Communication

Want to start saving time on circular conversations?

June 8, 2022
As you initiate a talk with someone—whether in person or by phone—begin by saying in a firm but friendly tone, “I only have five minutes and I need to ask you a question that requires either a yes or no answer.”

Don’t turn off that Zoom cam!

May 11, 2022
Employees should think twice before switching off their webcams during those seemingly endless Zoom meetings. According to a new study by software company Vyopta, 92% of executives in medium-to-large firms say people who turn their video cameras off in team meetings won’t last long.

3 deep-dive performance principles

May 11, 2022
The podcast “Think Fast, Talk Smart,” produced by the Stanford Graduate School of Business, recently featured a conversation with psychology professor Philip Zimbardo on the most powerful influencers of human behavior.

Heed the ‘blemishing effect’

May 11, 2022
“Can a negative ever be a positive when it comes to moving others?” asks sales expert Daniel Pink in his book To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others. He cites a 2012 marketing study in which information about hiking boots was presented to online shoppers.

Think your way through an IRS audit

May 11, 2022
Most times an audit is relatively painless, a cut-and-dried look into your records. But there may be tricky moments in which your strategy is to reveal information, or not reveal information, in a way that benefits you the most. Keep these tips in mind.

Why your opening move is so powerful

May 11, 2022
“Many individuals have told me that understanding reciprocity dramatically changed their behavior,” writes Anna Maravelas in the book Creating a Drama-Free Workplace. “For the first time they understood why making negative assumptions almost guarantees negative outcomes.”

Try this “home negotiation test”

May 11, 2022
Keep a coupon to an independent restaurant a week past its expiration date. Then go in and try to use it.

When an error works in your favor

May 11, 2022
In negotiating with a journalist over his fee for writing an article, a reader recently discovered by accident a rather effective tool for getting him to lower his expectations.

Ageism and communication technology

May 4, 2022
While a good communications policy can help set boundaries and give guidance, a little examination of our own biases toward certain types of electronic communications can go a long way to giving value and being seen as valuable in our careers.

2 PowerPoint video tips from an expert

May 4, 2022
Can you have a video of the speaker on a slide? … I want to use a video in my presentation but record my own audio. Is that possible?