If you look up the words explanation and excuse in the dictionary, at first, they appear similar. However, if you look closer, there’s a significant difference: Explanation: clarification, reason, details, an account of … Excuse: justification, defense, to try to remove blame from … When most people offer an explanation, they usually do so as fact—as […]
Self-talk is the act of communicating to oneself, either aloud or in your head. Self-talk can be positive, such as when we pump ourselves up for a job interview, “This is the job of my dreams and I’m going to get it,” or negative, “I’m never going to get the job. I don’t have enough experience.” […]
Although not many of us want to admit it, we’re all pretty self-centered. Someone drives too slowly in front of us and we get mad because they’re messing up our schedule. Our child gets in trouble in school and we’re embarrassed because it reflects poorly on us. A coworker gets credit for something we did […]
The other day, I sat through a presentation by a “subject matter expert” that was so boring, I began daydreaming about standing up and screaming, “Get to the point already!” I also momentarily considered jumping up from my chair and running screaming from the room. It was torture! Have you ever been in a presentation […]
It’s so ironic that one of the shortest words in the English language, “no” – just two letters and one little syllable, can cause so many people so much trouble! That being said, I understand the simple act of flat out saying, “NO,” to another person carries with it a lot of emotional baggage both […]
I have a love/hate relationship with email. On one hand, I love the emails I receive that: Clearly communicate their purpose Are concise Are formatted strategically Have subject lines that are aligned with the email body (for subject line tips, check out this previous blog post on the subject) Use proper grammar and punctuation Are sent […]
Most people would agree that conveying a sense of confidence at work is integral to making a good impression, communicating assertively, and for leaders, to inspiring people to follow them. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize that instead of communicating confidence, they’re actually sending messages of weakness through their nonverbal communication. Emotional leakage is a term […]
I’ve done many blog posts on how to be a better leader and supervisor as well as some that help readers identify when they’re not being at their best. However, I hadn’t thought about turning the tables and looking at the issue from the employee’s perspective, that is, what you should do if you have […]
We’ve all come across people who seem to love conflict. They seek it out, jump into it even if it has nothing to do with them, and start it for no reason at all. However, the vast majority of people would prefer not to deal with conflict at all and will do just about […]
“I’m sorry,” is one of the first things we’re taught to say when we’re children. However, something happens to us as we grow up that makes it harder and harder to apologize for our actions. Whether it’s an unwillingness to admit we’re wrong, or a dislike of taking responsibility for their actions, these people instead […]
