Just Saying - The BRIEF Lab

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...

Wanting to be clear and concise, doesn’t mean that you are. As you listen to advice on how to become an intentional communicator, you may wonder how to assess your skills. In this week’s episode, I unveil a free BRIEF Communication Assessment to gauge your strengths and weaknesses in four important categories. To take the short survey, please go to  https://thebrieflab.com The post Ep. 265 – How d...

Quiet is defined as the absence of noise. It not only deserves a set time and daily appointment but also a designated place where you can go to be comfortable and concentrate, with limited or no distractions. In reality, people struggle to find that place in a sea of noise. In this episode, I share my story and how I found a space at work, home and on the road. The post Ep. 264 – Finding my quiet...

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 Ep. 263 – Meetings redesigned and redefined appeared first on Just Saying .

Every day, we drop acronyms all around us, saving many people time while unwittingly confusing others. In this episode, I share a brief perspective on the risks and rewards of using acronyms. If you heed my advice, you’re GTG; if not, you might be PNG or SOL. The post Ep. 262 – The ABC’s of Acronyms appeared first on Just Saying .

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 .

We may be the root cause of our co-workers’ struggle to concentrate. Throughout the day, professionals disrupt each other thoughtlessly. In this episode, I provide a list of considerations we need to remember so that we avoid the urge to interrupt each other constantly. By taking ownership of these powerful impulses to distract, we can become a force of focus to others. The post Ep. 261 – Pardon t...

Ari Sandel, an Academy Award-winning film director, sends an unexpected thank-you note to my team upon learning we share his speech in our BRIEF courses. In this episode, I break down the mechanics of his delivery and how it is a stellar example of clarity and brevity on a big, stressful stage. Links:   The post Ep. 260 – An unforgettable Oscar speech comes full circle appeared first on Just...

Sometimes, it’s easier to say nothing. However, if enough people go silent, the negative impact may spread unnoticed. Whether it’s getting quiet quitters to voice their concerns or people to share something that doesn’t work for them, there’s a reward that’s worth the risk. In this episode, I share five simple considerations to have more impactful conversations that could lead to change. The post...