Home Archives for Communicating Effectively

Get a Response with Curiosity, Persistence and Humor

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Have you ever submitted a proposal or applied for a job and then waited... and waited... and waited to hear if you were selected? If that's ever happened to you, I'll bet dollars to donuts that the longer you waited without a response, the more sure you were that you didn't make the cut. Right? You probably figured that if you got the job, someone would let you know as soon as the decision was made. It's fun to deliver good news. But if you didn't get it, they'd delay … [Read more...]

Categories: Communicating Effectively, Getting What You Want

The Oreo Cookie Approach to Constructive Criticism

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How do you feel when someone sends you an email thanking you for something you did and telling you what a great job you did? Feels good, right? Now think about how you feel when you get a curt email pointing out several small mistakes in a big project you spent hours working on. All of that warm positive emotion goes away in a hurry. You feel criticized and under appreciated. Unconstructive Criticism That's just what happened to me this morning when a colleague … [Read more...]

Categories: Building Relationships, Communicating Effectively Tagged: , ,

Awe-Inspiring Family Values – The Decorah Bald Eagles

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Every day, with my cup of coffee in hand, I click on this website to say good morning to the family of Bald Eagles in Decorah, Iowa. Thanks to my friend Pam, I've been watching them for many weeks. I often check on them several times a day.  A webcam fastened to a tree nearby gives me (and anyone else who chooses to look) a birds eye view of this little family. Their good-sized nest is well constructed in the fork of a big tree not far from a walking and biking path. A … [Read more...]

Categories: Building Relationships, Communicating Effectively, Overcoming Challenges Tagged: , ,

Communicate Effectively with Email to Get the Results You Want

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I was talking with my friend J. recently and she was super discouraged. Three of the people she had been trying to connect with for her organization  --  people she had been in close contact with  --  had not responded to several of her emails. She was getting ready to ask them for gifts and they were disappearing! “Is it me?” she moaned. “Did I do something wrong? Have they all decided that they don’t want to help me with this project?” “I feel like I’m on an … [Read more...]

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Dance In the New Year

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My friend M was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. Among the many messages she received, one really stood out. You Will Dance Again. To dance is to give and take. To dance is to call and respond. To dance is to ebb and flow. To dance is to lead and to follow To dance is to be full of the life energy that makes you one with the world. My friend M. has already started dancing again. I hope you will dance your way into and through the New … [Read more...]

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How to Handle Anger: Let Your Curiosity Lead the Way

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Ever been so annoyed with someone that you know you’ll say things you regret if you’re not careful? You feel that chest full of irritation. Your throat is tight and you are having a hard time breathing? It feels awful. How to Handle Anger What can you do? Yell? Rant? Curse? (Cursing’s always a good one for me ‘cause it gets me laughing inside.) But in fact none of those responses are particularly helpful. They just doesn’t lead to constructive steps … [Read more...]

Categories: Communicating Effectively, Overcoming Challenges

Six Tips for Writing Better Emails

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Have you noticed that you seldom talk on the phone these days? That email and texting have just about replaced voice to voice altogether? For people of every age, that's what's happened. I'm a huge fan of email. I like getting it. I like writing it. I like it's quickness and informality and immediacy. And I love that I can delete an email without reading it and no one will be offended (for contrast, think of the problems caused by hanging up on someone!) Here are … [Read more...]

Categories: Communicating Effectively, Productivity Tips Tagged: , ,

Best of Luck – Without It, You’ll Fail

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Best of luck to you! What message do you get when you read that phrase? That the person wishes you well? Or that you'll need a stroke of luck if you're going to succeed? Years ago, when I graduated from the Leadership Program at the Gestalt Institute, one of the faculty members handed me my diploma and said "Good luck, Andrea." And from that time to this, I've never wished anyone good luck. Because when that faculty member wished me good luck, my mind added a … [Read more...]

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Ask for Advice and Be More Successful

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Do you prefer to do most things by yourself? Perhaps you don't have the time or patience to ask for other people's thoughts and opinions. But asking for advice from others can help you in more ways than you realize. Getting Advice from Experts Pays Off Today I wrote an e-letter that will go out to thousands of people. On the surface, the task wasn't difficult. The message was simple and I knocked it out in just a few minutes. But because I wanted to make sure what … [Read more...]

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