Wrapping up a series of workshops on re-engaging and reconnecting in today’s challenging environment, one of the most important lessons we covered was how to listen with intent. Participants admitted they were not good listeners. Being in leadership positions, they were mostly talkers and “fixers.” If someone came to them to talk about an issue, […]
You cannot center around. The very notion of centering means you are focused on the point in the middle of, for example, a circle. When that point is centered, it cannot go around anything. You cannot be very unique … or really unique … or any other modifier with unique. The word itself comes from […]
Remember when you were a kid, or when you were raising kids, you had “magic words” to use to show respect and appreciation? Remember “please” and “thank you”? Sadly, many grown-ups in business have forgotten how to use these magic words. As a customer, do you feel appreciated when you choose to spend your money […]
A favorite English professor told his freshman class: I know many of you want to do good in my class. And you should. However, for your grade you should focus on doing well. I do want you to do good, but that would happen more so in the community as you do things that will help other people. Doing well means […]
The Aretha Franklin movie was just released so it seemed a good time to revisit the idea of respect, especially how it impacts your communications. Actually, every day is a good day to revisit the need for respect, so here we go. Respond to messages, emails, text, and calls promptly. Prompt replies show respect for […]
“Assaults on flight attendants have risen. NBA fans spit and dumped popcorn on players this spring. Last week, servers at a Massachusetts restaurant experienced customer behavior so rude that the owners closed for part of a day. The pandemic was thought to make some of us more enlightened. But did it just make everyone more […]
Of the many words that have been misused over the course of time, the word “obsessed” is being abused consistently now. Its meaning has drastically changed in everyday conversation recently, just as the meanings of so many other words continue to change. For example, if you watch home renovation shows, listen carefully and you will […]
Some things just tend to grate on the ears. A professional news reporter who responds to an interviewee’s statement with “yeah.” Someone who starts virtually every sentence with “So….” Maybe it’s just me. I know it’s not, though, since I’ve heard from other people with similar experiences of irritation and annoyance. Change is good but […]
How can words create a drastic drop in morale within a business or a panic situation in a community? Words carry the power to make things better, to make people more hopeful. They also carry the scary power of making a situation drastically worse. It only takes a few words from a few people in […]
More on nouns that became verbs Language is a funny thing. English, especially, can be very difficult to learn. And then it all changes! Words that we were certain were nouns, or things that are– message, text, calendar, dialogue–have morphed into verbs, or things that do. As in … I’ll calendar a date to dialogue with you on that […]