at their watch or toward the door/car?❖Someone smiles and makes eye contact?❖You find someone stepping back while talking to them?❖Someone steps forward while talking to you? Not all cultures use the same nonverbal cues! Remember, Canada is a “mosaic” not a “melting pot”. https://www.verywellmind.com/types-of-nonverbal-communication-2795397 Note - making eye contact is frequently Interpreted as dishonesty… but it can be shyness, thoughtfulness, cultural difference, neurodivergence or sign of compromised mental health. We have signs that we automatically interpret, but a key to customer service is to be aware that our first impression can always be wrong. Build confidence in your interpretations, but never ASSume. Make sure to confirm your observation with verbal communication. Page 9 Non verbal cues❖Communication breakdown➢What you see or feel - 55% of the message■ Body language, expressions, gestures ➢What you hear - 38%■ Tone of voice, your interpretation. “Do whatever you want”. “looks good” ➢The actual message - 7% ■ Words used Unless we are Consciously aware, our expressions and gestures will give away what we are thinking or feeling inside! Or will “say” something we don’t actually mean. What does YOUR face and tone communicate? “That’s fine” can mean, “I am in agreement” (neutral tone), or “I don’t really like that solution, but I can live with it” (contemplative tone), or sarcastically (eye roll, head shake) “I hate that option, but I know you don’t care”, or angrily “I hate that option and we both know it.” BE SURE TO HIGHLIGHT THESE PERCENTAGES “Do whatever you want” - can mean, “I’ve listened to your ideas and I think both are good, do whatever you want” or “we both know you’re just going to do what you want, so go do it” or “I’m so mad at you, I can’t talk about this anymore, just do whatever YOU want and we’ll fight more later”. Page 10 Non-Verbal Communication A few non-verbal notes: ● Dress - What does your clothing say about you (remember cultural cues)● Facial Expression○ Tiredness can often look like frustration, anger, or worse: boredom. ○ Focus. You can convey the wrong thing to the wrong person if you are not thinking about what they’re saying.● Touch - our culture is quite standoffish compared to others. ● Phone etiquette. In conclusion - appearance IS part of the non-verbal communication / first impression. I see a lot as an instructor - I am continually evaluating the effectiveness of my communication and the state of my students (mentally and emotionally) as I talk, seeking agreement and understanding. YOU communicate a lot to me. Touch - North Americans really don’t touch each other much (maybe because of the culture of harassment and suing), and we have pretty big personal space bubbles. Consider cultures that greet with hugs and cheek kisses! Other cultures will allow for continued proximity during conversation (a prolonged arm around the shoulders). Others allow for physically taking an arm and guiding. Be aware that as we operate cross culturally, we need to choose not to be offended and do our best not to cause offense. Phones are tough in this day and age. Some guiding ideas: Put your phone on silent and inform your staff that you are in a client meeting. Wear a watch. Carve out time so you can focus on the customer you are with. Inform people what you are doing (looking up a supplier website, taking a photo, taking notes, reading an email from them, doing math). Page 11 Verbal communication SO - we’ve stressed the importance of our physical appearance - although our society is getting better at not making judgements about people, we still do communicate a lot about ourselves in our professional presentation (including our vehicles and logos and company names). We’ve also discussed how our nonverbal - our body positioning and eye contact and physical cues and facial expressions - will affect what we communicate. Now we need to look at the words we say (7% of the message), our TONE OF VOICE, and our methods of communication. Page 12 Verbal Communication What did you SAY ... What did they HEAR... Hearing is: An automatic process whereby sound waves stimulate nerve impulses in the brain For effective 2 way communication, you must speak well and listen carefully Listening and hearing are not the same. You need to be aware of your message, and you need to be listening to what people say. Page 13 Verbal Communication - Speaking The 2 major dimensions of communication styles are: 1)Dominance - Decisive, Determined. 2)Sociability - Interactive, Emotive. These need to be in balance! If not, you will experience communication style bias What is YOUR communication style? Communication style bias is a state of mind that occurs when an individual's personal communication patterns influence their judgment of, or ability to connect with, someone who communicates differently. This bias can lead to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and a breakdown in effective communication and rapport. Communication style bias is a state of mind that occurs when an individual's personal communication patterns influence their judgment of, or ability to connect with, someone who communicates differently. This bias can lead to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and a breakdown in effective communication and rappor Page 14 Verbal Communication - Speaking 1. High dominance, High sociabilitya. Actors, Politicians: Expressive, Gesturing, Rapid Speech, Personableb. Be fast paced, support opinions, ask questions, listen, stay focused 2. High dominance, Low sociabilitya. Police, Dr, Lawyer: Frank, Efficient, Opinionated, Wants the Factsb. Be Professional, Time-sensitive, Organized, Factual, To the point 3. Low dominance, Low sociabilitya. Judges, Accountants, Librarians: Reserved, Cool, Organized, Use facts, provide written reports, Do not rush them.b. Be on time, Prepared, Structured, Allow decision making time 4. Low dominance, High sociabilitya. Ministers, Teachers: Listeners, Peacekeepers, Relational, Feelings are importantb. Build relationship, Give personal assurances, Listen, Be patient Even within our instructional team, have they noticed that we have different communication styles? Some have more dominance (me, Karman and Elizabeth) Others with more Sociability (Gerard and Wendy) It is good to know how YOU communicate and to try and cater your communication to your customer. It is often better to say, “I need to think about this and get back to you” rather than to confuse a customer by processing a problem out loud. Important slide, be able to identify communication style and the way to communicate with each type Page 15 Verbal Communication - Listening A key to Customer Service and Conflict Resolution is ACTIVE LISTENING ❏“Be Here Now” - eye contact and regulative gestures❏Remove distractions❏Focus on Main points and concepts (take notes)❏Organize key points while listening.❏Take time to think and respond❏Clarify if uncertain & Expand on what is incomplete❏Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes (what is their frame of reference?) Non Verbal communication - Gestures - Illustrative - a visual description “it’s this big”; Emblematic - emphasizes feelings - thumbs down; Regulators - responsiveness in conversation - nodding head. FRAME OF REFERENCE - Make yourself understood… find that magic balance of proving knowledge without losing the customer. LANGUAGE - be careful about slang and swearing. Even a word like “sucks” can be really questionable. Page 16 What about personality? Personality and communication style go hand in hand What personality type are YOU? ● What is your client’s personality?● What is your client’s cultural background?● What is their profession/experience base? Some people will automatically set your teeth on edge - being able to move past this is critical for positive interactions. If you know yourself, you are less likely to get caught by bias or wrapped up in Page 17 Verbal Communication Breakdowns ● Receiver hears but is not listening● Receiver thinks they understand… but they don’t ○ Or they don’t understand but don’t clarify● Sender is not clear (and receiver does not clarify)● Sender gives mixed messages between verbal and non-verbal (and receiver doesn’t clarify)● Sender’s tone creates an atmosphere that creates defense behaviour in receiver. It is the worst when the receiver thinks they have understood but they don’t. In this case, we all believe that effective communication has happened and it is usually too late before we realize the error. As an employer, when I have not made a hard and fast decision yet, I tend to communicate unclearly. It would be better for me to just hang up, make my decision and then call again. As a consultant, it is the same when I am thinking about a customer’s question. It would be better to stop talking. Think. Then answer. It is better to not speak at all then to speak when you are feeling emotional. IN today’s insta-society we expect immediate responses. It is ok to make someone wait an appropriate amount of time. Page 18 Written Communication Page 19 Written Communication ❖Important for contract management❖Emails➢Treat these as a business letter➢Format - ■ Full Block: justified to left, no indents■ Separate key content with paragraph breaks➢Keep records! Page 20 Written Communication Organize your writing - the Direct Approach: 1. Salutation - “Dear” “Hello” “Hi” “Hey” [first name, or Mx]2. Introduction - summary statement3. Body - pertinent facts and details4. Closure - outcome5. Remarks - “Kind Regards” “Stay Well” (COVID) “Thank You for your time” 6. Signature - Name, credentials, title, contact info, pronouns Salutation - avoid “hey” for external communication. Hello is the best default. Dear can be a bit formal and Hi a bit too informal. Avoid Miss, ALWAYS. Generally avoid Mrs as well. Use Mr, Ms or Mx. Introduction - a quick summary statement stating the purpose of the email (supports the subject line). Body - as noted before, keep it brief, to the point, and separate content with spaces. Closure - a final statement. Remarks - “kind regards” is a good default. “Sincerely yours” is pretty dated! Signature - pronouns are important from a cross cultural perspective as well as providing gender clarity - especially if your name is Lindsay, Ashley, Blair, Peyton, Tracey, Aubrey, Wilder, Aspen… it removes confusion and allows us confidence in our future addresses. Name (first and last), she/her RSE Landscape Horticulturist 555-555-5555 Mx. (pronounced "mix" or "mux") is a gender-neutral title used in place of Mr., Ms., Mrs., or Miss, for people who don't identify with a specific gender, are outside the gender binary (like non-binary or transgender individuals), or Page 21 simply prefer not to state their gender, functioning like a wildcard or a respectful, non-gendered alternative. It's used on forms and in formal communication to show respect without assuming gender, similar to how "Ms." became a gender-neutral title for women, notes Grammarly and Merriam-Webster. Page 22 The Direct Approach - Example: Dear Mrs. Canner [or Hello Debra,] It is time for us to gear up for Spring Cleanups, and I wanted to see if you’d like to continue with our services this season. We are optimistic that we can begin spring cleanups in the first week of April, ideally visiting your property on April 6 in the early afternoon. We will complete a spring pruning, shaping of plants, cutting back any standing dead plant material, and removing leaves. We will also complete a lawn rake and fertilization with a slow release product, provided the snow has melted. Our rates are remaining the same as they were last year, $225.00/hour plus GST for a three person crew. If you’d like to proceed with this booking, please email me back or call to schedule a more convenient time. Kind Regards, [insert signature here] Page 23 Before Sending: Please Proofread for: ❏Splling - don’t ignore that red squiggly line! Not all word processors will catch all mistakes (capitalized words… “they’re vs their”... its and it’s… or incorrect words - “I love the blud color of the sky.”)❏Syntax and Tone - make sure your tone is neutral / professional, not too wordy❏Grammar - don’t ignore that blue squiggly line. There is NO shame in learning by using a tool such as grammarly. ❏Structure - remember that a message viewed on phone, tablet, or desktop will appear differently. Separate your content with spaces. I often write my message and then delete 50% of it! Page 24 Written Communication ❖Texts / Messaging services➢Often used for internal communication. ➢Some contractors prefer it externally■ How accessible do you want to be? ■ Do you have VOIP that allows you to control access?■ SHOULD it be used externally?➢Be cognisant of tone. Remember, cyber-space is a great big place… Sometimes messages really ARE lost and/or not received. Internally using Text, What’s App, LMN, or another messaging service can help keep communication quick, and organized by groups. Be respectful of whatever type of communication your employer has asked for. Personally, I like texts for short communication and emergencies. Time off requests, client relations, etc is preferable by email where I can give 100% of my attention to the question. Texts get buried and forgotten, and can be really invasive if its not separate from my personal life. Tone can be hard to read. Some people don’t use a lot of words, punctuation, or emojis. Remember that AGE affects our communication as well - a lot of seniors prefer to talk on the phone because they don’t type well or haven’t embraced technology. Page 25 A note on dealing with professionalism issues in the workplace… Have you ever been in a situation where there has been a professionalism issue? ● Inappropriate language or topic of conversation● Personal presentation (unclean, inappropriate clothing…)● Others? It can be difficult to address these things with people, but it does need to happen… ● Verbal and/or written warnings● Safety considerations I find having a Company Handbook helps a lot - it allows me to lay out expectation without singling anyone out and gives me something to refer back to when there are problems. Personal hygiene is really hard - especially if the person is seemingly unaware that they smell - you don’t want to embarrass them… but… Thankfully, immodest clothing is pretty easy to deal with from a safety point of view… but objectionable topics of clothing is harder (often resolved by implementing a uniform policy). In order to fire someone, especially over professionalism, there HAS to be record keeping… verbal warnings, written warnings… a pattern of behaviour established. Prevention can be achieved through discussion at meetings… Incident reports can help open the way for discussion around why something happened in the first place and how they should be dealt with. Page 26 Fostering Professionalism: 1. You have a co worker on your crew who, while working on a retaining wall, was using excessive force with the mallet and then missed and hit her hand. She made a spectacle of herself, swearing loudly. When you look over, you see the neighbour’s young children who were playing outside watching and giggling awkwardly. How should you handle the situation? Email your employer (in this case, your Instructor) as if this incident had happened today and you are informing them of your response. The rubric is on moodle - marks are based on your solution (did you handle it professionally), as well as your writing tone and style (professionalism in written communication, even though it’s an internal message) Assignment is due at end of day today.