By the time a problem hyper-charged with feeling reaches you, there is a danger of getting singed by the emotional fire. What follows are my rules of thumb to avoid falling into someone else’s emotional tempest.
Communicating with specificity: Not soon, now
Specificity is the cornerstone of effective business communications. Specificity commands attention. Specificity is memorable. Headline writers have figured this out, and so have successful Tweeters.
Think big and start small
Have you ever had an idea that was so perfect, so readily timed, that it was just primed to succeed? But, alas, without heeding voices of caution, a giant overstep caused the concept to plunge?
Things we love in February
This month’s inspirations from PRI include Pinterest, space-saving exercise equipment, TV’s “Downtown Abbey,” Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., TV’s “Fringe,” Michael Hazanavicius’ “The Artist,” and digital civil rights.
The cost-benefit of being polite
“Thank you” doesn’t cost anything. It is quick and it is easy. “Thank you” takes about one second of extra time to type, less to say on the telephone, or, depending on your dexterity, about the same time to send in a text.
Spam filters—Making friends out of enemies
You work hard to create emails that inform and engage your customers. You write, design, proofread, edit, and—proofread again. Then press Send. What happens? Some are bounced, some simply vanish. All that work, and still some email never gets delivered. There are many reasons why an email does not reach an inbox. …
No knead for great bread and innovation
Usually, the way we do things is not necessarily the only way. And, if “that’s the way we’ve always done it” is the stock reply in your organization, then disappearing into the staff dining room, and chewing on an innovative alternative may be just what you’re looking for. It’s true in business and it’s true in the kitchen, for the kitchen is a great work place, as well as a metaphor for innovation and creativity.
