Why do we prioritize our text messages, emails, and apps over our conversations with people in the room with us? Are we losing our basic ability to differentiate between what is valuable and what is not? When we interrupt our conversations, meetings, and lunches to check our phones, we are sacrificing something real and valuable […]
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Why “Efficient” Email is Hurting Your Business
Can email be nice? Why is it that when we send an email, we forget that we are writing to fellow human beings? Would you start a phone conversation without saying hello? Would you hang up without saying goodbye? Would you send a letter without signing your name? If you fail to add a greeting, […]
Build Better Connections through Better Networking
Does the idea of networking scare you? Does it bring to mind images of awkward conversations with strangers or memories of nervously sipping a drink while you seek out the clock to see if it’s time to leave? Next time you head to a networking party, try these tips for a better–and more fruitful–experience: Prepare […]
Can Parents Still Teach Us to Communicate?
Although we hate to admit it when we are young, our parents have a great deal to teach us. I was thinking about my childhood recently and remembered that several of my father’s pet phrases are actually quite relevant to effective communication. Here are three that I remember quite clearly and what they taught me: […]
How Impatient Coworkers Affect English As A Second Language (ESL) Employees
When employees are unwilling to be patient with coworkers who speak English as a second language, the result can be catastrophic for the second-language speaker’s language skills and confidence. Putting undue pressure on a second-language speaker hinders the learning process. Second language acquisition theory tells us that doubt and anxiety decrease a learner’s ability to […]