Is your office embroiled in email warfare, with people sending passive-aggressive messages or getting worked up into a froth after taking an email the wrong way? Email can be a hotbed of miscommunication, but there are ways to ensure your emails are clear, effective, and are interpreted the way you intended. In today’s Communication Q&A…
It’s called “equivocation.” What Trump was doing in those two press conferences since Charlottesville – the rhetoric he’s using is called equivocation. Equivocation is a logical fallacy that uses vague language to hide meaning or to avoid committing to a point of view or stance. You see it used frequently in politics when a…
The message doesn’t always have to be new to have impact. How often do we go looking for information on the same old topic? How many times can we hear a similar message from different people and still be interested? Sometimes we don’t need new information – we just need to hear it from a…
Today I’m bringing you a new feature of my blog: special posts written by guests with unique communication expertise. This post was written by Lynda Katz Wilner of Successfully Speaking. Lynda’s full bio and links to her work can be found at the end of this post. Enjoy! When is an Accent a Problem? Most…
If you strip away some of the more complex quantifications, there are many economics concepts that can be applied to business and public speaking. (If you are new here, you may not have encountered a full blast of my nerdy nature. Consider yourself initiated, and hang on for the ride). Right now, I’m delighted by…
People like you and I spend a lot of time planning words that we are to deliver to other people. It’s impossible to get away from it, really. Every speech is a conversation, every conversation contains mini-speeches, and this is true whether the speeches or conversations are pre-conceived, rehearsed, or utterly spontaneous. We focus so…
It may be that the person who makes you uncomfortable, who openly challenges your actions and ideas, who unapologetically but lovingly debunks your dearly held notions is precisely the communicator you need. Good communicators are not necessarily those who make you feel good or uplifted. They are the ones who bring you clarity, who get…
In my talks on communication and public speaking, I commonly address the flight-or-fight response that difficult speaking situations trigger. While I do train people on how to physically manage their distress symptoms (such as shallow breathing, elevated blood pressure, and the like), the way you perceive the stress response matters hugely. As McGonigal points out,…
Time is important. We all know this. We lead busy lives. Our days fly by. Time is valuable. Time is precious. Time is money. We bill hourly and count down minutes. The premium on time is what makes it so powerful. Time is a gift. It is respect. It is consideration. You need to give…
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…
