Incivility at work is tit-for-tat exchanges, slights, verbal jabs, condescension, and discourteous interactions many employees give and get. Different from bullying, which is a form of workplace aggression and mistreatment, incivility is lower key. It's more ambiguous, but it's still harmful. Many researchers have shown that employees spend hours after an uncivil act thinking about it, processing it with a friend, and planning how to avoid the next incident. All this eats into productivity and…

Ageism is stereotyping of and prejudice against older persons. It's a growing area of concern for the workplace because people are working longer into their senior years and their numbers are growing because of aging baby boomers. As with reducing racism and sexism, reducing prejudice is about understanding and being aware of your biases (we all possess a few) and then choosing to eliminate their influence on interactions on the job. What are your beliefs about older people? What about old age?…

Acceptance and believability are the foundation of success in public speaking, and they begin with eye contact. Begin making eye contact with members of your audience before you present and you will reduce anxiety dramatically, appear less mysterious, and build trust faster to have them engage with you more. Crowd behavior is contagious, so positive interactions resulting from this warm-up step can rub off on others. When speaking, "smile with your eyes." This practice engages your whole face…

Managing anger at work is different from doing so at home because our employment relationship is more conditional. You may be loved at work, but it is your job performance that has won you admiration. If managing anger is a struggle, start by understanding "triggers" and "owning the anger feeling." Knowing your triggers  - what prompts anger - can help you choose a better response. For example, if a coworker leaves a mess in the office kitchen (trigger), you may feel angry, but take a moment to…