Communication Skills Archives | Van Hooser Associates, Inc

May 4, 2022

How to Manage Your Manager

Too often good employees and good leaders have good intentions, yet they find themselves at a disconnect. So what can you do when you find you need to manage your manager? One of our viewers shared this scenario and asked this question… “I’m a very goal-driven person, and I have things I want to accomplish in my […]

Apr 19, 2022

Setting Better Expectations with Your Team

Could you be setting better expectations with your team? If you’re looking to improve performance, starting with baseline expectations may be the next right step for you. In Episode 10 of The Man & The Millennial Show, we offer you five questions to help you get better results by setting better expectations. #settingexpectations #betterexpectations #employeeengagement […]

Feb 17, 2022

Avoid Communication Issues Using These 11 Questions

Every big decision generates obstacles and opportunities. How can leaders avoid backlash from a decision? Elevating your communication is certain to help and is a critical initial step in the process. From my experience, hands down, communication issues are THE. MOST. COMMON. challenge plaguing the majority of today’s organizations and hindering greater success. If it’s […]

Nov 17, 2021

How to Be Heard: Is It Passion or Rationale?

A few years back, a young woman heard me share the “earning the right to be heard” process in a communication skills course. Later she told me how she used the approach to successfully pitch an idea to her senior management team. Her idea? Eliminate her current — but unnecessary — management position, and create […]

Nov 11, 2021

What’s Your Version of “Veterans Day”?

I witnessed a make-or-break moment recently. As I sat across the table from Jim, a manager poked his head into Jim’s office and asked, “Hey, can I ask you a question real quick?” With a smile on his face and a quick motion of his hand signaling the employee into the office, Jim said, “Of […]

Oct 19, 2021

In Conflict, Is Your Focus Wrong?

Do you hate the idea of handling conflict and confrontation with those you work with? Most of us do, and most of us are unprepared for managing it because most of us are focused on the wrong thing. Let me explain. When Things Go Sideways Fast One of the things I truly cherish as a […]

Sep 9, 2021

Talk With People: 6 Steps to Cut Complaints & Build Connection

Use these six communication steps when you talk with people, and watch complaints subside and your relationships improve!

Aug 24, 2021

Mental Health At Work Doesn’t Matter If

Some people are exhausted with the talk about mental health in the workplace and culture in the organization. They want their people to ‘just show up and do the job they were hired to do’. Do you feel the same way or differently? Honestly, I can understand that frustration. And, mental health doesn’t matter in […]

Jun 10, 2021

Great Listeners Don’t Make This Mistake

Great listeners are not those people who can repeat everything they just heard. Instead, great listeners make people feel heard. When people talk, the intent is to transfer information. Sometimes, we want a response from the listener. Other times, we don’t. However, we always want to feel heard. People can be heard, but not feel […]

Communication Skills