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
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
Listening skills are an area that lots of people struggle with. How many of us ask someone their name or what they do for a living, and then immediately forget it? I’m not a perfect listener. But I have improved a lot from where I used to be. In my case, I had so many … Read more
I’ve written about concision before. This topic came up again recently at a talk that I was giving in NYC. One of the attendees found it difficult to keep her networking conversations concise. This happens to a lot of us. When talking to someone new, through a combination of wanting to be polite and just … Read more