My heart goes out to everyone affected by coronavirus & COVID19. During times of crisis and uncertainty, it’s easy for anxiety about one area of work or life to affect our communication across the board. In this Communication Q&A, Robert wants some pointers for keeping conversation and communication in his workplace more positive and productive…
Communication stress and communication fatigue are real things, and they are rife during this time of year. This time of year brings pressure to interact, be social, and put on a display of happiness in our words and actions. Even if you’re feeling very merry indeed (I’ve been feeling quite Christmassy this year), you’ll probably…
There’s nothing like the holiday season to get people worried about their conversation skills. You’d be amazed at how many questions I get peppered with: “I’m a total introvert – how can I start a conversation at the corporate party next week?” “I want to look good in front of my boss. I probably shouldn’t…
You can find Mike Kerr on Twitter @HumoratWork Does your workplace have an office clown? Is your office environment one that encourages a hearty laugh, or is humor seen as something that isn’t sufficiently serious – or even unprofessional? Workplace that have a hearty dose of humor as part of their culture often boast…
I know you’ve been there – sitting in an audience listening to a speaker and wondering “Why am I listening to this and when is it going to end?” Such is the agony of sitting through a terrible speech. But what makes a speech terrible? This is something I get asked a lot. Differences…
Despite all best efforts, some people are simply difficult to communicate with. You’ve probably met this person; no matter how hard you try, they seem to miss chunks of conversations. No matter how clear the note, they still twist the message. No matter how explicit the instructions, they still manage to screw them up. It doesn’t seem…
Here are some questions you need to ask yourself when working with an audience: Do you listen? I mean it – do you really listen to what your audience is telling you? Have you turned of the internal chatter? Are you taking in what they are telling you, or are you trying to think of…
Note: This will be the last post for 2014 – enjoy it, enjoy your holidays, and I’ll see you again in January! Welcome to the most stressful small-talk time of the year! If you are among those who are biting their nails down to the quick with worry over how you are going to survive…
Much like any other skill, we need to practice talking to be good at it. You don’t need to sweat buckets over complex presentations or formal speeches to become a good talker. You just need to talk with people. Lots of people. Different people. I know some great presenters who are surprisingly poor at just talking with…
I don’t fall in love quickly. If a really fantastic thinker crosses my path, I might follow her videos and blog for a year before really falling in love. A great speaker might cross my radar, but I won’t giggle like a besotted teenager until I’ve figured out if the rest of his stuff is…
