Just Saying - The BRIEF Lab

In this week’s podcast episode, I discuss the importance of knowing when to stop and field questions or comments during a presentation or briefing. Many presenters make the mistake of asking for questions at the wrong time, resulting in silence or irrelevant questions. I share strategies for designing time for questions and emphasize the value of making presentations interactive. The post Ep. 288...

In this week’s episode of “Just Saying,” I dive into the perplexing question of when to call a meeting or when to cancel one. I stress the importance of having a clear agenda and promoting active engagement during meetings and provide five compelling reasons to call or cancel a meeting. Remember, meetings are meant for discussion and decision-making, not just sharing information....

In this podcast, I discuss the importance of providing effective updates. Whether you’re updating a colleague in a higher role or someone who works for you, it’s crucial to get it right. Frustration arises when expectations are unfulfilled.   Timing and quality of updates play a significant role. Getting updates right can eliminate unnecessary tension and improve communication. The pos...

In this week’s podcast, I stress the importance of asking good questions and emphasize the need to take time when formulating questions beforehand .   I recommend using a [ brief ] map to organize one’s thoughts during a conversation. Additionally, I highlight the value of open-ended questions and the power of asking “why”. I also encourage listeners to practice asking good...

In this podcast episode, I talk about my take on AI and its impact on communication. I’ll discuss how AI can be used as a tool to jumpstart the creative process for writers, conduct research, and develop clear and concise headlines. I will also share my experience with using AI to explore several topics and provide examples of the types of questions you can ask AI when generating written content....

In this podcast episode, I discuss the growing impact of artificial intelligence on communication. I specifically focus on generative AI, which can create new data and content that imitates human-created content. I explore the potential benefits for writers who can now have a partner and researcher sitting beside them to help with research and starting points for writing. However, I also emphasize...

I discuss the power and potential harm of disclaimers in communication. I emphasize the importance of being aware of how disclaimers can trigger listeners’ brains and change their listening, and encourage careful consideration before using them. I offer examples of both helpful and harmful disclaimers, and urge listeners to observe how they are affected by disclaimers in conversations with o...

It’s easy to understand why you tune out a subject matter expert (SME) that doesn’t interest you and talks too much. But what happens when you meet some who’s proficient in an area that deeply interests and intrigues you and they drone on? You may initially feel like you won the lottery only to discover that you want to give back your ticket. Listen in to find out what happens. The post Ep. 281 –...

On a recent business trip to Europe, I went to two different places with rich historic significance and learned an indispensable lesson on focus. In this week’s episode, I share a few personal experiences that left me scratching my head and wondering what were people thinking. The post Ep. 280 – Can you make room for silence? appeared first on Just Saying .

With the hurried pace of day-to-day life filled with so many competing priorities, everything can quickly become a blur. It’s up to you to choose to stop to take a break, yet we don’t. Whether it’s just for a minute or half a day, we need to periodically pause. In this episode, I lay out a series of moments where we need to allow ourselves a time out. The post Call Back Episode – Ep 230 &#82...

Do you frequently think of the cost of poor communication? As it is getting easier to spread the word, it also is getting more expensive in a variety of areas. In this episode, I share some considerations of the range of real risks we face when we should have said nothing at all.   The post Call back Episode – Ep 208 – Talk isn’t cheap appeared first on Just Saying .

One of the contributing causes to bad meetings is that nobody takes notes. After a long, meandering discussion, there is no one assigned to capture key topics, define action items, and keep everyone on track for the next meeting. The result is that professionals repeat the same conversations and slow down progress. In this episode, I provide some practical guidance to write clear and concise summa...

For many, working from home is a dream: no commute, greater autonomy, fewer distractions, and time to focus. Though remote work can have many such rewards, it also poses some serious professional and personal risks if not managed well. Isolation, exclusion, and insecurity are high on the list, along with losing facetime and seeming like you’re a ghost. The post Ep. 278 – The real risks of remote w...

In an instant, our minds can race all over the place. Did you ever wonder why that happens to all of us while we’re listening, thinking and talking? It’s like someone let a squirrel loose in our mental attic. In this episode, I dive deeper into a core principle from the books BRIEF and NOISE. The post Ep. 277 – The power (and peril) of the Elusive 600 appeared first on Just Saying .

Professionals that are in important leadership positions are not only incredibly busy, but also under a lot of pressure to perform and produce. Communicating to them is risky because they can be scattered, irritable, quick to judge and hard to read. In this podcast, I outline five things to consider doing that will keep you on track and them from losing their focus and cool. The post Ep. 276 – 5 M...

While you are working, there’s an impetus to always be doing or saying something. Imagine if you discovered pockets of time where you actually could do or say nothing, like between appointments or waiting to board a flight. In this episode, I challenge you to consider doing nothing rather than impulsively trying to say or do something or everything. The post Ep. 275 – The discipline of doing nothi...

Recent research indicates that spending time online, especially on social media, fundamentally changes our perception of time. If asked how much time do you think you actually spend online each day, would your answer be accurate? In this episode, I challenge you to rethink the time you allocate online (versus what you get in return), while not arguing to turn it off completely.   https://www....

I was reminded of a few scenes from the movie “The Princess Bride” and inspired by a few business meetings to take a closer look at the precise words we choose to use and how they might lose people. It may be inconceivable that you fall prey to such a plethora of temptations to bemuse your audience. Listen in to find out if you do.   https://bestlifeonline.com/common-words/ The post Ep. 273 –...

Over the years, we have developed several tools to help you think clearly and communicate concisely. They are simple, practical, and repeatable. In the podcast, I share a short list of go-to tools that can help you become an intentional communicator who always makes an impact. The post Ep. 272 – Putting tools in your toolbelt appeared first on Just Saying .

Some people just don’t know much and others really don’t know what they don’t know. Regardless if they are smart, uniformed, or a dim bulb with no experience, we may need to talk with them and get them up to speed. In this episode, I encourage you not to get annoyed, talk over them or roll your eyes. The post Ep. 271 – Communicating to someone who is clueless appeared first on Just Saying .

At the end of a long day or week, imagine how you might feel about listening to someone give you a detailed update, share a complaint or start a planning discussion. It happens too frequently without us knowing or acknowledging it. In this episode, we provide some insights and guidance to help you connect to someone who is physically, emotionally or mentally worn down. The post Ep. 270 – Communica...

Imagine if you had to present to someone who was brilliant. How would you talk, what would they say and how would you manage the conversation with them? Moments spent communicating to highly intelligent people are filled with risks, no doubt. In this episode, I give you some of my advice on what’s worked when I was clearly not the smartest person in the room yet talking to them. The post Ep....

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 Ep. 268 – Running from time (not out of it) appeared first on Just...

Looking back and ahead, what concrete steps are we taking to become better communicators? In this episode, I reflect on the past 12 months and set our sights on a new year to become an elite communicator who consistently thinks and says what really matters. The post Ep. 267 – A year in review and one ahead appeared first on Just Saying .

Why are you waiting for someone to make a decision that’s yours to make? Why are you standing in line for approvals, sitting in meetings for a decision and writing another e-mail for the go-ahead, when you could be moving forward to make things happen? In this episode, I challenge you to have a conversation that might eliminate more conversations, meetings and e-mails. The post Ep. 266 – Why am I...