Read the ground rules for productive team work, and match the titles with the paragraphs.

A. constructive feedback

B. asking questions

C. chat a little

D. patience

E. humour

F. active listening

G. body language

1. _______

Remember that communication is a two-way street, so it’s important to listen carefully to what your team mates are saying. If you distract them, or start planning ahead to what you are going to say next, you may miss an important detail, or repeat what has just been said by someone else, which is even worse.

2. _______

If you feel confused by an idea, don’t hesitate to ask about it. It’s critical for everyone to understand what is going on, and if you are confused, others might also be. This should also work the other way. If you are asked questions, you should answer them politely. Your team mates may bring up a crucial detail you haven’t thought of.

3. _______

Everyone would agree that it’s necessary to evaluate proposed ideas, but this should be done tactfully. Here are some tips to take into consideration before you criticize your team mates.

4. _______

A team meeting does not have to be 100% business. It is perfectly acceptable to ask team members how they are doing, or what they are planning for next weekend. This can really help ease tension when disagreements occur later. Of course, you should not socialize for the entire meeting.

5. _______

If you are having a bad day or are feeling unhappy with the team project, you could be giving off negative signals with body languages or your tone. Even if you are saying the right thing, team members may still react negatively, if you send the wrong body language signals. If you feeling tense before going into a meeting, try taking a deep breath to relax.

6. _______

Of course, you would not want to make fun of your team mates or tell offensive jokes, but there are plenty of topics that your team mates may find humorous – some of them may even be project-related/

7. _______

Although sometimes you know for sure your idea is the best, not everyone may understand it straight away. Your team mates may ask the same question several times. A member may forget a deadline unless reminded. Disagreements may occur over small details. Be patient, and in most cases things will work out.

Read some rules for productive team work.

· Don’t express an opinion as a fact, always give a good reason for your concern.

· If you have a strong opinion, always explain why you feel that way. This will allow others to evaluate your comments more effectively.

· Compliment another’s idea. Even if you don’t think it would work, some parts of it might be useful in further work.

· If you feel irritated and angry, give yourself a few seconds before speaking.

· Don’t interrupt.

· Criticize the idea, not the person.

· Be polite.

6. STRATEGIES IN MANAGING THE STAFF

The successful business is not only the structure of the company, but first of all, relations inside the company, company’s spirit, excellent team work. How to achieve it? What to do first? What are the keys to successful problem solving?

Mrs. Tess Kirby, 2) Mr. Melnikov will dwell upon these questions in their lecture for would-be businessmen. Read the notes and try to work out your own strategy and principles of managing the staff.

1) Mrs. Tess Kirby:

What are the keys to successful problem solving?

1. Use employers’ suggestions. You may well believe you have a better one, but keep your goal in mind. You want to encourage risk taking as well as solving problems. The path employees choose to reach the goal may be different from the one you would select – however, if their method solves the problem, let them try in their way. Work together to foresee the possible results if the plan is put into action. Share some standards for what you consider a good plan.

2. Insist that employees contribute their suggestions. If your employees respond with shuffling feet, averted eyes and a mumbled “I don’t know”, let them know that you really want their help. Make them believe, even if the silence gets uncomfortable.

3. Agree on the plan. Ask your employees what they will do that will be different next time. When employees make choices, they select the option they see as the best at the time. Your job as coach is to help them see other alternatives.

4. Follow up the results. After employees have had time to put a solution in place, follow up to see how it’s going. You want to follow up to make sure things are going the way you want them to go. If they are not, need further problem solving. When employees put forth the effort to solve a problem, they are changing their behaviors and may be even their habits. By noticing that the problem has been resolved through employees’ efforts, you help them keep that change in place. Without follow-up employees reason that you probably don’t care whether the situation changes or not. Just notice and say something to the effect of, “I see you are working on changing – I appreciate the effort. Keep up the good work.”

Change doesn’t happen in quantum leaps. It starts small and grows as employees get used to operating differently. Help them to make the complete change by recognizing their efforts along the way.

Read the words and word-combinations for better comprehension:

appreciate –ценить	avert eyes –отводить глаза
change sb’s behavior, habits –изменить чье-либо поведение, привычки	coach –тренер
contribute to –сделать вклад	consider –считать
encourage –ободрять, поощрять	follow up the results –следить за результатами
foresee –представлять себе, предвидеть	further –дальнейший
get used to sth –привыкнуть к чему-либо	however –тем не менее, но
insist –настаивать	keep sth in mind –иметь ввиду
keep up the good work –продолжать хорошо работать	make choice –делать выбор
mumble –бормотать	notice –замечать
offer –предлагать	operate differently –действовать иначе
path –путь	put forth the effort –прилагать усилия
resolve –решать	select the option –сделать выбор
respond –отвечать
recognize –узнавать, признавать	standards –соответствовать стандартам
suggestion –предложение	shuffle feet –шаркать ногами
quantum leap –количественный скачок	put into action –воплощать в жизнь

2) Mr. Konstantin Melnikov, Head of Personnel Training and Development Projects:

Дата добавления: 2015-10-31