This year has been heavy for HR professionals. First, we quickly took our workforces remote to adapt to the coronavirus crisis. Soon afterward, many of us … Read more
3 Essentials for Telling Your Story to Insiders
HR professionals need to perfect the same storytelling skills as sales professionals. After all, in selling the executive team’s philosophies and policies, … Read more
How to Make Salary Transparency Work at Your Company
Editor’s Note: This is part of a duo of simultaneously published articles about our collective discomfort addressing salary issues more openly. Check … Read more
Dump That Part of Your Communication That People Skip
When asked by an aspiring novelist the secret to his success, crime novelist Elmore Leonard replied: “I try to leave out the parts that readers tend to … Read more
Communicate Personal Loyalty As a Leader
It would be great if every organization won the heart and mind of every employee so they felt loyalty just because they got a paycheck. But of course, … Read more
4 Reflections for HR Leaders Facing Enormous Changes
Like many HR professionals, leading through COVID-19 has been one of the most difficult challenges I have seen in my 20-year career. As an Orlando, … Read more
Need to Communicate Change in the Workplace? Focus on WIIFM to Gain Employee Buy-In
Sheryl Crow’s song “A change Would Do You Good” certainly isn’t about organizational change. But emphasizing how a change will benefit employees is an … Read more
4 Interview Questions to Avoid Hiring Toxic Employees
Your success often depends on the emotional intelligence of people you hire in strategic positions. That means you need to make hiring decisions based on … Read more
Structuring the Hiring Interview
In my first few years as owner/CEO of a small business, I wasted far too much time interviewing job applicants. My habit was to ask a few softball … Read more
Adapting the HR Communications Toolkit for a Post-COVID World
The COVID-19 crisis has upended the workplace as we know it. To prevent the pandemic’s spread, employees everywhere have made the shift to remote work. … Read more
How to Reverse a Bad First Impression
You’ve heard it said: “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” That may be true—but you can definitely change that impression. Case … Read more
Communication Tips From the World of Entertainment
Consider your favorite movie, play, or novel. Which kept you awake at night? Which popped into your consciousness days or months later? Those outstanding … Read more
How to Tap Into Your Workforce’s Negotiation Potential
Take a moment to visualize a negotiation. What type of scenario did you imagine? What did the negotiator look like? What was their communication style? … Read more
4 Steps to Managing Tough Conversations During COVID-19
Do your stakeholders and team members have the communication skills necessary to succeed in this unprecedented time? Do they know how to artfully and … Read more
How to Communicate With Employees During Crisis
During a time of crisis like the Coronavirus pandemic, people’s attention splinters from work to the all-encompassing chaos of what’s happening … Read more
4 Tactics to Speak Up and Hold the Floor Long Enough to Make Your Point
When others conclude that you rarely speak up, your career stalls. The ability to command attention and build a case are attributes closely associated with … Read more
How to Help Employees Who Are Depressed or Suicidal
Dr. Lorna M. Breen, a top ER doctor who treated virus patients in a Manhattan hospital, recently died by suicide. According to her father, her job treating … Read more
Remote Work Isn’t the Time to Overlook Engagement and Connection
Microsoft recently set the standard for prioritizing company connectedness in a time of fully remote work. The tech giant managed to pull off a historic, … Read more
Compassion and Communication: This Moment Will Define Your Business for Years
The world is navigating uncharted territory, and a new normal is emerging. All of us are having to adjust to the way we live at levels we would never have … Read more
To Talk or Write? A Critical Communication Decision—Part 2
Last week’s column presented seven reasons to write rather than talk to your employees, suppliers, and strategic partners: Allows time to re-read and … Read more