Philadelphia Business Journal

I am a big fan of health spas and have been to my fair share of them. Like any business or service, some are great and some miss the mark. So when I walked into the lovely Ocean Pearl Spa at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort outside of San Diego, I sensed the experience would be one of the greats. I just didn’t know that the esthetician assigned to my time slot would have so much to teach professionals about communicating. A proud, pretty Jamaican woman with a cheek-to-cheek smile and enough energy to power a nuclear plant, she oozed enthusiasm that I wanted to bottle up and take home. [Read more…] about Speak up and express yourself to build credibility at work

In business as in life, even a seemingly harmless remark can backfire. Think about it — how many times have you hit send and wished you could get that e-mail back? How many times have you regretted something you said that hurt someone or positioned you poorly in an important meeting?

It happens to all of us and is a reminder that we are responsible for what we say — which is why it’s so important to keep the end result in mind.

Learning how to better handle slip-ups and prevent future errors in judgment can actually help you turn negatives to positives. [Read more…] about Zip it: It’s crucial to get a grip on those unfortunate slips

My youngest son didn’t speak until he was nearly four and a half years old, followed by many years of speech therapy to help him overcome fluency and auditory processing struggles. So, you can imagine our incredible pride when at 12, he took the stage as a lead role in his camp production of the Greek comedy “Lysistrata.” We were amazed at the number of lines he had to memorize and deliver — which he did with grace and ease. [Read more…] about Laughable lapses — bouncing back from blank outs

When superstars Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey belted out “Money makes the World Go Round” from the classic 1968 musical “Cabaret,” they may have echoed what so many have come to believe. Yet, in today’s tough times, it takes more than money to win over important listeners and maximize results.

If you’re concerned about how the economy is affecting your business, then it’s important to think about how your communication style affects your customers, employees and prospects who are as worried as you. [Read more…] about Win over listeners and maximize results in tough times