Five Easy Rules for Simplifying Your Communication

The other day I introduced the “Jessica Taylor Rule”. The rule is simple. When reviewing your writing, read each sentence out loud. If you run out of breath while reading, revise it. It’s probably too long for your audience to process mentally. That post received a lot of positive feedback. People are looking for simple ideas …

Where would I breathe? Simple advice for creating clear communication

Sometimes the best advice is the simplest. Lately, to highlight the importance of simple, clear communication, I’ve been posting “bad sentences”.  Bad sentences are those that are difficult to read or hard to process quickly. You probably run into them all the time online, in books, and in emails. They are even more common when …

Three things you can talk about when you don’t have all of the answers

Let’s face it, the business world has become quite uncertain.  Helping people manage through that uncertainty can be difficult.  Many leaders feel similarly challenged as they are often as unsure about what is happening as are their teams. We know that uncertainty breeds anxiety.  An anxious workforce is not a productive, happy, or engaged workforce. …

What my hair stylist taught me about presenting data: The Karen Messina rule

Recently I started going to a new person to cut my hair.  Her name is Karen Messina. As we got started, Karen asked me what number clipper blade I used on my sides.  I told I used a #1, the shortest blade. Karen provided a quick bit of hair stylist wisdom. “How about if I …