Leverage Communication Variety to Increase Your Personal Influence Let’s explore two major ways for you to strengthen your personal influence. First, variety in your communication style and second, variety in your knowledge and content. Variety in Communication Style Variety in your communication style means the ability to communicate in different ways. It means you can … Read more
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
You’re in a conversation with multiple colleagues or clients. You want to speak up, get assertive, and get your perspective heard. But the conversation is being dominated by a few loud and confident voices (usually those with the highest status in the group). And there’s a lot of quick comments being exchanged from multiple people. … Read more
Getting Started with Networking Skills Expos, trade shows and conferences are great opportunities to build new connections in your industry. But what’s the best way to start conversations with people at these events? Here are some simple strategies to get things moving. I also discussed networking skills and a variety of tactics with Julie during … 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
How to Interrupt in a Positive and Effective Way A client of mine is working on her networking skills. She recently mentioned she was having trouble with managing a conversation when the other person won’t stop talking. Understandably, she does not want to be impolite or rude. But at the same time, allowing the other … Read more
Asking open questions is a great technique for rapport-building and connection. An open question is a question that gives the recipient the opportunity to express themselves: for example “what’s your favorite thing about living here?” or “how did you get inspired to work on that project?” (One reason why so many conversations stall out in … Read more
Awkward pauses happen all the time in conversations with someone you’ve just met. Awkwardness is not the end of the world. But it can feel very uncomfortable for those with little experience talking to strangers. And for some people, over time the fear of awkwardness can transform into a horrific bogeyman of anxiety. It becomes so intimidating … Read more
One of the most common challenges I hear from non-native English speakers is they are concerned about their accent. In reality, with very few exceptions, if you are a fluent English speaker, most people can probably understand you just fine. Nobody cares about the accent. One of the most charismatic speakers I’ve seen had a … Read more
Most important is the ability to suspend your assumptions. When you enter into another culture that is not familiar to you, or when speaking with someone who comes from a different background, they probably do not share many of your assumptions about the world. Everything is potentially on the table: from huge philosophical issues like gender … Read more