Unless you have a love for canned meat, chances are you have a negative view of the word spam, especially when it shows up in your email inbox or ringing phone. And while we don’t want to be spammed, sometimes that is what our communication is – unwanted, disconnected, and ineffective. While that is never

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When you think of “good communication skills,” what do you think of? Odds are your mind goes to writing effectively, making excellent presentations, and being clear in your messages. Whether written or verbal, what you say is important. But what about how you listen and read? I’ve long heard that fifty-one percent of effective communication is

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Knowledge or office workers spend 70% of our workday involved in either reading or writing. It’s not a surprise that poor writing is a major complaint. In fact, 81% of executives blame poor writing skills for at least some of their productivity problems. It’s easy then, to say “We need to improve our business writing.”

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If you’re a leader, you can probably picture this: you’re the leader of a dynamic team, and challenges keep erupting like unexpected fires. Being the capable leader you are, you rush to put them out, time and time again. But let me ask you this – is there a better way to lead, to truly

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Everyone would agree that communication is a critical leadership skill. I mean, if you can’t communicate your way out of a paper bag, as my father used to say, you’re not going to be a very effective leader. And so before we go any further, let’s be clear about what I mean by communication. Communication is

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If something consumed most of your day, you’d want to be good at it. If something was one of the top-three barriers to productivity, you’d do something about it. Yet few people have gotten any coaching or training on their business writing since they left school. Seventy percent of business communication today takes place in writing.

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We talk about many sorts of pollution in our world, but one we don’t talk about enough is noise pollution. There is a reason we nod our heads in agreement with the old proverb, “Silence is golden.” It is because in our fast-paced and increasingly noisy world, we know that silence, like gold, can be

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I’m addressing a question that keeps popping up time and time again: “How do I deal with negative employees?” Now, let me tell you, I’ve been asked this question countless times, and today, I want to share some insights that will help you tackle this challenge head-on. Understanding Negative BehaviorFirst things first, we need to reframe

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Where would you rather work – a workplace of gloom and doom, or one where people bring a sunny disposition and generally optimistic view, even if things are hard? Even the most hardened cynical curmudgeons would prefer the latter. If we want a more positive working culture and atmosphere, it starts with individuals, especially leaders,

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There’s a vital aspect of leadership that isn’t often discussed enough: the importance of seeking feedback. As leaders, we often find ourselves isolated, with a heavy responsibility resting on our shoulders. It’s in these moments that seeking feedback becomes pivotal for us to understand how our decisions are impacting those around us. There’s a saying that

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