Perception is everything right?

Perception is everything right? That is what individuals hear from an early age. So how do we learn to perceive things? Growing up, perception is gained by what one sees and hears. The experiences one has in life and how they deal with them. In the world of employment there are many times and ways to perceive a situation.  It is never set on what the situation is but how the individual looks at it and perceives the situation. Reading and writing blogs has brought this lesson to the fore front. How do you perceive things? Is it the right perception?

Interestingly enough, humans actually speak words they read in their own heads, This could be due to making sure that there is an understanding of what is written. What happens when the reader is reading the written word to themselves and they get the wrong perception? Does the reader go back and try and figure the right perception out? Does the reader respond with the perception that they felt was right in the first place. Have you ever noticed that sometimes out in blog land that there are people responding to an original post, and they completely misread and misunderstand the intentions of the poster? Here are 5 areas that perception can be worked on to help an individual succeed.

1. Phone calls are always a way to test the understanding of perception. When someone calls you, can you tell how they are feeling or that something might be wrong. This is why most human beings answer the phone, say hello then ask “How are you? or What’s up”? When individuals are not really listening to the conversation, maybe due to distractions, watching TV, Driving the intent of the conversation can be lost and confusion can set in for one or both parties. Next time someone calls at work or home, practice turning the TV off, limiting distractions and see if the conversation goes better.
2. At work, co workers tend to chit chat at first arrival at work. That is not only a bonding experience, but it also allows to some communication work. How do you perceive your co-workers or co-workers from past jobs? Co-workers can be a great asset or a hung hindrance.  Can you feel it when tension is in the air, or a co-worker is mad at you? Humans are fascinating in this way. Individuals can walk in and perceive the tension so thick they could cut it with a knife. Practice communication at work to really understand what is being asked, try and rebuild any damaged relationships, or avoid the ones that have proven to destructive.
3. The wonderful World Wide Web, everyone seems to be on it, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  How do you perceive a persons Facebook page, do you know everyone on your Facebook personally, or do you have a subset of individuals who are on there to help your games progress. It is a common rule of thumb for employers to search Social Networking sites when thinking about hiring someone. What perception does your online presence give an employer? Remember the employer is going to hire someone who they perceive will best fit within the company’s structure. Employers will look around and think “Will this individual be a good face for this company? Do they have the ethics that will help this company succeed”? If they are looking at you photo’s on Facebook while you are doing a keg stand with a half twist jump kick, they will certainly pass you over due to that alone.
4. Email at work seems to be the best way to communicate to employees, although perception can play a huge role in how the task is completed. Email is a time saver most of the time; it is efficient in passing on communication. Like all written word perception is everything.  We read an email but do we truly understand what the other person is communicating? Do we understand the task being asked and the time frame it is needed?  Have you ever read an email and felt insulted?  Only to find out that that was not the intention of the sender, but the perception was already there.
5. The gut reaction, that first feeling you get when you see or meet someone. Do you take the time to listen to your gut?  Do you get that strong feeling that something is not right with that individual?  Ever been walking at night, turn to go down an alley, only to get that nervous feeling in the air that something is not right. That is perception at its best. The gut will tell you and others to proceed cautiously.  Employers will make every attempt to see if they need to move cautiously or even at all. This is where the interview process comes in. The employer is getting a perception of you and your skills from the get go.  Ever walked out of an interview thinking that you blew it, only to get a job offer? Ever walked out of an interview thinking “I aced it, I would hire me, only to find you blew it”?  This is the world of perception

Remember that in our daily events we have multiple opportunities to look at our perception, try to tailor it to help us succeed , or even help us fail if we allow the perception to continue without true understanding. Perception is not always right so check the facts and look at how you perceive things.