How can you develop a culture of storytelling at your organization? Four quick tips: 1. Meetings: get into the habit of starting each meeting with a story. Ask for others to share stories. 2. Contests: you might have an “employee of the month” contest: why not try a “employee story of the month” contest? 3. …
Do we really need business cards anymore? I find that when I go out to meet people, I’m more inclined to exchange LinkedIn information. Other people I know exchange electronic contact info to stay in touch. When someone tries to hand me a business card, I usually try to ward them off. I know I’m …
Sometimes, voice typing can come in handy for really unexpected reasons! It’s October 1, and it’s freezing. My poor fingers are now cramped from typing in a cold room all morning. Google Voice Typing to the rescue! I’ll open up Google Docs, activate voice typing, and talk through a first draft. I can always go …
Some people feel scared or nervous before they deliver a speech. To gain confidence, they might go somewhere private right before they speak and strike what’s called a power pose. This is a broad, expansive gesture like putting your arms over your head and looking up. It’s a classic pose of someone who just won! …
I got a special offer in the mail on Saturday. It was marked “Urgent”. I felt puzzled. After all, the mail isn’t an urgent medium. The postal service takes its time. But I skimmed the letter, anyway. It offered me 20 bucks if I would do a thing. I don’t even want to know what …
You’re a bit psychic. You may not know this. But you can forecast the near future pretty well. For example, you can look at a stranger’s face as she walks toward you in a crowded airport. With one wordless glance, you know where she’s going next. In a split second, you’ve analyzed her facial expressions …
Consider these four questions. You’ve seen headlines like these in your social media feeds: Who suffers more: Alzheimer’s patients or Alzheimer’s caregivers? What’s more important: presentation content or presentation delivery? Office work or remote work: which is better for productivity? Why would anyone need to go to college when they could just take online classes? …
Three years ago, I organized an online web conference. At the request of an organization, I interviewed three of their Subject Matter Experts to get background information for a presentation. The following photo is a re-creation of what I saw in this online meeting: Uh-huh. That’s right. For almost the entire interview, I stared at …
In the 1990’s, I worked for a company that changed its dress code. We went from business formal to business casual. Employees accepted this change readily. I felt like I got a raise, because my dry cleaning expenses almost disappeared. And the comfort of ditching a suit for the dark jeans, tee-shirt, and blazer combo? …
On a personal note, friends have texted me the octopus emoji over the past year. Same deal with the fire emoji. These are inside jokes. They make me smile. The red hot octopus emoji? They help me bond with my friends. 🐙🔥 But what about using emoji in business? How well are businesses using emoji …