Making zoom meetings engaging is a skill that can be learned. Unfortunately, many people don’t have that skill, leading to lots of boring and awkward remote meetings. Here are some reasons why they can be boring, and what to do about it. Problem with Zoom Meetings: No Fun, Just Awkward Sitting at home in front … 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
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
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