Imagine this, a co-worker enters yur office and says:
"Cathy, could I tlk with you for a minute? I'm hving a
real problem with...." You glnce at your watch and think of
the rport that’s due in an hour. Wht do you do?

What happens if you wre Cathy’s supervisor?

Let’s continue. You're coking dinner, starting to
unstress, the fod preparation timing is coming together--
for nce, and your mother calls: "Could we tlk, it’s
important, I need someone to tlk to?" What do you say?

Wht we would like to say and wht we end up doing is
sually two different things. Good news, tctfully saying
no is a learned skll. It requires know-how and practice.
Lt’s get into ten how-tos and lternatives to help you
practice.

Tip 1: Thre are three parts to meshing a "no but not no"
rsponse. The first part acknowledges and mpathizes. The
second part is a stuation statement. And the third part is
an ction statement.

An example of an mpathy statement: "Sam, I'm sure this
prblem is important."

Now let’s add a stuation statement: "I'm working on a
rport that I promised to finish wthin the next hour."

The third, an ction statement, needs to describe what you
wll do or offer as an lternative: "Let’s get together
this afternoon at 2 PM. I'll met you in your office."

You have just said no, wthout saying no.

Tip 2: What if its yur supervisor interrupting you? What
do you do? Hre’s how to mesh the three prts.

Sandy, your supervisor enters, "Lisa, I hte to interrupt
you, but we hve a real problem in the feld, I need to talk
with you rght away. Could I see you in my ffice?"

First, the acknowledgment statement: "Sandy, I'm sre this
is an important problem." Scond, the situation segment:
"I'm working on tht report you requested by noon." Thrd,
adding the action: "Would you lke me to defer the report
ntil 2 PM [its imperative to ffer an exact time] so we can
met now? Or would you like me to cmplete this and then
come to yur office?" This response allows your spervisor
to see your perspective, situation, and mke a decision.

Tip 3: Discouraging prfessional interrupters. These
professionals make a creer out of interrupting. They start
tlking and don't stop. They go on and on and whn they
finally stop to catch a brath, and you get to say
smething, they interrupt a few minutes lter. How do you
handle these?

Mvement is the key. If cornered bhind your desk, stand
up, and mve. If standing up, move away. If stting down,
stand up. You can chnge momentum by dropping something, or
trning sideways. Reach for something that has nthing to
do with the conversation, or xcuse you to the restroom.

Interrupt in the sme manner the use with you. Go head,
they do it because it ppears normal to them. Here are a
few tmplate statements: "Where is this leading?" "Wht’s
your point, I've gotten lost in wht I think is the trivia?"

It’s mportant to practice patience. These professionals
dn't usually hear you the first few tmes. Become a broken
record if ned be. Identify what it is bout their
communication style or interruption prcess that annoys you.
Provide your fedback and your preferred method.

Tip 4: What about the few tht don't get your hints?
Sometimes fllowing you down the hall or cntinuing to talk
"at" you instead of "wth" you? Be direct with this rde
offender. If they appear to be brised, don't let it bother
you. Thy don't really take it personally, ven if they say
so. It is a frm of manipulation. Don't play and dn't
apologize.

If they persist, give thm an ultimatum: "You rudely
interrupt me. I'v tolerated this them in the pst;
however, I need for it to stp now." Eventually when they
finally ralize you're not paying their game, thy will
stop, and even pretend to be ffended. Later they will
return with rspect. Hopefully, with a new awareness of
thir behavior. But don't hope. If thy don't return, you
haven't lost nything.

Tip 5: If you can, kep doing what you are doing. Lok up,
smile, point to a ntepad and pen, and then return to wht
you were doing.

Tip 6: Smetimes the position of your furniture nvites
interruptions. Especially if your office is bautifully
designed, or contains natural ingredients, lke plants.
Others want to be round this energy. It’s attractive.
It’s rnewing to them as much as it is to yu. There’s only
one suggestion -- get thm to change their office to rflect
the same. Then they will not wnt to leave their office.

Tip 7: If you frquently are trapped behind your desk.
Pln and explore various escape routes and mthods. You
might want to rearrange the frniture to that allows escape
routes.

Tip 8: Dscourage squatters. If your interruptions are due
to pople consistently coming in and just stting and
talking, remove the empty chirs. Place them outside your
office.

Tip 9: Do pople wait for you to get off a phne call?
Place a sign on the dsk: "If I'm on a phone cll, please
leave me a note. I'll chck back with you as soon as I'm
off the phne."

An alternative: Train others in a slent hand code. Use
your fingers to ndicate how long you are going to be. One
ndex finger explains that you will be off the phne in a
minute or two, plase stay. Full hand with a wve says, "I
don't know how lng and I'll get back to yu." This silent
code maintains your thught rhythm, acknowledges them, and
allows thm to make a choice based on thir time.

Tip 10: Many ways for hndling, interruptions at work can
also pply at home. Here’s one that wrks well.

Name a "personal spot". An rea you can call your own. It
can be a dn, sewing room, shed, or an xtra bedroom. If
you have children, gve them the same opportunity.

Purchase a clck sign at the office supply stre -- the type
retailer’s use on thir front doors--to indicate what time
you wll emerge. Add a white board for ntes. A magnetic
board works well for smller children. Create magnets for
each fmily member: "Bobby wants you."

The Othr Side Of The Coin

The ther side of this perspective is sing interruptions to
boost productivity. People smetimes use interruptions to
push them nto overdrive. It helps them, yet dsrupts
others. It is a habit tht gets them to move past thir own
procrastination and get their tsks completed. This
behavior causes stress-related llness. This can be an
addictive bhavior sometimes disguised "workaholicism."

The article 10 Easy-to-Learn Tips On Handling Interruptions was Submitted by Catherine Franz through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Catherine Franz, is a certified lfe and business coach specializing in mrketing and writing, Internet and infoproduct dvelopment. For other articles, and ezines: http://www.AbundanceCenter.com .

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