Not everyone is a natural raconteur. But everyone can enhance his or her skill by keeping three principles in mind: People need to feel something for a story to have an impact. The story must be easy to follow and stripped of unnecessary detail. And finally, because focus is a scarce resource in the brain and attention spans are dwindling, the quicker it gets to the point the … [More]
Rehumanize Your Business
Every day, most working professionals entrust their most important messages to a form of communication that doesn’t build trust, provide differentiation or communicate clearly enough. It’s easy to point to the sheer volume of emails, text messages, voicemails and even social messaging as the problem that reduces our reply rates and diminishes our effectiveness. But the faceless … [More]
Handshakes Speak for You
Have you ever wondered what your handshake says about you? Your handshake is like your business card. It conveys your confidence, credibility and influence without a single word being spoken. Studies have shown this one simple gesture can enhance a social situation and make a positive impact on others. In our culture, a handshake accompanies almost every introduction and … [More]
Use Disagreement to Build Stronger Teams
Because I facilitate team sessions for a living, I’ve seen a lot of team interactions. All kinds of drama, some shouting and tears, but also a lot of laughter, joy and bold action. Much about teamwork has been researched, dissected and discussed. Yet lately, situations have come forward that fall into an unexplored topic: how to get team members to disagree. What do you do … [More]
Crisis Communication Is Key for Businesses
The NFL’s regular season starts each September, but the preparation for battle is a year-round process: There’s free agency, the college draft, mini-camp, organized team activities, training camp and the preseason. Now, imagine the controversy and outrage from fans, sports radio and ESPN’s talking heads if teams walked into stadiums and stood on the sidelines of the first game … [More]
