Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the number of opportunities to make an impact in the world, in your work, and in your community? It’s common to wish we could make a bigger difference, but it’s just as common to feel limited by our resources, lack of knowledge, and fears. Cue what I like to
On a Minneapolis radio station in the early 90s, a satirical disc jockey called the Chucker used to conduct hilarious interviews of famous people. The Chucker was obnoxious. The bigger the celebrity’s ego, the more the Chucker would frustrate them with his demoralizing behavior. Go listen to the recordings. They’ll make you squirm. Perhaps some
Imagine you’re out with a group of friends. How much thought are you giving to how you’re being perceived? Consider a work meeting. How often are you thinking about what people think about you? How much are you evaluating your own behaviors? Those are questions psychology expert and professor Mark Snyder has studied for three
I often wonder what meetings would be like if there were time limits on each person speaking. In professional basketball, for example, they allow each team 24 seconds to take their shot at the net. The clock resets only after a team has attempted their shot or turned the ball over to the other team. Think
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
During a recruiting visit to Ohio State University, a young athlete met with John Cooper, head football coach at the time. Coach Cooper told this young athlete that he was a great player and that he wanted him to play for Ohio State. A week later, the young athlete saw Cooper in an airport. Cooper
I arrived home from work feeling very self-satisfied. I was on a roll. “How was your day?” asked my wife. “Great.” “Why?” “I got everything done that I wanted to.” And then she asked me this: “Is that how you measure the quality of your day?” Oh my, I thought. I certainly do. I mean,
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?
“He’s gone.” Even now, more than seven years removed from the day, Cory Wessman can still picture the doctor’s grim face as he shared the news that Cory’s son Micah had died. Each of us has a story, narratives that shape who we are as human beings. Sometimes, our most difficult stories to tell are
I’ve recently been determined not to go to any boring parties. No boring family gatherings. No dull small talk at events. No hoping to find an early exit to a conversation. That’s right. I’ve decided that I only want to spend time with interesting people. I suppose I could try to seek out these interesting
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