As we start the new year, what better way to inspire your team and build stronger relationships with coworkers and clients than to communicate sincere words of appreciation? As Mark Twain once quipped, “I can live two months on a good compliment.” Good intentions count—but delivering your commendation well is even better. Consider the following [...]
Just because praising others comes easily as a leader, don’t be lulled into thinking that your commendations and congratulations are effective and welcomed. Praise, just like constructive feedback, takes skillful delivery. These tips will provide perspective on giving commendations that motivate rather than deflate. Notice opportunities to praise. Some leaders think they’re too busy to [...]
With a close friend or a family member, hugs may be in order. But in business, it’s customary to shake hands when you Meet someone outside your work environment in a public place. Enter someone’s office or work area (unless you do so several times a week). Conclude a business deal. Conclude an interview. Leave [...]
Walking through airports these days, I often chuckle to myself as I survey a scene that looks like a mental hospital, with patients wandering about aimlessly, talking aloud to themselves. (No offense intended to those of you who have loved ones institutionalized. I’ve had occasion to visit such a place, where my grandfather had to [...]
In most cultures, laughter and giggles indicate good humor, goodwill, joy, and amusement. But in some cultures, laughter and giggling may mask pain or embarrassment. My Okinawan cleaning lady met me one day after work with a bad case of the giggles; she was embarrassed over having broken a cherished vase. To me, it was [...]
People in some cultures are expressive over the slightest pain or joy, with wild gesturing and body movement, varying intonation, and dramatic facial expressions. Those living in other cultures may experience the deepest pain or joy with no outward expressions at all––no gesturing, expressionless faces, monotone voices, and stillness. Consider the stoic faces of the [...]
In various cultures, all the following gestures can mean yes: a raised head and chin, a nod forward, rocking the head from shoulder to shoulder four times, wagging the head from side to side, a backward nod with raised eyebrows, or a smile. Noes may be communicated by a finger wagging from side to side, [...]
I’m speaking literally here. People from different cultures require more or less physical space to feel comfortable. If you stand too close to them, you may violate their sense of personal space; if you stand too far away when interacting with them, you may create unnecessary emotional distance. In general, Americans feel most comfortable interacting [...]
Making a circle with the thumb and forefinger means “OK” or zero in the United States; however, it conveys zero or worthlessness in France, money in Japan, and an obscenity in Russia and some South American cultures. A pointed finger, which is perfectly acceptable to Americans, is considered rude by Asians, Africans, and Belgians. Remembering [...]
If you’re trying to make either a serious or a humorous point, verify that your illustration does in fact make your point. For example, if you tell a story describing an “absent-minded” professor, you may intend the professor to be the butt of the joke, while your listener may revere the professor because of his [...]
