Octacentric - The Octamec newsletter

1.		Placate or Pacify: The pacifier always speaks in an agreeable way. He is always trying to please others, or apologizing, but never disagreeing, no matter how he feels. You would call this person a yes man or a brown-noser. This type of communicator always seems to need approval from others rather than from himself. He doesn't want anyone to get mad at him.

2.		Blame: The blamer is a faultfinder. She acts superior to everyone else and seems to think that no one can do anything as well as she can. Internally she has a feeling of tightness in the muscles and organs. Her blood pressure tends to get higher as she blames, and her voice is often high, shrill, and loud. She wants people to think she is strong.

3.		Compute: The computer is always very correct. And rarely shows any emotion. He appears to be very cool and calculated. He often seems disassociated. His voice might be a monotone. He attempts to deal with a threat as though it is harmless, and he uses big words to establish his self-worth.

4.		Distract: The distracter constantly says or does things that are irrelevant to what others are doing or saying. She never responds to the point being made. Internally, she might feel dizzy and panicky. She tries to ignore the threat by behaving as though it was not really there. She thinks if she ignores it long enough, it might really go away.

5.		Leveling: In this type of communication, all parts of the message are going in the same direction. The face, the tone of voice, the words, and the body language all match. His relationships tend to be free and easy. He feels few threats to his self-esteem. Because of that, he has no need to communicate in any way that is not open and honest.

To sum it up, no one person communicates the same way every time. We generally choose our communication techniques based upon the situation we find ourselves in. But there are some people who predominately choose one technique over the others. You probably know people that fit pretty neatly into each category. If you find yourself to be one such communicator, take a good look at the category that best describes you and ask yourself if that technique is really effective for you. If you answer honestly, you will probably say no. And if you do say no, then you really need to concentrate on choosing to be a leveler. You will be surprised to see how changing the way you communicate can change your life.

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Some helpful e-mail etiquette tips:

Make sure your e-mail includes a courteous greeting and closing. Helps to make your e-mail not seem demanding or terse.
Address your contact with the appropriate level of formality and make sure you spelled their name correctly.
Spell check - emails with typos are simply not taken as seriously.
Read your email twice to ensure the tone is that which you desire.
Be sure you are including all relevant details or information necessary to understand your request or point of view. Generalities can many times cause confusion and unnecessary back and forths.
Refrain from using the Reply to All feature to give your opinion to those who are not concerned with the matter/subject.
Never assume the intent of an email. If you are not sure -- ask so as to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
Just because someone doesn't ask for a response doesn't mean you ignore them. Always acknowledge emails from those you know in a timely manner.
Be sure the “Subject” field accurately reflects the content of your email. Always include a brief Subject. No subject can get your email flagged as spam.
Don't hesitate to say thank you, how are you, or appreciate your help!
Keep emails brief and to the point. Save long conversations for the old fashioned telephone.
Always end your emails with "Thank you," "Sincerely," "Take it easy," "Best regards" - something!
Don't use Return Receipt (RR) on every single email. Doing so is viewed as intrusive, annoying and can be declined by the other side anyway.
Make sure when using BCc: that your intentions are proper. To send BCc: copies to others as a way of talking behind someone's back is inconsiderate.
Think of your business email as though it was on your business letterhead and you'll never go wrong!
Ensure you forward the thread of a conversation from previous discussions so the other person is aware of what the conversation is about.
If any email states to forward to all your friends, or just 5 people - do everyone a favor and just hit delete!
And finally... Type unto others as you would have them type unto you!

Octacentric gives you your very own space in "Your say".

Do you have something to say to the world? would you like to give an opinion about something that nobody before cared to listen?...be it politics, sports, bollywood or anything that you want to voice. Maybe you would like to share that poem you've written...or a joke you've heard that had you in splits...how about that recipe of your favorite dish?

We welcome you to send in your articles, essays, jokes, poems, recipes or just about anything you would like to share with the Octamec family. The best piece will get published. Remember, no offensive or explicit material will be accepted. So bring it on! mail your stuff to newsletter@octamec.com mentioning your name and department.

P.N.: The editorial team reserves the right to accept or reject any material sent to Octacentric.