In this one, I pasted what chatGPT said were subjects worth everyone's while to master.

Then, I thought: What is missing? A lot, for sure. But, a big problem I have had in my career has been people issues - recognizing too late that certain people who behaved badly with others could one day direct those bad behaviors at me. Not knowing which co-worker types were to be ignored and kept at a distance, examples of assertive behavior (it doesn't help to say "be assertive"). Failing to recognize favoritism, realizing too late that certain supervisors didn't really have my best interests at heart and were using my skills to shield slackers. Not knowing what behaviors score (or lose) points with different people types. Not knowing how to discern the most-likely outcome before approaching someone with a request, etc.

So, for starters, take the test, to see if there are gaps in your knowledge or MO 😊

And then, dive in:

The Field Operations Manual

The Cheat sheet

What you’re describing goes beyond psychology & human behavior and communication skills. It’s about the politics of work and people navigation, which is rarely taught but makes or breaks careers. Let me add this as a new subject area that directly addresses what you’ve been through.

Workplace & Social Dynamics

Reading People and Power Structures

Spotting personality types that drain, exploit, or undermine others.
Recognizing favoritism, hidden alliances, and “invisible hierarchies.”
Mapping who really holds influence (not always the one with the title).

Assertiveness in Practice

Concrete examples of how to decline extra work without career damage.
Setting boundaries with chronic interrupters, credit-stealers, or manipulators.
Language templates: “I appreciate that, but I can’t commit to X without Y.”

Navigating Supervisors and Colleagues

Signs a manager is using you to shield slackers.
How to identify whether a request is likely to be granted before you ask.
What behaviors build credibility with different personality types (detail-oriented, big-picture, people-pleaser, etc.).

Protecting Yourself and Building Leverage

When to distance yourself versus when to confront.
How to document interactions (subtly) in case you need a record.
Building “career insurance” through networks outside your immediate team.

👉 Why it matters: Technical mastery isn’t enough; careers rise or fall on how well you read the room, protect your boundaries, and anticipate other people’s motives.

Would you like me to expand this into a structured “lesson” (like a short training module with scenarios, signals to watch for, and scripts to practice), or keep it at the curriculum level like the other 10 subjects?

Go all out!

Perfect — let’s build this into a structured lesson / training module so it feels like a survival guide for real workplace and people dynamics. I’ll write it in a way that you could even adapt into a course or handout for others.

Lesson: Navigating Workplace & Social Dynamics

1. Why This Matters

Most careers stall not because of skill gaps, but because of people gaps: not seeing toxic behaviors early, failing to manage difficult personalities, or misjudging who holds power. Mastering these skills keeps you safe, respected, and in control of your trajectory.

2. Reading the Room: Spotting Hidden Patterns

A. Red-Flag Personalities

Charmers who cut down others → Eventually, the “friendly” gossip becomes aimed at you.
Chronic credit-stealers → Notice if your work consistently gets “reframed” as theirs.
Masters of selective incompetence → They act helpless until someone (usually you) takes over.
Silent saboteurs → Colleagues who nod but don’t follow through, making you look unreliable.

B. Power Beyond Titles

Informal influencers: The admin, the senior tech, or the favorite who can sway a boss’s mood.
Gatekeepers: People who control information flow (e.g., schedulers, coordinators).
Alliances: Watch who goes to lunch with whom — it reveals loyalty networks.

Practice Drill:
Spend one week just observing without judgment. Note: Who dominates conversations? Who gets deferred to even without authority? Who talks, but no one listens?

3. Assertiveness in Action (Not Just “Be Assertive”)

A. Boundary-Setting Scripts

When overloaded:

“I want to do this right. To take this on, I’d need to delay [current task] or get help with it. Which do you prefer?”
With interrupters:

“Hold on — let me finish this point, then I’ll hear yours.”
With a manipulator:

“I understand that’s urgent for you. Here’s what I can realistically commit to.”

B. The “Broken Record” Technique

Repeat your stance calmly, without escalation. Example:

“I don’t have bandwidth for this right now.”
“Yes, I hear you. Still, I don’t have bandwidth right now.”

C. Low-Stakes Practice

Try assertive phrases in safe contexts (restaurant orders, service calls). Builds muscle memory before using at work.

4. Navigating Supervisors

A. Signs Your Boss Isn’t On Your Side

Consistently vague feedback (“just keep doing what you’re doing”) while promoting others.
Using your skills to “shield” weak performers, but never spotlighting you.
Taking your ideas to their own bosses without credit.

B. Testing the Waters Before a Request

Watch how they respond to others’ asks — generous or dismissive?
Float a small, low-risk request first (schedule change, resource ask). Gauge tone, not just words.
If they stall with “maybe later” often, you’re not a priority. Adjust your strategy.

C. Building Career Insurance

Document contributions (memos, meeting notes, small wins).
Quietly grow allies in other departments.
Keep LinkedIn warm: visible skills, occasional updates, soft networking.

5. Playing the People Game Without Losing Integrity

A. Recognize Favoritism

Track patterns: who gets plum assignments, who gets excused from rules.
Don’t try to “beat” favorites head-on; instead, build value in areas where favorites don’t play.

B. Decide: Distance or Confront?

Distance when: the person has entrenched power and low likelihood of change.
Confront when: repeated behavior crosses professional boundaries and you have evidence.

C. Smart Confrontation

Never accuse in public.
Anchor in facts: “In yesterday’s meeting, my contribution wasn’t noted. I’d like to clarify…”
Use “we” framing: “To avoid confusion, let’s both…”

6. Scoring Points (or Losing Them) With Personality Types

Personality Type	What Wins Points	What Loses Points
Detail-Oriented	Accuracy, clear documentation	Vagueness, sloppiness
Big-Picture Thinker	Linking ideas to strategy	Getting stuck in minutiae
People-Pleaser	Respectful tone, acknowledgment	Abruptness, dismissal
Power-Player	Conciseness, results	Over-explaining, looking needy

Tip: Adjust your framing, not your values. Same idea, different packaging for the audience.

7. Protecting Yourself

Shadow Documentation: Keep neutral, factual notes of tasks, agreements, and outcomes.
Verbal Contracts: Summarize conversations in email: “To confirm, I’ll deliver X by Friday as discussed.”
Emotional Guardrails: Don’t vent too early to colleagues; today’s confidant may be tomorrow’s rival.

8. Scenarios to Practice

The Credit Stealer
- Meeting ends, someone summarizes your idea as theirs.
- Response: “Yes, that’s what I mentioned earlier. Let’s build on it by…”
- You reclaim credit without open conflict.
The “Friendly” Gossip
- Co-worker shares juicy info about others.
- Response: “I’d rather stay out of that, but what’s your take on [neutral topic]?”
- Shows you won’t play, but keeps the relationship civil.
The Exploiting Boss
- Always gives you “urgent” work late Friday.
- Response: “I can handle this one. Going forward, if I get these before Friday noon, I can give them better attention.”
- Sets a precedent while doing today’s task.

9. Meta-Lesson

Think of workplace dynamics as a game of chess, not checkers.

Every move signals future possibilities.
Anticipate two steps ahead: “If I say this, how will they likely react?”
Protect your king (your reputation and options) while advancing your pawns (daily work).

👉 Key Takeaway: Skills make you valuable, but people skills make you survivable. Learn to observe, anticipate, and assert with precision — that’s how you stop bad behaviors before they turn on you, and how you thrive even in messy environments.

Would you like me to turn this into a multi-part training guide (e.g., Lesson 1: spotting red flags, Lesson 2: assertiveness drills, Lesson 3: supervisor dynamics), so it reads like a workbook with exercises? Or keep it as one big “master lesson” reference sheet?

As you know, communication is 7-38-55. Flesh that out

Great question. You’re pointing to the 7-38-55 Rule of Communication, which is often cited but just as often misunderstood. Let’s unpack it carefully, then tie it into the workplace & people dynamics lesson we’ve been building.

The 7-38-55 Model of Communication

Origin

Proposed by psychologist Albert Mehrabian (1970s), based on studies of how people interpret feelings and attitudes (not all communication). He found that when there’s incongruence between words and nonverbal cues, people trust nonverbal signals more.

7% of meaning comes from the words themselves.
38% comes from tone of voice.
55% comes from body language (facial expressions, posture, gestures).

👉 The model is valid only in situations where someone is expressing emotions or attitudes, especially when verbal and nonverbal don’t match.

What It Doesn’t Mean

It doesn’t mean that words only matter 7% of the time. (Obviously, if you’re giving a technical report, the numbers matter more than your posture.)
It does mean that in human interactions, when someone senses contradiction (e.g., boss says “I support you” but avoids eye contact), they’ll believe the nonverbal message first.

Applying 7-38-55 in Workplace & People Dynamics

1. Spotting Red Flags in Others

A co-worker says, “Sure, happy to help” (7%), but tone is flat (38%) and arms are crossed (55%). → They’re not happy, and may resent the ask.
A manager says, “You’re doing great work” while frowning and checking their phone. → The words (7%) don’t match the body (55%). Trust the nonverbal.

Lesson: If you want to know someone’s real stance, ignore the polite phrasing and watch tone and body alignment.

2. Making Your Own Communication Land

If you want to project confidence, don’t just say “I can handle it.”
- Tone: steady, not rushed (38%).
- Body: open posture, nodding once (55%).
If you want to set a boundary, don’t just say “I don’t have bandwidth for that.”
- Tone: calm, neutral (not apologetic).
- Body: steady eye contact, no nervous fidgeting.

Lesson: People respond more to how you look and sound than to the exact wording.

3. Reading Outcomes Before Asking

If you’re about to request something, test the waters:
- Is their tone open or clipped?
- Is their body facing you or angled away?
- If tone + body are closed, the likelihood of a “yes” drops, even before words.

Lesson: 7-38-55 helps you forecast likely outcomes — you’re not blindsided by a “no” that you could have anticipated.

4. Scoring (or Losing) Points

Score points when your words, tone, and body are aligned. (E.g., confident but not arrogant.)
Lose points when they conflict: saying “I’m open to feedback” while grimacing. People sense dishonesty.

Practical Exercises

A. Mirror Watching (Self-Awareness)

Say “I’m confident about this proposal” three times:
1. Flat tone, slouched body.
2. Strong tone, upright body.
3. Exaggerated (smile too wide, tone forced).
Notice which version you’d trust if you were the listener.

B. Silent Meetings Drill (Other-Awareness)

In your next meeting, ignore the words for 2 minutes. Watch only tone and body.
Ask: Who looks engaged? Who looks checked out? Who’s faking agreement?

C. Assertiveness Alignment

Practice one boundary-setting phrase:

“I can’t commit to this right now.”
Record yourself with three different tones (apologetic, firm, aggressive). Compare impact.

Takeaway

The 7-38-55 rule doesn’t mean words don’t matter — but it does mean that in high-stakes, emotion-laden situations, nonverbal trumps verbal.

To protect yourself, watch tone and body for early warning signs of manipulation, resentment, or favoritism.
To project strength, align words with calm tone and steady body language.
To predict outcomes, read tone/body before asking, so you know when the odds aren’t in your favor.

👉 Put differently: Words start the game, but tone and body decide the score.

Do you want me to integrate 7-38-55 as a formal “Module 2” inside the larger Workplace & Social Dynamics training — so it fits seamlessly with spotting red flags, assertiveness drills, and personality type strategies?

I haven't had time to read everything. There does seem to be a fair amount of fluff. Have you addressed the issue of co-workers invading personal space physically anywhere yet?

You’re right — I packed in a lot of content, and “fluff” can get in the way when you need sharp, practical tactics.

And no, I haven’t yet explicitly addressed physical personal space violations — which are a very real workplace issue. Let’s cut straight to that.

Handling Co-Workers Who Invade Personal Space

1. Recognizing the Violation

Proxemic norms (Edward T. Hall’s model):
- Intimate: 0–18 in. (partners, family only)
- Personal: 1.5–4 ft (friends, close colleagues)
- Social: 4–12 ft (general coworkers, meetings)
- Public: 12+ ft (presentations, strangers)

👉 If someone consistently operates in your intimate or personal zone without clear rapport, that’s an invasion.

2. First-Line Defenses (Nonverbal)

Step back once: Natural and non-confrontational. Most people adjust.
Angle your body: Turn slightly sideways — reduces intimacy, signals distance.
Barrier objects: Hold a notebook, coffee mug, or laptop — subtle cue that you’re creating a boundary.

3. Direct Verbal Strategies (When It Persists)

Keep it short, neutral, and focused on your comfort (not their character).

Polite deflection:

“Could we spread out a bit? I think better when I’ve got some space.”
Direct but neutral:

“You’re a little close — can we step back?”
If repeated after cues:

“I need a bit more personal space, thanks.”

👉 Tone matters: calm, even, not apologetic. (Ties back to the 7-38-55 rule.)

4. Escalation Path (If They Ignore Boundaries)

Pattern documentation: Make a quick private note each time (date, context).
Private conversation:

“I’ve noticed you often stand very close. It makes me uncomfortable. Please give me some space.”
Manager/HR route: Especially if it feels intentional or has a harassing undertone. Having documentation helps.

5. Special Situations

The “touchy” co-worker (shoulder pats, hand on back):

“I’m not comfortable being touched at work. Thanks for understanding.”
The “leaner” (into your chair or desk):

“Hey, can you give me a little room here?” (while pushing chair back or shifting laptop).

6. Key Takeaway

Boundaries aren’t rude — they’re professional. Most people adjust to subtle cues, but if they don’t, you have every right to name the behavior and protect your space.

⚡ Would you like me to tighten the whole Workplace Dynamics lesson into a leaner “field manual” style, with only problems → signals → responses (no background theory), so you can skim and apply quickly when issues come up?

Yes, good idea. Go ahead!

Perfect — let’s strip all the theory and “fluff” away and turn this into a Workplace & People Dynamics Field Manual. Think of it as a quick-reference playbook:

Workplace & People Dynamics: Field Manual