by Steve Adubato, PhD

I was talking to a financial analyst named Bob recently who told me how difficult it was for him to attend networking and business “socials” because he felt the pressure to say something “interesting” or witty. Bob described a Chamber of Commerce event in which his communication phobia around small talk really got bad when he met someone who apparently was feeling the same thing.

by Steve Adubato, PhD

The next book I write is going to be called “That’s Not What I Meant.” I’m not joking. I’ve lost count of the times that I’ve said to my wife, my kids, or the people I work with, “That’s not what I meant. What I meant was…”, after saying one thing and having it interpreted differently. We get misinterpreted all the time.

by Steve Adubato, PhD

Recently, Dr. Mehmet Oz talked about his effort to improve his own listening skills. While Oz is a terrific communicator on television, and has been a big hit with his daytime series “Dr. Oz”, he openly acknowledged recently that his own listening skills aren’t what they need to be.

by Steve Adubato, PhD

Executive presence is a funny thing. For many, it’s hard to define or someone tells you that you don’t have it and you don’t know exactly what they are talking about.

by Steve Adubato, PhD

Humor is a funny thing, particularly when it doesn’t work. I am not talking funny in a ha-ha, belly laugh kind of way. I am talking funny that can get a top level executive in hot water in a hurry, particularly when this so-called humor either falls flat or unnecessarily offends a key audience or a group of stakeholders.

by Steve Adubato, PhD

Toxic People. Negative people. People that don’t listen. And what about those who harp on the same point over and over again?

by Steve Adubato, PhD

Recently, I saw the movie “The King’s Speech”, which featured the painful and often difficult to watch story of King George VI (when the film opens he is Prince Albert, Duke of York, known as “Bertie” and soon to be the future King) trying to overcome a powerful stammer and stuttering problem and his complex relationship with speech therapist Lionel Logue.