The high cost of poor listening isn’t evident when you visit Tenerife Island, the largest and most populous island in the Canary Island chain. More than five million tourists visit the island each year, enjoying its distinctly beautiful beaches, mountains, and many cultural festivals. However, these tourists probably don’t realize that Tenerife holds a more deadly distinction. […]
Think about the last time you tried to get a refund at a store, get an extension on a deadline, or even asked a child why he didn’t complete his chores? It’s unlikely that the response was something you wanted to hear. As such, we go into such discussions defensively as if we know conflict […]
Whether we blame it on auto complete, or we cover ourselves with an automatic disclaimer on text messages and emails, such as, “This message was sent from my phone, so ignore my sloppy writing,” we need to stop blaming our communication devices for the poor messages we send. A recent survey found that spell check and […]
About a week ago, I was shopping in a retail client’s place of business doing some “recon” before preparing a customer communication program for their customer care employees. As I watched customers come and go with their various products they wished to return, I noticed a trend. The customers who were calm and politely requested […]
The number one most incorrect quote about customer service that is perpetuated time and again, is: “The Customer is Always Right.” WRONG! Training employees to believe this fallacy and insisting that they live by it is not only wrong, but it’s bad for business. Consider these situations: Would you let a naked customer dine in […]
Everyone has a communication style when interacting with others. It is their primary, “go to” approach to dealing with situations. It’s the main tool in their communication tool box that they reach for instinctively in a difficult situation. Some people are passive, letting others take the lead or win arguments. Some people are aggressive, viewing everything […]
In today’s competitive employment environment, it’s increasingly important to do everything you can to get and stay relevant in your organization and your area of expertise, and to be able to communicate that relevance to others. From job knowledge and the latest trends, to technological savvy, employers have increasingly higher expectations that their employees will do their […]
In last week’s post, Stop Criticizing and Start Giving the Gift of Performance Improvement Feedback, I discussed the evolution of criticism, constructive criticism, and constructive feedback. I also outlined the benefits of providing others with “Performance Improvement Feedback”, so that the giver and receiver both see the feedback as a gift, an opportunity for improvement, rather […]
Usually, when someone provides a service, favor, or courtesy, many return the courtesy with a “thanks.” Unfortunately, there are instances when thanks is not only insufficient, but can have the exact opposite intended effect. Instead of the recipient feeling appreciated, he or she may feel unappreciated, angry, and very unwilling to do anything to help […]
As today is Veteran’s Day, I’ve been reflecting on the many benefits I gained in the form of skills I learned while serving in the military. For one thing, I owe the Air Force my master’s degree in communication, which was the foundation for building my speaking and training business and the basis upon which […]
