One Way to Reduce Others’ Resistance to your ideas and decisions When my girls were toddlers, I discovered the power of presenting options. If I said, “Put on this shirt” or “It’s time for bed,” rebellion inevitably ensued. But if I asked, “Which of these two...
3 Times to Shut Your Mouth In many situations, the wisest response is to keep your mouth shut. As the Dalai Lama said, “Silence is sometimes the best answer.” But that’s not what I’m talking about. When I say “shut your mouth,” I actually mean “keep it closed.”...
Fearlessness vs. Courage: How to Cultivate Each What keeps you up at night? While many people do face real threats to their physical or psychological safety on a daily basis, most of the time, your worries are not about life-and-death situations. Yet these...
When to Avoid Eye Contact One of the most common “body language” tips out there is Look People in the Eye. Make eye contact! I have said it, too. Eye contact demonstrates that you are present and listening, it can show respect and empathy, it conveys confidence, and...
Don’t Fixate, Focus Once, back in the days when we were still having in-person presentations, a client hired me to observe her deliver a speech and provide feedback. As she stood up to speak at the event, the heel of her shoe caught on the hem of her pant leg....
When & How to Interrupt In general… don’t interrupt. In one-on-one conversations and group settings, listen attentively and take turns talking. Don’t monopolize conversations, speak over others, or impatiently finish their sentences. Sometimes, though, you...
