Short term revenue

Arguing

During today’s indulgence in YouTube-hosted business advice, I received an excellent bit of wisdom from the ever-charming Marie Forleo.  She stated that we should not be afraid to sacrifice “short term revenue for long term gains.” This advice resonates when it comes to communicating with other people.  So often, we are focused on the short-term…

The wall

Connecting

When we feel under threat, misunderstood, ill-used, or otherwise hard done by, we tend to put up walls.  They are our mental defence mechanism, a way of deflecting conversations that might make us feel bad, or uncomfortable, or wrong. When we say that someone “put a wall up between us,” we usually refer to someone becoming quiet…

Fill-in post: How to Listen

Connecting

I started working on the next instalment on communicating intimately this weekend, and then got slammed with a nasty infection.  Needless to say, it has completely derailed my writing efforts.  Hopefully the antibiotics kick in soon (seriously – even the cartilage on my ears hurts). In the meantime, I would like to leave you with the following blog post…

When tone is more important than content

Funny Stuff

I interrupt our series on communicating with intimacy to bring you a long overdue bit of Friday Silliness. In today’s lesson, Toby Turner – also known as the YouTube personality Tobuscus – demonstrates how tone can completely contradict content.  Alliteration aside, it is a useful lesson. Tobuscus: Dramatic Song   Does your chorus sound like Coldplay?

Communicating Intimately #2: The Experience

Connecting

The funny thing about establishing intimacy with an audience is that it doesn’t necessarily matter whether you, the speaker, feel that an intimate moment has been shared.  Like just about any desired emotion, what really matters is that your audience feels it.  They, quite frankly, don’t give a damn about what’s going on in your own…

The Joy of Euphemisms

Getting the message across, Tactics

Layered meaning makes conversation so much more interesting.  While plain-speak is generally the best way to conduct most business – after all, one’s goal should never be to stymie your clients or colleagues – there are opportunities where you can have some fun in a conversation and imply the Things that Cannot Be Said Aloud.  Euphemisms and…

The bandwagon of uncertainty

Funny Stuff

You know, like, totally whatever? That aggravating upwards lilt of the voice makes you sound like an non-confident teen girl.  I will be merciless when it comes to stripping you of that most wretches of speaking habits! I will also make you watch Taylor Mali’s brilliant freestyle poetry on that very topic. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGAMd-tT6fQ&w=420&h=315] Y’know.