Training Course Syllabus:

Overcoming Negativity

Is negativity a problem in your organization?
Check the following that apply:

* Squabbles flare up over inconsequential matters.
* People are walking on eggshells, afraid to confront problems or volunteer help.
* Discipline and quality are suffering.
* Gossip, fear and rumors are distracting people from their jobs.
* People seem preoccupied with their personal agendas.
* Even your best people are losing their enthusiasm.
* You're spending more time soothing feelings and repairing damage.
* And you're getting sick of it, too!

Workplace negativity can spread quickly and quietly, but it can be stopped — if you recognize the danger signals and act on them. You'll learn what makes negative people behave the way they do ... how to blunt the effects of negative people ... and even how to reverse their attitudes.

Learn proven ways to turn things around:
in your organization ...
What is a negative atmosphere costing you in

* Lost production?
* Quality problems?
* Good people leaving?

on your team ...
Learn "treatments" for the five most common negative behaviors:


* Defensiveness — "It wasn't my fault."
* Nay-saying — "That will never work."
* Hostility — "I don't get angry, I get even."
* Depression — "Why bother? Nobody cares anyway."
* Hopelessness — "Why work so hard? I'll never get it done."

and in yourself ...


* Are you taking setbacks personally?
* Losing patience with the pace of progress?
* Feeling "burned out"?

Find out how negative thinking is learned — and how to become more enthusiastic again.

Recognize these "downers"?
The jeer-leader: Loves bad news ... pokes fun at those who try and fail
The subtle saboteur: Feigns enthusiasm, but secretly works to upset the applecart whenever possible
The carper: Skilled at finding fault, ridiculing, downplaying successes, exaggerating weaknesses
The "grass is greener" type: Wishes he or she were elsewhere, but has no intention of leaving
The lone wolf: Independent to a fault — and makes no attempt to hide solitary preferences

Odds are, you'll find some of these types in your organization. During this seminar, you will learn what makes these people the way they are ... the best ways to deal with them ... and how to keep from catching their "bug."
 

Overcoming Negativity  — Seminar Overview

What is negativity anyway — and is it contagious?

* Why are some people so negative — while others are always upbeat?
* The toll that "downers" take on other people's performance, productivity and job satisfaction
* The difference between healthy and harmful skeptics
* Are you a closet negativist? An exercise to determine how up or down you really are
* Exploring the "wrong side of the bed" syndrome — why some days start out lousy and get worse
* Do you "act upon" or "react to" a potentially negative situation? (Clue: One is solution-focused, the other problem-focused)
* How negativity can spread to epidemic proportions and 5 steps to arrest it early

How our own negativity affects others — at work and at home

* A look at some underlying reasons you may harbor negative feelings, including feeling abandoned, feeling out of control, having your space violated, and experiencing stress over conflicting obligations
* "Traveling negativity" — unloading the baggage we carry back and forth from home to work
* Why we "dump on" people for no apparent reason — and how to put an end to such an unfair practice
* "Pebble in the pond" — the far-reaching ripple effect of an ugly disposition

Dealing with co-workers' negativity

* Specific remedies to help people correct their negative attitudes and outlooks
* What can happen if you get stuck with a negative co-worker or boss — safeguarding yourself from the rub-off effect
* How to sidestep the "negativity traps" set by people you work with
* Why some people enjoy being negative
* The pros and cons of intervention — when it's safe to step in, and when it's not
* Specific steps to arrest the spread of workplace negativity
* How to ensure that you're not the cause of someone's negativity

What to do when negativity is entrenched in the policies, personality and culture of an organization

* Understanding the 2 kinds of organizational norms
* Why bureaucracy almost always creates negative norms
* How negative norms can repress creativity, stifle initiative, encourage conformity and reward mediocrity
* What organizational negativity "looks" like, and how to bring it into the open so you can work on repairing it
* The 10 most common types of negative norms, and how they influence morale, quality and productivity
* How to create a pocket of optimism where you work — without overhauling the entire system
 

SEMINAR TIME:

Seminar Check-In: 8:30 AM    Seminar Class 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Seminar Summary:

Overcoming Negativity (see full course description)

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