Before a speech, calm your nerves fast
If you’re about to present—and you’re an anxious mess, try these unusual tips to help calm your nerves fast.
Category: Communication
4 questions to ask yourself before you call someone on leave
The wheels of business stop for no one, and when an employee goes out on leave—FMLA or otherwise—it’s surprising how quickly the inconveniences mount. The urge to pick up the phone or dash off a quick email to ask a simple question just to keep the wheels moving is powerful, but pause for a moment before you do it and ask:
Teach co-workers to work independently
Question: “My co-workers constantly ask me to assist them with simple problems. Whenever they enÂÂcounter any minor difficulty, they dump it on me. This makes it hard to finish my own work. My boss has been no help. When he talked to these people about handling their own problems, they told him that coming to me was faster. He immediately gave in and said we should just work it out amongst ourselves. How can I end these interruptions?” — Totally Worn Out
4 ways to bring empathy to your email
A new email extension called Crystal can help bring more empathy to your email conversations. The most important thing is adapting to other people’s written language, says Crystal founder Drew D’agostino.
Help! I’m not funny!
Q. I give a lot of presentations and am always envious of people who can evoke a laugh in all the right spots. I myself just don’t have that skill. Can it be learned?
Why being interrupted is most likely your fault
Most people believe they get interrupted because that is simply how the interrupting person behaves. In reality, the blame more often lies with the speaker rather than the interrupter.
Never retype again!
If your version of Adobe Reader gives you iffy results when you scan the document and extract the text, try this free, easy-to-use document converter.
8 actions make an exceptional listener
Here are eight ways to immediately stop talking and start listening, from Stacey Hanke, founder and communication expert of Stacey Hanke Inc. and the author of Influence Redefined: Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be.
Punctuation takes on meaning in your texts
Texting does not need the same attention to punctuation as your other writing does. But much of your punctuation (or absence of it) carries an unspoken subtle message.
Write smarter smartphone emails
Using a smartphone to send an email doesn’t excuse poor etiquette, incomplete information, curt answers or grammatical mistakes. Ensure that your emails are polished—regardless of the device you use—with these tips.