Administrative Assistant's Update

May 2018

Focuses on the training and development needs of admin professionals and features topics such as hard skills (software competencies, writing, communication, filing) and soft skills (teamwork, time management, leadership).

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MAY 2018 2 Habits to improve your life Do we chase things we think will make us happy and overlook things, however mundane they may seem, that actually bring joy to our lives? Be careful in choosing your pursuits, says Travis Bradberry, co- author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, "because our habits make us." So he suggests, on LinkedIn, some habits he thinks will help you "cultivate the best within yourself." Here are just a few: Stay away from people who erode your quality of life� It's inevitable that some people will get under your skin, but when that happens, Bradberry suggests, "practice being grateful for someone else in your life instead … the last thing you want to do is think about the people who don't matter." Appreciate the here and now� It doesn't have to be grand, it's about savoring the things that make you feel good. It could be a fine wine or a hot dog and beer or a chat with your best friend. "Don't fool yourself into thinking that you need something that you don't currently have in order to be happy," says Bradberry. Realize that things aren't always as you perceive them to be� "Be open to the possibility that life might have some surprises in store, because what you see is not always what you get." No more phone, tablet, or com - puter in bed� It's the short-wave blue light (sunlight is a good source). Dur- ing the day it helps make you alert, but in evening it interferes with sleep- inducing melatonin. Start a list of things that really reso- nate with you. A small notebook can help keep them handy for reflection from time to time. Want to learn more? Google "Ten Habits That Will Dramatically Im- prove Your Life." E D I TO R ' S N OT E George Pearson Administrative Assistant's Update is published once a month by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Director, Media Solutions, Canada: Karen Lorimer Publisher: Todd Humber Editor: George Pearson george@adminupdate.ca Associate Editor: Jennifer Lewington jennifer@adminupdate.ca EDITORIAL OFFICE (519) 271-6000 Administrative Assistant's Update Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 1 Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Road Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 CUSTOMER SERVICE (416) 609-3800 (800) 387-5164 FAX (416) 298-5082 (877) 750-9041 customersupport.legaltaxcanada @tr.com Contents copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Contents may not be reproduced without written permission. Brief extracts may be made with due acknowledgement. Annual subscription: $195. Publications Mail Registration No. 40065782 GST# 897176350 UPDATE Administrative Assistant's 'We' or 'I'? For customer service, it makes a difference By Staff If Thomas Jefferson had said "Each person is no worse than the next" instead of "All men are created equal," would his words be as memo- rable as they have been through the years? Text analysis reveals that word choice has a greater impact on people, business and society than one might think. Academics shared their research on linguistics analysis questions recently at a "Behavioral Insights from Text Conference" organized by Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Insights on the con - ference were published in Knowledge@Wharton, an online business analysis journal, in its marketing section. One of the presenters, Sarah Moore, who teaches marketing at the University of Alberta, reported on her experiment that looked at the use of the pronouns "I," "we," and "you" in companies' communications with customers. She found that 40 per cent of the customer service agents in her study did not use "I" in emails responding to her inquiry or complaint. They would say things like "We're happy to help you." Her own research had shown that customers would be happier if the agent used "I" because to them the agent was taking responsibility for the problem rather than taking refuge behind the corporate "we." Also, "you" is bad, she said, when used as the subject ("you do this") because to the customer this "shifts the responsibility to the customer, and they don't like that."

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