Category Archives: Communication Skills

Wanted: Head Coach for the Broncos

Posted by on June 12, 2011 Comments Off
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Anna Conradby Anna Conrad

Imagine [insert your favorite sports team here] without a head coach. What would happen? Who would guide the team and keep them all working together towards one common goal: to win the game? The same thing is true with your team – they need a good leader who understands what it takes to be a good coach.

But what does it mean to be a good coach? It is not just yelling at everyone to move faster or pick up the ball. Coaching is a skill that combines motivation, integrity, and knowledge. Do you have what it takes to be a good coach? Read more »

Zoe Presenter Spotlight: Paul Unks

Posted by on May 9, 2011 Comments Off
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Paul Unksby Zoe Training staff

With the employment situation in flux in recent years, Paul Unks’ career management expertise has come in handy for many people who need to regain their footing by either clarifying their career objectives or identifying new career options. And because career ups and downs can be the source of so much stress, Paul is also there to help individuals understand how stress impacts our daily lives and what we can do about it to alleviate the potential negative effects. In this interview, Paul talks about the joys of teaching his favorite topics and the mutual benefits that are gained by working together with participants.

What’s your favorite topic(s) to present on? Why?

1) Career Life Transition and Development, 2)Managing Stress and Wellness (“The Joy of Stress”) and 3) Communications and Team Building

I love teaching and facilitating workshops on these three topics.

I get a great deal of satisfaction from helping people to identify and then achieve the career position where they will be: fulfilled, very productive and successful, and in the right environment.  Career Life Development knowledge and skills are increasingly important and needed in our world today. Whether someone has been laid off through no fault of their own, if they are seeking a clearer direction and path to a more rewarding career, or if they want to further advance their career proactively in their current organization, they can benefit greatly from three key areas: Read more »

Zoe Presenter Spotlight: Sarah Michel

Posted by on April 25, 2011 Comments Off
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Sarah Michelby Zoe Training staff

Perfecting Connecting© – what Sarah Michel calls her networking strategies to promote personal and professional success – aptly describes her expertise on the art of intentional connecting. And Sarah should know the power of networking: as a cancer survivor, Sarah’s network helped save her life. And now as a speaker, she shares the lessons she learned from her inspirational journey to motivate her audiences to connect not just for the moment, but for life.

What’s your favorite topic(s) to present on? Why?

NetWORTHing™, which is the new way to network if you want to build social capital in today’s reciprocal business climate.  I teach people how to communicate their value proposition to their network to grow their networth.  I’m all about connecting so my topics are focused on ways to improve your connection to your customers, coworkers (team building), and colleagues.  I’m a certified practitioner with Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and help people discover the power in personality differences to encourage innovation, networking, creativity, and problem solving. Read more »

Saying “Thank you” is Rude?

Posted by on April 18, 2011 Comments Off
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Tiffany Dahlbergby Tiffany Dahlberg

With the advent of email and the increasing reliance on this technology, human beings are communicating in person and via phone less often.  This disturbing trend not only impacts our interpersonal relationships, but also our business productivity. Although email is a useful tool, problems arise when email is used inappropriately.  Just as there is etiquette for face-to-face social situations, there is “netiquette” for communicating virtually using technology.

In February, Wells Fargo/Wachovia hosted a global conference for their international bankers in San Francisco.  My organization’s team (Ready2ACT) presented at this three-day conference on the topic of Netiquette.

One of the tips we presented was that email users should not send any replies if the entire message is only “Thanks” or “Thank you” – especially to an entire distribution list. Read more »

Body Talk: What is Your Body Saying?

Posted by on April 4, 2011 Comments Off
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Anna Conradby Anna Conrad

Warning: reading this will make you self conscious for the rest of the day.

There are over 250,000 ways of communicating without words; as a matter of fact, words account for only 5 percent of communication (anyone who is married might even say this number is too high). Can you accurately understand what people are saying to you, even if their words get in the way? More importantly, what are you saying to others? The following are few tips to help you decipher and improve body language: Read more »

Zoe Presenter Spotlight: Debra Fine

Posted by on March 28, 2011 Comments Off
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Debra Fineby Zoe Training staff

A sought-after expert on conversation skills and business social networking techniques for use at networking events and social functions, Debra Fine’s media appearances include: the Today Show, the Early Show, NPR, CNN, Fox Business News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Men’s Health Magazine.

The formerly shy, tongue-tied “enginerd” is the author of the best-selling book, “The Fine Art of Small Talk.”

What’s your favorite topic(s) to present on? Why?

“The Fine Art of Building Relationships: Face to Face Interactions in an Online World.” Every individual and organization is looking to enhance relationships with potential as well as current clients/customers and gain increased visibility in the marketplace. This may mean making the most of out of networking occasions or simply turning every conversation into an opportunity. In addition, skills offered during my presentations benefit internal relationships with teams, mentors, C-Suite, staff and colleagues. This program is my favorite because it supplies tools that can be instantaneously implemented with immediate rewards. Read more »

Zoe Presenter Spotlight: Mark Zalkin, Part 2

Posted by on January 17, 2011 Comments Off
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Mark Zalkinby Zoe Training staff

Being a seasoned international trainer and coach since 1985, as well as having a long history of serving as a professor and lecturer at various colleges and universities in the U.S. and Singapore, Mark Zalkin has had plenty of thought-provoking – if not life-changing – experiences that he was willing to share with us. This is the second of a two-part interview.

What is your favorite quote?

I have many favorite quotes but the one I like the best is:  “You are an architect of your own misery.  You also have the ability to remodel.”  -  Stephen Marmer, M.D.

I really like Dr. Marmer’s quote because it reinforces the concept of taking responsibility of your own situation and then doing something to start making changes.

I like to feel that my workshops offer my participants the beginning motivation and tools to begin to start the remodeling process. Read more »

Trust Means EVERYTHING To Your Business

Posted by on January 10, 2011 Comments Off
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by Tara Powers

Tara Powers“Trust each other again and again. When the trust level gets high enough, people transcend apparent limits, discovering new and awesome abilities for which they were previously unaware.” – David Armistead

“Trust is the denominator of efficiency.” I heard this quote from a company leader that I am working with as we discussed the impact of trust on manager-employee relationships, relationships with customers, and efficiency between teams. This quote hits the nail on the head when talking about any type of business improvement. Nothing is going to improve long-term if trust does not exist. Read more »

Networking with Moxie!

Posted by on December 26, 2010 Comments Off
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Sarah Michelby Sarah Michel

Are you a victim of Network drive-bys?  Have you been assaulted by a business card bombardier who only wanted to sell you something?  Attended one of those “Grab & Gab” and “Tell & Sell” rubber chicken so-called networking events where you left feeling violated?  Well, if you’re like the hundreds of people I talk to every week who have had enough, today I bring good news;  there is a new movement out there shaking things up and redefining what real networking is all about -  The Moxie Exchange.

Networking with Moxie is all about approaching people with a focused determination to help them.  It’s when you have the courage and faith to believe that you can have anything you want in life, if you help others get what they need first. Read more »

What Are Your Employees Not Telling You? Creating a Candid Culture

Posted by on November 2, 2010 Comments Off
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Shari Harleyby Shari Harley

The news is riddled with stories of organizations in which CEOs allowed fraudulent practices to go on with no intervention.  Are these leaders guilty of fraud?  Or negligence?   I’d say neither.  They’re victims of pervasive insulation that is the norm is almost every organization worldwide.  In most organizations the most senior people get the least information of all.

No one wants to tell her boss that a division is losing money or that customers are unhappy.  Instead of speaking up, employees ‘protect’ senior leaders from bad news, putting on a front that everything is fine.  Or are employees really protecting themselves?

Most senior leaders aren’t typically guilty of fraud or negligence.  Rather, they’re guilty of not creating an environment in which people will tell them the truth. Read more »

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