It’s the start of a brand new year, and everyone is advising you to set greater goals and higher expectations for the year ahead. But what about the goals you set last year? Did you fulfill all of them? Before you turn your eyes to the future, are there important lessons to be learned from your past? In this week's episode the Guys encourage everyone to identify the lessons of last year’s disappointments before setting goals and expectations for the new year ahead.
When you meet someone for the first time, they form an impression of you in a matter of seconds—and that first impression is very hard to change. According to research, the character quality that everyone instinctively looks for first is “warmth.” Do people perceive you as a “warm” person? In this episode the Guys discuss intriguing research in the social sciences that reveals the importance of personal warmth and give practical tips for developing that quality.
Do you know what you sound like to others? Do your listeners perceive you as weak? Blunt? Rude? Overpowering? Sometimes our perception of ourselves doesn’t match the way we actually come across, and that’s when communication can break down. This week's episode is “Do You Know What You Sound Like to Others?” where the Guys discuss how to avoid career-endangering blind spots by learning to hear yourself the way others hear you.
According to today’s guest, much of what you’ve heard about millennials isn’t true. She should know: She’s a millennial herself, and she built a nationally-known company by hiring only millennials. Today the Guys continue their interview with Kristen Hadeed, founder of the company Student Maid and author of the bestselling business book, “Permission to Screw Up: How I Learned to Lead by Doing (Almost) Everything Wrong.”
Did you ever make a major mistake in your business? Meet a woman who launched a cleaning business while she was still a college student, signed a contract to clean 800 apartments, then had 75% of her employees quit on their first day of work. Today the Guys interview Kristen Hadeed, founder of the company Student Maid and author of the bestselling business book, “Permission to Screw Up: How I Learned to Lead by Doing (Almost) Everything Wrong.”
Do you ever feel lonely? Did you know that in a recent survey of 3,000 corporate CEOs, more than 50% described themselves as feeling isolated and lonely? The fact is, we’re now living in what many experts are calling an “epidemic of loneliness.” Episode 116 of The Communication Guys podcast is “The Epidemic of Loneliness,” where the Guys offer 5 insights into where this epidemic came from, why it’s become so prevalent, and what each of us can do to overcome it.
Are you a grateful person? Do you make a habit of expressing gratitude to others? We all love to receive gratitude, but did you know that there are tangible benefits for the person who gives it? Episode 115 of The Communication Guys podcast is “Why Gratitude is Good for Your Health,” where the Guys describe 5 personal benefits of a lifestyle of gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving to all our listeners here in the U.S.!
Do you suffer from a “brain bias?” We all do. A brain bias is a faulty way of thinking that’s hardwired into every human brain. They’re common to all of us, and they can lead us to make some very bad decisions about the way we communicate. Episode 114 of The Communication Guys podcast is “Why We Make Bad Communication Choices,” where clinical psychologist Dr. Tom Barrett explains how a brain bias works, and describes 5 common brain biases that lead us all to some bad decisions.
Did you know that one of America’s founding fathers made a lifelong study of conversational skills? He formed a club for his friends and colleagues whose sole purpose was to allow them to become better communicators. What did he learn from his years of study, and what can we learn from him today? Episode 113 of The Communication Guys podcast is “Conversation Tips from a Founding Father,” where The Guys recount 5 “conversational sins” identified by one of America’s first citizens. His insights are almost 300 years old, but just as relevant today.
Of all the critical issues related to communication, what’s the most important topic of all? Not this one—this episode is just for fun, and we had a lot of laughs recording it. Episode 112 of The Communication Guys podcast is “5 Reasons to Enjoy Halloween,” where The Guys reminisce about their own memories of Halloween, and offer perceptive insights like “Candy is good” and “We all need to lighten up.” Will you be a better communicator after this episode? No—but you’ll be in a better mood.
How do you deal with a person who always blames their problems on someone or something else? How do you relate to someone who constantly complains but never accepts advice, because they’ve cast themselves in the role of helpless victim? Episode 111 of The Communication Guys podcast is “How to Deal with a Victim Mentality,” where The Guys describe the characteristics of a victim mentality, and offer advice on the best way to manage a worker or loved one who has that mindset.
Are you an entrepreneur? What exactly is an entrepreneur? Does the label rightly apply to anyone who starts a business, is self-employed, or has a clever idea? Or does that word imply something more? Episode 110 of The Communication Guys podcast is “Are You Really an Entrepreneur?” where The Guys describe 5 characteristics of a true entrepreneur, and what we can all learn from the great ones.
What are the critical elements in crafting a powerful story? As important as stories are in business communication, why do so many executives hesitate to tell them? When are the right and wrong times to include a story, and what are the biggest mistakes we make in telling them? Episode 109 of The Communication Guys podcast is “Tell Me a Story or Tell Me Goodbye, Part 2,” where The Guys continue their interview with Jerome Deroy, CEO of Narativ, on the increasingly important skill of “business storytelling.”
Have you ever noticed that great leaders are almost always great storytellers? Why is that? What do they understand about the power of storytelling, and what can we learn from them? Episode 108 of The Communication Guys podcast is “Tell Me a Story or Tell Me Goodbye, Part 1,” where The Guys interview Jerome Deroy, CEO of Narativ, a company that teaches salespeople, Chief People Officers, executives, and teams the art of “business storytelling.”
Have you reached a plateau in your career? Do you sometimes feel as if you’re standing still, while you’re forced to watch co-workers with no more education or experience than you get promoted to positions that you think you deserve? In Episode 107 of The Communication Guys podcast, The Guys explain the reasons why we hit career plateaus, and give 5 tips for preparing a response strategy that can help you move beyond them.
Are you trying to pitch a product or service, but for some reason your customer just doesn’t seem interested? Are you proposing a partnership—either with a business colleague or with a romantic interest—but your proposal is being greeted with a yawn? You might be making a classic marketing mistake. In this episode of The Communication Guys podcast, The Guys describe the subtle differences between features, benefits, and results, and the role that each plays in making a successful pitch.
Have you lost the ability to find pleasure in things you normally enjoy? Do you struggle with a sense of fatigue that you just can’t shake? Do you feel as though you’ve lost passion, creativity, patience, and tolerance with others? You may be suffering from burnout. In this episode, The Guys describe how to recognize the early symptoms of burnout and how to deal with it before it takes control of your life.
Why do park rangers lob explosives onto a mountainside to purposely start an avalanche? Answer: Because the avalanche you start yourself is the easiest one to control. Episode 104 of The Communication Guys podcast is “Dealing with Conflicts Before they Become Conflicts,” where The Guys explain how to deal with disagreements while they’re still minor grievances and before they erupt into full-blown battles.
Do conversations feel like a boulder you’re trying to roll uphill? Do your interactions with others seem like a fire that’s always about to go out—and it’s up to you to somehow keep the fire going? Do you feel like you’re always the one who has to carry the conversation? In this episode, The Guys give 5 practical tips for keeping a conversational fire burning and turning an exhausting burden into an effortless delight.
Your current skills allowed you to land the job you have now, but what are the skills that will allow you to hold on to that job in the future? What are the skills that future employers will value most—the skills that will allow some to advance, while others remain stuck where they are? In this episode, The Guys describe 5 increasingly important but commonly neglected business skills that no successful person can afford to ignore.
How many times are you interrupted in the average day? Does it make you feel angry or disrespected? The truth is, sometimes you have to interrupt, so how do you do it in a way that doesn’t make you seem rude, annoying, or thoughtless? In Episode 101 of The Communication Guys podcast, the Guys describe the delicate art of cutting in without creating anger and resentment in your listener.
In business as well as relationships, we sometimes make the mistake of focusing on the larger issues and forgetting that there are small things that have the power to make a remarkable difference. In this Communication Guys podcast, the Guys describe 6 simple, easy, but commonly overlooked practices that can greatly increase our ability to connect with others.
Do you ever get tired of conversations where everyone is competing for the spotlight and bragging about their accomplishments? Is boasting, resume padding, and inflated claims of past achievement the only path to success in your career? In today’s episode, the Guys discuss an undervalued and overlooked quality that’s finally beginning to receive the attention it deserves. If you really want to learn to stand out from the crowd, this episode is for you.
How important are communication skills to overall business success? What communication abilities do all great leaders share? What communication blunders do we commonly commit that might limit our career potential? Episode 98 of The Communication Guys podcast is “How the Best Get to the Top,” where The Guys interview Valerie Norton, Chief People Officer of Habitat for Humanity International, about the critical role of communication skills in career advancement.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by words? What did Francois Fenelon mean when he warned us, “The more you say, the less people remember?” Does endless chatter sometimes seem like a form of mental pollution—and are you contributing to it? In this episode, The Guys discuss the incredible power of brevity and explain why, when it comes to modern communication, sometimes less is more.