Workstorming

An extremely practical and accessible follow-on book to the highly successful Blamestorming by the Conversation Expert, Rob Kendall, this time with an emphasis on improving communication in the workplace.

The need for this easy-to-use and highly effective guide to having brilliant conversations in the workplace has never been greater. A survey conducted by mental-health charity Mind has revealed that work is the highest cause of stress is people’s lives. It’s easy to understand why: research shows that on average business users send and receive 121 emails a day (predicted to increase to 140 by 2018). Employees on average have 62 meetings a month, yet one-third of meetings are considered a waste of time.
We are exposed to an ever-more overwhelming stream of information, calculated to equate to reading 175 newspapers a day, and this is only set to increase – the number of devices connected to the internet could increase from 20 billion today to 50 trillion over the next 30 years. Incorporating the five conversational warning signs and four fundamental ‘tricky situations’ outlined in Blamestorming, Workstorming introduces the negative coping strategies we adopt in order to deal with this information overload and stress at work: Stacking, Spinning, Skimming and Spilling. It offers 40 steps to counteract these, as well as avoiding the pitfalls that sabotage conversations even when they’ve started well.
Each chapter is short and self-contained, focusing on a specific topic with clear steps for action and a key lesson. As in Blamestorming, there is a cast of characters placed in a variety of situations in which conversations go wrong. This book will help you change the way you speak and listen in order to achieve positive outcomes at work and set boundaries that benefit your private as well as your professional life.

Rob Kendall has worked with over 70 organisations, including the 2012 London Olympics, Virgin and BBC Worldwide, teaching conversation skills to business leaders, sports professionals, teenagers and many others. www.conversationexpert.com