By Steve Adubato, PhD
In the world of communication, silence often sends a powerful message. Not saying a word in certain situations speaks volumes, whether it is in a presentation, a negotiation, or in a heated debate or argument with a co-worker or family member. Yet, silence is a communication tool that few professionals really understand how to use. Let’s take a closer look:
By Steve Adubato, PhD
The presidential campaign may be in a state of flux after New Hampshire, but one thing is clear. Presidential candidate Barack Obama is by any standard an exceptional communicator. This column is not about politics or about handicapping the current campaign. Rather, it is an effort to better understand the rhetorical and communication tools and techniques being used by Obama that are helping him connect on a powerful, personal and emotional level. It is about leadership and the need for any great leader to be an exceptional public communicator. Leadership requires the ability to move and motivate people and at least for right now, that appears to be what is happening in the case of this 46-year-old United States Senator.
By Steve Adubato, PhD
It is almost New Year’s Eve, and that means it is time to consider some communication resolutions for 2008. Right now you are probably thinking that most New Year’s resolutions are broken or forgotten pretty quickly, but there are some very basic ones that you can realistically accomplish. Following are a few that will undoubtedly help you reach your personal and professional communication goals in 2008.
By Steve Adubato, PhD
“I’m not talking to y’all about it…We’ll handle this our way.” That was what former New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens had to say earlier this week when confronted by reporters in Texas about his name being linked to the Mitchell Report, which cited more than 80 baseball players accused of using steroids or human growth hormones. The report cites Clemens having been injected 4 to 6 times in the buttocks with the human growth hormone. Yet, Clemens has refused to communicate directly regarding the accusations, even though his close friend and teammate Andy Pettitte admitted, although reluctantly, that he used human growth hormones to recover from an elbow injury in 2002.
By Steve Adubato, PhD
Recently, Mary Gamba, our marketing director at our firm Stand & Deliver, went to Disney with her family. Mary couldn’t say enough about how accommodating and friendly the Disney employees were and how the park itself communicated a feeling of respect and appreciation for customers. Said Mary; “No matter where you go in the park, someone is there to help. If you are looking at a map, or lost, someone notices and asks if they can direct you…From the minute you enter Disney, from the ride operators to the people sweeping the streets following the parades, they do it with a smile. (See last week’s column on first impressions.)
By Steve Adubato, PhD
Much of the communication equation is based on how the receiver of your message feels about you. Do they like you? Trust you? Believe in you? It goes beyond content to a more subjective and visceral reaction one has to another human being. How people feel about you is often based on first impressions. In those first few moments when you meet someone, you size him or her up. Fair or not, it is often said that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. You can’t separate the message you are trying to communicate from the first impression you make as you are doing it. In many ways, the message is really about you. So what are some of the keys to making a positive first impression?
By Steve Adubato, PhD
So Thanksgiving has come and gone and we are getting heavy into the holiday season. You survived “Black Friday” and will probably be spending more time with family, friends and co-workers at parties and other gatherings. Some of us look forward to this season, while others for a variety of reasons, dread it. Even though you sometimes can’t pick who you share the holidays with, you CAN choose how you communicate as well as your attitude.