How to Talk at Work Without Offending Others | Having the ability and confidence to speak up in the workplace is essential for several reasons. This is important on a personal level because it can directly impact your career in both a positive and negative way. Done right, it can have a very uplifting effect on your career and happiness at work. Done in an inappropriate way can have a tremendous negative effect on your career, as well as spread to those around you.
On a more macro level, the ability to speak at work can be very productive and create big things for your team and the company as a whole. If you open your mouth at the wrong time or in the wrong place, it will only make a difference between your coworkers and have a negative impact on the work you do.
Let’s learn together how to talk at work without offending anyone. As we mentioned, there is bound to be a time and a place for you to speak up at work; and there are also situations where you shouldn’t. Let’s take a look at some suggestions when the conditions are right for talking.
Situation
In general, if the situation involves you, it’s a good idea to speak up. On the other hand, if it doesn’t involve you, that’s a good indicator not to worry about sharing your opinion.
Case example 1: My team and I had a meeting to review 4 different vendors who recently gave us demos. we are looking for tools to help us be more efficient and provide a better customer experience. we all offer our opinion about the product. This is a great situation for me to offer my thoughts on the tools we will all use.
Case example 2: I walked with 2 coworkers who work in the same department as me. we don’t work together every day but I interact with them from time to time. One expresses frustration and displeasure at having to work with someone in another department. This would be a situation where my input would be unappreciated and unimportant, because it had nothing to do with me. So I kept going.
Reason
The best way to decide whether to speak is to ask yourself – would something positive or good happen if I decided to give my opinion? If the answer is yes, then of course, speak up. If you’re having trouble figuring out how something positive happens when you open your mouth, make sure you pause and really think about whether you should say something.
Sample case: Let’s say a coworker of mine starts gossiping to me about another coworker. First of all, there is no good reason for a coworker to gossip to me about other people. Certainly not a good reason for me to start arguing either. Nothing good or positive comes out of me in this situation.
How to Speak
The way you speak will make a difference too. If you share your opinion in a clear and positive way, usually good things will happen. This is true in most situations, from one-on-one with your boss or subordinate, to dealing with large groups of people. Make sure you are prepared and communicate clearly.
On the other hand, if you mumble a lot or can’t communicate clearly, you’re not doing yourself any favors. People who are trying to listen to you will also not be able to hear you well or understand you. This will only make the situation more chaotic at work.
How to Talk at Work without Offending
1. Clean
This is the key to speaking without being offensive. Express your opinion or ask what you want in a clear and frank way without putting other people down.
Don’t make your voice softer or raise your volume, keep it in your normal voice. Don’t try to manipulate the other person emotionally, just state your point in a clear and concise manner.
2. Keep Calm and Collect
Sometimes when we express opinions, the conversation can start to heat up. Different opinions and ways of doing things can cause friction. You think things have to be done a certain way and other people don’t agree with you.
If you are passionate about a subject, the conversation may begin to shift to a more passionate discussion. When this happens, take a deep breath and stop. Let yourself calm down at least a little. Continuing the discussion when you are upset will usually only lead to saying things that you will later regret.
3. Get ready
We all tend to feel a lot more confident when we feel ready. This applies in the workplace as well, whether it’s holding a meeting or asking for a raise.
If you want to ask for a raise, be prepared and you probably won’t get defensive or aggressive when challenged. If you are ready, you can show your boss the reasons why you deserve a raise.
4. Use Good Body Language
When it comes time to be assertive and state what you want at work, make sure you use positive body language. Keep your posture straight and use open body language. Look people in the eye and don’t clench your jaw or tighten your facial muscles. Smile from time to time. This will help you to be firm and clear.
When you use bad body language such as crossing your arms, frowning, talking loudly and loudly, leaning too much or pointing fingers, you will appear aggressive and offensive.
5. Be Comfortable
Having the ability to say no will help you speak at work without being offensive. Sometimes, what you see is a boss or manager who, for some reason, likes to give someone extra work just because someone else allowed it. As you can imagine, this can lead to resentment, anger, and eventually quitting and getting a new job. When things are busy, we all get some extra work sometimes. If you’re consistently getting more than your fair share, it’s more convenient to say no.
Sample case: I was recently asked to take on an additional project. Okay, I’m a team player so I took on extra work. A few weeks later, I was asked to work on another additional project. I said no, I don’t have the bandwidth and the project will be messed up because I don’t have time to give it the attention it deserves. I said no and I didn’t get the project.
6. Give Constructive Criticism
Personally, I am open to receiving constructive criticism. Not everyone. I feel that if you can tell me something positive about how to get better, I’m all for it. I love that conversation for being able to swing both ways.
If you want to help someone get better and you feel they can accept that, then by all means give constructive criticism. Make sure it’s constructive.
7. Let Others Speak
The final component to remember is letting the other person speak as well. You have the right to speak and share your opinion. It is important that you be assertive and make your voice heard at work to get what you want and need.
That being said, so as not to offend, make sure you let the other person speak. Yes, your opinion matters and you have to make sure you can be heard. It’s also important to give other people the opportunity to speak at work as well. Remember, half of effective communication is listening.
The main thing is
we’ve seen how to talk at work without being offensive. As you can see, it’s important to be assertive at work when it’s necessary to have your opinion heard and speak up for your wants and needs.
It’s possible to state your position and get what you need at work and in your career in a way that works for you and for everyone you work with. This can be done in a firm manner without being offensive.
