Communication

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?

The wrong ways to manage conflict

April 13, 2022
Conflict within a team can be a seriously corrosive force. But it doesn’t have to be. An excerpt from Don Yeager’s book Great Teams: 16 Things High Performing Organizations Do Differently illustrates why:

Shake up the team and its results with sprints

April 13, 2022
The sprint process as it relates to business is just what it sounds like: a burst of intense activity for a short, set amount of time, typically about five days. A team is challenged to zero in on one big goal and move from idea to prototype to customer outreach within that tight window.

Raise the costs of not negotiating

April 13, 2022
Often, a negotiation opponent, or even a happy customer, will become so content with the status quo that they see no need to change anything, and so they won’t trouble themselves with the headache of a difficult discussion. When this happens, point out factors that could suddenly make the status quo less desirable.

When “we” suddenly becomes “I,” you’ll grab their attention

April 13, 2022
When bargaining, you’re probably going to speak in terms of what your company or side can offer, and so you’ll be using a lot of “we” terminology. If things begin to go south, consider the strategic single use of the word “I” instead.