Tackle the big, hairy conversations in your newsroom
Are you a manager who wants to stop dancing around conflicts on your team? Would you rather have skunks in your house than discuss a performance challenge with your boss? Knowing how to tackle difficult work conversations can improve your newsroom culture, your coverage and your life overall. There are specific tactics you can practice to navigate them thoughtfully and productively. The first one: Check with your feelings to decide whether that tough talk needs to happen. Per advice from Destinée-Charisse Royal and Lu Ortiz, the answer may be yes if:
The quality of your work will suffer if you do not speak up.
The volume of your work will increase.
You are relying too much on your coping mechanism(s).
It’s affecting your sleep, good habits or relationships.
Quick tip: After the conversation, update your allies, write a recap and create a calendar reminder to follow up.
ICYMI: ONA21 is coming this June
ONA21 is moving up to June 22-25—expect the same great learning and networking, just earlier in the year than you’re used to. Get excited to join us online for programming focused on innovation in audience engagement, product development, digital business strategy and forecasting industry trends. Between now and then, you can keep in touch by subscribing to ONA21 News and following @ONAConf. #ONA21
The radar is now open for suggestions. Have you written or read a piece lately that would benefit others in journalism? We’re interested in sharing insights on trends, how-to guides, lessons from a project and other inspiration for innovation in digital journalism.
