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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Clutter. We all have it in our lives, whether it’s that kitchen drawer stuffed with decades of smoke detector manuals, or stacks of paper under a sticky note saying “To Be Filed.” In the past few months I’ve faced a whole new level of clutter, because I’ve been getting ready to move out of my…
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I am sure you’ll agree that both in our personal and in our business relationships we need to know that we’re being understood and our concerns are being taken seriously. I’m always pleased when someone who is looking to do business with me seems genuinely curious about the kind of work I do at The…
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I’ve often blogged about the importance of words because our words have a powerful impact. It’s the reason I chose the word “human” instead of “soft,” in the heading of this post. To me, the idea that essential communication skills are “soft,” suggesting they are less important than “hard” or technical skills, is just plain…
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Which of the following sentences do you think is true? A. One of the greatest benefits to communication is the cell phone. B. One of the great barriers to communication is the cell phone. Both could be true. Unfortunately “B,” the cell phone as a barrier to communication, is becoming all too common. Just the…
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When U.S. President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this summer what made the biggest news was Trump’s now infamous “would” vs. “wouldn’t” gaff. In the press conference following the meeting, Trump talked about how Putin claimed Russia had not interfered with the 2016 U.S. elections. Trump appeared to agree with the Russian president,…
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I love watching professional tennis matches: the impressive strategizing, the physical feats, and the sheer intensity of play. And even though pro tennis players make their incredible skill and athleticism look like second nature, of course it takes an enormous amount of effort and training to reach that level. The fact is, being a pro at anything — whether it’s…
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I think, at this point, I can safely say that no one in the world is more famous for speaking his or her mind than U.S. President Donald Trump. Also true: his blunt and sometimes nasty words have repercussions. I say this as a Canadian who woke up to the news, following the recent G7…
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It’s been quite some spring in Toronto where I live. Snow in April! Rain for days! Nearly hurricane force thunderstorms! So I wasn’t surprised when my neighbours decided it was time to fix their wet, leaky basement. They’ve talked about doing it for quite some time. However, to fix the problem, the contractor had to…
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