Episode 18: Communicating at the workplace with Brandon Smith

Communication is important in all aspects of our lives, but why is it at work that our communication style can look incredibly different from when we are away from our job? Brandon Smith is a psychologist who specializes in communication in the working environment. In this episode we will discuss what are healthy and dysfunctional workplace dynamics.
In this episode, Brandon shares that we can have boundaries while on the job. We talk about the energy that is created in the workplace environment by the emotions and attitude we present at work. He will give us some great perspectives on how we can be influencers to change our work place environment to be more positive. Finally, Brandon shares about his new book, which is about learning when to be urgent in life, and when we can decide it is appropriate to take a more relaxed approach. This episode is full of information on how we can improve our communication in our working environment.
Key takeaways

• A little about him and the work he does
• What a healthy and dysfunctional work dynamic looks like
• Why everyone should know their roles and why this can be tricky
• What it means to have boundaries at work
• What emotional contagion is
• What emotional vampires are and how you should deal with them
• How to create boundaries and healthy emotional environment at work
• Why people pick up other people’s energy and how it works
• How not to take high emotions from the workplace and bring them home
• What positive feedbacks and interactions look like
• Two pitfalls you’ll fall into when you don’t communicate properly at work
• How to confront someone about a hard issue
• How to stay within your boundaries
• The real premise of his book
• How not to put hot sauce on everything when you’re feeling anxious
• His final thoughts for the listeners

Book

• The Hot Sauce Principle: How to Live and Lead in a World Where Everything is Urgent All of the Time by Brandon M. Smith - https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Sauce-Principle-Everything-Urgent/dp/1952233097

Brandon Smith Bio:

Brandon Smith is a leading expert in leadership communication and curer of workplace dysfunction. Known as “The Workplace Therapist” and host of The Workplace Therapist podcast, Brandon is a sought- after executive coach, TEDx speaker, author and award-winning business school instructor.
He is the President of The Worksmiths, LLC, an executive coaching and leadership development firm whose clients include numerous Fortune 500 companies. Since establishing his practice in 2005, Brandon has personally coached more than 1,000 leaders and executives across the globe.
Brandon received an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University with a concentration in communications and team dynamics. His graduate work includes an MS in counseling from Georgia State University as well as an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.