Have you ever been asked whether you had a particular skill, and struggled to answer when the answer is clearly in the negative? While no one appreciates spin, there are a number of ways to answer, each with a unique nuance: Answer: Yes: If you are part of the Fake [More]
If you had gone to school in the 1800s, you would have learned important skills... like penmanship. Good penmanship required concentration, attention to detail, and many hours of practice; it indicated that you were cultured, educated, and serious about what you had to say. It spoke to our ability to [More]
There are great colleagues, and there are bad colleagues, and you have to work with them all. But what happens when your interaction with the bullies and the slackers begins to influence your success? While what you do ultimately depends on your relationship with them, here are some strategies you [More]
We ask others for things all of the time: on the job, with our families, and in the community. Yet, we aren't always met with the response we want. How can we improve our odds? Here are four suggestions: 1) Ask for something specific. If people don't know exactly what [More]
In Japanese culture, there is a cultural practice to avoid causing others to lose face. In business meetings, this often means that objections are not raised, and decisions are made apparently without a thorough discussion. While this is what appears to an outsider, the reality is far different. The Japanese [More]
While PAR 3 might have special meaning for golfers, it is actually the name of a great framework for describing your experience. It can be used in sales presentations, group status meetings, brochures and web sites. PAR stands for Problem, Action, Results. Rather than describing what you did (the "Action") [More]
If you are in a meeting, and the speaker seems to be repeating themselves, is it their fault... or yours? While it is true that communication is tough, could it be that they are repeating themselves because they "see" that you aren't listening? They reason - sometimes subconsciously - that [More]
Have you ever met someone who doesn't give you a straight answer? Do they have a way of saying things that leave doubt in your mind about whether they will deliver on their promises? When this happens, listen to their words carefully: they often will use conditional words to express [More]
While some might disagree, the truth is - especially when you are pitching for a role - that your boss (or the prospective client) doesn't care about you. They only care about how you can solve their problems. In fact, the only way that you will get chosen for the [More]
Graphic designers know that if you have one element on the page, and lots of white space around it, the eye is drawn to that one element. Professional speakers know how to use a pause - silence - to emphasize a point. And musicians know that a break in the [More]
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