Communication

When I was young, my friend let me borrow the red crayon from his new box. So I let him ride my bike. When we got older, my friend defended me in a snowball fight and sat with me at lunch so I wouldn’t have to eat alone. Years later, when we were in high school, and I had forgotten my book, my friend “saved my life” by lending me his book so I could do my homework. What would I do without true friends? Your definition of friendship may change during your lifetime, but its value won’t. True friends have fun together, even when they’re doing nothing special. They communicate without talking and seem close despite living miles apart.    Read more…

1. Creativity Killer ➤ Keeping people in the dark “It’s just not right. I can’t tell you why, but I just don’t like it.” “I know exactly what I want, but can’t explain it. When I see it, though, I’ll tell you.” 2. Creativity Killer ➤ Dictatorships “Here’s my idea and how to execute it!” “Here’s my idea, what’s yours?” 3. Creativity Killer ➤ Unrealistic time frames “It’s only one page. It shouldn’t take more than an hour to complete.” “I know there’s no reason to have it tomorrow, but I want it then anyway.” 4. Creativity Killer ➤ Procrastination “We really do want suggestions. It’s not our fault if we’re too busy to act on them.” “I think we’ve got it now. I only have minor corrections    Read more…

Take 10 minutes and say thanks to a special person in your life. The teacher who inspired you to greatness . . . mentor who showed you the way . . . friend who remained by your side . . . spouse who makes everything worthwhile . . .   Dear Caron, There are many times that I wanted to write you this note, but I couldn’t find the right occasion or the proper words to tell you how much you mean to me. What do you say to someone who makes life worth living? You’re my best friend, confidante, and of course, my wife. I’m so grateful that you entered my life and that we made our shared commitment    Read more…

Never be ashamed to admit fault. Poor service is all too commonplace, but that does not make it acceptable. Customers deserve an apology every time they receive less than adequate service. For example, an airline captain who apologizes for a delay and adds, “Sorry we are late in arriving, but our policy is safety first,” soothes the ire of a late passenger. When was the last time a dentist apologized for keeping you waiting? Or the maitre d’ of a restaurant apologized because your table wasn’t ready and offered you a complimentary glass of wine? Don’t be afraid to admit mistakes. Sometimes “I’m sorry” or adding a simple “Thank-you” goes a long way. No one is perfect and your customers    Read more…

A good precept to follow is to underpromise but overdeliver. Always try to do just a little more than the client expects. This can best be accomplished if you understand how expectations are created. Sometimes they are based on hearsay; for example, a client may get a rave review about you or your organization from friends. Expectations can also be based on advertising claims or on a prior experience: “Vendors have always provided me with terrific service.” Other times they are the result of personal expectations. Once you understand how expectations are created, you can manage them: Carefully examine the situation for all possible problems before making promises about timing, costs, product performance, or service. When marketing intangibles, fully describe    Read more…

Today and in the years to come, organizations will have to focus on winning employees back; building trust, respect, and teamwork between people; being receptive to and then acting on the best ideas; and once again instilling employees with pride in and commitment to the organization. Internal communication will be a major force in achieving those ends. In the past, leaders controlled the information employees needed to make day-to-day decisions. Leaders who continue along that path will become frustrated as they lose the confidence of employees whose desire for timely, customized, and truthful information is not satisfied. To succeed in today’s competitive marketplace, organizations must give internal communication the priority that it deserves. Internal communication has gone through several phases    Read more…

Simplicity matters. It’s that simple. Measuring ideas by their complexity rather than their merit is inefficient and wastes time and money. According to Jim Harrington, author of Business Process Improvement, the virtue of clear and simple communication is evident in the complexity of the following documents: The Lord’s Prayer        57 words Ten Commandments        71 words Gettysburg Address        266 words Declaration of Independence        1,300 words U.S. Government Contractor Management System Evaluation Program        38,000 words Additional Reading: It’s Time to Eliminate Bureaucracies What Does Red Tape Cost Your Business? Enough with the Paperwork Already If you like this article, subscribe to our blog so that you don’t miss a single post. Get future posts by RSS feed, email or Facebook. It’s FREE.    Read more…

Everyone in the organization, from the top to the bottom, should strive to communicate more effectively. According to research, we spend 7 out of every 10 minutes that we are awake communicating, and that communication time is devoted 9 percent to writing, 16 percent to reading, 30 percent to speaking, and 45 percent to listening. Are you a good listener? When report cards are given out for how well we listen, however, very few of us would receive passing grades. Barriers to listening include assuming a subject is uninteresting and tuning out, focusing on how something is said rather than on what is being said, reacting too quickly before the message is completed, picking up on emotional words and not    Read more…

Ways to Say You Care

“I promise.” “I’m sorry.” “Trust me.” “I HATE you!” While it takes only a few words to make someone feel really special, words poorly chosen have the power to destroy a valuable relationship, tarnish a reputation, or become the cause of endless embarrassment. Yet in today’s fast-paced world with its cryptic, sound-bite mentality, we’re more likely to sacrifice sensitivity for speed and quality for quantity. This leaves our listeners to sort out for themselves the consequences of our ill-considered remarks. Sure…we spend our days juggling fifteen balls in the air, running our kids to and from activities, and cramming as much as we can into the day. Come on…who has the time? Well, if you care about your relationships, it’s    Read more…