Challenging people are a fact of working life. Learning how to deal with difficult coworkers and still get things done will make a big difference in your success. And it will be key for your sanity. Tips for How to Deal with Difficult Coworkers These lessons are based on my own experience of working with … Read more
Being Camera Shy is Quite Common With more people working from home, people are being asked to participate in video calls and video conferences over Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, and other apps. While video conferencing can be great for productivity and team collaboration, many people are uncomfortable on camera and have camera shyness. … Read more
Assertiveness doesn’t come naturally to a lot of us. It can often bring about an uncomfortable feeling that we’re rocking the boat or disrupting the status quo. So many of us are inclined to try to “fit in”, whether that’s within our families, with colleagues or friends. Nevertheless, assertiveness is an important skill to master … Read more
Does remote work increase productivity? Many studies say yes, and others say no. So which is it? Well, it turns out, it depends on the type of work you’re doing. Jerry Useem wrote in The Atlantic: If it’s personal productivity—how many sales you close or customer complaints you handle—then the research, on balance, suggests that … Read more
I recently had an interesting conversation with a very successful business man. We were talking about some work that we’re doing together. At one point while I was talking, he interrupted me and said “You’re using filler words! You’re a speaking speaking coach. Why are you using filler words?” And the topic of filler words … Read more
I recently conducted a workshop on communication and presentation skills for a group of new Real Estate Agents at Keller Williams in Manhattan. We discussed how to build professional confidence, and speak with assertiveness, even if you have limited experience as a new agent, or if you find yourself in front of intimidating or powerful … Read more
(Listen or read the post below) Some people think they have to act powerfully in every situation. Their goal is to “win” every battle. Always have the cleverer comeback. Always interrupt people more than they interrupt you. Have others laugh at your jokes, but don’t laugh at theirs. And the classic: never break eye contact … Read more
Charisma is “the ability to attract, charm, and influence the people around you.” It’s also defined as “a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure” And as: “compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.” Notice anything in there about extroversion? Of course not. The essence of … Read more
It’s frustrating when you are speaking to a group of people and they just don’t seem to be grasping what you’re saying. You might feel at a loss. You thought you were communicating in a good way, but apparently not. Here a few ideas to make it easier for an audience to understand you. 1. … Read more
Introverts are notorious for hating small talk. I used to be one of them. I avoided small talk, and situations where I would need to partake in it. I preferred to focus on important discussions about things that mattered to me: philosophy and metaphysics, culture, psychology, business, economics, etc. In other words, heavy and fascinating … Read more