Just Saying - The BRIEF Lab

You may want to start a podcast, go to be a guest on one, or are just curious about how people prepare for them. After eight seasons doing this podcast and numerous guest appearances on other shows, I thought it might be helpful to provide some behind-the-scenes insights on how I do this podcast to shed some light on the production process. The post Ep. 357 – How I prepare for a podcast appeared f...

Almost everybody does it and nobody likes it. The adage is when you’re early, you’re on time; and when you’re on time, you’re late. In this episode, I share some simple, yet practical advice on how to be early, be quiet, and be ready – and avoid the domino-effect of being late. The post Ep. 356 – Showing up late and unprepared appeared first on Just Saying .

Can you imagine being on a flight and nobody gave any notice that you were going to land? After hitting the runway unprepared, many passengers would feel it. In meetings, getting ready to wrap it up is as important as getting started and setting the tone up front. In this episode, I provide a short list of best practices that meeting owners, leaders and participants need to follow to end every mee...

To me, clarity is what matters, not selling books, doing a podcast, or making appearances. After a decade publishing books on brevity and clarity, I want to remind listeners that communication is mostly about preparation (not delivery), that your audience has a voice (and we need to hear it more), and noise is the real villain that we need to face (and defeat) every day. The post Ep. 354 – Why it’...

If change is the only constant, why aren’t professionals, teams and organizations keeping their message up to date? Whether it’s economic, political, technical or strategic change, organizations must keep their messaging current, yet many keep falling far behind. In this episode, I provide some guidance on how to stay current and avoid having their mission frequently miss the mark. The post Ep. 35...

As the release of my third book “Quiet Works: Make silence the secret ingredient of the workday” approaches, I take time to field some questions on each chapter.  In this episode, I focus specifically on Part Four: Quiet Places and Programs (chapters 14-17) and Part Five: Quiet Challenges (chapters 21-22). The post Ep. 352 – Q&A on the book “Quiet Works” (part 3) appeared first on Just Saying...

As the release of my third book “Quiet Works: Make silence the secret ingredient of the workday” approaches, I take time to field some questions on each chapter.  In this episode, I focus specifically on Part Three: Quiet Practices at Work (chapters 9-13). The post Ep. 351 – Q&A on the Book “Quiet Works” (part 2) appeared first on Just Saying .

As the release of my third book “Quiet Works: Make silence the secret ingredient of the workday” approaches, I take time to field some questions on each chapter.  In this episode, I focus specifically on Part One: Our Noisy World Just Gets Noisier (chapters 1-5) and Part Two: Quiet Isn’t What You Think” (chapters 6-8). The post Ep. 350 – Q&A on the Book “Quiet Works” (part 1) appeared first o...

A recent “ice cream” incident at a restaurant got me thinking about my immediate reaction when I first saw Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. Spoiler alert: my two words were, “that’s it?” In this episode, I talk about managing expectations as a deliberate communicator. The post Ep. 349 – Managing Expectations (Two Words When I Saw Plymouth Rock) appeared first on Just Saying .

Do you find it a struggle to engage in formal, one-on-one conversations at work? For many managers and subordinates, these scheduled exchanges can seem stale, fruitless and stiff. By approaching them as a pointed and personal conversation with specific questions in mind, we can make them memorable and impactful on both sides. The post Ep. 348 – Three questions to improve your next one-on-one appea...

Going deeper can be quite difficult, especially when there’s so much competing for our attention. Our value and impact are greatly diminished by impulsively skimming the surface and chasing the least important thing and most tempting text. In this episode, I share insights from three profound business books that might help you answer this question honestly – and quickly. The post Ep. 347 – Do you...

Are we spending enough time thinking about what’s critical for us today, this week, or this month? Are we talking about it in clear and concise terms? And are we actually getting our MPP done consistently. In this episode, I make the connection between deliberate preparation and predictable execution. The post Ep. 346 – Defining your most pressing priority (MPP) appeared first on Just Saying .

The term bottom-line-up-front (BLUF) is widely known in military and governments circles. Regardless of how many people are familiar with the acronym, most end up delivering the bottom line at the bottom (or BLAB). This isn’t what busy, attention-starved audiences really want yet are forced to accept. The post Ep. 345 – Why does BLUF frequently turn into BLAB? appeared first on Just Saying .

What would you likely do if given a few extra minutes while waiting for someone to arrive? Or standing in line? Or in-between meetings? In this episode, I discuss how our impulsive tendency to grab our smartphone or keep on consuming information is what makes us squander magic moments of quiet and settle for more noise. The post Ep. 344 – How you might abuse a few minutes of free time appeared fir...

Professionals often overemphasize the value of collaborative work. Time spent together is frequently less valuable because we buy into underlying falsehoods without question or deeper critical concern. In this episode, I highlight three lies we believe that hurt how we work together and alone.   The post Ep. 343 – Three Lies about Collaboration appeared first on Just Saying .

What if your words of “wisdom” turn out to lead others to damaging results.  Many people inadvertently and impulsively blurt out a “you should” or a “you shouldn’t” without really thinking through the recommendations, guidance and counsel they are dishing out. The post Ep. 342 – Giving Bad Advice appeared first on Just Saying .

A few words can pack a punch. As you look to add tools and techniques to become an elite communicator, you need three flavors of a short saying in your toolbox. In this episode, I share three versions of concise sayings that can be memorable, impactful and brief. The post Ep. 341 – Adages, Aphorisms and Epigrams appeared first on Just Saying .

What really happens when your credibility is lost? Finding inspiration from a memorable audition scene in the movie “Walk the Line,” I isolate three different moments when people’s trust in us seriously erodes. In none of these instances should we lay blame on our audience, but need to take a look in the mirror to understand what we did to provoke it.   The post Ep. 340 – I don’t believe you...

Time matters and when we lose track of it, we can devalue it and cause others to start to tune us out. Keeping track of time not only is what professionals do, but also what elite communicators know how to master. In this episode, I cite five distinct moments to zero in on the precious seconds and minutes that will set us apart. The post Ep. 339 – Managing the clock like a pro appeared first on Ju...

Poorly run meetings are often a bi-product of people repeating bad habits they have experienced over time. Creating meetings that drive collaboration and connection – either in-person or online – means following a few best practices. In this week’s podcast, I share five key considerations that will help you facilitate better discussions, no matter when or where they happen.   The post Ep. 338...

When you have something important to announce, do you take more time thinking about the messages you want to deliver than the people you’re empowering to deliver them? Critical information may never get through to the right audiences because leadership teams are too concerned about framing the right words and not spending enough time arming people to carry them.  In this episode, I provide three s...

I f something doesn’t make sense, how does that feel? As you endure a long and confusing explanation, what is likely to happen next? When you expect clarity yet dive deeper in the weeds, what chaos will likely ensue? In this episode, I create a laundry list of the real struggles that your audience is forced to endure when the point is buried or missing completely. The post Ep. 336 – What happens w...

Flagging is a simple, powerful and predictable technique to get people’s attention and keep it.  Earlier in my career, I learned it from a media trainer and was mesmerized by its immediate impact. In this episode, I not only explain what flagging is but also provide three ways to use it to capture and captivate an elusive audience. The post Ep. 335 – Flagging, Flagging, Flagging appeared first on...

Every executive or leader I’ve encountered all think that they are clear. Nobody thinks to themselves, “wow, was I so confusing in that last conversation!” What seems perfectly logical and reasonable in your head, often sounds confusing when it’s said aloud. This week, I share four distinct possibilities that might contribute to your tendency to baffle people with your brilliance. The post Ep. 334...

Imagine the odd feeling of standing in silence on a long elevator ride filled with a mix of friends and strangers.  Enduring silence can be a momentary reality in conversations, interviews, meetings and presentations. It can feel uncomfortable, strange and even embarrassing. Rather than look at it as cringeworthy, we need to manage and even embrace saying nothing, and not fill unwanted dead space...