The Importance of Communication in Your Job

Success
1.Importance of Communication in Success

2.Six Essential Tips for Effective Business Communication

3.Communicating Aggressively

4.Communicating With Boss Effectively

5.How to Communicate Effectively with Employees

6.Communicating Effectively at Work

7.Importance of Communication in Success

8.Preventing Work Related Stress

9.How to Avoid Procrastination at Work

10.Preventing a Brute Force or Dictionary Attack: How to Keep the Brutes

Away from Your Loot

The Importance of Communication in Your Job

Success
There is a very important key to a person's success that is often overlooked. It's not a special way they
comb their hair or a special scent of perfume, but rather something that they have been working on
since birth. It is their ability to communicate clearly and effectively. Strong language skills are
absolutely required to survive and succeed in today's business world. This skill is even more
necessary for somebody who works in a position that requires them to interact with the public or
large amounts of their coworkers. When they deal with customers or business partners they are
representing their employer. If they communicate effectively, they build a positive image for the
company and themselves, which can often lead to promotions or raises.
Even before someone starts a job, their communication skills are important. In a typical interview
the applicants are given a brief amount of time to show their ability to speak, listen, and respond in a
clear and concise manner. If they use the correct words in the correct context they are much more
likely to receive the job. The idea behind the interview process is actually quite simple. The
prospective employer has already seen their resumes, checked their work history and references, and
has often seen their college transcripts. They already know what has been achieved by the applicant
and what they should be capable of. The whole purpose of the interview process is to speak with
them directly, and see how polished the applicant's verbal skills are.
Strong communication skills are also important on the job. This applies to both written and verbal
communication. In a retail sales position, the salesperson needs to be aware of not only how to
convey certain bits of information, but also how to word their dialog positively. Having a strong
command of the English language allows one to better understand the connotations associated with
different words. "Cheap" is a commonly used word, but in a sales environment "inexpensive" would
convey the same meaning without the negative aspects associated with "cheap" items. Correct word
selection is also important when dealing with coworkers, superiors, and subordinates. If someone
were to tell their boss that their business plan was "wrong" due to lacking in certain areas, it would
likely be taken as more of a personal attack than a piece of constructive criticism. If the word
"unpolished" were used, it would imply that the whole of the plan was still good, but it contains
minor imperfections that can be smoothed out.A person's command of words can also have a positive

or negative impact on their personal lives. When two people in a relationship are both effective
communicators there is a much higher likelihood of problems being resolved. Knowing the correct
words and their usage also allows one to more fully explain their feelings and opinions. The human
emotion system is vastly complex. The more words a person has command of, the more likely they
are to be able to convey the emotions they are feeling and the cause of those emotions. Strong
communication skills are also important when raising children. Children have an especially hard
time expressing their emotions in positive ways. When they grow up learning ways to express
themselves verbally by observing their parents, it often makes the parent-child relationship much
less stressed.
The fact that a strong vocabulary is important to success is actually no secret at all. In fact, several
popular magazines have features in every issue that list "power words" and their definitions, along
with suggested usages. People even pay large amounts of money to receive audio tapes and computer
programs to help them enhance their vocabulary. An effective vocabulary is much easier and less
expensive to acquire than the marketers of those audio tapes would like people to think. The means
lies in a book common to almost every household. That book is, of course, the Dictionary. Its
companion, the Thesaurus, is equally important. They both hold the key to developing word power.
Knowledge of words is only the first part of becoming a successful communicator. The next step
requires observation. Observe the uses of different words and their connotations in different
situations. Observe the positive and negative reactions to certain words. The last part is probably the
most complex. It is the ability to listen effectively. When someone is speaking consider not only the
specific words that they use, but also the meanings and intentions behind each of the words. This can
help you to not only better understand what is being said, but also to perceive underlying motives.
Many times you may notice that someone is expressing displeasure, but doing so in a way that less
observant people with an inferior understanding of word usage may never pick up on. This can lead
to people seeing you as intuitive, and can have innumerable positive effects on your personal and
professional life.
Another part of effective communication is knowing the correct words to use in certain settings.
Certain words may not match certain social settings, and may result in the user being considered
"rude" or "snooty." By observing the conversational norms you can better adapt your language to
those around you. This can be a great skill in a workplace that requires you to have contact with

a diverse customer base. Cultural differences also require observation. Some cultures appreciate
displeasure being voiced in an indirect, polite manner, while others view this type of behavior as a
sign that someone is dishonest and insincere. On the other end of the spectrum, stately words would
be quite appropriate in some occasions. When in the company of scholars, diplomats, or other welleducated people, one may be viewed as a simpleton for using casual language.
The ability to communicate is a great skill that is often undeveloped. Having command of a large
vocabulary is usually the most noticeable aspect of communication skills, but it is only one of the
required skills. The words you use, along with their usage, connotations, and implications, often
form others' opinions of you and your character. In the workplace these communication skills are
especially important. In order to achieve a managerial position, you must be able to not only
effectively communicate to your superiors why you deserve the position, but also be able to
communicate effectively with your subordinates in a manner that encourages teamwork and inspires
respect.

Importance of Communication in Success

Most of the times, we do not realize the importance of communication in our day-to-day
professional life and is mostly overlooked. It is important that we put across our views and
opinions effectively to the people in our organization so that everyone is on the same page
towards the goal. A goal-oriented group of individuals in a team or organization can reach
success in an easier way than others.
Communication is the medium or the process by which one can convey or express his
thoughts, views and feelings. Whatever be the mode of communication, the effectiveness of
the communication is very important for the success of an individual or a team.
Ineffective or bad communication is equivalent to not exhibiting your opinions. Hence the
key factor for success is communication, especially effective communication. Communication
can be of 5 types in nature.
Very popularly described as WOVEN, the five types include written, oral, verbal, electronic
and non-verbal communication. But why is effective communication important or rather how
does communication help in achieving success?

1. Communication will help strength relationships and will improve bonding

among the people in a team or organization. The more you communicate openly and
frankly, the listener will tend to build his levels of comfort and confidence in you. Once the
confidence level increases among the team members, the goal turns into a common one
and thus can be easily achieved.
2. Effective communication will prevent many misunderstandings in general.
Assumption is a major adversity as many people tend to think that others know what they
are thinking. But when opinions clash, it turns into misunderstandings and conflicts. Such
problems can be resolved by taking time to convey across thoughts and feelings in an
accurate manner. Thus communicating is important so as to make sure that everyone is in
synchronization to avoid misunderstanding and conflicts.
3. It is a must that important decisions and factors are documented for reference
in future. This kind of written communication can be held as a proof for future use. Also
such kind of documentation helps in keeping the team members in synchronization with the
goals and standards that were formulated even before they joined the team.
4. Communication is always not necessarily from the top management. It also needs
to be equipped by every member of the team to send their thoughts and views. When there
are cases of complaints or misunderstandings, team members need to communicate that to
their leaders following the right hierarchy so as to reduce the level of frustration and friction
within the team.
5. Decision making in an organization hugely depends on the thoughts and ideas
that are communicated from all the employees. Strategies like brainstorming and other
kind of decision making tools need thoughts and views of all the involved members as the
prime input. Such kind of methods require effective communication processes to make the
entire process a success.
6. In a huge team, it is mandatory that all the team members are on the same
levels in terms of information knowledge and messages conveyed. In these
scenarios, team meetings and discussions will help resolve misunderstandings and
communication gaps. So to ensure the success in a team effort, the information needs to be
effectively communicated to all the members. Oral communication followed by verbal
communication will ensure that the information passed to all the members is same and
accurate.
7. Job delegation and responsibility assigning is a frequently encountered act in

organizations and teams. But if the job details are not effectively passed on, the work will
not be completed satisfactorily and would cause failure of the job. Thus communication
plays an important role again in this regard. Communicating the job details accurately is
important and necessary so as to get the job done as per requirements.
Thus based on the above factors and discussions, we can conclude that communication is
not just a necessary ingredient for success but is also needed for maintaining harmony and
a peaceful professional relationship within the organization

Six Essential Tips for Effective Business Communication

Be it personal or business, communication is a matter of human relationships and not just
transmitting facts. In a business, this relationship is intertwined with situation handling
strategies to achieve an effective communication process. Communication in business can
be a defining factor for your business.
An effective communication can turn even a worst situation into an opportunity while
ineffective communication can cause loss of business productivity along with creating other
obstacles. Below you can find six essential tips that can help you achieve an effective
communication process.
Tip #1: Pay all your attention
When you communicate with someone, make sure that you pay your complete attention.
Try to take your business communications in an environment that is neither noisy nor busy.
Any kind of physical, emotional or mental discomforts or distractions can lead your attention
away from the communication. When you pay attention and focus, you create a comfort
level in the other persons mind about the transaction. Such kind of undivided attention will
earn you respect and trust from your receiver.
In case you encounter genuine distractions during the course of your communication, make
sure that you acknowledge it with a greeting or apology. For example, if you have to take
an emergency call during your companys team meeting you can acknowledge it with Sorry,
It was an emergency note to the others in the room. Such kind of apologies or greetings
will make your audience feel that you are providing undivided attention and that the
message conveyed is of serious nature.

Tip #2: Listen attentively

In any kind of communication, it is important that you understand if your listener is with
you. A one-sided communication also does the job of sending across the facts and
information but the relationship we discussed about initially does not live in it. In an
effective business communication, it is not just important that you send across the facts but
is also important that you make sure your listener is grasping them.
In a communication process, try to convey your message with a mix of verbal and non
verbal efforts. You can seek the aid of your body language and facial expressions to put
your message across more effectively.
Just as how your body language is important, it is also important that you study your
listeners body language. Understanding his body language will let you know whether he is
suspicious or confused or bored with your opinions and ideas. This will help you to alter your
pace or style to clarify his needs.
Tip #3: Smile when you talk
Though it is normally advisable that business communications are kept formal, it is a must
that you maintain a smile when you discuss your facts. This kind of a gentle smile will
ensure that you are relaxed and pleasant and will also improve the comfort of your listener.
Tip #4: Respect the other person
When you are trying to gain someones attention and confidence, it is a must that you make
them feel respected. A simple smile and a greeting at the start of the conversation will make
the other person feel important. It is also a must that you greet the other person with name
and due salutations so as to add a personal touch to your relationship. This kind of
addressing method will make increase comfort level and will make him feel respected.
Always keep your communications short and crisp. It is not only important that you respect
an individual but you also need to respect his time. Before you start your conversation,
confirm on his time availability and stick to it.
Tip #5: Receive Feedback
Receiving feedback can help you understand the effectiveness of your communication.
Asking questions can help in involving your listener also in the conversation. Asking
questions does not imply questioning their understanding ability but to gain involvement.
For example, questions like what is your opinion will help them talk more rather than
questions like do you understand
Tip #6: List out the key points and the action

At the end of every business communication, ensure that you document all key points that
have been discussed. Also, make it a point to document the actions that were discussed to
be taken after the meeting and follow them up on a regular basis. These kind of
documented points can act as evidence and reference when required in future.

Communicating Aggressively
It is common that we find people who act in a superior way around us, but there are some
people who over do this. They involve in our decisions and make our choices. Any situation
that they participate in will have to be a winning situation for them. Such people are all
around us and they are known as the aggressive types. But did you know how to figure out
the good and bad of this kind of communication? Read on to understand more about
communication types and in detail about aggressive communication.
What is communication and how is it classified?
Communication is the ability of an individual to convey across a message to a listener or an
audience through verbal or non-verbal forms. Communication is basically classified into
various types depending on the method used for communication like oral, written, nonverbal, etc. It can also be classified based on the characteristics exhibited by an individuals
style of communication. On that note, it is differentiated into four types, passive,
aggressive, assertive and passive-aggressive.
What is Aggressive type of Communication?
Aggressive communication is a communication style where the individual expresses his or
her opinion and views in a bold manner dominating others ideas. They often express their
views in such a manner that it violates others rights and opinions. These individuals can
also be at times verbally or physically abusive.
Sometimes a bit of aggression is also mixed in the behaviour leading to passive-aggressive
types of behaviour. It is often experienced by people who have had a history of past
emotional abuse and wounds. Such kind of wounds and feels tend to lower a persons selfesteem thereby making them aggressive in nature.
How is this behavioural nature developed?
Like passive communication, aggressive form of communication can also result due to low
self esteem. This form of urge to satisfy ones need may arise due to the suppressed
emotions for a long time or emotional wounds that have been tolerated for long.
Feelings of powerlessness that have been felt for long normally tend to bring out a

characteristic to safeguard an individuals emotions. Such kind of feeling will develop

aggressiveness making the individual pursue his interest dominantly.
Self esteem is the individuals formed opinion of his worth. Individuals who have issues of
low self-esteem tend to form a protective cover so as to protect their interest. This arises as
they assume that they are not worth being cared by others surrounding them. Thus their
own nature of not expressing, explodes and forms a shied thus making them aggressive in
nature.
Characteristic features of an aggressive communicator
Aggressive communicators are primarily characterized by a nature to dominate others. They
interfere in others decisions and views and try to safeguard their interest as the main aim.
When in any conflict, these kinds of individuals resort to humiliation as the tool to control
the opponent. They frequently blame, criticize or attack people around them. The normally
talk in a loud and demanding voice and are also very impulsive.
In any group, an aggressive person tends to interfere frequently and also does not listen
attentively. They are also very strong in the body language they exhibit with piercing kind of
eye contacts and a posture that is overbearing in nature.
These kinds of individuals often have very low tolerance levels and explode even at the
lightest of frustration. These kind of people also point or blame others a lot with very
frequent usage of you statements.
How does such behaviour affect individuals?
Individuals who are aggressive in their communicational behaviour tend to be scared of
other people around them. An insecure feel of their opinions and interests being offended
always keeps them cautious and hence causes a fear on others. This fear for a prolonged
duration naturally becomes hatred towards co-workers and colleagues.
Aggressive communicators tend to move away from people and keep to themselves. In
short, they alienate others from them and tend to alienate themselves from other people.
They are also always involved in the blame game and are on constant lookout for error in
others. This kind of nature thus creates an immature impression of them on others.
Before you think whether such behaviour is good or bad, understand that no specific pattern
of communicational behaviour is perfect. A mix of the patterns with a maturity to use the
right kind at the right place is a must. So next time, you find an individual who says, Its all
your fault or Ill get my way no matter what, you know whom you are dealing with.

Communicating With Boss Effectively

A workplace is not a forgiving type of environment for employees. No matter how old you
are, what your experience is and your education, you are still pressured to be productive
according to the companies expectations. A slip up could easily backfire and may cause
termination.
A fresh graduate could easily feel this pressure as soon as they are hired for the job. Sure, a
company orientation on the first day on the job should help you feel good about the
company but when it gets serious, the fresh graduate is expected to be as productive like
the oldest member of the group.
And the situation could get worst since, the boss will eventually ask for more data from the
fresh graduate. This data could come in the form of presentation or a simple one-on-one
meeting. Either way, this situation should be handled like a professional but the pressure
could easily shake the fresh graduates confidence.

Knowing the Enemy

In war and in competitions, a good way to ensure victory is to know the capabilities of your
enemy. Although the boss is not literally an enemy, he could be if the presentation does not
go well. The boss has expectations that should be met or else it will only spell trouble.
A fresh graduate or anyone not familiar with the boss should extend research on the boss
personality. He or she could be demanding; asks a lot of questions or could be subtle but
will ultimately be unimpressed if you dont provide a good presentation. By knowing how
they react to certain information, you will be able to prepare rebuttals in case of questions
and objections.

Focus on a Goal
The best way for your information to be totally understood is to provide a goal while
creating a road map on achieving that goal. This is usually the challenge faced by those
goes into presentation the first time. There are too many information to be considered and
too many factors that could affect the goal. But thinking about those things could easily
jeopardize your presentation.
To ensure you focus on a goal, the factors that you need to add should be the ones that will
have a great effect on the goal. By sticking to these factors, you can provide the challenges
in achieving that goal and what you can do about it. Expect your boss to ask questions

regarding other factors and be prepared for a rebuttal on why those factors will not have a
significant role in affecting the goal.
Many fresh graduates often end up frustrated with their careers because they are unable to
go through these scenarios. But think of pressure packed presentation only as a test. These
presentations are not death chambers wherein you will die if you do not have a good
presentation. If your first presentation does not go well, pick yourself up and try harder the
next time. As long as they do not terminate you from work, you will still have a chance to
improve

How to Communicate Effectively with Employees

Employee communication is an important part of organizational communication. It is the
prime job of the manager to make sure that the employees are kept informed of the
organizational happenings.
Employee communication is the most basic part of business communication that many
people often do not realize it as a part of their communicational process. But failure to
communicate with your employees can de-motivate them and finally cause loss of valuable
resources. It is hence mandatory to understand how to communicate effectively and to
make sure that your employees remain satisfied.
This article is a detailed description of the many aspects that need to be maintained when
communicating with your employees
Prepare beforehand
Though the audience is your employee, you still need to be prepared before you make any
communication with them. Such preparation will ensure that you cover all points to be
discussed while it also creates seriousness in your employees about the communication.
Provide complete information
Provide accurate and complete information to your employees. It is not necessary that you
reveal crucial organization data but it is also important that you give them all the required
information.
Do not use sentences that will make them feel that you are holding back crucial data. Such
statements will act against you and will make them lose confidence on you.
Gaining confidence is important but be careful as not to reveal data more than that is
required for the gathered audience.

Plan a regular meeting

It is necessary to plan a meeting on a regular basis to keep the employees updated on
organizational policies and goals. Such meetings will also help to enhance the manager
employee relationship levels. But when you plan your meetings, be careful not to plan them
too frequent as the session might not be of much value. Frequent meetings will decrease
the importance provided to such meetings. So a planned duration meeting on a planned
interval will help you to maintain frequent communication plans.
Keep your meetings short and brief
While it is importance that you provide all necessary information to your employees, do not
indulge in too long a conversation. Remember that your employees useful productive time
is being used up during your meetings. This time that is consumed needs to be minimised
so as to make maximum utilization of the available time. Frequent long meetings will also
tend to reduce motivation of the employees. It is a must that you make sure you do not
include complex communication methodologies.
Assign responsibilities and form proper teams
When you delegate job to your employees, it is advisable to assign responsibilities to certain
efficient employees and get the communication streamlined rather than communicating in a
non-oriented manner. Such an organized manner of communication will also ensure that all
grievances are addressed by someone even if you are not able to handle them.

Create trust in your employee

A trusted staff relationship will help improve motivation and ownership among your
employees. It is important that you become a trusted communicator to get the maximum
productivity and efficiency from your employees. Also display a share of trust from your side
which will help to create trust in your employees.

Listen to your Employees

It is not only important that you communicate effectively but you also need to listen
attentively. Listening to your employees is a part of an effective communication process.
Unless you understand and sort out the grievances in the mind of your employees, you will
not be able to instil confidence in them.
Express your expectations
It is must that as a supervisor you express what you expect from your employees. It is

better to talk to them about short term and long term goals rather than encourage rising
expectations. It is wise to sit and discuss on goals to avoid future disappointments. Thus
expressing expectations also form a part of employee communication.

To effectively complete all these, it is must that you decide best strategies and
methodologies for communication. Communicating with your employees effectively is an
important part of organizational success. Such an effective communication not only
improves employee productivity but will also create a confidence and comfort level for
longer trustworthy relationships.

Communicating Effectively at Work

Work place communication is an important aspect for a successful career. Whether you are
communicating with your junior level employees or with your seniors, it is a must that you
follow effective communication guidelines to make sure that the information is passed on
accurately. Effective communication will help you get your job done in the required manner
and will also make sure that you communicate your needs properly to your boss. Thus to
attain a successful career, it is a must that you master the skills related to communication.
Communication is a two way process, especially when you need to convey the right
message. There are many kinds of communication - written, oral, verbal, electronic and
non-verbal forms. Though all these forms can be used at workplace it is must that you use
the right one at the right place in an effective manner.
Preparation is the key to an effective communication process. Whether you are
communicating to your boss or to your team, it is a must that you prepare beforehand what
is to be conveyed.
A preparation-less communication will tend to make you miss out important points and
salient topics. Sometimes you might also tend to forget points and lose your confidence
level in between the communication session.

Hence be prepared for your session and

accompany it with all kinds of documentary evidence required. It is required that you are
prepared to answer all questions and answers regarding the message conveyed.

In case you are not sure of the answer for any of the question, inform them that you would
get back and do not forget to keep up your word.

Plan your communication session in advance and book your time beforehand to avoid last
minute hassles. If you are communicating with your boss, choose a time when he is in a
pleasant mood and in a relaxed state.
If you are communicating with your team, find a time when the entire team is available for
a session. Normally productivity is low in the afternoons and thus communicating at those
time will ensure that work is not affected to a serious extend. Make sure that you plan your
meeting in advance so as to avoid last minute absentees.
Learn to display a firm body language and clear facial expressions. A hunchbacked posture
or a serious look can provide a lack of confidence look. Also the posture of your hands tells
the listener a lot about your intention with regards to the communicated message. Hands
folded near the front may look like you lack openness and the listener might find it difficult
to create confidence on you.
Also hands that are busy fiddling with pen or watch might distract the listener and will
reduce efficiency of the communicated message. Your body language is a strong resource
and make sure that you use it to enhance your communication skills . Try to keep your
hands along the sides of your body or you can involve them in noting down points during
the meeting. Try to maintain a firm eye contact but do not stare at the listener which might
make them uncomfortable.
It is mandatory that you listen to the reaction of your audience and modulate your
communication skills based on it. Based on the body language exhibited, you can figure out
if the session is boring or not. You also need to make sure that the listener is involved in the
discussion.
Thus a two way communication is often very helpful in sending across the message
effectively. Use your skills to frame your communication in open ended questions. Open
ended questions like, how do you think we can help or What is your opinion on this, will
help the listener to open up and involve in the conversation.
Taking feedback is also an important method of part of effective communication. Make sure
that you are open to comments and opinions from your audience. Such a kind of open
communication will ensure that your listener grasps the main crux of your whole
communication.

Express your expectations in the right manner beforehand instead of waiting till the year
end to convey it. Whether you are a team leader or a team member, talk to your team and
your boss on your short term and long term goals and expectations. This will help resolve
disappointments in future.

Preventing Work Related Stress

Stress at work can get you off-guarded which will decrease productivity and lower your
morale. It's a common condition in the office that causes people to "crack" or "lose it"
making them unstable and unreliable at work.
Companies do everything they can to avoid this situation but a business environment is not
just a walk in the park. People will always demand something in an instant and it can really
stress out an employee.
The common solution to stress related problem is to be reactive to the situation. This can
help employees deal with stress but more often than not, the solution is too late. When
stress happens, the body will react and it will take a lot of time before stress can be
addressed. The cycle of stress should never be tolerated as this can easily lead to frustration
and lack of productivity. For this reason, it's highly recommended that employees prevent
stress instead of reacting to the situation.

Organization is the Key

A good way method to prevent stressful situation is organization. That means your desk,
your schedule and workload is properly organized. This will help you deal with the
unexpected since everything you need to do the task is can be easily found. The unexpected
work will even have an expected time frame because of your proper scheduling.
When you are consistent in your organization, there is a big chance that the company you
recognize this trait and respect your workload. This can also help you reach out to other
tasks which can boost your reputation and chances of promotion.

Think before Reacting

A tactful person is always a person that can easily deal with stress. When an unexpected
work comes out, think before you say anything. The work might be very challenging and
you don't have the time but it's a lot better to tell the boss that you can't do it in a calmer

mood. Thinking clearly about the assignment will also help you formulate an action plan.
Remember that it's another challenge that will prove your ability to deal with pressure.
Being Calm - All the Time
There will always be situation at work that can get anyone in a panic mood. But don't let
pure emotion affect you. Stay focused and calm in order to do the task asked of you.
Panicking will never do you any good as this can only lead to more trouble. You don't want
to be another person that will drag the company further down. Being calm will also help you
establish your leadership skills. You virtually become the "go to guy" when the going gets
tough because you are calm in this situation.
Keeping in Touch with the Right Persons
The trouble with work related stress is that they are often unexpected. Avoid this trouble by
actively looking for work. If you have finished your work before the expected date and time,
ask your boss or other contacts if there's anything else that needs to be done. This is
another feather to your cap when you are able to provide assistance to others who can't
deal with their responsibilities.

How to Avoid Procrastination at Work

Companies always want their employees to do their best at work. When an employee works
as expected, the company is assured of success for a very long time. That's why companies
are very selective in hiring individuals for sensitive positions. They want to hire the best and
would use many tools to carefully choose the best.
But aside from a careful selection process, companies are usually very rewarding for those
who do their best at work. Companies would offer financial rewards for excellent work on
certain projects. Promotion and bonuses is also a common practice of companies to highly
productive individuals.
Unfortunately, there are still individuals who opted to procrastinate. These individuals can't
seem to will themselves to work even though there are promotions and bonuses by merely
doing your job well. Some opted to be mediocre in their work as they don't take time to
dedicate their efforts on a specific task.
This behavior in some employees is very costly for a business. If the employees do not work
well, not only will the immediate goals of the company not realized but the long term
improvement as well. When companies are never be able to reach their goals, they can
close down for good which means mass termination.

Procrastination at work is not just a habit that destroys companies. It's also a habit that can
destroy personal development. By procrastinating, things that can be done with high quality
are ignored. Avoiding to practice high quality output can never help the person improve.
There is also a long term effect for those who opted to procrastinate. Their reputation in
their previous company will never go unnoticed. Through background checking, employees
who practice procrastination will never be able to gain positive reviews from their previous
clients.
If you feel you're constantly procrastinating at work, be warned since there are serious long
term consequences of this behavior. To avoid getting your life ruined with procrastination,
here are some tips:
Write down objectives of the day - one of the many reasons why a person can't do a
single task in a day is because of the avalanche of assignments. Deal with this problem by
writing down the tasks that needs to be done that day.
Take it slow - you don't need to become instantly highly productive at work. Take it slow
so that you'll grow accustomed to the idea of quality which should be constantly practiced.
Reward yourself - every time you complete a task, give yourself a small reward. You
don't have to tell everyone that you've done something productive. A small reward that can
give you the encouragement to do more should be more than enough.
Commitment to small steps - being overwhelmed with a large task can be very
discouraging. Deal with this problem by breaking down the big goal into small and reachable
goals. You should be able to realize the actions needed to reach a small goal that can help
you achieve the bigger objective.

Preventing a Brute Force or Dictionary Attack: How to Keep the

Brutes Away from Your Loot
To understand and then combat a brute force attack, also known as a dictionary attack, we
must start by understanding why it might be an appealing tool for a hacker. To a hacker,
anything that must be kept under lock and key is probably worth stealing. If (or a portion of
it) requires a user to login and be authenticated, then the odds are good that a hacker has
tried to break into it. In terms of processing power, it is expensive for a Web site to require
authentication, so it is usually only required when the site stores valuable private
information. Corporate intranet sites can contain confidential data such as project plans and

customer lists. E-commerce sites often store users' email addresses and credit card
numbers. Bypassing or evading authentication in order to steal this data is clearly high on a
hacker's priority list, and today's hackers have a large library of authentication evasion
techniques

at

their

disposal.

Session hijacking attacks such as Cross-site Scripting can steal a user's authentication token
and transmit it to a malicious third party, who can then use it to impersonate the legitimate
user. SQL injection attacks can also be very effective at bypassing authentication. By
sending a specially-formatted username and password combination containing SQL code to
the login form, an attacker can often trick the server into granting him unauthorized access.
These types of attacks get a lot of attention since they are creative, elegant, and effective.
However, there is another type of attack that can be just as effective, if not as elegant or
creative. A brute force attack (or dictionary attack) can still be a dangerous threat to your
Web

site

unless

proper

precautions

are

taken.

The brute force attack is about as uncomplicated and low-tech as Web application hacking
gets. The attacker simply guesses username and password combinations until he finds one
that works. It may seem like a brute force or dictionary attack is unlikely to ever succeed.
After all, what are the odds of someone randomly guessing a valid username and password
combination? Surprisingly, the odds for a brute force attack can be quite good if the site is
not properly configured. There are several factors that work to the hacker's advantage, the
most
Don't

important
Be

Lazy

of
-

which
Choose

is
a

human

laziness.

Password

Carefully!

Generally, people do not remember complicated passwords very well. If users are allowed to
create their own passwords, they will often create very simple ones like "password", "1234",
their spouse's name, or their favorite sports team. Passwords like these are easy for the
user to remember, but unfortunately they are also easy for someone else to guess.
Furthermore, any serious hacker who attempts a brute force attack will not be sitting at a
Web browser, guessing at authentication credentials and typing them in. He will be using an
automated tool for the brute force attack that can make thousands of requests per minute
with credentials generated from a large list of possible values. Often this list is an actual
dictionary, hence the term "dictionary attack." If a user chooses a common password, such
as a dictionary word, the automated tool will eventually guess it, and the user's account will
be

compromised.

Sidestepping

Dictionary

Attack

with

Username

Selection

Of course, a password is only half of the required login credential. A username is also
required. While it is less likely that a dictionary word would be used as a username, there
are still some common usernames that hackers are certain to try with a brute force attack.
First among these are "admin" and "administrator". These names are especially dangerous
since they are not only easily guessed, but the accounts they represent are usually highly
privileged administrative accounts. If the hacker's dictionary attack could gain access to an
administrative account, he could probably do much more damage to the system than he
could

if

he

gained

access

to

regular

user's

account.

Administrative accounts are not the only problem: many Web applications and Web
application frameworks create default users during installation. If the site administrator does
not remove these default users or at least change their passwords, these accounts will be
easy targets for a dictionary attack. Finally, when users are allowed to choose their own
usernames, they often choose their email address, since it is easy to remember. Once again,
the user's laziness is a benefit to a hacker using a brute force attack. Armed with a list of
email addresses (perhaps obtained from a spammer) and a dictionary of passwords (easily
obtained anywhere), an attacker has an excellent chance of breaking into at least one user's
account.
Countering

Brute

Force

Attack

with

Strong

Password

Policy

The primary defense against a brute force attack must be enforcement of a strong password
policy. As mentioned earlier, dictionary words make poor passwords. Password size is also
important: the longer the password, the more difficult it will be to force. While there is no
strict definition of a strong password that will be harder to determine via a dictionary attack,
some

good

--Minimum
--Must

guidelines

length
include

--Must

of
both

at
upper

--Must

be:

seven

characters

least
and

include

would
lower

case

numeric

characters
characters

include

punctuation

These guidelines may seem overly strict, but there is little chance that a password created
with these restrictions will be found with a brute force attack. There are almost 70 trillion
combinations of characters that can be seven digits long and can include upper case
characters, lower case characters, numbers, and punctuation. Even a dictionary attack tool
that could make one hundred requests per second would still take over 11,000 years before
it

would

be

statistically

likely

to

guess

the

password.

Obviously, most Web sites will want to block a dictionary attack much sooner than 11,000
years into the attack. Many organizations use an intrusion detection system (IDS) to detect
an abnormally high number of requests coming from a single user. This is a good idea, but it
is not sufficient to prevent the brute force attack. A clever hacker will simply reduce the
bandwidth used by his automated tool until it falls under the alert threshold of the IDS.
Other

Defensive

Strategies

And

Why

They

Don't

Work

Another common defense strategy against a dictionary attack is to automatically disable an

account after a certain number of failed login attempts. For example, if the server detects
that the user "bobsmith" has provided an incorrect password three times since his last login,
the server might decide that the "bobsmith" account is the subject of a brute force attack
and will disable it. The account may automatically reactivate after 30 minutes, or the user
might have to contact the site administrator to have the account reactivated. In either case,
automatically disabling user accounts is a poor security mechanism to fight a dictionary
attack. In the first place, by disabling accounts the system has traded an authentication
evasion vulnerability for a denial of service vulnerability. If an attacker can disable an
account by incorrectly guessing its password three times every 30 minutes, he can
effectively prevent that user from ever accessing the system. Imagine how damaging a
dictionary

attack

could

be

if

it

were

used

against

an

administrative

account.

In the second place, locking out accounts is ineffective against a brute force attack because
this technique assumes that the attacker is keeping the username constant and varying the
password. What if the attacker instead kept the password constant and varied the
username? We already know that a large percentage of users use common passwords like
"password". A hacker using a dictionary attack could try "password" for each of the users in
his username list, which would not only have a high chance of success, but would also
evade the account lockout logic. An attacker could make thousands of login attempts, and
even if every one of them failed, the system will only register one incorrect login per
account.
A

Better

Defense:

Incremental

Delay

A better strategy for blocking any brute force attack is to incrementally delay the page
response after failed login attempts. After the first failed login attempt, for example, the
response would be delayed by one second. After the second failed attempt, the response
would be delayed by two seconds, and so on. A one-, two-, or even six-second delay is
probably not going to bother a human user too seriously. Certainly he will find it less

irritating than having to wait 30 minutes for his account to reactivate because he
accidentally left his caps lock key on. On the other hand, an incrementing delay can
completely defeat an automated tool being used for a brute force attack. Assuming the tool
could normally make ten requests per second, the time it would take to make one thousand
requests would jump from two minutes to five days. This pretty much renders the brute
force attack tool useless. An incrementing delay also solves the problem of the attacker
holding the password constant and varying the username. Since the system tracks failed
login attempts on a user session basis and not an authentication credential basis, the delay
logic

cannot

be

bypassed

this

way.

There is one serious shortcoming to the incrementing delay approach: state must be kept in
order to record the number of failed login attempts by the current user. The dictionary
attack tool can be set up to begin a new session on every request by never sending a
session identification token to the server. In this situation, the server will not be able to
track the number of failed logins, and the delay will not be properly applied. It is possible to
track a user from his IP address instead of his session token, but this technique has
problems as well. Sometimes multiple users share a single IP address, and sometimes a
single user can change IP addresses between requests. While the incrementing delay
technique is not perfect, in many cases it is a better solution to fighting a dictionary attack
than the widely used practice of locking out accounts after failed login attempts.
Carefully

Word

Your

Error

Messages

Finally, it is important to create appropriate error messages in response to failed login

attempts. Many Web sites inadvertently aid hackers by providing overly helpful error
messages. Consider the difference between the messages "User ID not found" and
"Incorrect password." These messages give a lot of information to a potential attacker. "User
ID not found" tells the hacker that the user he is trying to determine via brute force attack
does not exist in the system. There is no point in continuing to try different passwords for
this username. He can continue on to the next username in the list, saving himself
thousands of useless requests and hours of time. On the other hand, "Incorrect password"
tells him that the username he has tried with his dictionary attack does exist, but that the
password is wrong. Now he knows that he has a potential victim and can focus his efforts on
breaking that user's password. It is much safer for the application to respond with an
ambiguous message like "Incorrect username or password" when a login attempt fails.
There is no way to tell from this error which part of the credential was invalid. Therefore,
there are no clues that a hacker can obtain from this error that can help him reduce his
workload and break the system faster.

Conclusion
In conclusion, sometimes old, boring attacks can work just as well as the new, exciting
ones. Low-tech as it might be, a brute force attack can be very effective at compromising
your Web application unless proper defenses are used. The first and foremost method of
defeating a brute force attack is to require all users to choose a strong password. Passwords
should be required to contain at least seven characters, with mixed upper- and lower-case
letters, numbers, and punctuation. Also, consider implementing an incrementing response
delay routine in your application in place of an automatic account lockout. Finally, be sure to
display nondescript, ambiguous login failure messages such as "Invalid username or
password." Messages like this provide no extra information about the system that a hacker
using a dictionary attack can take advantage of to lighten his workload. Following these
guidelines will help you protect your application and your users from the brutes of the world.