Communication Skills Archives | Van Hooser Associates, Inc

Oct 5, 2022

How to Get Your Boss to Listen to Your Ideas

Got a Great Idea But You Boss Isn’t Listening? In a recent corporate leadership development session, I was asked the following question. “How do I present an idea that I think has great benefit for my organization to my leader who doesn’t typically invite my input?” Whether you are an emerging leader trying to create influence for yourself […]

Sep 23, 2022

Why You SHOULD Have That Difficult Conversation at Work

© Can Stock Photo / gstockstudio Is a Difficult Conversation Really the Best Strategy? Most of us were taught early on that honesty is the best policy. But as we grow older and assume more personal and professional responsibility, the scope and breadth of problems we encounter grow more complex. The problems we are responsible […]

Aug 5, 2022

How Great Leaders Handle Gossip

How to Handle Gossip in the Workplace Workplace gossip can be irreversibly harmful to teams. But when it comes time to handle gossip in the workplace, most leaders won’t deal with the issue head-on. Why? Because it can be really uncomfortable and awkward. But if you don’t manage it, who will? Listen to this episode […]

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 […]

Communication Skills