Say What You Mean “Say what you mean and mean what you say, but don’t say it mean!” I recently heard this expression and thought it succinctly summed up my philosophy. Better yet, I ran across some share-worthy suggestions supporting this thought. Below are some concrete examples that I found in an article on how teachers can soften the harshness…
Are you Rude or Respectful? In a poll of my monthly email Communique’ (eNewsletter) readers last month, I received the following responses to the question: “What cell phone bad behavior annoys you the most?” I’ve cut and paste the actual responses below. Read on and see if—yikes!—you recognize yourself in any of these rude cell phone scenarios…or are you more…
Tech Talk “If you can’t say something nice…post it on Facebook” seems to be the new misguided mantra for way too many people. While it’s great that there are cool tech tools to help us connect, we can’t totally abandon the rules of real communication. And, we must make sure not to use technology to replace real relationships. Preparing for…
Evil Twin vs. Good Twin If you’ve attended any of my presentations, you’ve probably heard me refer to the “evil twin!” I half-jokingly refer to it as our dark side who would have us say things that get us in trouble…at work and at home. Here are some of my favorite “evil twin vs. good twin” phrases. I hope you’ll choose…
Total Teamwork: 1, 2, 3! Teamwork comes in many forms, from group assignments and project management at work…to family reunion planning and social committees in your personal life. However, they all have something in common: the three roles that people play in the group. Which role do you usually play? #1 TASK – The people in this role focus on…
“Motivational March” Favorite presentation quotes from this month’s keynotes and workshops! (Big Picture) “You’ve got to think about big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.” -Alvin Toffler (Adapting) “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.” -Maya Angelou (Employee Engagement)…
How to Pull Rank When You Have No Rank to Pull Phrases for gaining cooperation from others when you’re not the person in charge. CLIENTS Would you be willing to wait until Monday morning if we hand deliver your order? Could you live with it if we finished up first thing in the morning instead of 5pm today? We’re finishing…
Communication Advice “Build trust with people” – Sandra Schrift “Stop, look at and listen to the person before speaking.” – Jeanie McCain “Show respect to others.” – Ginger Hodges-Rodigo “Listen more, talk less.” – Pamela Haggins “Focus on effectively communicating your message (when presenting to groups); not individual attendees.” -Milo Shapiro “The less you say, the less you have to say.” -Debra…
What Annoys Employees at Work? Sarita’s Informal Survey In the 18+ years that I’ve spoken at companies, campuses and conferences on staying positive and working together better, I have received feedback from hundreds of employees on what annoys them at work. This feedback falls into four categories: 1. Lack of appreciation 2. No big picture 3. Lack of belonging 4. Slackers not confronted Let’s look at…
Ask for More: How to Receive Negative Feedback Without Getting Defensive We spend a lot of time and energy figuring out how to constructively GIVE negative feedback. How do we respond when we RECEIVE it? Do we respond gracefully or do we get defensive? One of my first mentors suggested that we ASK FOR MORE! I often share the example of…