By Steve Adubato, PhD

If saying "I'm sorry" is so easy, then why are so many people so bad at it? How do you apologize effectively and have the offended party forgive you? Consider the highly publicized apology of US Senator Bob Torricelli after the Senate Ethics Committee "seriously admonished" him for his dealings with discredited businessman David Chang.

By Steve Adubato, PhD

Mario Cuomo is undoubtedly one of the most effective public speakers of our time. As former governor of New York and a much sought after motivational speaker, Cuomo has studied other great orators and has worked hard to master the art of connecting with and persuading people.

In 1984, along with millions of others, I watched Cuomo deliver a spellbinding speech at the 1984 Democratic National Convention. That speech is considered by many to be one of the greatest political convention speeches ever.

By Steve Adubato, PhD

Some kids are better communicators than others. Did you ever notice certain children look you right in the eye, speak in a clear voice without rambling and do it with genuine enthusiasm? What makes other kids mumble, look down at the ground and rock back and forth when they have to speak? According to Dr. William Sears, a pediatrician of 30 years and the author of the book "The Successful Child," the way children communicate is largely a product of how their parents communicate. Dr. Sears says children are the world's best copycats, and communication skills are more commonly caught than taught.

By Steve Adubato, PhD

Q: You talk a lot about communicating with passion, enthusiasm and energy. My problem is I don't know how to do that without sounding like a used car salesman.

A: First, the car salesman reference seems a bit unfair. But if what you mean is that you don't want to come off as less than genuine and sincere, your point is well taken. Here's the trick. You actually have to believe what you're saying, as opposed to acting like you believe it. Real passion and enthusiasm comes from reaching inside yourself and figuring out what your heart (as well as your head) is telling you. Most of us aren't used to doing that.

By Steve Adubato, PhD

There's too much information out there and it seems to be getting worse every day. Oftentimes, people say the problem in a particular organization is that "more communication is needed." Fact is, it is rarely more communication or information that is lacking, but rather, more effective and relevant information.

So when people say we need "more communication," I get worried. The Internet is filled with lots of information, but how much of it is actually pertinent to our lives. Cable TV offers nearly one hundred or more channels - lots of choices, lots of information. But how much of it can we really use? Of the e-mails we get, how many of them are junk? Whether it's the Internet, television or the reams of memos and e-mail that inundate us, we are constantly trying to manage and make sense of the information and data in our lives.

By Steve Adubato, PhD

Consider the optimistic e-mail sent by then Enron CEO Ken Lay last August to all Enron employees; "I want to assure you that I have never felt better about the prospects for the company."

That's what Ken Lay said. What he did sent a dramatically different message. In the seven months preceding his upbeat e-mail the Enron boss sold nearly 470,000 shares of Enron stock for approximately $30 million.

By Steve Adubato, PhD

Sure, New Year's Day has passed, but it's not too late to think about resolutions for 2002. As a matter of fact, many of us are thinking about New Year's resolutions these days. We promise to work out more, eat less, and relax more. Any or all of those resolutions sound great. But what about a new type of resolution for 2002? Why not work harder to become a more effective communicator. How you ask? One step at a time.

We communicate in so many ways and in so many circumstances, let's break this New Year's resolution into manageable pieces. I resolve to…