In my September 3rd post, I discussed how to Improve Your Listening in Six Easy Steps. However, sometimes the first step to improving your listening skills is to eliminate any bad habits you’ve developed. Here are some of the most common poor listening habits. I’ve been guilty of several. What about you? 1. Interrupting […]
When customers are unhappy, they’re generally not on their best behavior. Unfortunately, no matter how much customers “push your buttons” as a professional customer service provider, you have to remain on yours. It’s not easy, but you can keep your cool when customers heat up by using these five techniques: 1. Take responsibility for your […]
Let’s face it. There are some conversations that nobody really wants to have– from confronting an employee at work to talking to a parent about his or her unsafe driving, and everything in between. Although many of us try to avoid these difficult conversations, doing so can have a negative impact on ourselves, the other person, our teams, […]
With Independence Day just two days away, I’ve been thinking a lot about the things that hold us back in life and keep us from being truly free, especially things over which we have 100% control. If you’re tired of suffering under the tyranny of technology, being ruled by bad relationships, or being held captive by […]
With Independence Day just two days away, I’ve been thinking a lot about the things that hold us back in life and keep us from being truly free, especially things over which we have 100% control. If you’re tired of suffering under the tyranny of technology, being ruled by bad relationships, or being held captive by […]
If honesty is the best policy, why is so difficult to be truly honest? Here are 5 tips for sharing your truth in a way others can hear it.
Every time I teach a “Making Meetings Work” workshop, I ask the group, “How many of you enjoy going to meetings?” Can you guess how many hands go up? You’re right — none! Since so many of us don’t like to go to meetings, I think we’ve developed some bad habits as a subconscious rebellion. Unfortunately, […]
Over the years, I’ve discovered that there are two types of people when it comes to the issue of accountability. The first is the accountable person. This is the person who is self aware and understands his or her role and responsibility in a problem situation. The accountable person is someone who learns and grows […]
Most of the conflict I have experienced in my life, both first and second hand, has not been the result of factual disagreement, but of differing perceptions. Every day we interact with others, “notice” their behavior, and then proceed to draw conclusions about what it is, what it means, etc. Our interpretations, and thus our […]
Every year, many people resolve to make the coming year their “best ever” by making resolutions for better behavior. The most common resolutions include losing weight, exercising, stopping bad habits (smoking, sugar, etc.), getting a better job, etc. As this is a communication blog, over the past few weeks I’ve been collecting reader-submitted suggestions for […]
