Just Saying - The BRIEF Lab

Analogies can be a gift worth giving, or a dull ax on hard wood. Effective and efficient communicators know how to use them (not abuse them). In this episode, I share some thoughts about how to make them work for you so you’re rock solid, and avoiding some of the pitfalls when you venture on thin ice. The post Ep. 309 – The Pros and Cons of Analogies appeared first on Just Saying .

Many of the meetings we attend or lead simply need to be completely blown up and rebuilt entirely. Maybe the original intent has been altered, or we have fallen into a rhythm and routine and lowered the bar too low. Sometimes, we just might need to have a meeting to design all the ones that don’t work. The post Call back Episode – Ep. 263 – Meetings redesigned and redefined appeared first on Just...

Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful time to gather and celebrate with family and friends. This time of year (all the time, for that matter) is a great time to quietly contemplate – and take note of – all the things in our lives that we are grateful for, from the simple to the profound. The post Call back Episode – Episode 214 Thanksgiving: notes of gratitude appeared first on Just Saying .

A recent recommendation from a colleague stopped me in my tracks. His two simple words made me not only heed his advice but also pause to think about the power of deliberate, direct counsel for professional and personal improvement. Especially in a day with non-stop noise and constant choices, “highly recommended” can help clear the clutter. In this episode, I provide some advice on how to give (a...

Quality collaboration counts more than ever when workers aren’t in the office every day. Whether they are hybrid or fully remote, the time they have together (in person or online) is precious. In this episode, I share ways to get ready for collaboration like it’s game time and how to have the right mindset to communicate and connect with impact (and not add to the noise). The post Ep. 307 – Collab...

CEOs are delusional to think they can order employees back to the office and turn back the clock. We live in a hybrid world now and employees are resisting the call not just because of the flexibility and elimination of a commute. In this episode, we talk about the deeper reason why the RTO mandate falls flat and how leaders need to reimagine the workplace. The post Ep. 306 – Return-to-office mand...

Busy people are always complaining about how little time they have. In reality, they have plenty of time yet run from it and spend bits and pieces of their day creating and consuming noise. In this week’s episode, I share a different perspective on time management that will challenge you to get off the hamster wheel. The post Call Back Episode – Ep 268 – Running from time (not out of i...

Over the years, I have counseled many senior leaders on how to develop and deliver a clear and concise message. Whether it was unveiling a new product or strategy, sharing their value proposition, or explaining a complex topic, they all ask the same question: How do we communicate the same message to different people? In this episode, you will learn that even though each audience has distinct need...

Imagine the simplicity and power of someone promising to distill all the information you need and putting it on just one page. These executive summaries, whether they be a single PowerPoint slide or a cleanly formatted document with a series of bullet points, do everyone an enormous favor. In this episode, I share some thoughts when making them, so they become a go-to gift you’ll always give. The...

Taking a course at The BRIEF Lab leads many professionals to breakthroughs with co-workers, clients, and bosses. Yet, our busy lives squeeze out any chance to slow down and take the needed time to develop and deliver tighter emails, updates, and recommendations. In this week’s episode, I share why we have created a program for teams that have taken our BRIEF coursework to leverage pockets of quiet...

We are all glued to our smartphones and constantly connected to tools that drive collaborative teamwork. But when you add it all up, is it too much? Is it reasonable, or even desirable, to want to detox from devices and cleanse from collaboration tools like Slack and MS Teams. An article in Harvard Business Review got me thinking of a way through it, around it and away from it. The post Ep. 302 –...

During a recent trip while waiting to board my flight, I accidentally overheard a businessman’s frustrating phone call with colleagues. In this episode, I unpack why I decided to eavesdrop and not to offer my help, although he desperately needed it. The whole incident inspired me to think back to a guessing game that is fun at home, but pretty frustrating at work. The post Ep. 301 – Let’s stop pla...

Our 300 th episode is not only a milestone but also an opportunity to look forward. Over the past few seasons, I have commented on substantial changes in how we communicate, the volume of information (most of it is noise), and the need for protected professional boundaries. This week, we take a brief pause to celebrate and a moment to highlight how and where we work is undergoing a sea change. htt...

There’s so much news that’s not fit to print. What seems initially newsworthy ends up being only noise . Although we all want to be well informed (who doesn’t ?), we need to be prepared with concrete criteria to decipher what’s worth our time and attention vs. what is useless information.   The post Ep. 299 – That’s not news it’s noise! appeared first on Just Saying .

Can you remember going to an offsite meeting that was filled with high expectations of lively discussions and important breakthroughs, only to discover the agenda was a mess ? T he schedule was entirely filled with tons of talking and there were no moments set aside for thinking , preparation, or resolutions ? In this week’s episode, I suggest semi-silent offsite meetings as a distinct ive way to...

Many professionals communicate daily without thinking very much about what they are going to say or write before they do it. Though there are many reasons why this seems acceptable, it isn’t . People proudly wear a badge of busyness, frequently communicate off – the – cuff, and create havoc along the way . In this episode, I provide three scenarios where professionals might think this...

In this episode, I dive deep into the song “Trouble” by Coldplay to explore the connection between thinking, talking, and doing. I discuss how the song inspired me to help you avoid a web of confusion when these three elements are out of order. I share my motto and mantra of “think first, then talk, then do.” I underscore the critical relationship between clear thinking, co...

Talkative teachers turn learning into a painful chore. In this episode, I discuss the problem of instructors talking far too much and offer a few insights on how to create a more effective and engaging learning experience through trimming. The key is to see instruction more like facilitation delivered through personal conversations and practical experiences, not long lectures. I share a “SEE...

Everyone acts like they’re waiting on standby for the next emergency call. In this episode, I discuss the importance of being able to disconnect and have uninterrupted quiet time. By challenging our belief that everything is urgent and important, and nothing can wait, I revisit the Eisenhower Principle and Stephen Covey’s quadrant to help us prioritize and define what is actually urgent and import...

Welcome to this week’s podcast, where we explore the value of silence and intentional communication. As your host, I share seven sayings on the power of silence and how it can enhance our professional lives. Join me as we discuss historical and noteworthy perspectives on the challenges, benefits, and practical strategies to incorporate quiet moments into our daily routines. Don’t miss...

Join me in this episode as we explore the “fog of work” and its effects on our productivity. Leveraging some military insights from Carl von Clausewitz’s classic book “On War,” I will have some practical tips to cut through the clutter and communicate effectively in a busy workplace. Learn the power of silence and deliberate thinking and how it can help us prioritize tasks and make cle...

In this episode, join me as I discuss why people are so reluctant to embrace quiet, especially during the day.   Drawing on my expertise as a professional, entrepreneur, and author, I explore ten reasons behind this resistance and shed some light on the importance of embracing silence. Discover how incorporating moments of quiet can enhance your impact, clarity, and focus in the workplace. The pos...

In this week’s episode, I discuss how people often confuse hoping for understanding with actually knowing if their message was received. I provide three key steps to ensure effective communication: making a clear and simple point, asking for feedback or playback from the audience, and connecting the message to what matters to them. The post Call EP – Hoping vs. knowing your point got a...

In this week’s episode, I discuss the importance of making time for people in our busy lives and emphasize the significance of intentional communication.  I discuss the value of being a good listener and the impact of regular conversations with coworkers, friends, and family. Join me as I share my personal experiences and provide practical tips on how we can prioritize people in our lives without...

In this episode of Just Saying, I talk about the disagreeable nature of gray communication and how it can be detrimental to effective communication. I explain how generative AI like Chat GPT can be used to write generic corporate messages and how it can lead to bland, beige, or grayish communication. I also give some tips on how to avoid being bland and how to speak with conviction to avoid fallin...