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]
Dos & Don’ts of Company Communication
In many cases, a company’s Intellectual Property (IP) assets, such as its patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, constitute the most valuable assets on the company balance sheet. To be sure, protecting the most commercially valuable of these IP assets is critical to establishing and maintaining a company’s marketplace advantage. Important as they are, these forms … [More]
Combat Social Media Mud-Slinging
Winston Churchill said, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” An Internet search for “Charlotte police shooting” will pull up more than 20,000 news articles and videos littered with speculations and quotes from witnesses, family members and police. Did Keith Lamont Scott have a gun, or was it just a book? The viral nature of … [More]
No Joke: Humor Is Vital to Workplace Culture
Comic actor Charlie Chaplin famously said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” This philosophy can be applied directly to the workplace. A Gallup study found that people laugh significantly less on weekdays than on weekends. And a study by Happify found that millennials — who represent the largest generation in the U.S. workforce — are obsessed with their jobs, … [More]
The Storyteller’s Secret
Keynote speaker, bestselling author and communication expert Carmine Gallo reveals the keys to telling powerful stories that inspire, motivate, educate, build brands, launch movements and change lives. The proof lies in the success stories of 50 icons, leaders and legends featured in The Storyteller’s Secret: entrepreneurs like Richard Branson, Sara Blakely, Elon Musk, Steve … [More]
Conversation: Still a Powerful Tool in Our High-Tech World
You may not realize it, but your organization is home to an incredibly powerful operating system (O/S). Think outside the realm of technology. What has the potential to engage and energize your employees, bring teams closer together, and create a high-performing workforce? It’s conversation. Conversation is the common denominator behind “apps” like customer service, … [More]
Would George and ‘Honest Abe’ Make It in Today’s Business World?
Presidents’ Day, which falls between the birthdays of two of our nation’s most revered leaders — George Washington and Abraham Lincoln — is coming up on Monday, February 16. And as every school-aged kid knows, both men are remembered for their honesty. (OK, “little George and the cherry tree” might be more legend than fact, but it does indicate the extent to which our culture … [More]
Hidden Bias Impacts Talent Management
When we hear the word “bias,” many of us often immediately jump to racial, gender, age or cultural assumptions — which do apply. But what about the hiring manager who is more productive in mornings, therefore unknowingly favors interviewees scheduled before noon? Consider Martin, who is down to the last three candidates and their interviews have been scheduled on the same … [More]
Communication Is a People Skill
In the always-on digital age, we’re all guilty of indulging in communication shortcuts. These shortcuts save time, but they are costing us something valuable: Our overwhelming preference for quick and easy communication is causing our more difficult communication skills to erode from lack of use. It’s easy to email a client, but far more difficult to persuade the same person in … [More]
Can Feedback Help Us Succeed?
There are five simple words that can spell doom for a leader — “If I had only known!” These are the words a person utters right after a major client cancels a contract, a customer stops ordering or an error occurs that will cost the business owner thousands out of his own pocket. That’s why the best leaders and the most competent managers thrive on employee feedback! So why … [More]
The small BIG
Everyone, at some point each day, will have to influence or persuade someone — a boss, co-worker, customer, client, spouse, kids or even friends. What is the smallest change that can be made to the request, proposal or situation that will lead to the biggest difference in the outcome? In The small BIG, three heavyweights from the world of persuasion science and practice … [More]
Bridge the CIO vs CMO Divide
Behind closed doors, in the corner offices of companies throughout the nation, a heated C-suite battle rages on. On the surface it looks like a battle waged over the corporate budget — a tale as old as time — with both sides seeking to claim a bigger portion of the pie. But a closer look at the classic fight between chief marketing officers (CMOs) and chief information officers … [More]
Perfecting Your Pitch
Whether making a budget request, interviewing for a job, ending a relationship or talking to children about divorce, the crux of success in those and other crucial situations is planned, effective communication. And yet, it is the tool people most often fail to use. In Perfecting Your Pitch, expert consultant and negotiator Ronald M. Shapiro presents his system of scripting, … [More]
Facebook or Face Time? Communication Approach Matters
Technology has made many aspects of modern living more convenient and “connected,” but the pendulum has swung too far. This “technology takeover” is not without consequence. Misunderstandings abound. Relationships stagnate. Trust is at an all-time low. And all of these issues are at least partially due to the fact that genuine human connections are becoming a thing of the past, … [More]
Online: Honest Businesses vs. the Fakeosphere
The fastest-growing marketing trend on the Internet is the “fakeosphere.” Yes, fake blogs (called “flogs”), fake Web news sites and fake testimonials. They look like the real thing, right down to comments posted by “bloggers” and their supposed readers. Those comments appear to be written by people discussing the pros and cons of a particular product or service, and they even … [More]
