The Buddy System
Tip of the WeekUse the buddy system when preparing communication. Effective communicators often will have someone who reads over and checks written and oral communication befo...
Structure and Organization
Tip of the WeekShift your communication according to the degree of structure and organization your audience prefers. On one end of the continuum are people who are very organi...
Communicating to Your Audience
Tip of the WeekAdapt your communication style according to your audience’s information-gathering tendencies. For example, some people are more focused on the “here and now...
Cross-Examining
Tip of the WeekCross-examine the presenters of proposals. Think of how an attorney questions a witness: How sure are you of this? Where did the evidence come from? What would ...
Hindsight Bias
Tip of the WeekWatch out for hindsight bias when making sense of an event. Hindsight bias, or the Monday-morning-quarterback effect, is believing that we had better knowledge ...
Planning Your Message
Tip of the WeekCarefully plan your message when you’re communicating a decision to a group that has not been involved in the decision making process. In particular, make sur...
Screening Alternatives
Tip of the WeekScreen out alternatives for your audience or decision-making team. For example, it’s more effective to consider 3 or 4 alternatives rather than 15. In fact, s...
Maximizing Tendencies
Tip of the WeekWatch for maximizing tendencies when you are making a decision. Maximizers seek and accept only “the best”; they need to be assured that every action they t...
Possible Solutions
Tip of the WeekSeek agreement on the criteria by which your group judges possible solutions before making a final decision. For example, if your group is deciding on the locat...
Decisions
Tip of the WeekDon’t assume that your decisions are self-evident. Often decision-makers spend many hours arriving at a decision after carefully weighing alternatives. They o...