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Communication
Can you hear it? It’s the sound of busy hosts shopping, prepping and cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I’m thankful my sister is one of those hosts. She usually hosts Thanksgiving because she has the bigger house and bigger family. The rest of us get to enjoy the gourmet bounty and family gathering in exchange for bringing…
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Illness and loss can be hard topics to discuss. Most people simply don’t know what to say or do when someone they know has been diagnosed with a serious illness or loses a spouse or child. It seems extra hard when that someone is an employee or coworker. When personal matters intertwine with work we…
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I recently discovered something about myself that was dismaying. It’s such a simple thing but I realized my actions were not portraying my best self.
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My fabulous children’s manners teacher, Jan Townsend, forwarded me a Facebook post written by someone I don’t know. The author’s name is Amy and I was both excited and moved by her words. In her post she talked about teaching her daughter, who was entering middle school, about kindness. To teach the lesson, she had…
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This is a guest post by Stacy O’Daffer, Clise Etiquette Associate. “She will finally appreciate you after she lives without you.” It’s a mother’s universal salve for the wound of a child leaving for college. That this loss will be filled at some later, undefined moment does little to sooth the heartbreak. But then, it’s…
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In 2001 I joined Toastmasters, a speaking and leadership skills organization, and it changed my life. I was a devoted member of the Seattle General Toastmasters club for eight years. Recently, I returned to my club to see all of my buddies, some of whom have been members for 30 plus years. For many longtime…
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Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. Dale Carnegie wrote this beautiful quote in his bestselling book How to Win Friends and Influence People. And it’s true. As he pointed out, when you remember and use a person’s name it makes him feel special…
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A friend of mine, I’ll call her Sue, was having a conversation with a couple she met at a party when a colleague walked up and interrupted her discussion. Her colleague Bill didn’t acknowledge the people she was talking to and spoke only to her ignoring the others. It made the people Sue was talking…
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It’s amazing to me how many younger people there are in the workforce these days. I guess that means I’m getting old. According to statistics by the Pew Research Center, millennials now make up the majority of the workforce. In 2015 they surpassed Baby Boomers and Gen Xers in number of workers.
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Did you watch the Academy Awards this year? I thought it was a bit of snooze. Chris Rock had some funny moments – I loved the Girl Scouts cookie sales part – and some important messages about recognizing black films and those who make them. But, overall it wasn’t the most exciting Academy Awards show…
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