Good Communication

Who Do You Ask For Help?

March 23, 2010 Good Communication

I’ve worked with a lot of really smart people. Ph.D., famous in their fields, a list of accomplishments I would kill for, but I only asked for their advice when I had no other choice. They were a little scary and I only went to them if I had to. My friends were easier to [...]

Full article →

Remote Presentations: Before, During, and After

February 23, 2010 Good Communication

Every presentation has three major portions: before, during, and after. Most of focus on during, but taking a little time to plan before and after makes a big difference. Before Let’s start with the most crucial question: why should anyone come to your presentation? Will they learn a new skill? Are you giving them information [...]

Full article →

Every Demo Is An Emotional Journey

February 9, 2010 Good Communication

Every presentation is an emotional journey. Nancy Duarte said that during an interview and it stuck with me. Every successful presentation takes the audience from one emotion to another. Ignorance about you to excitement or apathy to interest, it’s all about emotional changes. Nancy’s simple statement changed the way I communicate. I’m a software engineer [...]

Full article →

Are You A Bad Apple?

January 12, 2010 Good Communication

You’ve heard that one bad apple can spoil the bunch, but Will Felps at the Rotterdam School of Management proved it. Dr. Felps conducted experiments looking at what he called three “bad apple” behaviors: Being pessimistic Slacking off Being a jerk He created groups and assigned them simple tasks. The groups were paid more based [...]

Full article →

Confessions of A Telecommuting Multitasker

December 1, 2009 Good Communication

We need to get the um… [type type type] thing from the guys in the um… [type type type] I mean the product requirements. I actually do this. It’s one of my worst teleworker habits. I know the data. I know people can’t really multitask, but I always feel like answering that one little IM [...]

Full article →

← Previous Entries