Problem: Article: Using assertive communication skills means saying how you think and feel in a respectful and appropriate way. When you are assertive, you admit when you are wrong and take ownership of your personal faults. You do not blame others for your mistakes. Avoid passivity, which involves avoiding talking about it, hiding, going along with what everyone wants you to do, and not standing up for yourself. Do not be aggressive, including: raising your voice, yelling, belittling, cursing, and violent behaviors (throwing things, hitting). Avoid being passive-aggressive. This is a mix between passive and aggressive forms of communication where you may be upset but not be forthcoming with your feelings. Therefore, you may do something behind someone's back to get revenge or give them the silent treatment. This is not the best form of communication and the person may not understand what you are trying to communicate or why. Send positive nonverbal messages. Our nonverbal communication sends messages to the people around us. A smile says, "Hey, I should be frowning, but I can be brave and get through this thing." Let the person that is upset vent his frustrations and wait to respond. Try to focus solely on listening to the person instead of thinking about how to respond. Focus on the other person's feelings and thoughts instead of your own. Make summary statements and ask clarifying questions, such as, "I hear you saying that you are angry because I forgot to clean the bathroom, is that right?" Empathize. Try to be understanding and put yourself in the other person's shoes. When we make mistakes we sometimes hurt others. Saying you are sorry shows that you regret the mistake, feel bad about the harm you've done, and that you want to do better in the future. Don't give excuses or try to explain it away. Simply own up to it. Say, "I admit I forgot to clean the bathroom. I am so sorry about that." Be careful not to blame others. Do not say something like, "If you would have reminded me to clean it then maybe I would have remembered and done it." Expressing ways to make up for the problem and committing to working on the issues are effective ways to fix a mistake when it involves another person. Try to work out a solution. Ask the person what they would like you to do to make up for it. You could say, "Is there anything that I can do now?" Figure out how to do things differently in the future. You can ask the person, "What do you think might help me not make this mistake again?" Tell the person that you are willing to put in the work to reduce the likelihood of making the mistake in the future. You could say something like, "I do not want this to happen again so I will make an effort to ____." Say exactly what you will do such as, "I will make sure I write down a list of my chores so that I won't forget again."
Summary: Be assertive. Use active listening skills. Apologize. Commit to positive change.

Problem: Article: What is appropriate for some is not always appropriate for other people, and this can cause a fair amount of problems when misunderstandings arise. For example, many customers prefer to get straight down to business and value speed and efficiency; however, some clients prefer to essentially "chat" for a short time to build a brief personal connection,trust before moving on to the main purpose of the call. Another major consideration is in regard to time zone differences. In many parts of the world, phone workers call during their daytime, but it may not be daytime on the other side of the world where the client is. Many people, when interrupted during their sleep, or during mealtime or family time when outside of work, may find such intrusions intolerable. Avoid mimicking the person's accent, or using slang that is local to your client's area or culture on the other end of the phone. In some cases it can be acceptable and make the person receiving the call feel more at ease, but this is actually a very small and rare demographic. Many people find a false accent to be insincere and fraudulent, or copying an accent as a sign of disrespect.
Summary: Consider the cultural influences of your customers.

Problem: Article: It's similar to WD-40 in that it lubricates areas and erodes sticky substances, but it's a natural alternative. If you don't have PAM or a spray version of a cooking oil, you can use a bottled version of canola oil. Wipe some canola oil on a cloth and rub it on the gum. Apply or spray a generous amount of oil. Then, let it sit so that the gum can absorb it. Letting it soak softens the gum and makes it easier to remove. If you're not able to remove it by wiping it away, then apply a little elbow grease and scrape it off with a nylon scraper. You can even use your fingernail if you don't mind. This is just to make sure you removed everything. Let it soak again. Scrape off any gum residue and wipe clean with a cloth. You're done. The beauty of this method is you don't have to worry about plastic or glass parts scraping off the finish inside your dryer. And, there is no smell.
Summary: Spray PAM cooking spray on the gum. Soak the gum in the oil. Wipe the sticky gum area clean with an old sock or rag. Re-apply the cooking oil spray.

Problem: Article: Dry heat is a process used on oils, petroleum, and powders. Also, any items that are sensitive to moisture use dry heat. Dry heat is used to slowly burn the microorganisms away and is typically done in an oven. There are two types of dry heat, a static-air type and a forced air type. The static air is a much slower process. It takes longer to raise the temperature of the air in the chamber to sterilization levels because it has coils that heat up. The forced air process uses a motor that circulates the air inside the oven. The heats range from 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 150 minutes or longer to 340 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour. Similar to autoclaving, you begin the dry heat method by washing your hands and applying non-sterile gloves. Next, wash instruments to remove any debris or matter that might be left behind. This ensures that the items that get put into the ovens are as clean as possible and will not have non-sterile materials left behind on them. Just like with autoclaving, the medical tools are placed into bags during the sterilization process. Place the cleaned instruments into sterilization pouches. Seal up each pouch so it is airtight. This is important because wet or damaged packages will not be sterilized during the process. You need to make sure the bags have temperature sensitive tape or an indicator strip. If they don't, you should add one. The tape helps you ensure the products are sterilized by reaching the temperature necessary for the sterilization. Once you have all the tools in pouches, you need to load the pouches into the dry heat oven. Do not overload the oven because the tools will not get sterilized correctly. Once the pouches are loaded, start the cycle. The sterilization process will not start until the chamber is at the right temperature. Follow manufacturer's guidelines for loading the ovens. After the cycle is complete, remove the instruments. Check the indicator strips to make sure the items were sterilized. Take the tools and store them in the safe, clean, dry place in order to protect them from dust and dirt.
Summary:
Learn the process. Start the process. Load the bags. Sterilize the tools.