5 ways to show authority — without yelling

June 13, 2012

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Here is an excerpt from an article written by Amy Levin-Epstein for CBS MoneyWatch, the CBS Interactive Business Network. To check out an abundance of valuable resources and obtain a free subscription to one or more of the website’s newsletters, please click here.

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(MoneyWatch) Here’s a sure way to undermine your authority as a manager or competence as an employee: Lose your temper. The ability to get your perspective heard without yelling is imperative to success in the office. Here are five ways to be emphatic while retaining your composure.

[Here are the first two of the five.]

•  Make it impersonal. If you’re disappointed and upset about a situation, focus on the situation, not the person involved. “Human compassion and situation analysis will always serve you much better than yelling or being overly emotional,” says Lisa Quast, founder of Career Woman. A parent might make criticism personal by saying they are disappointed in their child, but at work keep it about the business — not the person — at hand.

•  Change your tone. Even though you’re not yelling, you should use a noticeably tougher tone than you would generally use. “The point of view or criticism needs to be discussed not only in a logical and rational manner, but also in a steady tone of voice that helps demonstrate the seriousness of your comments,” Quast says. A calm, yet urgent, tone will help you communicate your message more effectively than a panicked or angry one.

*     *     *To read the complete article, please click here.
Amy Levin-Epstein is a freelance writer who has been published in dozens of magazines (including Glamour, Self and Redbook), websites (including AOLHealth.com, Babble.com and Details.com) and newspapers (including The New York Post and the Boston Globe). To read more of her writing, visit AmyLevinEpstein.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MWOnTheJob.To check out Amy’s other articles, please click here.

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