Episodes

In this episode, join me as I discuss why people are so reluctant to embrace quiet, especially during the day. Drawing on my expertise as a professional, entrepreneur, and author, I explore ten reasons behind this resistance and shed some light on the importance of embracing silence. Discover how incorporating moments of quiet can enhance your impact, clarity, and focus in the workplace. The post Ep. 291 – Why people avoid quiet (really, run from it!) appeared first on Just Saying.

In this week’s episode, I discuss how people often confuse hoping for understanding with actually knowing if their message was received. I provide three key steps to ensure effective communication: making a clear and simple point, asking for feedback or playback from the audience, and connecting the message to what matters to them. The post Call EP – Hoping vs. knowing your point got across? appeared first on Just Saying.

In this week’s episode, I discuss the importance of making time for people in our busy lives and emphasize the significance of intentional communication. I discuss the value of being a good listener and the impact of regular conversations with coworkers, friends, and family. Join me as I share my personal experiences and provide practical tips on how we can prioritize people in our lives without sacrificing clarity and brevity. The post Ep. 290 – Making time for people appeared first on Just Sa...

In this episode of Just Saying, I talk about the disagreeable nature of gray communication and how it can be detrimental to effective communication. I explain how generative AI like Chat GPT can be used to write generic corporate messages and how it can lead to bland, beige, or grayish communication. I also give some tips on how to avoid being bland and how to speak with conviction to avoid falling into the trap of gray communication. The post Ep. 289 – Disagreeable gray communication appeared ...

In this week’s podcast episode, I discuss the importance of knowing when to stop and field questions or comments during a presentation or briefing. Many presenters make the mistake of asking for questions at the wrong time, resulting in silence or irrelevant questions. I share strategies for designing time for questions and emphasize the value of making presentations interactive. The post Ep. 288 – When to stop for questions and comments appeared first on Just Saying.

In this week’s episode of “Just Saying,” I dive into the perplexing question of when to call a meeting or when to cancel one. I stress the importance of having a clear agenda and promoting active engagement during meetings and provide five compelling reasons to call or cancel a meeting. Remember, meetings are meant for discussion and decision-making, not just sharing information. The post Ep. 287 – When to call a meeting (and cancel one) appeared first on Just Saying.

In this podcast, I discuss the importance of providing effective updates. Whether you’re updating a colleague in a higher role or someone who works for you, it’s crucial to get it right. Frustration arises when expectations are unfulfilled. Timing and quality of updates play a significant role. Getting updates right can eliminate unnecessary tension and improve communication. The post Ep. 286 – When to provide an update appeared first on Just Saying.

In this week’s podcast, I stress the importance of asking good questions and emphasize the need to take time when formulating questions beforehand. I recommend using a [brief] map to organize one’s thoughts during a conversation. Additionally, I highlight the value of open-ended questions and the power of asking “why”. I also encourage listeners to practice asking good questions in their daily conversations in order to be effective communicators. The post Ep. 285 – The power of quiet query appea...

In this podcast episode, I talk about my take on AI and its impact on communication. I’ll discuss how AI can be used as a tool to jumpstart the creative process for writers, conduct research, and develop clear and concise headlines. I will also share my experience with using AI to explore several topics and provide examples of the types of questions you can ask AI when generating written content. Overall, AI is a powerful tool that can help writers and communicators become more efficient and eff...

In this podcast episode, I discuss the growing impact of artificial intelligence on communication. I specifically focus on generative AI, which can create new data and content that imitates human-created content. I explore the potential benefits for writers who can now have a partner and researcher sitting beside them to help with research and starting points for writing. However, I also emphasize the need for quiet reflection and better questioning in order to fully understand the implications ...

I discuss the power and potential harm of disclaimers in communication. I emphasize the importance of being aware of how disclaimers can trigger listeners’ brains and change their listening, and encourage careful consideration before using them. I offer examples of both helpful and harmful disclaimers, and urge listeners to observe how they are affected by disclaimers in conversations with others. Ultimately, I advise using a disclaimer only if it will help the conversation, not harm it. The po...

It’s easy to understand why you tune out a subject matter expert (SME) that doesn’t interest you and talks too much. But what happens when you meet some who’s proficient in an area that deeply interests and intrigues you and they drone on? You may initially feel like you won the lottery only to discover that you want to give back your ticket. Listen in to find out what happens. The post Ep. 281 – What happens when an expert you like holds court appeared first on Just Saying.

On a recent business trip to Europe, I went to two different places with rich historic significance and learned an indispensable lesson on focus. In this week’s episode, I share a few personal experiences that left me scratching my head and wondering what were people thinking. The post Ep. 280 – Can you make room for silence? appeared first on Just Saying.

With the hurried pace of day-to-day life filled with so many competing priorities, everything can quickly become a blur. It’s up to you to choose to stop to take a break, yet we don’t. Whether it’s just for a minute or half a day, we need to periodically pause. In this episode, I lay out a series of moments where we need to allow ourselves a time out. The post Call Back Episode – Ep 230 – Permission to pause appeared first on Just Saying.

Do you frequently think of the cost of poor communication? As it is getting easier to spread the word, it also is getting more expensive in a variety of areas. In this episode, I share some considerations of the range of real risks we face when we should have said nothing at all. The post Call back Episode – Ep 208 – Talk isn’t cheap appeared first on Just Saying.

One of the contributing causes to bad meetings is that nobody takes notes. After a long, meandering discussion, there is no one assigned to capture key topics, define action items, and keep everyone on track for the next meeting. The result is that professionals repeat the same conversations and slow down progress. In this episode, I provide some practical guidance to write clear and concise summaries that make an impact. The post Ep. 279 – Writing [brief] meeting summaries appeared first on Ju...

For many, working from home is a dream: no commute, greater autonomy, fewer distractions, and time to focus. Though remote work can have many such rewards, it also poses some serious professional and personal risks if not managed well. Isolation, exclusion, and insecurity are high on the list, along with losing facetime and seeming like you’re a ghost. The post Ep. 278 – The real risks of remote working appeared first on Just Saying.

In an instant, our minds can race all over the place. Did you ever wonder why that happens to all of us while we’re listening, thinking and talking? It’s like someone let a squirrel loose in our mental attic. In this episode, I dive deeper into a core principle from the books BRIEF and NOISE. The post Ep. 277 – The power (and peril) of the Elusive 600 appeared first on Just Saying.

Professionals that are in important leadership positions are not only incredibly busy, but also under a lot of pressure to perform and produce. Communicating to them is risky because they can be scattered, irritable, quick to judge and hard to read. In this podcast, I outline five things to consider doing that will keep you on track and them from losing their focus and cool. The post Ep. 276 – 5 Mistakes when communicating to busy, burdened leaders appeared first on Just Saying.

While you are working, there’s an impetus to always be doing or saying something. Imagine if you discovered pockets of time where you actually could do or say nothing, like between appointments or waiting to board a flight. In this episode, I challenge you to consider doing nothing rather than impulsively trying to say or do something or everything. The post Ep. 275 – The discipline of doing nothing appeared first on Just Saying.

Recent research indicates that spending time online, especially on social media, fundamentally changes our perception of time. If asked how much time do you think you actually spend online each day, would your answer be accurate? In this episode, I challenge you to rethink the time you allocate online (versus what you get in return), while not arguing to turn it off completely. https://www.wsj.com/articles/our-sense-of-time-is-way-offespecially-time-we-spend-on-the-internet-11673652432 https://...

I was reminded of a few scenes from the movie “The Princess Bride” and inspired by a few business meetings to take a closer look at the precise words we choose to use and how they might lose people. It may be inconceivable that you fall prey to such a plethora of temptations to bemuse your audience. Listen in to find out if you do. https://bestlifeonline.com/common-words/ The post Ep. 273 – Words you know but don’t really know appeared first on Just Saying.

Over the years, we have developed several tools to help you think clearly and communicate concisely. They are simple, practical, and repeatable. In the podcast, I share a short list of go-to tools that can help you become an intentional communicator who always makes an impact. The post Ep. 272 – Putting tools in your toolbelt appeared first on Just Saying.

Some people just don’t know much and others really don’t know what they don’t know. Regardless if they are smart, uniformed, or a dim bulb with no experience, we may need to talk with them and get them up to speed. In this episode, I encourage you not to get annoyed, talk over them or roll your eyes. The post Ep. 271 – Communicating to someone who is clueless appeared first on Just Saying.