While this tip can have multiple interpretations, I am referring to meetings. You know the person ( maybe it's you!) who monopolizes an entire meeting with their comments. Or it's the person, who gives the longest explanation for the simplest point. Whoever it is, you get the idea. This type of disruptive and disrespectful behavior [...]
Last night while watching NBC Nightly News, they featured a story about people looking for work and a center that provides them with classes and coaching. One of the exercises that the job seekers were required to participate in involved being videoed while mock interviewed. Afterward, they were required to watch a playback of the [...]
I suppose there is no better day, than today to discuss embracing dissenting opinions. It is election day here in the United States, after all. And unless you haven't noticed, politics in this country has become a place where dissenting opinions have been losing value. It seems that nowadays it is only my way and [...]
I have a habit of saying "sorry" all the time. I am not sure why. I wonder if it has something to do with growing up female in this society or that I lived in London for a time and people are always saying "sorry" when they bump into you on the tube. Or could it [...]
When someone is talking to you, do you listen? You'll probably say, "of course!" But are you really hearing them? It seems that with so many distractions in our lives today and in the office that active listening is slowly slipping into extinction. Too often, we are so absorbed with ourselves and thinking about when [...]
There are a number of basic phrases which are part of any good arsenal of etiquette words. I have discussed the virtues of ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ in previous columns. Here I would like to share my thoughts on the phrase 'you're welcome'. This phrase usually follows 'thank you'. But more times than not, we [...]
by Laurie Weiss Dialogue is a different kind of conversation. It's a way of exploring and understanding information and ideas. When practiced, it draws on and uses the wisdom of everyone involved. It is easier to create an argument than it is to create a dialogue. You do this when you have a different opinion [...]
I attended a great workshop along with a group of local high school students and interested adults to learn about the obstacles and problems associated with communication between youths and adults. The results were very revealing with education, awareness, and respect being the three most important elements to improving this important dynamic. There appears to [...]
I’m always amazed to hear the stories of how people subtly fight at work. Through procrastination, gossip, stonewalling, and other passive-aggressive methods, co-workers can find clever ways to obstruct progress while appearing helpful. So much conflict can be hidden under the surface of our actions and conversations. In the theatre, this is called “subtext.” Here [...]
