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 […]
Walk the Talk
When someone says “Walk the Talk”, what does that mean to you? For most individuals, it means backing your words with the action to accomplish whatever the goal/task you said you’d hit. However, many of us have opened our mouths, talked a mean game, and never finished what we said we were going to. So, […]
Blocking The Noise
Finally, last week our family excitedly drove our son back to college at “The” Indiana University in beautiful Bloomington, IN. We were thrilled that he got the opportunity to return to some piece of normalcy to hopefully enjoy his final year. To move him back in, we decided to load up his Jeep and rent […]
“Is All Feedback Relevant?”
A beloved mentor of mine once asked me, “Franc, is all feedback relevant?”. My initial answer was “I think some is and some isn’t”. He then challenged me on my answer… “Why is some feedback not relevant?” he asked. “Some feedback is not always given with full context or might not be right” I answered. […]
Active Listening vs. Hearing – Do you know the difference?
Does the title of this blog capture your attention? There is no doubt that this is a tough one for me. In the essence of humility, I have often struggled with the difference between listening and hearing. People have asked me the question, “Are you a good listener?” and I would answer yes even though […]