Blog

I have been getting a lot of questions lately about what to do when you are teaching a class virtually, or leading a meeting on Zoom, and you simply can’t read the room. You look out and see faces staring back at you, and it’s impossible to tell if you’re getting through at all. Often … Read more

As part of my recent call to readers for their thoughts and insights, reader Catherine shared that she has been thinking a lot about her work through various lenses. Her example was “I am looking at communication through the lens of connection. Or through the lens of efficiency. Or through the lens of….” An aspect … Read more

An oft-quoted line from the great thinker, Yoda:Do, or do not. There is no try. When Yoda says this, he is frustrated with his protege, Luke Skywalker. In response to one of Yoda’s important instructions, Luke sighs, “All right, I’ll give it a try.”  Yoda shakes his head, and dispenses his wisdom. Do, or do not. … Read more

Onto the second part of Stephen’s question. He wanted to know how skilled, rehearsed speakers might intentionally sound like they’re searching for the next word in order to make their talk sound more spontaneous. This week I have really bashed the conventional wisdom that fixing filler words is something we all need to be super … Read more

A couple of weeks ago, I asked: What do you want to know? What are you curious about in terms of communication?  Happily, you’re a curious bunch of readers! Many of you sent in questions, ideas, and topics you’ve been pondering about how we connect with others, why, and why it matters. Reader Stephen asked: … Read more

Yesterday I got to sit with some people in person. Almost a year to the day since everything around me shut down, and most people I know retreated into their homes for an extended siege, I was sitting, socially distanced and masked but face to face, in the sunshine with new friends. It was a … Read more

Now for the second part of Rachel’s question, which gets down to the day to day use of language. She’s asking how our attention to grammar and word choice might change, depending on where we are and who we’re with. In general, you want to match your style and tone with that of your context. I think of … Read more

A longtime reader, Rachel, asked this question: How closely do speakers need to pay attention to grammar, word choice? I think this question is often related to another one Rachel posed about how we may shift our communication (tone, word choice, subject matter), when we are in different audiences.  Here’s my rule of thumb. When you’re speaking, you … Read more

I thought I was done writing about this but apparently I’m not. You can count the number of times you say “um” in your talk. You can time your speech to fit into a specific limit. You can even measure the number of hours you spend rehearsing your presentation. These numbers will tell you 1) … Read more