Last month I gave a presentation for the 11th Annual Washington State Government Lean Transformation Conference. I have attended and/or spoken at all of the conferences, and they are always a highlight of my professional development journey. 

The team of conference organizers did a remarkable job getting 30+ presenters prepared for the event to run smoothly. They did this in spite of people like me, who was well prepared and still missed hitting the "show your screen" on...

When it comes to improving your workplace communication skills, small changes will make a big difference.

Remember the David Letterman Show and his Top 10 Lists?  I know I'm aging myself here - I got hooked on them in college and still love to use them as a way to illustrate the best of the best - the top of the heap... THE TOP 10! 

So, I've compiled my TOP 10 workplace communication challenges with some ways to make improvements. That includes changing some habits and...

We don’t grow when things are easy, we grow when we face challenges. – Joyce Meyer

Get Comfortable with Uncomfortable Communication

If you want to improve your communication skills and become a more confident communicator there is one skill you need to begin with, and it may be one of the most challenging. That is getting comfortable with new things that are uncomfortable.  

We’ve all had some recent experience in the demands of doing new things. Like many of...

If nothing else, the pandemic that started in 2020 introduced us to an historical digital experience that has changed business communication. And with it the introduction of endless virtual meetings.

The virtual and in-place communication trend is predicted to be the beginning of new era of standard communication revolution. Safe to say, they are here to stay.

One of the biggest challenges is managing all those virtual meetings. How do you keep participants engaged...

Do you want to learn to prevent communication conflicts before they happen? Well, who doesn’t?

Communication conflicts happen. Even with good intentions, misunderstandings occur, and we can find ourselves in the middle of difficult conversations – not always sure how we got there.

Sometimes we find ourselves getting stuck into communication cycle routines. Other times conflict begins when someone shares an unwanted opinion on sensitive topics as politics, religion or...

Do you work or live with a difficult person? Is there someone you need to have a difficult conversation with? Do you want to improve a relationship you have with someone at work or at home? 

It may not seem like it, but it can be done. First, you need to recognize that it’s all about communication or the lack of it. 

Most difficult people are the way they are because the issues or behaviors that make them “difficult” aren’t being addressed.

Do it...

It is the recipient who communicates. The so-called communicator, the person who emits the communication does not communicate; he utters. Unless there is someone who listens, there is no communication. There is only noise. ~ Peter Drucker

This blog is all about improving your virtual listening skills.  Please watch the video with my colleague Michael Fraidenburg, an expert in running online meetings. 

The following is a short summary of the importance of improving active...

Communication works for those who work at it. ~ John Powell

How well do you communicate?

Every contact we make involves communications skills - speaking and listening,  speech patterns, the words we use, the tone of our voice, our body language and even the silences all play a part in how successful our communications are.

Self-awareness can be one of the most effective ways to identify and improve your skills. Take this quick assessment to learn more about how well you currently...