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Communication
People are messy and complicated, and sometimes they disappoint us. When a friend or family member does something that hurts our feelings, it’s tempting to lash out or express anger. Maybe a friend cancels dinner plans at the last minute for no apparent reason, never returns your texts, or doesn’t invite you to their baby…
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I recently binge watched a delightful reality show called “The Later Daters,” which follows people in their 50s to early 70s navigating the dating scene. What made it so interesting wasn’t just the unique contestants, but the show’s dating coach who offered invaluable advice about conversation, presentation and dating expectations. While two successful matches emerged…
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Many of my single friends are dating and, yes, yours truly is too. Let me just say, dating is weird at my age. In my before-marriage dating days you just met people and if you liked them you went on a few dates and eventually decided if this was the forever person. There was no…
Read MoreI recently returned from a delightful Rick Steves tour of Slovenia and Croatia. Our group consisted of 26 people from diverse backgrounds with different values, interests, and opinions, yet we all got along wonderfully. This is particularly remarkable given the many hours we spent together each day—whether riding a bus, standing shoulder to shoulder on…
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I’m a bit behind on my TV series watching so I’m just finishing the third season of the highly acclaimed Apple TV series, Ted Lasso. From the very first show in season one I was hooked. The series is about an American football coach, Ted Lasso, who is recruited to lead AFC Richmond, a fictional…
Read MoreA friend of mine implored me to write something about the use of the phrase “no problem.” She was the recipient of the words at her dental appointment. Upon arriving at the dentist’s office, she was instructed to wait in her car until they were ready for her. Because it was hot outside, she started…
Read MoreMuch has changed in the business world since the pandemic wreaked havoc in our lives. Remote work has become the norm for office workers; in-person meetings have morphed into often mind-numbing virtual meetings and conversation has been replaced by chaterruptions. Business casual is now business sweats and networking is pretty much non-existent. Some of these…
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With the New Year approaching, many of us think about goals for the coming year. If your plan is to find a job, get promoted or grow your client base there’s no better way to do that then to network. However, given the pandemic you might be wondering how you can connect with others in…
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Are you getting the most out of your meetings? Are your employees engaged and freely contributing? Are decisions being made in an expeditious way? Chances are your meetings are not accomplishing much. According to a study by Atlassian, people spend 31 hours per month in unproductive meetings. And what do participants do in those meetings?…
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A colleague of mine has a podcast called How Can I Say This where she discusses everyday communication conundrums. Beth Buelow, is the founder of the podcast and owner of ZOPA Consulting, Someone submitted a question to her about how to tell someone they chew with their mouth open, so naturally, as an etiquette expert,…
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