What’d She Say?
What people think they’ve heard or read can be very different from what you think you’ve said or written and that’s where the trouble starts. Here’s a 10-step solution....
read more →
I Can Explain It To You But I Can’t Understand It For You
The title above is one of those cute, arrogant bumper sticker quips that people sometimes wish they could say to a difficult person they’re dealing with. Dumbing it down is a term that you hear from a lot of professionals describing the same basic process of reluctantly simplifying something complex ...
read more →
It’s OK, You Can Trust Me
Research and neuroscience is revealing more about the elements of trust, including the idea that we often make decisions about trusting others in as little as 100 milliseconds, and also what we can learn about trust from children. Trust is at the core of engagement and conflict.
Research shows ...
read more →
Reach Out and Touch Someone to Find Collaborative Solutions
OK, so this may not be the most politically correct headline for a blog today, but I will stand by it. For over 20 years, before cell phones made the effort moot, Ma Bell and later AT&T used this slogan to get people to call long distance. It turns out ...
read more →
You’re Invited
We’ve talked a lot in past newsletters about the nuances of facilitating groups toward conclusions, but we haven’t yet said much about the first order of business – getting people to actually show up. If they’re already mad at you, it’s pretty easy. But, otherwise, just because your little gathering ...
read more →
Consensus or Kumbaya
Consensus is, arguably, the true essence of effective democratic public policy. Crafting decisions that most people can live with isn’t easy or quick, but usually beats simple majority voting when 51% wins and 49% of people become losers. Of course, there are people who see consensus as the naïve and ...
read more →
Do This, Not That
If you make presentations to people – and who doesn’t – here are 31 things to avoid....
read more →
Humor is a Funny Thing
The United States is in a bad mood. I was talking with a group of smart people recently who agreed that there’s a general sense of malaise these days. I’m not suggesting there isn’t good reason for it, but we’re taking inconsequential things and ourselves pretty seriously these days – ...
read more →
We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This
Running better gatherings of people is an exercise in understanding human behavior. Here are the simple basics....
read more →
Telling It Like It Isn’t
You probably realize that what comes out of your mouth is often irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Your non-verbal messages are always being broadcast. And when you are speaking, your paralanguage (No, not parrot language) is a big part of what people are paying attention to....
read more →