Tag Archives: Relations

How to Control Your Temper Before You Lose It

Patrick Allan

How to Control Your Temper Before You Lose It

We all get angry sometimes, but if you’re prone to rage bursts that rival The Hulk, it can really damage your relationships and even ruin your career. Here are some tips for keeping your cool when your temper feels like a short fuse burning. Read more »

The Definitive Guide to Winning an Argument

Patrick Allan

The Definitive Guide to Winning an Argument

Winning isn’t everything, but it sure is nice. When you don’t see eye to eye with someone, here are the best tricks for winning that argument.

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How Successful People Handle Toxic People

Dr. Travis Bradberry

Toxic people defy logic. Some are blissfully unaware of the negative impact that they have on those around them, and others seem to derive satisfaction from creating chaos and pushing other people’s buttons. Either way, they create unnecessary complexity, strife, and worst of all stress.

Studies have long shown that stress can have a lasting, negative impact on the brain. Exposure to even a few days of stress compromises the effectiveness of neurons in the hippocampus—an important brain area responsible for reasoning and memory. Weeks of stress cause reversible damage to neuronal dendrites (the small “arms” that brain cells use to communicate with each other), and months of stress can permanently destroy neurons. Stress is a formidable threat to your success—when stress gets out of control, your brain and your performance suffer.

Most sources of stress at work are easy to identify. If your non-profit is working to land a grant that your organization needs to function, you’re bound to feel stress and likely know how to manage it. It’s the unexpected sources of stress that take you by surprise and harm you the most.

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Utilize the “Steel Man” Tactic to Argue More Effectively

 

Utilize the "Steel Man" Tactic to Argue More Effectively

Eric Ravenscraft

“Straw man arguments” are utilized in debates to undermine the opposition. If you want to take the high road–and debate more effectively in the process–utilize the “steel man” argument.

Contrary to some common misinterpretations, a straw man is employed when one side on an argument creates a false narrative and then argues with that, instead of the point a person actually made. “I think the iPhone is actually okay” turns into “Android sux” and discussion falls apart.

The “steel man” is the opposite approach. Read more »

Five Habits of Truly Effective Communicators

Five Habits of Truly Effective Communicators

We all have room to polish our communication skills—some people want to be more assertive, others need help with conflict management, and still others find it hard to speak their minds in a group setting. Here are a few tips that can help you get your ideas across.

This post originally appeared on The Muse.

When it comes to job coaching, almost every conversation I have with a client involves the topic of communication. The motives can vary widely, and as I reflect on all the conversations I have, I realize that most of the time, we’re not talking about complex ideas. It’s really the basics about workplace communication that seem to trip most people up.

So, since we could all use a good reminder, here are the top five things I help my clients with when it comes to communication. Identify the ones that you need to work on, and start moving them into your conversation skill set today.

Stop Saying “But” and Start Saying “And”

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