In any conversation where there is a potential for disagreement, it's tempting to try to force - strongarm - the other person in to compliance or agreement. While that sometimes works, it's not generally the best way to gain agreement and cooperation. It's generally better to disarm the other person … [Read more...]

Two situations frequently occur in leadership communication: the conversation that has gone off on a tangent and the conversation that need more time and you either don't have the time or the information to finish it. This week, I'll offer simple strategies to deal with either of these … [Read more...]

What does leadership communication share with negotiation? In a word - persuasion. Coaching, implementing change, and collaborative problem solving all call on leaders to address areas of disagreement and to lead the conversation towards agreement. That skill is basically negotiation. This week, … [Read more...]

When you disagree with another person's perspective, solution, or opinion, a very natural approach is to simply disagree. And, that approach rarely wins their heart and mind. To persuade and influence, learning to disagree without being disagreeable is more likely to invite them to at least consider … [Read more...]

This week's episode collects a number of ideas from across the skills of effective communicators and combines them in to a list of four specific things you can do to improve your communication effectiveness. You'll hear both specific techniques and broad concepts you can learn to apply to all of … [Read more...]