Imagine that. You meet someone for the first time. Let’s say this is a new colleague at your workplace. You start a conversation. He is telling you some story, then you make a joke and just feel comfortable while chatting with him. It’s so easy to talk. You don’t need to look for artificial topics …
Category: Conversation
Should we talk about politics at work?
There are a couple of topics which you are discouraged from talking about at work. Typically, those are related to politics, religious beliefs and sexual orientation. It’s advisable to steer clear of them, especially if you work in a highly diverse environment with people who come from different parts of the world. You can sometimes …
It’s not me, it’s you! Why do people blame others for their failures?
Although we’d like to think we’re always rational and accurate in our attributions, we tend to distort certain situations to make ourselves feel better. It’s pleasurable to paint yourself in a positive light and it’s pretty hard to admit to a mistake. Especially when your reputation or, dare I say, your salary, is on the …
Delivering negative feedback. The one that really works
One study conducted by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman found that 74% of employees who received negative feedback already knew there was a problem. It shows that employees are not blind to their weaknesses. Perhaps they are just not sure how to improve their skills or they don’t realize how their problem affects the rest …
Why is it hard for introverts to talk to others?
We tend to divide people into introverts and extroverts. At a first glance, we’re inclined to label shy and quiet people as introverts and the talkative and charming ones as extroverts. In reality, the distinction between these two types of personalities is not so clear-cut. In her book entitled The Hidden Gifts of the Introverted …
How to have a productive one-on-one with your boss?
One-on-one meetings are useless. They take the quality time that could be spent on real work away from employees. That’s what you often hear about one-on-ones. But these meetings are actually crucial not only from a manager’s perspective but also from your point of view. They can help you get your career to the next …
How to organize the worst one-on-one meeting?
A one-on-one meeting, 1:1, 1 on 1, a one-to-one, a check-in, whatever you call it, it is one of the most important meetings, looking both from a manager’s perspective as well as an employee’s perspective. Unfortunately, those kinds of meetings are the subject of frequent complaints. They became the victim of corporate jokes. People treat …
The art of asking great questions
There are certain jobs that require asking questions. Lawyers, managers, coaches and journalists need to know how to ask perfectly-tailored questions to elicit precisely the information they require in order achieve what they want. A productive conversation is one of the most important tools in their toolbox. However, asking great questions is a valuable skill …
How to spot a lie at a job interview?
We’re generally not good at spotting lies Let’s agree, people fail to spot lies. Studies [1] have shown that an average adult can distinguish fabrications from the truth only 54% of the time. That’s almost as good as a blind guess. It means that an average adult is not very skilled in lie detection. A …
Why can’t we stop lying? The truth behind the lie
Ever since we were kids, our parents have been constantly drilling into us that lying is bad. They explained that it was a mark of immaturity, something immoral that should never be done. However, to our surprise it turned out that our mature parents have been lying to us as well. For instance, they used …