Skill Builders: Avoiding the Poison Grapevine
Submitted by Cynthia Mayberry, TG Manager, Texas Region

Remember in junior high when you and your classmates would sit in a circle and you would whisper something in the person's ear next to you, and then that person would whisper it to the next person and so-on, until it made its way back to you?

Was the information that was repeated back to you at the end of the game the same information you initially whispered in the first person's ear? Probably not.

Well, you may be grown up and work in an office now, but information is still being mis-communicated. In fact, you've probably heard it around your office—the gossip and the rumors that are spread about everything from new policies and procedures to personnel changes to stories about your coworkers' personal lives.

What's the big deal?
Participating in and even listening to the gossip that makes its way around any office can be distracting, can lower morale, and can be wrong. It can also negatively impact your credibility and reputation if you spend your time involved in the gossip and rumor mill.

On the other hand, staying informed about changes in your office or at your institution is important. Often, the office "grapevine" provides an informational network that can be relied upon to give staff members a heads up about impending changes.

So, how can you keep the office grapevine from turning into the "poison" grapevine? Pat Woods, TG assistant manager for corporate learning and development, offers a TG Speakers Bureau training session that focuses on just that—The Poison Grapevine. "Gossip is always going to be in the workplace," Pat said. "But, it is important not to depend on it for your information."

How can The Poison Grapevine help?
The Poison Grapevine looks at how gossip and rumors are perceived differently—gossip is often seen as idle chatter, while a rumor is more specific. Pat encourages teams to talk about why society is drawn to rumors and gossip, such as that found in supermarket tabloids, and explores what reinforcement the person spreading gossip or rumors is seeking.

"Often, those who participate in rumors and gossip want to feel powerful or in control," Pat said. "In this class, we encourage people to look at their behavior and make better choices. We often feel like 'everyone does it, so what is the big deal?' But, you have to ask yourself how you would feel if the gossip were about you."

Managers can help put a lid on office gossip by providing staff with thorough and correct information about office and institutional issues, especially information that is considered critical or controversial.

"Managers need to get the information out there, that partial or incorrect information can be what starts people talking," Pat said. "Managers need to pay attention to what people are talking about, so they can step in and quash it, if necessary. Sometimes you have to tell people the correct information, even if it's not necessarily good news."

More information
To learn more about The Poison Grapevine or TG's other Speakers Bureau training sessions, visit the TG Speakers Bureau page on TG Online at www.tgslc.org/speakers/index.cfm. To learn more about scheduling a TG Speakers Bureau event, call (800) 252-9743, ext. 4650, or send an e-mail message to businesspartner.services@tgslc.org.