August 26th, is Women's Equality Day - and what a great time to recognize and celebrate the perfection of women!

Volume, pitch, inflection, pace, rhythm, rate, intensity, clarity, pauses – all of these play a role in how you say what you say – and that “how”can sometimes be more revealing of your true intent than the “what” contained in the words.

It’s the diversity of thinking styles, points of view, personal experience, and gut feelings that feeds the creative process.

If your boss told you that she noticed something about your performance and wanted you to come to her office to discuss it, would you assume that she had noticed an area of your special competence and wanted to bring it to your attention?

Definitive, purposeful succession planning is rare, even at the very highest corporate levels.

Sharpen your verbal communication skills and your leadership presence will increase.

Whatever your business goals are for 2023, this I know for sure: You can’t achieve them alone. Collaboration is an essential ingredient for survival and success.

In the 1960s, the University of Michigan psychologist Robert Zajonc demonstrated an important, subconscious relationship that exists between familiarity and “liking.”

We tell all sorts of lies at work. We flatter, exaggerate, omit, and mislead -- primarily to avoid punishment, to make ourselves look better, to control information, or to protect others.

I can tell if you are conning me – some of the time.

During my years as a therapist, it became second nature to notice the body language of my clients. During our conversations, I would sit across from people and try to infer from their nonverbal signals how they really felt about an issue.

In 2002, a Stanford University professor made audiotapes of physicians and their patients in session. Half of the doctors had been previously brought to court for malpractice. She then played the tapes for her students, who were able to determine which physicians had been sued.

You were having an intense conversation with a woman you met at a networking event when she began to shift her gaze from your face to look around the room. Did that made you feel as if she’d stopped listening?

If so, it wasn’t a logical reaction. You know that a person doesn’t have to look at you to hear you. After all, people don’t listen with their eyes.

Because I’ve trained them to do so, I know that many negotiators have learned how to read body language and to use the resulting insights to their advantage. But I also know that other negotiators miss valuable opportunities simply because they don’t pay attention. They get so wrapped up in what’s being said or in the documents being presented, they neglect to look for these vital cues. Here are four strategies for reading body language when negotiating.

A while back, I was on a phone call from a prospective client who was looking to “book a speaker who would make my people want to change.” The caller was the vice president of a large company going through a substantial transformation - and the following conversation showed that he didn’t know the first thing about leading change.

During a break at the conference where I had just spoken on “Connection, Empathy, and Leadership Presence,” a man from the audience told me this story…

Although there are many nonverbal strategies that help you look like a leader, there are gender, situational, and cultural differences that impact their effectiveness.

In a famous 2002 experiment, a Stanford University professor made audiotapes of physicians and their patients in session. Half of the doctors had been previously brought to court for malpractice. She then played the tapes for her students, who were able to determine which physicians had been sued.