Fresh Thoughts
And some old favourites
What Does “Greatness” Mean?
by Susan Johnston | Aug 29, 2005
"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them." (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act II, Scene V) Greatness. What a concept. It's not something we ponder every day. At least, I don't. Make that...
Communicating bad news
by Susan Johnston | Aug 29, 2005
I had the good fortune this week to be interviewed for an article about how supervisors can communicate bad news. As a manager, I've done a bit of this, and I've certainly been on the receiving end. As a consultant, I've advised others communicating organizational...
Your Most Critical Communication – Self-Talk
by Susan Johnston | Aug 4, 2005
I'll admit it. I talk to myself. I, you, and billions of other humans, have lively internal dialogues taking place nearly all the time. It's as if we have invisible companions whispering in our ears in all our waking moments. When we talk to ourselves, repeating...
Incommunicado
by Susan Johnston | Jul 8, 2005
Greetings from Florence. Alitalia has created a brilliant opportunity to write something about BAD customer communication. "What do you expect?" I hear you ask, "It's an airline." OK, I've been a spoiled princess where airlines have been concerned. Alitalia is making...
The other 93%
by Susan Johnston | Jul 2, 2005
"I just get home and then I leave again." That's one of the lines in Diana Krall's song, Departure Bay. I guess that's the story of her life. In recent months, it's the story of mine. I just got back from Washington, DC, and I'm heading off to the UK tonight. The...
What is a Business Communicator
by Susan Johnston | Jun 24, 2005
Yesterday, I received an e-mail from a colleague asking for a definition of "business communicator." As a regional chair for the world's largest association of business communicators, you'd think I'd have a fast answer for that. But I didn't. My first reaction was,...
MBAs, Coaches, and Communicators
by Susan Johnston | Jun 23, 2005
I awoke this morning to the news that Dave Buck, the CEO of CoachVille, had declared the death of the MBA. http://coachville.blogs.com/thembaisdead/ As a coach, I'm intrigued. As an MBA, I'm amused. As someone whose mug is prominently displayed in a sincere...
The Call to Adventure
by Susan Johnston | Jun 22, 2005
A few months ago, I bumped into a statistic suggesting that more than 80 per cent of North American drivers think they are better than average. Hmmmmm. Do the math. This impossible belief seems to apply to communication, too. How many resumes have you seen that claim...