Give them a reason to pay attention!

by sue on November 27, 2011

Cartoon about a conversation that's not workingHere’s a post from Sue’s writing blog that applies to conversation as well as writing.

In my line of work, eavesdropping is research. That may sound like a lame excuse for (rudely?) listening in on other people’s conversations; however, sometimes, they’re simply too loud to ignore. A research opportunity showed up, this week, as I overheard a chat between some people we’ll call Manny and Franny.  . .

Read the rest at Sue’s writing site.

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Yes, It’s OK To Say “No!” Revisited

by sue on September 26, 2007

Exhausted
Once upon a time, I was an over-committed community volunteer headed for burnout.  Things were bad.  I felt angry and resentful. Any joy I had ever found in giving my time to charitable organizations I admired was long gone.

I dropped all activities but one (my professional association) and learned how to put boundaries around my giving. And I wrote about my learning in an article called Yes, It’s OK To Say “No!” I regularly get requests from publishers and other coaches and consultants for permission to use it in their work.

Today, I had a reason to revisit the article.  I received an e-mail from someone we’ll call “Lori,” who finds that the newsletter she’s producing for a volunteer organization is taking twice as long to do as she was led to expect.  She was looking for advice.  She wrote: “I’m inclined to keep my word and trudge on, but this last month’s issue took away from my family and job responsibilities. If I say no and stop doing the
newsletter, does this set a bad example for my kids, telling them it’s OK to quit after I’ve committed to something? ” It was this concern about what sort of lessons we teach through our behaviours that touched me the most.

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The Reference Letter – Step by Step

by sue on August 15, 2007

Pencil_sharpening_2How do you capture the essence of a real person on paper?  That was a client’s question, this week. He’d been asked to write a testimonial letter for someone he likes and respects and wanted to know if there’s a format for such things.

I’d never seen a formula, though I’ve written scads of these things for employees and colleagues applying for jobs, school admission or nonprofit board positions. Since some sort of structure helps almost anyone write almost anything, I documented a process for my young client – and for you – in the following eight steps.

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Try? There is no Try!

by sue on February 16, 2007

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Many of you will know that I am in the throes of authoring a book about workplace communication.  You may not know that I’m trying to complete it by the end of February, just 13 short days and nights from this moment.

Talk To Me – Workplace Conversations That Work, blends fiction and nonfiction, weaving a story around and through the communication ideas to put them in a ‘real world’ context. It’s a book with an accompanying learning program and a slew of downloadable recordings and worksheets to support it. Mercifully, these extra bits are not due by month’s end.

This morning, as I was trying to write one of five chapters required this week, I interrupted myself to coach a young entrepreneur of unusual talent. Today was not her best day. She acknowledged that she’s trying to be a certain way. And she’ll try to think bigger. And she’ll try to put some ideas together. And she’ll try to do something about it.

And all of a sudden, I could hear the great Jedi guru, Yoda, screaming at me, at her, and at the world, just as he screamed at Luke Skywalker. “Try? There is no Try! There is only Do and Not Do.”

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