Your coworkers invite each other to lunch, but never suggest that you join them. You discover that you were the only person not invited to a colleague’s wedding. No matter how hard you work, your manager seems to minimize your accomplishments and focus on giving others credit. Are you a wallflower or the office underachiever? …
Designing and delivering a live presentation either in person or virtually is a challenge for most of us. The spoken communication channel is wide and complicated, and a formal presentation ranks up there with the most complex forms of spoken communication. You have many variables to remember and to try to control. Obviously, you have …
Key Design Mistakes to Avoid in Creating Your Presentation Read More »
All of our jobs come with a set of expectations. In many cases, we call those expectations our job description. We sign up for a job that requires that we do certain things, and, as we know, some people do those certain things better than others. We all know people who do only enough to …
Many professionals, whether in business, academics, military, government, or non-profit organizations have taken personality or personal style assessments that give them a snapshot of their general characteristics. In today’s affirming environment, some assessments focus only on our strengths, which is important because all too often we obsess about our weakness or shortcomings. Being aware of …
Although we’ve always recognized the power of stories, over the last several years, we have become aware of how storytelling with a purpose can be an important leadership tool for aligning and motivating others. While charts, graphs, statistics, and facts validate one’s credibility, thoroughness, and hard work, stories give life to the data and can …
Gift giving is essentially about establishing and maintaining relationships. We give gifts to acknowledge someone’s life (birthday), accomplishment (graduation), new beginnings (baby) and many other reasons for celebrations or sometimes even condolences. Even when we give obligatory gifts, such as a holiday present to Aunt Emily whom we rarely see but who expects a gift), …
No matter how hard you try to create a safe, egalitarian atmosphere in your workplace, you are still the boss or, at the very least, a major influencer. When people realize this fact, what they say to you becomes delivered through that lens. Surprised that you never hear bad news until it’s too late? Don’t …
In coaching situations, I always start with asking the person I’m coaching what he or she wants to accomplish. “Why are we here”? and “What are two goals you want to achieve as a result of the coaching experience?” I’m often amazed at the lack of precision in people’s answers. “I want to get ahead …
To Get What You Want, You Have to Know What You Want Read More »
Teams typically outperform individuals because they benefit from the team’s collective IQ as well as a variety of backgrounds, viewpoints, skill sets, and perspectives. Ideally, teams make everyone feel that he or she has a voice in outcomes, thereby democratizing organizations, enhancing the learning process, and inspiring commitment. However, we may have been on dysfunctional …
Five Techniques for Successful Team Communication Read More »
Beverly Langford appearing on Connie Whitman’s Architect of Change. These three elements play a huge role in how we communicate at work, in meetings , and in one-on-one conversations. These elements of our individual personas influence how others perceive us in our work environments. To listen and find out, you will be transferred to Connie’s web site. …
