Don't waste your energy on something that is not worth wasting your energy on
You don’t have to love them, but life is so much easier when you are polite to people, regardless of how they behave toward you. Have you ever had to deal with offensive customers, or colleagues? It can be a real challenge to keep your cool when your inner voice is screaming, “You’re a jerk!…
If you want to motivate people, setting a good example is a good place to start
Motivating yourself can be difficult at times, but motivating other people offers a different kind of challenge. Short of standing behind them with a pitchfork and an evil grin, or offering them a gazillion dollars, what can you do to get the best from others, be they employees or colleagues or even family (although that’s…
Body language cues are most accurate when a speaker is initially put on the spot. So ask candidates hard questions and watch closely
What makes interpreting the sincerity of all those election promises so darn challenging? All the prep time a candidate has gets in the way. Interpreting the nuances of non-verbal communication requires us to detect fleeting cues and they’re more accurate when an individual hasn’t had the luxury of polishing up their rebuttal. Body language cues…
A body language expert looks at Trudeau's latest apologies and analyzes their sincerity
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems to be paying attention to experts when they share what it takes to offer a sincere apology. I suppose he ought to – after all, he spent a term being that kind of leader: one who leans on apology to help boost his public image. I’m not saying this is…
Focus on these three Cs — calm, collected and confident
Too often, we’re exposed to the energy-sucking power of worry. What a waste. But you can do something about it. When I was a young mom, I worried about making mistakes raising my children. I was so concerned about scarring them for life. It seemed that every article I read eluded to poor parenting as…
How your state of mind can influence everything around you, and tips that will help you find and achieve the right balance
Decluttering your life and being at ease with yourself has more to do with your mind than your environment. Over the years, I've voraciously consumed articles and watched programs about creating a stress-free life through decluttering. For example, they say most of us wear only 20 per cent of our wardrobe – the rest we'll fit…
Learn how to express your feelings in more productive ways and keep an explosive temper from hijacking your life
Anger doesn't have to hijack your life. Anger is a natural emotion that helps protect us from real (or imagined) attacks against our physical or emotional well-being. When used appropriately, anger can motivate us to achieve goals we would otherwise be too afraid or lazy to pursue. In this way, anger may not be a big…
In the long run, accepting responsibility then following up with a solution is more productive than if you try to shift the blame
When mistakes happen, it is easy to point out loudly and in great detail just whose mistake it is and how it is not at all our fault. Blaming someone or something else is a short term fix to keep the attention off of people who don’t want to appear foolish, or who don’t believe…
There’s a huge difference between “I failed at that particular task,” and “I am a failure"
A colleague of mine is a private teacher and she teaches students from ages 11 through adult. Over the years, she's noticed an interesting trend – young people, for the most part, are resilient when they make mistakes. They typically don't brood about it, they don't get too bent out of shape, and they tend…
How to make your point without alienating, angering or humiliating your audience
It’s that time of year when a lot of us take holidays with family and friends. As much as we enjoy getting together, conversations can be a bit prickly and leave loved ones feeling less supported than we might want. So we need some strategies for reducing potential misunderstandings when confronted with the argumentative communicator.…