As humans, we begin learning about the role physical body language plays in communication almost immediately. We learn the subtleties and nuances behind posture, facial expression, and vocal inflection – the things that enhance (or sometimes say more than) the words themselves. But as digital communications increased, more and more of these interpretation tools were

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Communication, conflict resolution and leadership, at times, resemble working as a lifeguard. In all these situations, you can, like a lifeguard, be in the position of approaching someone else when they are under distress because their needs are not being met. Picture a drowning man. He is flailing in the water. He is grasping at

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The world is a complex place, with plenty of chances for confusion in thought, communication, and decision-making. As leaders, we have a responsibility for clear thinking, clear communication, and effective decision-making. Confusion is the enemy of each of these things, and there is one common problem that can impede us in all of those pursuits

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The basic difference between being assertive and being aggressive is how our words and behavior affect the rights and well being of others. – Sharon Anthony Bower No matter how great a manager you are, bad things will happen at work. Not every day, but occasionally. It’s how you handle those incidents—the ones that fill

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The pandemic turned work-life on its head. We’re caught in the tumble load of a never-ending workday, pinballing between Zoom and Slack, duking it out with the family for WiFi, dishes piling up around us in our office … er … kitchen, and just trying to hold it together while we just. take. a. minute.

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Offering feedback to people who aren’t located with you can be complicated. Should you send an email or get on the phone? Do you need to set up a zoom call, or will a quick shout-out on Slack get the job done? And why do they act like you’ve never told them something before when

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One of the phrases we use a lot around here is, “When working remotely, communication can become transactional.” Seriously, I was on our site and searched for “transactional,” and found over 20 references. And it’s not just a catch phrase. This is a real phenomenon. What’s also true is that a significant number of people

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The frustration is real. You say things, share things, and communicate important messages, and it seems to fall on deaf ears. Have you ever wondered why people aren’t listening to you? Have you ever considered that it might not be about them at all? At the core, effective communication is message sent; message received. Listening

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by Kevin Eikenberry As I look ahead at the murky future of work, I know that words and how we choose them will play a role in what unfolds and how successful we are.  Here are some examples. The Words We’ve Chosen When organizations sent their people to “work from home,” for many that became

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