COMMUNICATION:

Looking for the latest communication tips? Communication is more than just the delivery of facts and data. True communication is just as much about listening as it is imparting. And there are a lot of ways to do it wrong. Here you can find all the latest news that we have handpicked on this most important topic. Communication: Everyone does it, even when they’re trying not to, and doing it well requires constant improvement. Here you can brush up your skills on ways to avoid failure, use better words, make more relevant points, understand context, make it stick and build understanding. Plus, getting great at presenting … or at least how not to dread it so much.

Nuz

Communication

The Background of Obviousness

One of the best quotes I’ve heard comes from George Bernard Shaw, who said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” It means that it’s common for us to think that people will interpret what we say and write just as we intend ...
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Countering Propaganda

For months, we’ve said we’d avoid getting dragged into current politics in this little blog, but we would not just accept lies, and we’d continue to focus on better ways to engage people and tell the truth well. The daily announcements and rhetoric coming from the current Washington regime can ...
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Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication

I promised myself not to pontificate again about government not communicating to people very well, although it rarely does (… and you see where that’s gotten us). Don’t get me wrong, there are some truly gifted communicators working in government, but they’re usually working with one hand, both feet and ...
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Stupid Questions

“There are no stupid questions” is a popular saying that we use to encourage people to ask questions that they might be afraid of asking, and used in that context it’s a perfectly nice and helpful thing to say. But, the truth is, there are lots of stupid questions, and ...
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Shorter, Cleaner, Simpler

I had a brief conversation with a very nice, young, new neighbor of mine last weekend. And in the course of the conversation, I asked what he did for a living and he said, and I quote, “Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And also ...
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A Translucent Client

I talked with an organization that was running into growing community grumbles on one of their initiatives recently and the principal kept defending their actions by repeating her argument about their supposed “transparency.” She believed because they weren’t intentionally hiding anything, and their plans and operation were out in the ...
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WTHATTA?

I had the honor of speaking and doing a little consulting at a conference last month with a group of highly educated and qualified scientists dealing with what is likely the most serious problem that we know facing humankind. I was the community engagement and communication guy. I felt a ...
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Getting Into Their Heads

Good guys need to communicate as effectively as the not-so-good guys have proven to be able to do. People involved in public participation have often looked at the idea of “persuasion” as something kind of smarmy and inappropriate. The thinking has been that trying to convince somebody of believing anything ...
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