Unaccepted Compliments Our common responses to compliments are pathetic. We deny, argue, laugh it off, self-insult, question, narrow the scope, and/or boomerang the compliment. When we do, we’re insulting the compliment giver. We’re saying they have poor judgement. They tell us we did a great job and we say, “It was nothing.” They wonder if […]
Have you ever met someone who you just couldn’t get through to? There could be many reasons for this, one of the most common is different communication styles. Communication styles are deeply engrained, based on hereditary and environmental factors. Our “style” tends to remain rather constant through life. Since it’s all we know, many leaders […]
No is a complete sentence. Why do some leaders have a hard time with these two little letters? Why it’s Hard to Say No According to Dr. Judith Tingley, author of Say What You Mean, Get What You Want: A Businessperson’s Guide to Direct Communication, the biggest barrier to communicating assertively is fear. We fear […]
According to William Strunk Jr.’s Elements of Style, “Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.” Too many details cause the minds of your audience to wander. Know when […]
Why Give Compliments Positive feedback motivates, balances out criticism, bolsters esteem, and may prevent an employee from giving up. Compliments bridge the gap between where we are and where we’d like to be. They convey respect, the cornerstone of a healthy working relationship. Compliments require humility from the giver and raise up the recipient. It […]
