Fake News. We’ve all heard about it. Whether we realize it or not, we’ve all been victims of it. You may not agree the way U.S. President Trump accuses noteworthy media outlets, such as the New York Times of spreading “fake news, ” but he’s right about one thing: journalists don’t always get it right.…
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Here’s a clue: Don’t be rude. Let me explain. Last week I tried to get into my bank account online. But, for some unknown reason I was locked out. When I called customer service, the person I spoke with (Let’s just call him Rudy.) asked me security questions in order to verify my identity. However,…
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“Your assumptions are the windows on the world. Scrub them off once in a while or the light won’t come in.” -Isaac Asimov Assumptions can lead to faulty outcomes. Take the famous Monty Hall Problem, for example. It demonstrates that the assumption most contestants in that famous game show made when offered a choice of…
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A few words can paint a thousand pictures. It’s what came to mind when I saw the following slogan in big bold font in the Financial Post: We Are Audience Experts. The phrase, “We Are Audience Experts,” perfectly conveys the essence of business communication. You, as a business person, must be an audience expert in…
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I like it when people are direct. So, when I wanted to find out what would turn off someone on the receiving end of a business pitch, I asked Shawn Hamilton, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, of the Ottawa office of CBRE. I’ve worked with Shawn before and I knew I’d get the straight…
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You may have seen the video of a high school boy wearing a Donald Trump “Make America Great Again” cap while seeming to taunt a Native American elder at the Lincoln Memorial. It was as it turns out, a complicated situation. But one thing is clear: Anger fuelled the incident, and after it was over…
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Some of us might have had the misfortune of witnessing road rage while driving. But all of us have been forced to listen to “car horn rage.” Honking their car horn is the way many drivers express themselves— even when it’s obvious that the noise will have absolutely no impact on traffic conditions. I just read…
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The other day I spent about three frustrating hours on the phone trying to talk to an actual human being. I had to tackle some business issues with my financial institution, my insurance company, and my Internet service provider, all in one morning — what a mistake! After wading through the usual voice mail prompts…
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If I had a dollar for every time I’ve received an email that concludes with “please don’t hesitate to contact me,” I’d be a rich woman. It’s such a popular way to end a business email. Yet, it always rings a little false. For one thing, it’s an unnecessarily complicated way of saying, “I’d be…
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