Do you ever feel resentful that people aren’t listening well enough to you when you talk? Perhaps it’s your boss, a client, or your husband. Maybe you’ve said, “I told you that, but you didn’t listen!” Or you’ve thought, “Why are people on their phones in our meetings!?” It can be a difficult and frustrating
Criticism: The expression of disapproval of someone or something based on perceived faults or mistakes. Sometimes that’s a verbal punch to the face. It may be a facial expression of disapproval or a tone of voice that betrays annoyance. Perhaps it’s a passive/aggressive comment. You might not realize that you’re delivering criticism, but your expression
The decision to do or not do something, to support or not support something, to spend money or not spend money on something…despite what you might think, these aren’t logical choices. Decisions are made in the emotional/intuitive part of the brain. So how do you get people to change their mind? Emotions Over Logic Research
My first “real” job was working the floor at our local Musicland store. When the store closed each day, we’d lower the metal gate to the inside of the Eden Prairie shopping mall. One of my managers, Jeff, would always start the store closing rituals the same way: He’d play Van Halen music super loud.
It was during my second job when I realized I didn’t communicate as well as my dad. Unlike my dad and his dad, who were both successful in sales, I was a software developer. I could sit for hours in front of a computer wearing headphones, intently creating something with my mind and fingers on
Are you aware of how the tone of your communication impacts others? It might be far more than you think. In a recent study, researchers at the University of Southern California analyzed the acoustic features of couples’ dialogues and, based on that analysis, were able to out-predict marriage therapists on which couples would remain together.
Dale Carnegie famously wrote: “It is better to be interested than interesting.” And it’s true: Connections are made more through genuine curiosity than impressive credentials. That said, if you’re not at all interesting, people won’t be as responsive to your interest in them. Are you always as interested and as interesting as you could be?
The past week brought communication of conflict and crisis. I read news of human violence, learned about friends in difficult circumstances, and I had hard conversations. My mind was on high alert. As situations arose, I was one part anxious, one part awkward, and one part focused. Have you been there? Where I was directly
A few weeks after giving this interview, Caroline Kennedy ended her 2008 campaign for U.S. Senate. Her performance was disparaged as not befitting the level of professionalism and poise required in leadership. The culprit? Filler words. In fact, many professional speech patterns (sometimes my own included) are littered with filler words. My dad was a
Self-image drives behavior. As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t—you’re right.” Leaders who promote a positive self-image in others maximize potential. Period. The leaders I’ve followed in my life—managers, coaches, mentors, parents—have each communicated to me “messages” about who I am. Keep in mind, communicating a message isn’t
Matt Norman is president of Norman & Associates, which offers Dale Carnegie Training in the North Central US. Dale Carnegie Training is a global organization ...READ MORE