Category Archive

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The cost of bad meetings

Wayne Turmel | 26 March 2019

Bad meetings cost companies billions of dollars every year. But this waste is easily avoidable if only we'd all ask ourselves a couple of basic questions and think a little more about how and why we have meetings.

Are you hiding behind technology?

Wayne Turmel | 06 August 2018

We all get tired, rushed and overworked. And when we do, it's tempting to use technology as an excuse to take the easy way out by avoiding confrontation or uncomfortable conversations.

Ask your team a 3,000 year-old question

Wayne Turmel | 22 June 2018

If you're mindful as to your meeting's purpose and desired outcome, you will accomplish far more than if you approach it as an empty ritual.

Tapping into the power of oratory

Janet Howd | 20 February 2018

When you're preparing to give a presentation, have you ever stopped to consider that what's going on in the back of your mind is likely to have a big impact on its chance of being a success?

Is communication the problem, or teamwork?

James M. Kerr | 05 December 2017

Sometimes we can get fooled into thinking that poor communication is a problem when it’s really a symptom of something much more profound: poor organizational design that undermines the ability of people to work in teams.

Words of mass disruption

Janet Howd | 03 October 2017

Unless we can start to discern truth from falsehood, the slow but persistent infiltration of spurious news will inevitably lead humanity down the road of serious physical consequences.

Five simple, curmudgeonly email rules

Wayne Turmel | 01 September 2017

Many things in life are necessary but annoying - especially email. So here are five simple things everyone can do with their emails that will help make everyone less generally cranky:

Do your filters stop you from hearing?

Peter Vajda | 08 May 2017

Every time you have a conversation, what you hear gets distorted by the unconscious listening filters each of us develops early in life and carries with us into adulthood. And that means that too often, we listen but we don't really hear.

Success depends on you

Janet Howd | 26 April 2017

One of the most stressful situations anyone can find themselves in is delivering a presentation. But as with any human endeavour, the key to delivering a successful outcome is simple. Practise.

How to increase the effectiveness of leadership team meetings

Achim Preuss | 25 April 2017

Poorly-managed meetings are a catastrophic waste of time, leading to poor decisions, unresolved problems and missed opportunities. So here are six actions that can make leadership team meetings more productive.

Boredom, smartphones and cultural intelligence

David Livermore | 13 April 2017

Moments of boredom free up our mind to think creatively. But who has time to be bored these days? Most people seem to be glued to their smartphones whenever there’s a moment to spare.

Should we judge?

Duane Dike | 11 April 2017

Making assumptions about others is a risky business. We don’t know their lives. We don’t know their happiness or their loneliness. We don’t know how they confront their issues. So why not converse? Enjoy it while you can, then move on when the environment changes.

Dealing with a space invader

John McLachlan | 18 January 2017

We all know them. They’re the space invaders, the people who waste your time at work, ignore your boundaries and make you feel uncomfortable. But how do you spot one - and how do you deal with them?

Meaning what we say?

Janet Howd | 09 January 2017

An unintended consequence of the aftermath of the deregulation of the financial markets in the late 1980s was the deregulation of once-powerful words that has stripped them of much of their impact.

Your voice and your identity

Janet Howd | 08 December 2016

Technology has made it possible to identify anyone by their unique voice pattern within about three seconds. That has some interesting implications - for good and for ill.

You can't take the practice out of presenting

Janet Howd | 25 October 2016

Our fear of giving a presentation often means we perform well below par. But running a marathon scares people too, yet those who try it usually perform well. Why should that be?

North America's accent problem

Wayne Turmel | 04 October 2016

As a Canadian who spends a lot of time on international conference calls and webinars, it's impossible not to notice that almost everyone can deal with foreign accents except (North) Americans.

Five ways to present like an Olympian

Wayne Turmel | 23 August 2016

Being right is no guarantee of success when trying to sway others. When putting information across to others, you need to be clear, organized, appealing, in control and deliver in ways that boost your credibility.

Interconnectedness: a blessing or a curse?

Janet Howd | 12 August 2016

For a species that is often belligerent and territorial, it isn't surprising that human beings are finding the sudden interconnectedness brought about by technology sometimes difficult to handle.

Taking the terror out of talking

Janet Howd | 08 July 2016

Apple’s new Breathe app is designed to help reduce stress through deep breathing. But breathing is also critical to taking the terror out of speaking or presenting in public.

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