What is the power of the unplugged word? Have you ever misinterpreted an email or text – or worse yet, not received the message at all – and decided that the sender must be mad at you? Have you sent countless messages back and forth, trying to clarify the intent or content of the original […]

When I tell others that I help business people with human communications, they nod and smile in agreement that ?something needs to be done? in that area. We are all bombarded by electronics and have forgotten how to communicate on a human level. However, we then all go back to our desks, to our meetings, […]

True story: Went through the drive-through of a fast food restaurant. (Isn?t that how these stories always start?) While waiting at the window for my food ? after getting a very pleasant greeting of ?$9.71? (and literally no other words) from the restaurant?s employee ? I noticed a sign on his side of the window. […]

Is your team addicted to their phones?   Technology is amazing. It enables us to communicate across towns, across states, across the world … across the table.   What? Across the table? Yes, just like teens sitting next to each other on the couch, grown business people are often glued to their cell phones when […]

Now that we have (mostly) survived the holiday shopping season, let?s reflect on our experiences, shall we? As a customer, did you feel appreciated when you chose to spend your money in certain stores? As a business owner, did your team show appreciation to your customers? Sure, there might have been exchanges of ?have a […]

Do you always thank your customers?every time? The next time you interact with other businesses, whether stopping at a fast food restaurant, buying groceries, or shopping at a ?big box? store, count the number of times you are actually thanked. If conducting a transaction with a service business, whether in person or online, you should […]

First lesson: Capture a screenshot whenever you have a sketchy ?customer service? experience online. Second lesson: As a business owner, never let any of your employees do this to a potential customer. The story: A few days ago, I decided to send an older family member some flowers for her birthday. The branding message in […]

Do you panic when you can?t find your cell phone? Do you hyperventilate when you realize you left it at home as you drive away to a meeting or even just to the grocery store?   If you?re old(er) like me (!!!), you remember when the phone stayed connected to the wall, usually in the […]

You there, with the cell phone in your hand, you know who you are. You?re probably even reading this on that electronic device. Just so you know, July is Cell Phone Courtesy Month. Finish reading this, of course, but then show some courtesy and put it down!   Go find a real human and have […]

“We can each take the time to think about the words we are posting, to think about the real humans that will see and be affected by those words, before we hit the magical button that sends our words out into the world.”   Check out my Op-Ed piece, published in the News & Observer: […]