Category: Communication
Communications?!? But… We Fixed That!
Here’s a great story about manager communications from one of our trainers. I was working with a senior corporate leadership team, and they wanted to improve employee engagement and outcomes. A recent employee survey indicated that manager-employee communication and feedback was a key shortcoming and challenge for the organization. “I…
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Windows to the World: Effective Web Communication
Web-based communication has been around for about 20 years, and we still struggle to break the barriers to effective communication using this medium. Here are some reminders for effectively communicating online: Create Stories. There’s a reason verbal communication around the campfire have lasted through generations. Stories move people more than…
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Energizing and Engaging Your Audience: Four Questions for Effective Public Speaking
Like most activities, preparation is the key in public speaking. Here are four questions to ask when you are preparing a talk that can help you maximize your impact with any group. Who is my audience and what is the context? These are basic questions, but too often, presenters are…
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Public Speaking Anxiety?: It’s Just a Conversation
I was 26 years old and had just learned that my presentation was selected for a large conference. There would be 200 people in the audience, the organizers told me, "so, be prepared." I was so excited! As the sun rose the day of the presentation, my excitement changed to…
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Sweating Bullets!
A few years ago, the following conversation ensued between me and a colleague at work. Me: Hi Kate! I’ve not seen you in about a month. You must have been traveling. Kate: Yes, I was at three of our plant locations this past month. Me: Really! What were you doing?…
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Five Communication Tips for Teams
Communication is a central activity for all teams. In this post, we review five practical communication tips that lead to better teamwork. Make it common practice to revisit the goal. Many team-focused articles talk about the importance of mission clarity and alignment, but too often, teams don't actually ask, "wait,…
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Effective Business Communication
It was a cold Christmas Eve, and I was on a conference call at 2am. I cringed as the project manager belittled her team members and complained about having to take time away from her family. She never once acknowledged that everyone else on the call was also missing family…
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How to Write a Business Letter
Twenty-five years ago, business letters and memos were the go-to forms of written communication in the workplace. Today, most of us hastily type emails and instant messages instead. But the business letter is not dead! Use this more formal approach to present official information – such as contract terms and…
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The Email Tennis Match…Business Communication at its Worst
It happened again. I’m copied on an email and have become part of an email tennis match, watching the emails go back and forth between two colleagues. At this point, no one is winning and the emails are becoming more heated with every exchange. Have you ever sent an email…
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How to Improve Emotional Intelligence
If you want to know how to improve your skill at shooting hoops or playing the guitar, you practice. If you want to learn more about how to use Microsoft® Excel®, you take a class and complete examples that help you with your tasks. Can you improve your social, interpersonal…
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