Are You a Fast-talking Communicator?
When you read those words, fast-talking communicator, what comes to mind? Do you think of a slick sales guy, never really answering your questions but selling hard? Or do you think of someone who rushes through a presentation so quickly that you actually miss what …
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Can Good Leadership Skills Be Learned?
This isn’t a post about whether leaders are born or made. It’s about answering the question whether good leadership skills can be learned. If we start with the assumption that learning is always possible given the right set of circumstances, then it follows that leadership …
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Using Communication to Effectively Set Boundaries
A couple of months ago I wrote a post titled “Setting Boundaries Is a Critical Business Communication Skill.” You can find that post here. Several people shared their own experiences that included phones and staplers being thrown, and even a manager who spit—yes, spit—on a …
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I Am Who I Am: Good Leadership Skills or Not?
How often have you heard this: “I am who I am and I can’t change,” or “I am who I am and you (or people) will have to accept that (or take the good with the bad)”? Maybe it’s not these words but something similar. …
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The True Value of Customer Service
How many of you would say the true value of customer service is customer retention or future sales? How many of you would say that it is customer referrals? Maybe you have another idea? There is no right or wrong answer to this question. It …
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Common Sense and Business Communication
I write a lot about business communication. In fact I write about, speak about, and teach communication skills to individuals and companies all the time. I absolutely, positively, believe that everything that works, and everything that doesn’t in our lives is about communication. Today I …
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No Boundaries in Business Communication
What do I mean when I say No Boundaries in Business Communication? It’s a question I get asked all the time, and depending on who is asking, the question has many different meanings. Sometimes it is about what is acceptable language to use (or not). …
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Business Relationships Need Nurturing
Some of you are probably thinking, duh, of course business relationships need nurturing. Yet I so often find that what we say and what we do when it comes to business relationships aren’t congruent. Of course, I’d like to believe I’m different, but I suspect …
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Business Communication: Thinking Like a Musician
A couple of months ago I wrote a blog post titled Think Like A Musician To Improve Your Business Communication. I heard from many musicians and learned a lot from their comments. Since that post I’ve been doing some reading on ensembles and orchestras, and it’s …
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Offering Compliments Can Be Powerful
Who among us doesn’t like to receive compliments? OK, some of us are uncomfortable receiving compliments and respond with phrases such as “it was nothing” or “no big deal” or an awkward “thanks.” I understand that as I find myself responding that way at times. …
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