Monthly Insights & Musings
How to own—and rock—your next writing task – Part I
Writing! Love it or hate it, but you’re probably doing it. And you may even find yourself doing a whole lot more of it, now that you’re conducting far fewer (or possibly zero) face-to-face meetings with your customers and colleagues. Many of you know that I...
Five steps to becoming a great(er) communicator – even in a challenging conversation
You probably know people who always say or do the right thing at the right moment, and never seem to lose their cool. Whether it’s while facing an angry customer, uncooperative co-worker, snarky employee, or cranky boss, they never stammer, stumble, or get...
Is the Business Handshake Dead?
Last year, on a television talk show in Los Angeles, many eons into my career as a communication trainer, I was introduced (unbeknownst to me beforehand) as “the handshake guru.” I have to admit that I felt a little bit embarrassed, but I definitely appreciated the...
How to Ace Your Next Video Job Interview
Among other (probably less positive) monikers, we could call 2020 “The Year of Zoom,” as it seems businesses are doing everything via video calls these days. And job interviews are no exception. In my training with job seekers around the country (which I’m mostly...
How to Run a Video Meeting Like a Professional (Even During a Pandemic!)
It’s probably safe to say that video meetings for business (and sometimes even for personal life) are here to stay. Whether it’s an internal meeting within the marketing department, a sales meeting with an important client, or a virtual “happy hour” meetup with your...
Giving Effective Employee Feedback— Your Most Essential Management Tool
During your career as a manager, you will undoubtedly have talks with your employees about their behavior on a regular basis. In fact, one of your most important tasks will involve observing your employees and making mental (and possibly written) notes about their...
Ramp up your mojo with these six quick, fun, totally doable tips!
Hey there! How’s your mojo doing these days? You know, your mojo. Have you checked yours lately? Let’s take a look together. It’s a natural law, and it goes like this: Be good to your mojo and your mojo’ll be good to you. If you want your mojo all up and...
The Four Most Common Language Goofs in Contemporary Writing – Part II
Hello, friends! I hope you’re staying healthy and happy, and that you’re practicing social distancing, sheltering in place, going out only for essential errands, and wearing a mask when you venture into public. It’s the right thing to do, so let’s all do it! On...
The Four Most Common Language Goofs in Contemporary Writing
It’s/Its, You’re/Your, Who’s/Whose, and They’re/There/Their Part I Whether it’s a snail-mail letter, an email, an office memo or even a text to your boss, correctness definitely counts in the professional business world. And it counts, big-time, if you’re...
Establishing Yourself as a Remote Worker
As highlighted in my previous article ‘Four Crucial Pointers to Help You Succeed’, starting out slowly, developing good relationships with others, being honest about what you know and what you don’t, and being friendly and approachable, are all essential in helping...
Maximize the power of your message with the right body language
No matter how hard you work to gain respect at your workplace, if you don’t have influential body language, you’re likely to send a weak (or maybe even confusing) message, possibly throwing all your hard work right out the window. In face-to-face communication, one...
Six Steps to Make 2020 a Banner Year!
Where did the time go? And what happened to all the plans we made last January? You know — the ones that were going to make 2019 our best year yet? Relax. We’re all in the same boat. There’s really nothing we can do now about those 2019 plans that got sidetracked —...