CoachApply Master for Jacksonville Public Library

Gossiping at Work

Suggested Strategy: This person may not be aware that gossip can not

only be distracting, but hurtful to those that may overhear or have word

get back to them.

Suggested Questions:

→ Permission-Based Question + The Sword: This strategy opens the

person you would like to coach up to receiving feedback (Permission)

and presents the fact that you are owning the reason you are giving

feedback (The Sword). “With your permission, I would like to share

some observations with you that I have made that may provide an

opportunity for growth with our company.” When permission is granted,

follow with, “Because I don’t want to make any assumptions because

that would be unfair to you, I would like to share my perception that you

participate in gossip at the office, and it may be having a distracting

effect on other members of the team.”

→ Reflective Question: Without

answering immediately – give yourself

some time to think about your answer –

I would like to know what actions we

can take together to help you and the

other members of the team avoid

gossiping during the day, as gossip can

be hurtful as well as distracting.

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