Conversation Curiosity
Like most Americans, I was introduced to the concept of “binge watching” over the past 18 months. This is the act of watching a documentary, comedy, musical, or full-length motion picture at any time and at a back-to-back pace. If your family is like mine, we went back and watched classics like Harry Potter, awaited […]
The Teeter-Totter- Balancing Live and Virtual Exchanges
Have you noticed that people are back? As I was watching the PGA Golf Championship a few weeks ago, I was struck by the number of fans that were swarming around Phil Mickelson as he made history by becoming the oldest player in PGA history to win a major championship (let’s hear it for 50-year-olds). […]
The Impact Value of a Question
When you are preparing to meet with a new client, everyone has their own little rituals they go through prior to that sales conversation. Some sales professionals take a few minutes to: focus on key points go for a quick walk or sit in the car listening to music to clear their heads, shake their […]
What is Instinctive Elaboration
This morning I was at my desk working on a “heads down” project. You know the kind…where you are focused on nothing but the project at hand. As I was working through a spreadsheet, a colleague of mine stepped in and asked me this question… “Hey Jeff, have you seen the new Justice League movie […]
The Art of Storytelling
Once there was a business professional who was highly trained to communicate with product or solution expertise. Each day as she grabbed her briefcase and headed out for her daily adventures, she was filled with a sense of joy, hope, and optimism. One particular day the sun was shining, her car was clean, her favorite […]
Dealing with Wake Up Calls
What is a wake-up call? When you consider it, there are many different types. According to Merriam-Webster, a wake-up call is something that serves to alert a person to a problem, danger, or need. The wake-up calls you get when… your alarm awakens you in the morning you get up from a good night sleep […]
Charging a Dead Battery
As I write this blog, it is a cold winter morning in the Midwest. For those of us who live in cold areas, is there anything worse than being out in freezing weather, and when you get in your car and turn the key… nothing happens. You hear the dreaded “click, click, click” that accompanies […]
An Adoption Story of Thanks
Last week we had the opportunity to lead a socially distanced live training in the beautiful city of Nashville, TN. Honestly, it was great to be interacting in a live setting once again. On our first day of training, I had the opportunity to have lunch and dinner with some of our client team members. […]
Social Isolation and Loneliness- The Power of Connection
A few days ago, I talked to a client, and we discussed the frenzying pace of… the fourth quarter the election COVID-19 working from home kids at school the holiday season with family and friends In all of our lives, there is a crazy contrast between chaos and isolation. I was reminded of the Stockdale […]
Hot Questions and Hot Wings
After reading the title of this blog, you may be asking yourself a great question. “When I think of myself as a professional communicator, what does this topic have to do with anything?” Well, let me tell you. In my years of practical experience, academics, and consulting at Braintrust, my observation is that the concept […]