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Play to your strengths

I have mentioned my patient husband Charlie in these posts before. He is thoughtful, methodical, and detail-oriented. This is frequently important, but it really came into play recently when we decided to paint two rooms in our house. Charlie’s attention to detail means he’s great at lots of home repair and maintenance tasks. My strengths…well, ... Continue Reading

Guest post: The language we use

A good friend, Stephen St. Amant, shares his thoughts and insight every day in his blog. Today marks his 1000th post (!!!) In celebration of this achievement and as a special treat, I wanted to spotlight a recent post of his. _______________________________________________________________________________________ There are different ways to speak about our challenges. I suffer fromI struggle ... Continue Reading

A fun new way to try out your material–

A colleague of mine recently shared a terrific idea I wanted to pass along to you all. It involves the audio-only social site Clubhouse (read more here, if you don’t know what I’m talking about!) https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/what-is-clubhouse-app Clubhouse is kind of like dropping in on a bunch of conversations that are taking place, and you can pop your ... Continue Reading

We can learn to be better listeners

I spend a lot of time thinking about talking. Why, how, and even when people talk takes up a lot of my mental bandwidth. But in order to really create connection, we need to learn to be great listeners, not just talkers. We can learn how to be present, suspend our own agenda, ask relevant ... Continue Reading

Don’t practice in the mirror.

Don’t practice your speech in front of the mirror.  I don’t know how this became such popular conventional wisdom, but it doesn’t make any sense. When you practice in the mirror, you’re doing the one thing you know for sure will not be happening when you actually present—looking right at yourself.  It’s way more helpful ... Continue Reading

What happens next after the Chauvin verdict?

For several years, I’ve been following the work, the thinking, and the writing of a man named Patrick Skinner. Skinner served in the Coast Guard, then worked for the CIA in counter-terrorism, and then moved back to his hometown of Savannah, Georgia, to become a police officer. Detective Skinner talks about the people he sees ... Continue Reading

What about the parking brake?

My son Cameron is learning to drive. Watching him figure out how to learn this skill, one element at a time, is fascinating. He observes closely when I’m driving, and he asks lots of questions.  Recently, I asked him to move a car in our driveway. He got in, adjusted the seat (he’s about six ... Continue Reading

“We don’t turn our cameras on.”

A long-time client told me recently that she spends all day in virtual meetings, and their company culture is to leave cameras off. Even conversations between two people take place on Skype for Business, not the phone, and they are audio only.  This practice predates the pandemic. Many global firms were used to meeting remotely, ... Continue Reading

Creating “body language” on video platforms!

A reader sent the article below, which describes the successful implementation of various hand signals in university classes taught via video.  Developed from one researcher’s experience using hand signals as a lifeguard, a group of students experimented with using the signals in class to “show agreement or dissent, to display concern or care, to congratulate ... Continue Reading