Corporate jargon and lingo is easy to make fun of. It’s simultaneously meaningless and a potent signifier of being in the know. My pet peeve is “reaching out.” You know, “I’ll reach out to him about the investor meeting.” “She reached out to me after the presentation.” Where did this come from? What happened to … Read more
Blog
Very often, we are not great at saying what we want or need. Instead, we talk around it, sugarcoating and hiding what we’re after. Example: I was talking with my husband the other day about my work week. I had three workshops to lead virtually, from my home office. I knew it would be easier … Read more
Warning: word nerdery ahead. “Poignant” is a word I love. It comes from the Latin pungere, to pierce or sting. When we describe something as poignant, we mean that it has a piercing or moving sadness. There is almost a physical pain to the emotional impact. For example, “The melody was a poignant reminder of times … Read more
In the theatre, there is at least one convention that is used no matter where you are. At half-hour, fifteen minutes, and five minutes before the actors need to be ready to go onstage, the stage manager (the person in charge of making sure everything happens on time, among other jobs) notifies them of this … Read more
In a workshop I led this week, the conversation turned to the challenge of hybrid interactions, when you have some people in person and some virtual, or some on-camera and others audio only. It’s worth repeating that we understand each other best in person. Communication is easiest and most efficient when the people talking are … Read more
People have lots of opinions about change, particularly as it pertains to their own lives. Some people love it! It’s a chance to shake things up and do things differently. For others, change can feel like a scary loss of control. A friend I met in coaching school, Peggie Koenig, has a new endeavor that’s … Read more
Last week, in the wake of a tropical storm, the power went out at my home one morning. My husband and I both work primarily from home, and my son attends his high school classes online. But not that day! No power meant no internet, of course. To add to the fun, both roads that … Read more
What’s the first thing out of your mouth when you’re explaining a tough situation to someone who will be affected by it? Do you have a long “on-ramp,” when you’re explaining all the backstory? Do you start with why it’s not your fault? Do you take forever to get to the point?Think carefully about how … Read more
I was just part of a meeting when someone unloaded a short, angry-sounding rant that made the room uncomfortable. Afterwards, she said, “I’m sorry, I just had to say that.” Questions sprang to my mind. Are you sorry? If you’re really sorry, why not just apologize and leave it at that? And what does it … Read more
No particular reason why I was thinking about the idea of “waiting” recently…:) But here’s what came up for me. How do we wait? Do we sit chewing our fingernails, treading a path on the floor? Or can we lift up our heads and focus, for moments or minutes, on moving forward?
