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Alex Gozdek

About Communication & People

Category: Conversation

Conversation Storytelling November 4, 2019April 1, 2020 by Alex Gozdek

Recipe to a great conversation

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 …

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Conversation Personal Branding October 14, 2019April 1, 2020 by Alex Gozdek

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 …

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Cognitive Bias Conversation October 7, 2019April 1, 2020 by Alex Gozdek

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 …

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Conversation Feedback Leadership September 2, 2019April 3, 2020 by Alex Gozdek

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 …

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Conversation August 26, 2019April 3, 2020 by Alex Gozdek

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 …

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Conversation Leadership Meetings August 12, 2019April 3, 2020 by Alex Gozdek

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 …

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Conversation Leadership Meetings August 5, 2019April 3, 2020 by Alex Gozdek

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 …

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Conversation Personal Branding July 29, 2019April 3, 2020 by Alex Gozdek

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 …

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Conversation Human Resources Interview Meetings July 22, 2019April 3, 2020 by Alex Gozdek

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 …

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Conversation July 15, 2019April 3, 2020 by Alex Gozdek

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 …

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About Me

I help people improve their interpersonal communication skills by influencing the way people interact with each other in order to achieve their goals, lead teams, negotiate and build culture in their organizations.

Recent Posts

  • Shorter meetings make people happier and more productive December 5, 2022
  • Deep work: how to learn one of the most valuable skills in the market November 28, 2022
  • Typical dysfunctions of remote teams: how to deal with them November 21, 2022
  • Zoom fatigue: why do video calls drain your energy? November 14, 2022
  • Remote Scrum Master: how to make it work? October 10, 2022

Categories

  • Body Language
  • Cognitive Bias
  • Conversation
  • Efficiency
  • Feedback
  • Human Resources
  • Interview
  • Leadership
  • Meetings
  • Negotiations
  • Personal Branding
  • Presentations
  • Storytelling
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