Just Saying - The BRIEF Lab

When you take a course, whether it be in person or online, it’s always an experience. In this episode, I talk about the critical role of course design to make it an exceptional, relevant and practical experience.   Link: https://thebrieflab.com/belt/   The post Ep. 219 – Breaking bad teaching (part 1) appeared first on Just Saying .

Over the past year, we continue to witness substantial changes in our world, both broadly and personally. After spending some quiet time to reflect personally, I share a brief perspective on what’s transpired in the past 12 months and what lies ahead. The post Ep. 218 – Year in review appeared first on Just Saying .

In this episode, I talk about some important considerations if you need to come up with a name for a business, product, program or key initiative. If you get it mildly right, you can make the name serve as a force for clarity. The post Ep. 217 – What’s in a name? appeared first on Just Saying .

Over the years, I have succeeded and failed as an entrepreneur. The lessons I learned might help you either as you start a new business or lead a new program, venture or initiative within an existing organization. The post Ep. 216 – Entrepreneurial lessons appeared first on Just Saying .

Setting the right tone at the beginning of a meeting may require you to say nothing at all. In this episode, I share a different way to kick off meetings by giving participants quiet time to prepare. Links from this episode:Ep. 153 –  Best of: Curbing a culture of meetings & meeting agenda design Ep. 165 –  Creating momentum after a meeting Ep. 105 –  Quiet Time: the sweetest...

Call back episode #179 recorded March 04, 2019 Look around and see who’s going to jump up and take out the garbage. Who will take on this thankless job? The post Call Back Episode – Empty the trash 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 Ep. 214 – Thanksgiving: notes of gratitude appeared first on Just Saying .

In this episode, I share with you a brief essay I wrote about how the workplace needs to change. We are all hoping for fundamental improvements that will help make where and how we work much more purposeful and fulfilling, not so noisy, mindless and tiring. Links from this episode: Download or share the essay:  The Quiet Workplace The post Ep. 213 – The Quiet Workplace (an essay) appeared first on...

Imagine being stuck in a meandering conversation with no end in sight. In this week’s podcast, I suggest practical ways to plan when and how to stop talking that will not only give people relief but also a simple way to respond. The post Ep. 212 – Wrap it up appeared first on Just Saying .

Many topics, tasks or even people are carelessly brushed aside because they are deemed dispensable, unimportant and trivial. While some things are considered “nice to know,” others are solidly seen as “need to know”? In this episode, I share ways to shift mindsets to help you and your ideas be taken more seriously. Links from this episode: BRIEF: MAKE A BIGGER IMPACT BY SAYING LESS NOISE: LIVING A...

When you drop a precious item, it breaks into tiny pieces. Similarly, as communicators, we risk to create noise and confusion to those around us. In this episode, I tackle the hard reality of us being all over the place and how we can find simple ways to manage being so scattered internally and externally. Links from this episode: BRIEF: MAKE A BIGGER IMPACT BY SAYING LESS NOISE: LIVING AND LEADIN...

When you are always on, that means you’re never off. Living in a 24/7 world of pervasive connectivity, we are challenged to find rewarding moments during the day to disconnect. The post Ep. 209 – Tech timeouts appeared first on Just Saying .

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 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 Ep. 208 – Talk isn’t cheap appeared first on Just Saying .

E-mails can be incredibly beneficial or simply a brutal part of our day. In this multi-part series, I discuss the value of stepping away and editing with a more critical eye before hitting send. The post Ep. 207 – Writing a solid e-mail, part 2 appeared first on Just Saying .

Do you ever think why people hate getting e-mails and delete them so quickly? In this multi-part series, I get to the root of writing e-mails that are easy to open, read and respond to in a timely manner. The post Ep. 206 – Writing a solid e-mail, part 1 appeared first on Just Saying .

Why are people misunderstood? In the third installment of this series, I talk about what to do if the misunderstanding is really your fault and how to be open to that possibility and reflect honestly on what went wrong. The post Ep. 205 – Misunderstandings, pt. 3 appeared first on Just Saying .

Call Back Episode #167 recorded November 20, 2020 When writing chapter 14 of the book “Noise,” I was inspired to design a simple deck of cards to help manage scheduled times of silence so they wouldn’t become noisy appointments. So… pick a card, any card – you’re all set. Link:  Thebrieflab.com/store The post Call Back EP – Take 5 Quiet Cards appeared first on Just Saying .

Why are people misunderstood? In the second installment of this series, I talk about what to do if the misunderstanding is not at all your fault and how to handle it calmly and confidently. The post Ep. 204 – Misunderstandings, pt. 2 appeared first on Just Saying .

Why are people misunderstood? In the first installment of this series, I talk about how to lower the level and frequencies of misunderstandings that happens in our personal and professional lives. The post Ep. 203 – Misunderstandings appeared first on Just Saying .

What starts as constructive criticism can often devolve into useless complaining. I talk about different ways to break the cycle of negativity and change the conversation. The post Ep. 202 – Leaving the complaining club appeared first on Just Saying .

Making resolutions are hard. In this episode, I’m talking about making better, smarter BRIEF resolutions. The post Episode 201 – Creating a better, SMART BRIEF resolution appeared first on Just Saying .

For our 200 th episode, I take a moment to celebrate, consider and reflect on key learnings over the years both in doing this podcast and in 15 years of business. The post Episode 200 – A time to celebrate appeared first on Just Saying .

Call back episode #94 recorded June 17, 2019 The place where you work is sucking the life out of everyone – it’s just how we roll, you say. What can you do to prevent it and push back? The post Call Back Episode – Enduring a culture of long and confusing appeared first on Just Saying .

Call back episode #105 recorded September 04, 2019 If you had some quiet time, what would be the sounds you’d hear other than silence? Strong listeners know how to savor the sweet sounds others seem to miss. Links: https://thebrieflab.com/noise/ Dumb and Dumber Mockingbird scene The post Call Back Episode – Quiet Time: the sweetest sounds appeared first on Just Saying .

Call back episode #69 recorded December 17, 2018 If you’re watching television and the sound gets too loud, you grab the remote control and hit mute. What if you could do that for all the noise in and around you? The post Call Back Episode – Hitting mute more often in your life appeared first on Just Saying .