What vital element of business communication is the most forgotten? Discovering what hasn't been said. Marianne, Jamshid, Johanna, and Dave are participants in a project retrospective for the CRM system. Lan, the retrospective leader, asks the group to brainstorm the question, "What problems did you experience working with your clients … [Read more...]
Start Meeting Punctually?
Twenty percent of the participants arrive late to the weekly meeting you lead. What do I recommend you do? It depends. Do you arrive late? If you do, I recommend that you change your behavior. Participants respond to leadership cues. You are enabling participants to excuse their behavior when you demonstrate the meeting isn't important … [Read more...]
I Don’t Disagree
A high signal to noise ratio will help you have an effective conversation. I have noticed that the words "I don't disagree" (IDD) reduces the signal to noise ratio of a conversation. What does IDD mean? What do I recommend if you are in the habit of saying IDD? What do I recommend if you hear someone say IDD? Logically it seems like it … [Read more...]
Short-Circuit Chaos?
Managers who like to be in control have a predictable reaction to their organization grappling with a change which creates chaos -- they want it to stop. When? Now, right now. What happens if management decides to short-circuit chaos with a magical solution? What happens if management accepts chaos as a necessary but uncomfortable period of the … [Read more...]
Best Practice Assertion
How many times have you heard a supplier assert that they offer a technique that is a "best practice?" What do they mean? How do you test whether a technique is a best practice? The words "best practice" is hyperbole used by suppliers to make a technique sound more attractive. That's a harsh statement, but it fits the rhetoric I hear from … [Read more...]
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