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Criticism can be hard to accept, no matter how you deliver it. However, getting and offering criticism is essential for professional growth.

Delivering criticism and discussing what needs improvement can lead to low motivation, negative feelings, and disengagement. That is why criticism needs to be constructive.

According to Asana, constructive criticism focuses on providing constructive feedback, supported by specific examples, to help you improve in some area. Constructive criticism should be offered in a friendly manner with good intentions. Ideally, the person offering constructive criticism should also be prepared to help brainstorm possible solutions and next steps to serve as a valuable tool in the growth process. 

Constructive Criticism vs Deconstructive Criticism

Constructive criticism inspires rather than demotivates because it focuses on future progress rather than past mistakes. A 2020 study shows that negative feedback that focuses on past mistakes isn’t as efficient.

Destructive criticism, on the other hand, focuses solely on the problem. This kind of feedback offers no encouragement, help, or support for improvement. Despite the deliverer’s intentions, it often lowers morale and reduces confidence.

Here are some tips on how to effectively give constructive criticism:

Choose the right time and place

Find a suitable time and private space to discuss the feedback. Avoid addressing sensitive matters in front of others, as it could lead to embarrassment or defensiveness.

Be specific

Identify the behavior, action, or situation that you want to address. Vague feedback can be confusing and ineffective. Provide specific examples to illustrate your points.

Example:

Deconstructive:”You need to improve your communication skills.” 

Constructive: “In the last team meeting, it would have been helpful if you had provided more context to your ideas so that everyone could understand your points better.”

Focus on behavior, not personality

Frame your feedback around the specific behavior or performance, not the person’s character. This helps avoid making the individual feel attacked or defensive.

Example:

Deconstructive: “You’re lazy when it comes to deadlines.”

Constructive: “I’ve noticed that the last two projects were completed past their deadlines. Let’s discuss how we can manage our time more effectively to avoid this.”

Use “I” statements

Using an “I” statement allows you to present feedback in a manner that appears less directed at a person, as it focuses on your own experience. By starting each sentence with “I,” you consistently emphasize that you’re expressing your thoughts and viewpoints, as opposed to presenting objective truths.

Example:

Deconstructive: “You didn’t consider other team members’ input.”

Constructive: “I think it would be beneficial if we could incorporate input from all team members to make our decisions more well-rounded.”

Provide solutions or suggestions

Don’t just point out problems—provide potential solutions or suggestions for improvement. This demonstrates your willingness to help them succeed.

Example:

Deconstructive: “You’re not organized enough.”

Constructive: “To streamline your workflow, consider setting up a task management tool. This could help you stay on top of your tasks and deadlines.”

Encourage self-assessment

Ask questions that prompt the individual to reflect on their own performance. This encourages a sense of ownership and can lead to self-directed improvement.

Listen actively

After giving your feedback, allow the individual to respond. Listen carefully to their perspective and be open to constructive dialogue. They might have insights you haven’t considered.

Be open and understanding of their reactions

We know this feeling very well based on our previous experiences. Understand that receiving criticism can be challenging, and individuals might react defensively at first. Be patient and empathetic, and try to address their concerns.

Follow up

Check-in with the individual periodically to see how they’re progressing based on the feedback. This demonstrates your ongoing support and interest in their development.

Lead by example

Demonstrate your willingness to receive feedback as well. This creates a culture of openness and continuous improvement.

Remember, the goal of constructive criticism is to help individuals grow and succeed. Approach the conversation with empathy, respect, and a genuine desire to support their development.

P2L’s Giving and Receiving Constructive Criticism course can help you and your organization approach criticism more positively. This course is designed to equip participants with the essential skills and knowledge necessary to provide effective feedback and constructive criticism in a professional setting. Participants will learn how to deliver feedback respectfully and constructively, fostering a positive work environment and promoting growth and development among team members.

For questions and inquiries, email us at games@p2linc.com.

We all negotiate in some way daily whether that’s with clients, colleagues, friends, or family. Within a professional setting, your ability to negotiate correlates with your achievements and job satisfaction. This proficiency represents a combination of skill and artistry, encompassing practical techniques, along with a profound understanding of psychological dynamics.

Negotiation is a special form of communication where two or more people meet to discuss an issue or topic to reach an agreement.

Here are 7 tips on how you can negotiate to get the results you want:

1. Prepare thoroughly

Thorough preparation is crucial to your success. Start by researching the matter at hand – be it a salary discussion, project allocation, or any other workplace situation. Understand the current market trends, industry standards, and your company’s policies. This knowledge will empower you to present well-founded arguments during negotiations.

2. Be clear with your goals

What are you hoping to achieve? Whether it’s a promotion, better work-life balance, or increased responsibility, knowing your goals helps you remain focused and assertive during the negotiation process. Prioritizing these goals also allows you to be flexible in finding common ground.

3. Listening is a part of communication

A successful negotiation isn’t solely about expressing your demands, it’s about actively listening to the other person’s perspective. Pay close attention to their needs\ and concerns too. This not only demonstrates your willingness to collaborate but also provides valuable insights that can be used to create mutually beneficial solutions.

4. Building a relationship

Establishing a connection with the other party on a personal level can foster trust and make discussions more productive. Showing empathy and understanding toward their viewpoints can lead to a more open exchange of ideas and a higher likelihood of reaching a favorable agreement.

5. Focus on win-win solutions

Forget about cutthroat negotiations and focus on a more collaborative approach. Strive for win-win solutions where both parties feel they’ve gained something valuable. This approach promotes long-term working relationships and contributes to a harmonious work environment.

6. Use data and facts

Facts and figures can be compelling evidence during negotiations. Use relevant data to support your claims and proposals. This lends credibility to your arguments and makes it more difficult for the other party to dismiss your points.

7. Know when to walk away

We can’t always get what we want. It’s essential to recognize when a negotiation is reaching a dead end or when the terms are simply not in your best interest. Walking away can sometimes be the wiser choice, allowing you to redirect your efforts toward more fruitful opportunities.

As businesses evolve and competition intensifies, those who possess strong negotiation skills hold a competitive edge. They can secure better deals, advance their positions, and navigate complex situations with ease. Moreover, negotiation promotes confidence and assertiveness, qualities that resonate far beyond the negotiation table and into various aspects of professional and personal life.

Are you ready to step up your negotiating skills? It’s time to take charge and get the results that you want with P2L’s Negotiating Strategies Course!

This course is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of negotiation principles, tactics, and strategies. Through a combination of theoretical concepts, practical exercises, and real-world examples, participants will develop the skills necessary to become effective negotiators in various contexts, including business, personal, and professional relationships. The course will cover fundamental negotiation techniques, ethical considerations, and advanced strategies for achieving successful outcomes.

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Are your employees holding back from sharing honest thoughts and opinions during meetings? Do you think they’re not taking enough risks for fear of failing? Do you feel like there are work issues you’re unaware of? These things happen in organizations where employees don’t feel psychologically safe.

What is Psychological Safety in the Workplace?

Psychological safety encourages open communication, trust, and mutual respect among team members. When employees feel psychologically safe, they are more likely to take risks, share their ideas, and engage in open communication. This fosters a collaborative and inclusive work environment where creativity and innovation can flourish. Psychological safety also enhances employee engagement, as individuals feel valued and appreciated for their contributions. It promotes learning from mistakes and constructive feedback, leading to continuous improvement and growth. 

A study by the Center for Creative Leadership showed that nearly 300 leaders over 2.5 years found that teams with high degrees of psychological safety reported higher levels of performance and lower levels of interpersonal conflict.

How to Help Employees Feel Psychologically Safe in the Workplace:

1.Cultivate Trust

Trust is the foundation of psychological safety. Leaders should foster an environment where employees trust one another and feel respected for their ideas, experiences, and contributions.

2.Establish Clear Expectations

Clearly define behavioural norms and expectations within the team. Emphasize the importance of respect, inclusivity, and constructive feedback. This helps employees understand the boundaries and feel more confident in expressing themselves.

3.Embrace Learning and Growth

Promote a growth mindset where mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities rather than failures. Encourage experimentation and risk-taking, while providing your employees the support and guidance they may need.

4.Lead by Example

Leaders play a crucial role in cultivating psychological safety. They should lead by example, demonstrate vulnerability, and acknowledge their own mistakes. 

 By prioritizing trust, open communication, and support, organizations can cultivate an environment where individuals feel safe to take risks, share their ideas, and grow both personally and professionally. The benefits of psychological safety positively impacts team dynamics and overall organizational performance. 

P2L’s Psychological Safety Training Course provides organizations the knowledge and skills to create an inclusive and psychologically safe workplace, where everyone feels valued, respected, and free to express their thoughts and ideas without fear of judgment. To learn more about this training course, email us at games@p2linc.com.

The sudden transition from working face-to-face to working virtually had a huge impact on a lot of companies. Many of them weren’t prepared and unsure of how to manage teams who are working remotely.

Successful employees are led by leaders who push and motivate them to do better. But how do you motivate and encourage your employees who are working remotely? This can be tough for the company leaders and the business might suffer from disengaged employees.

Here are 5 simple ways to motivate your employees who are working remotely.

1. Improve overall communication

Communication is one of the biggest challenges for employees working remotely. If the communication strategy does not focus on ensuring clarity in communication, this may result in a large communication gap among employees.

To combat the communication gap among employees, encourage the use of instant messaging platforms for quick and informal conversations. Establish regular check-ins to keep your team connected and clear about what’s happening. Allow them to talk to you and be open and approachable in your attitude to communication.

     2. Set clear goals

Your employees will feel more motivated to do a task when they know and understand the vision and goals of their job. This encourages everyone to work together as a team to achieve better results.

     3. Recognize employee efforts and achievements

Recognition of your employee’s efforts and achievements will boost their confidence and motivate them to do better. They will feel a sense of accomplishment that will help them engage better with their team and the company. Sending an online gift card for exceptional productivity is also a great way to show you care and appreciate them going the extra mile.

     4. Give feedback

Giving feedback is sometimes overlooked and deemed unnecessary, but employees need feedback to grow and improve.

You can offer a one-on-one session with your managers and discuss employee performance. Since the one-on-one session will be virtual, you have to be careful with your tone and choice of words. Avoid being stern when giving feedback, instead be calm and understanding. Be authentic and honest about the feedback as well. “Sugar coating” does not help anyone.

     5. Give your employees space

It’s hard to know what your employees are doing when you can’t see them right in front of you. see them right before A lot of managers tend to micromanage because of this, but this can stifle productivity.

Giving them space and autonomy, will show that you trust them to finish their work on time. This can also help employees find more efficient ways to finish tasks that are handed to them.

It is possible to keep your employees engaged and motivated even if they’re working from home. Adopt some of these suggested techniques and you’ll have a team of motivated employees who are ready to grow and succeed together.

For any questions or inquiries, contact us here.

The world is rapidly changing and there is a growing recognition of the importance of diversity and inclusivity in all aspects of life. An area where this transformation is crucial is in leadership roles. The gender gap in leadership has been eminent for the longest time, but efforts are being made to bridge this divide and create a more equitable future.

To help women in leadership connect with like-minded people, we’ve partnered with Leadership Makerspace. Leadership Makerspace helps close the gender gap in leadership. They do that by ‘making space’ for those who identify as women to learn, connect, and co-create effective ways of leading for today’s world. The Leadership Makerspace is accessible, affordable, and offers on-the-go learning to meet women where they are in their lifestyle and leadership journey.

Leadership Makerspace works with women from all kinds of leadership sectors. They help women by:

• Increasing accessibility to leadership development through affordable, flexible, and personalized learning
• Improving competencies through action-oriented, skills-based learning and ongoing support for implementation
• Increasing growth through ongoing learning in a web-based learning portal, mobile app, and monthly LIVE group coaching
• Decreasing isolation through membership in a community of other aspiring, new, and current women leaders
• Expanding professional network for increased mentoring and sponsorship opportunities

It’s time to create a path where women’s voices echo through boardrooms, governments, and every sphere of influence. Let’s redefine what leadership means.

To know more about Leadership Makerspace, you can contact us here or check their website here.

What is Value Selling?

Value selling is a sales strategy focused on helping clients understand how a product or service can solve their problems, rather than highlighting the product’s features.

Often, before purchasing a product, the client researched their options and its features already. This is why a salesperson needs to highlight the benefits of buying it and what it can do for them. Clients may not know they have a specific need until the salesperson mentions it. This will help set you apart from the competition and create long-term happy customers by providing more value than anyone else.

What are the benefits of value selling?

• Long-term relationships with clients

When you sell a product based on its value, you create a more meaningful relationship with your client. You’ll learn what they value, how they handle drawbacks, and how they operate. Clients will also appreciate you getting to know them and their needs instead of just pushing them to buy a product.

• Discover other industries that can benefit from your product

During the development stage of your product, you will establish a target client. It’s normal to be unaware of some industries that could use your product. Value selling will help you understand the usefulness of your product and expand your knowledge of different industries and people who could benefit from it.

• Increased profits

If clients know the benefits of your product and the problems it can solve, they can better understand the price point. Clients are less likely to haggle and make thoughtful purchases.

To use the value selling strategy effectively, be sure to empathize with your clients and listen actively to their needs.

Want to create more meaningful relationships with your clients and learn more about Value Selling? Check out our Value Selling training course.

OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT has become popular since it launched last November 2022. In five days, more than a million people signed up and put it to the test. The answers they obtained from ChatGPT were fascinating compared to answers they got from chatbots in the past. 

Imagine making an AI chatbot for your company. This AI chatbot can answer every question the customer could possibly have about your product or service. Companies that create their own AI chatbot could boost customer engagement and attract new customers. Customers are more likely to purchase your product because they understand it and know how to use it.

The good news is you can set up an AI chatbot for your company even if you don’t have any experience in coding. 

Introducing P2L’s Setting up an AI Chat like ChatGPT for Your Company – Hands-on Experience for No-code/Low-code Users Course.

This course is designed to be accessible to beginners, so advanced technical or programming experience is not required. However, familiarity and experience with low code/no code platforms and block builder drag and drop are highly recommended to attain before taking the course.

The course aims to equip no-code/low-code users with the knowledge and hands-on experience to successfully set up and deploy an AI chatbot like ChatGPT for their companies. This course will run for 6-8 hours. It will discuss everything from introduction to AI and chatbots, identifying company specific AI chatbot needs, training and customizing your AI chatbot, to implementing and monitoring your AI chatbot.

Interested in creating an AI chatbot for your company? Contact us here or read about all the AI courses we offer here. 

Since 2020, companies have had to change how they run their businesses. Employees are enjoying their work flexibility, and managers are effectively leading their teams virtually. 

The workplace will continue to change and develop in the future. An office can be any place around the world. Employees will be more productive since they no longer have to be present at the office to perform work functions. Using AI and avatars will become common in the workplace.

To help businesses prepare for tomorrow’s workplace, here are five major trends that will continue to advance and change the future of work:

Automation

If your business is still doing everything manually, you’re wasting a lot of time. Automating your company’s operations can help your employees become more productive, increase their performance, and reduce overall operating costs.

VR Meeting Places

Teams and Zoom meetings are common these days. In the future, VR boardrooms will become the new normal, and people can attend as their avatars. They can speak in their native language, which will automatically translate to the listener’s language so they can understand each other better.

Immersive Virtual Learning 

Companies are offering eLearning to make it easier and more convenient for their employees to learn new skills. To take it a step further, VR learning will replace eLearning. Employees will be able to practice skills in a real-life setting, and they will be able to operate machines in the real world completely through their VR interface remotely.

Real Customer Service

Talking to customer service can be stressful, especially dealing with today’s Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems. AI will be the customer service representatives of the future. Customer service will be more efficient, reliable, and a competitive advantage for the companies that get it right.

Home Office Parties

Working from home will continue in the future. Home office parties will be hosted in VR to keep your employees engaged and boost team morale. Employees will feel like they are together in one place even though they are miles away from each other.

The future will always be uncertain, but knowing what could happen can help you prepare your company and employees. The more prepared you are, the higher the chances of your business thriving, and you’re more likely to stay ahead of the competition.

Visit our website for all our course offerings, or contact us for any questions and inquiries.

Leaders are searching for the top 10 corporate training courses because they are aware that their organizational success relies on their workforce.  Not only do corporate training courses help enhance employee capabilities, but they also increase employee retention, boost employee productivity, and promote positive corporate culture.

In 2021, the corporate training market was worth over $200 billion. Today that number is even higher, as companies choose from various corporate training programs depending on their needs and objectives.

Hundreds of corporate training courses are out there, but we have narrowed that list to just ten.

Below are the top 10 corporate training courses to help your employees succeed in 2023:

1. Unconscious Bias
2. Leadership Training
3. Problem-Solving and Decision Making
4. Presentation Skills
5. Negotiation Skills
6. Time Management
7. Communicating Effectively
8. Emotional Intelligence
9. Handling Conflict
10. Stress Management

Unconscious Bias

Workplaces are becoming more diverse, so the need for unconscious bias training is increasing. Employees have certain work habits and can naturally get used to being around people who think the same as they do and have similar interests and backgrounds. As a company owner, this can be problematic because these intended biases can lead to potential unfairness. This training program aims to raise employees’ awareness of the unintended and unintentional biases we all have at times. 

Leadership Training

Training your existing employees to be better leaders shows them that you are investing in their future at your company. This kind of training improves the overall skills of the employee. Leadership training includes communication skills, goal-setting techniques, collaboration, forecasting, behavioral interviewing, conflict resolution, and team building.

Problem-Solving and Decision Making

Every job role in the company can benefit from developing and sharpening their problem-solving and decision-making skills since all job levels will face their own problems. By honing their problem-solving and decision-making skills, you can delegate more decisions and be confident that you can rely on your employees to make informed decisions in crucial situations.

Presentation Skills

Since online meetings and webinars are common these days, the rise in the need for powerful presentations is evident. You’ll need powerful and impactful presentation skills to capture and convince your audience. Presentation skills increase a person’s ability to educate and inform audiences. This course is made for people looking to influence or inspire.

Negotiation Skills

Negotiation is essential and difficult in situations like collaborations, partnerships, and sales organizations. Negotiating is a difficult skill to master, but with consistent practice, you’ll be able to negotiate effectively and get the best outcome.

Time Management

Time is the most valuable resource for everyone. With multiple tasks they have to finish daily, they can get overwhelmed, stressed out, and miss deadlines. Time management teaches employees to prioritize multiple tasks without falling behind on the assigned deadlines.

Communicating Effectively

Conflict can arise when poor communication happens between two or more individuals. Communicating effectively means delivering, receiving, and comprehending a message successfully. Training for effective communication will reduce the instances of miscommunication, and enable employees to work better together. 

Emotional Intelligence

Developing emotional intelligence can provide your leaders with the emotional skills they need to lead successful teams. Emotional intelligence will positively modify their daily interactions by forming more meaningful relationships and collaborations.

Handling Conflict

Conflict in the workplace is inevitable. The goal is not to avoid conflict but to learn how to handle and resolve conflicts, while still creating harmonious working relationships. Employees quit their jobs because of conflicts that are not resolved or handled professionally. The capacity to recognize and understand conflict, and to be able to provide the necessary resolution needed are great skills to have as a leader.

Stress Management

Balancing work tasks and personal life can cause stress for your employees. This may result in less productivity and unengaged employees. It is important to support them and their mental health during difficult and stressful times. Enrolling them in a stress management training course will help your employees’ well-being.

Still don’t see a course that will suit your company’s needs? Send us a message and we’d happily recommend a training course that will help you achieve your company’s goals.

Employee turnover has been a problem for organizations. But recently, the numbers have been increasing. More employees are leaving their jobs and companies are spending more to hire new talent.

Whenever an employee leaves their job, the employer spends 33% of that employee’s yearly salary for their exit. This budget is spent on advertising job posts, recruitment agencies, screening, hiring, and training.

This is why companies are looking for ways to retain their top talent and minimize risks in their company. 

Why do employees leave their job?

Employees often leave their job when they feel like it doesn’t align with their future career goals anymore. Another common reason is they feel burned out in their current role, so they look for better opportunities elsewhere. If a company can’t offer the benefits and the work-life balance that the employee is looking for, they’ll search for it in another company.

How to reduce employee turnover rates?

1. Hire the right talent.

Hiring managers need to be honest and upfront during the interview stage about company culture. Candidates can decide if this aligns with their values and career goals. Assessing your candidate’s previous experience in similar roles can help you determine how long they may stay at your company.

Part of hiring the right talent is ensuring that the hiring managers are looking for the right person from the beginning, regardless of whether or not each candidate they interview “looks like a good fit” with the people already employed at the company. All too often, candidates look at the job description and believe that it’ll reflect their actual job responsibilities, only to be surprised with tasks not related to the role they are applying for. Creating clear expectations and hiring them for their specific talents can help eliminate any worries they may have about possibly taking on a job role that is beyond their area of expertise.

2. Offer competitive salaries and benefits

Most people take a job because of the pay and the benefits. It is also the top reason employees change jobs. Employees will more likely stay if their pay is high and they get good benefits.

Organizations need to start with an appropriate starting salary that will attract qualified candidates. Offer regular raises and monitor what other companies pay for similar job roles. Expect to pay more for candidates with in-demand skills, and offer bonuses when they finish a challenging project.

3. Communicate frequently

Managers should communicate frequently with their team. This is an easy way for managers to learn about work problems or concerns they may have. It’s also a great way to offer feedback that can help them do their role better. 

Have frequent and regular meetings to review your employees’ work performance and salary expectations. Regular performance reviews can motivate your employees to keep up the good work. If your company is expanding, the responsibilities of your most trusted and talented employees may grow with it. Compensate them fairly for their time and effort, especially if their job description changes.

4. Allow opportunities for development and continuing education

Employees value companies who invest in them. Strengthen their existing skills or enroll them in classes where they can learn new skills that can help them with their current and future job role.

With automation and AI being predicted to replace some of the jobs today, it’s important to set your employees up for success. Train your employees to have practical knowledge of systems and how they can use it to innovate.

Retraining and upskilling are the best options for closing skills gaps. Upskilling gives the company the skills it needs to meet evolving business needs. It also helps them stay engaged and motivated.

Typical classroom-style training isn’t the best use of your employees’ time. Consider enrolling them in eLearning classes. They’ll have the flexibility to learn whenever they want and wherever they want.

5. Analyze current turnover issues

Understand the reason why they’re leaving their current job role and learn from it. It will reveal some internal company issues you may have missed. Address these issues and concerns to help keep talented employees.

6. Encourage a healthy work-life balance

According to Jobvite, more than half of workers say employers encourage them to work on the weekends or after hours, and 30% have found themselves working on a project past midnight.

To increase employee retention, employers are offering their employees flexible working hours and working remotely. According to the Work Institute, the number of workers who said they left a job because of the commute has increased by 400% over the last decade.

To ensure that work-life balance becomes a priority in the company’s culture, make it clear that everyone can take advantage of policies meant to keep employees happy, and that they should feel comfortable doing so. Leaders should stress that work-life balance is a company-wide priority.

These are some ways to help reduce employee turnover and keep the best and most talented employees in your organization. P2L offers training courses for employee engagement. Interested? Email us at games@p2linc.com or visit our website.