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Respecting Different Generations in the Workplace. Why We Are Addicted to Our Technology. Why Tech Use May Affect Our Relationships and Decision Making


One of the simple tips to working with different generations in the workplace is to train and lead employees to recognize and respect what each generation has to offer and what they need rather than negating or ignoring pushing to be whatever the leader thinks is normal. For example, if a generation Y has been raised on technology their brains have been wired to make quick “Shallow” decisions like, "I want this text and I don’t want that one."

They will have more trouble interacting face to face and may have trouble making decisions under stress. So for them, know that requesting that they go down the hall and talk to Joe is like asking them to get on a dog sled, yell, "Mush" to the huskies, ride up to Alaska, and over to Siberia and speak Russian to Joe. They may think that’s too hard and scary, and or ridiculous when they can message him on their phone instead.” Respect the fact that they can process thousands of tech messages a day and if you need them to interact face to face you need to approach it like they need training in a completely different language and culture or say a totally different technology or software and spend the same amount of time and effort to help them learn how to do it as you would those huge shifts in how to work. 



Why We Are Addicted to Our Technology.
Why Tech Use May Affect Our Relationships and Decision Making

When you interact with a technological device you make what is labeled in the research “quick shallow decisions”, such as, “I want this text. I don't want this text. ““I want this website it’s interesting. I don't want this one it’s boring” “I want to take this call.” “I don’t want to take this call.”
The front of the brain (the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex if you want to know the five-dollar term) that helps us make decisions and integrates complex information and short term memory are activated, so we can make a quick go or no-go decisions. It’s called Continual Partial Attention. It allows us to keep tabs on everything, but never really focus on anything.
 These quick shallow decisions lay down pathways to the ego centers of your brain. In fact, doing so gives you a bit of a hit of a chemical high. If you find yourself hunched over your electronic device or see a coworker that can’t seem to stay focused as he checks his device while he is supposed to be having a conversation with you, or the teenager that listens to music while texting on another device and talking on his cell. Well, guess what? This rewiring for partial attention causes a techno addiction. We stay busy attending. We want that new bit of news or information to keep us excited and high and it feeds our self-worth. Yep, it feeds the part of the hippocampus that enlarges our ego. It actually makes us cocky enough to rudely answer a cell phone call when we are in a meeting or out with a friend or family member. Techno's business is dark chocolate, caffeine, and heroin-like ego-boosting high.
So when you check your phone when you are bored or stressed. If not only gives you a chemical boost you get high, feel in control and because you are getting a hit to the ego centers of the brain it makes you feel superior to those around you.
You can now understand why people are constantly checking their phones, especially when they are stressed or have no other activity or are bored and why techno jerk doing it rudely seems irritated and uncomfortable to have asked him to stop interacting with his phone or gets irritated when you want to talk with him face to face. Unfortunately, to successfully make quick shallow decisions you are laying done pathways to the ego portion of the brain and having the face-to-face interactions that lay down pathways to the social centers of the brain. You’re laying your tracks down to the ego center that produces that nice addictive high but interpersonal communication becomes more difficult and may even feel like an inferior means of interacting. Something you are "above" having to do. “
Again, when you talk to other people face-to-face you lay down neural pathways to the social centers of your brain.  The more you interact interpersonally human to human the stronger the pathways become. Meeting people and talking to them becomes easier and you become more skilled and confident. And researchers have found that the pathways to the social centers are superhighways that stay strong and work even under stress while the pathways we form when we make quick shallow decisions are weak and so fragile they break down when we are under stress.

Why Technology is Stressing Us Out? Technology and the Brain

  1. The pruning of (reduction) neural pathways in the brain when we are young is based on how we use our brain. The brain prunes pathways we don’t use and keeps the neural pathways we use the most.
  2. The ones laid down when we are highly focused on activities like reading a book or having a deep conversation are deeper and have more capacity like wide superhighways. They can handle more information overload when we are under stress like a highway can handle more cars in commute time than a surface road.
  3. The neural pathways laid down for the quick shallow decisions we make when we are on technology such as, “I want this email I don’t want this one.” “I want this website in my Google search I don’t want that one.” are shallow and thin pathways that actually break apart under stress because of their low capacity, like a bridge could collapse if too many cars and trucks are on it at the same time. These are the kind  neural pathways that young people are forming the most. And the kind that form in anyone who spends hours day making quick shallow decisions on technology.
  4. If we don’t have focused attention and deep social bonds and enough face to face interactions therefore only have the shallow, narrow, neural pathways formed with our use of technology we have trouble handling stress. We may feel overwhelmed and helpless and unable to make a decision. We may have panic attacks, freeze in place, get sick or call our mommies for help. Anyone that uses technology a lot can form more shallow narrow pathways and therefore have less ability to think and function under stress. Even having a phone or other device of yours in the same room has been shown to create distraction and partial attention thereby reduce you cognition and memory ability, making it difficult for you to solve problems and make decisions!!!




Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Body Language of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's final appearance as senior royals at the annual Commonwealth Service


Prince Harry Feels Tense Around the Queen, According to a Body Language Expert

"His head is downcast. He's trying..."
Monday marked Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's final appearance as senior royals at the annual Commonwealth Service at London's Westminster Abbey. The couple announced back in January that they would be stepping back from their royal duties to focus on their son Archie and the launch of their new nonprofit. The Queen reportedly knew little of this plan—and had not approved it—when they made their announcement, which, you know, got pretty awkward.
However! Family is family, and in the end, this too will pass (probably). Just this month, the Queen sat down with Harry for a "heart-to-heart." But the Commonwealth ceremony was the first time the Queen and her beloved grandson had appeared in public. They didn't walk in together, but the body language between them said a lot. In particular, we're focused on the moment that the Queen walked up to take her front-row seat at the ceremony, with Harry and Meghan in the row behind them. You can watch it below, starting at 16:30.
Patti Wood, body language expert and author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma, gave Marie Claire the lowdown on how the couple and the Queen were really feeling, based on their body language. "The Queen is looking down and not looking at them, and Meghan is smiling. I would say that's fairly genuine because it's made along with eye contact," says Wood.
She added: "If you look at her hand, she's holding on to the paper, but you notice how relaxed her fingers are and how open the fingers are. She's not tensely holding the paper. It's very relaxed. That says that she's fine. She's okay. It's all good."
"But when you go to him, if you look, his head is downcast, and he's trying. He's looking at his grandma. If you look at the eyebrows in that photo, it's concerned," continues Wood. "It's more you wouldn't know he's the grandson in that photo—you would think he was some sort of subservient in a greater way. It shows a change in his status, his feelings."
"It's not negative. It's just revealing," she explains.
Interesting! Now I'm left wondering how that four-hour meeting really went.


https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/amp31279505/meghan-harry-queen-commonwealth-body-language/?fbclid=IwAR1nAuB5gPT0wXUQTM7NkdNM21bVczjhg5_VClgHTun3m40yPN2g8StVXSg






Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Steps to take to Connect to Others and Deal With Stress During the Corona Virus Outbreak.

  1. If you are reading this you have to "interact remotely" down and you can pivot and adapt to the need to do so. Your tech confidence gives you an advantage as we move through this challenging time.  
  2. Call on your network including your social media network for support and to offer support. How are they doing? What can you do for them? What are the critical things you need or may need as you and your network go through this? 

  3. You may want to initiate check-in rituals for your key friends family and contacts where you just talk about your day and how you are. You may be used to checking in all the time and having full access but that may be overwhelming so I would suggest a ritual be it Good morning contact, dinner chat or a good night sleep well chat. To give you and your network a sense of continuity and security. That way throughout your day if it's stressful you know you can hold it together or if something good happens you can look forward to sharing it in that check-in interaction. Start all your interactions with a request for information about THEM, don’t rush to share. It will really help to focus on other’s needs.
  4. If you don’t already have multiple ways to connect to treasured contacts make sure you have phone numbers and email addresses for people you interact with on social media. Do that today an also print it out and have a hard copy. You can print out your contacts on your phone easily
  5. Have something you can do at home that calms you and gives you the pleasure that is in no way tech-related. A pet, a musical instrument and a how-to-play training book, an art kit with paints, pens and such, and or hard copy books. Plan on a ritual every night of doing something that gets you off of tech and away from the news. 


Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Planning for Your First Virtual Meeting or Conference Call. What do you need to think about?

As a professional speaker, I suggest three things to do as you plan your virtual meeting or conference due to the Coronavirus 

1,) Give your speakers some coaching and training to help prepare them for giving their presentations remotely. Even if they have done so in the past it would help you with continuity and quality control.

2) Have a few backup speakers ready or switch to panels on a few of your key programs so you are covered if someone becomes ill. 

3)   I would also suggest that you do something I do in my face to face speeches and online speaking and create "Coaching and or Convention Partners" in your sessions, and or preconference. That is either have them choose or assign them someone attending each session they are in that they can call or email formally a week after the meeting to talk about or discuss what they learned, and what they implemented or plan on implementing from the meeting. 

4) Have every speaker offer a follow-up communication/ That can be a simple email, podcast or video reiterating the content and providing more examples or links to future related information. Answers to questions that came up and were not covered in-depth and motivation for the future. I can help you with that if you would like more details. I find it critical in online meetings as the group can't do the normal networking with each other or the speaker. 
    

I was recently on a call with 500 speakers, Speaker Bureaus, and Meeting and Convention Planners from around the world and the call went well, and we were especially impressed with international panel members who had experienced SARs and or Ebola. This was a last-minute meeting and I  would have suggested to the overall planner that a few of the panel members be better prepared with the answers to what we're bound to be the key questions. I can help your speakers prepare for questions and other aspects involved in using or switching to online meetings and conventions. 


If you would like my help on any of that coaching or training let me know. Patti@PatttWood.net  678-358-6160. 


Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Creating Your Plan and Statement for Your Employees Regarding Travel and Work with Coronovirus

What kind of message or statement should you write or have regarding the Coronavirus?
What is your business statement for business continuity, businesses travel, Self Quarantine, and working from home?

I am an expert in Human Behavior and a consultant to small business. I can help train and coach your employees about communicating through this crisis and through technology if they are working from home.  Patti@PattiWood.net  678-358-6160.

The first thing you need to decide is what is most important to your employees, your business and your community.
Then you want you to be clear specific and calm regarding your messaging.




We are closely monitoring developments with respect to the Coronavirus. First and most importantly, we are taking the appropriate actions to continue providing our employees with a safe work environment. We will continue to provide updates as we learn more.

The following measures have been put in place:

Business Continuity Statement
  • We have issued a Business Continuity Statement on our website  (put a link here)
  • If you have customers asking about (Your company name here) pandemic plan or business continuity – please make (Contact person here aware via email).
  • Please know that (Company Name ) has a set of protocols in place should this situation escalate.
  • Let them know if your company has the capacity to work 100% remotely without disruptions to our regular business operations. If not what the fall back is. 

Temporary Travel Suspension for All Work-Related Travel (for the next 30 days through (Give date )  or until we have further updates)
  • We are temporarily suspending all work-related travel both domestic and international (except personal automobile travel) including:
    • Air travel
    • Train travel
    • Busses/Subways - Any other means of mass transit (travel which puts our employees in direct contact with large crowds).
    • Automobile travel is currently acceptable.
  • For those currently traveling:
    • Please finish your trip and return as planned.
  • Do not book future travel without approval. Please contact (contact name) before any future travel is booked.
  • We will be addressing any upcoming, already booked travel shortly.

14 Day Self - Quarantine – Work from Home Policy
In alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) interim guidance for risk assessment and public health management, we have temporarily implemented the following 14-Day Stay-at-Home Policy for the following:
  • Employees returning to the U.S. from an area of risk, will not be allowed to return to the workplace until they have reached day 15 back in the U.S. and have not experienced fever, coughing or difficulty breathing.
  • Employees who have:
    • Lived in the same household as, OR
    • Cared for, OR
    • Had close contact with a person who has returned from an affected area of risk, OR
    • Had close contact with a person confirmed to have the Covid-19 Coronavirus

(Emergency Communication App) 
  • Please be sure you have downloaded the (name of the emergency app) for emergency notifications. This is how we will communicate important alerts.
  • Please contact for help with the app
Office Health Etiquette Reminder:
  • Please don’t come to the office if you're even mildly sick (we will continue to be flexible with sick time or WFH)
  • Be sure to request your time off in (Name of Contact ) HR
  • Follow the CDC guidelines for good hygiene
  • Hand sanitizer is available around the office

Supportive Statement here and company heads signature




Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.