The First Book You Should Read This Year
6 January 2017
Eden read Crucial Conversations and realized how much of what makes conversations difficult happens before we even open our mouths.
What We're Reading Now
Entries tagged with: Communication
Be Married by George Linney
7 March 2017
Allison read the Be Married web site and was excited to learn more about her brother's approach to strengthening relationships.
Unhook from Praise and Criticism
4 April 2011
Barbara read Tara Mohr’s Playing Big and learned that praise can be just as harmful to creativity as mean spirited criticism. It is important to unhook from both.
Surviving Negative Feedback
18 April 2017
Barbara read the HBR article, Responding to Feedback You Disagree With, by Sheila Heen and Debbie Goldstein and learned some tips for dealing with criticism.
Change is Hard
26 September 2017
Barbara read 6 Steps for Successfully Bringing Change to your Company and learned if you attempt to change a process quickly without providing enough of the right kind of information, people may dig in their heels and sabotage it.
Risk Truth
9 January 2018
Allison read When the Truth Is Your Only Chance by Peter Bregman on the HBR Blog Network (again) and remembered that this really is one of her favorite articles when she's trying to help clients figure out how to deliver difficult feedback.
There’s a Reason Self-Compassion is So Hard to Achieve
23 January 2018
Barbara read Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristen Neff and was reminded how important it is to pay attention to how you talk to yourself.
Help for Heated Topics
13 March 2018
Eden listened to Strong Back, Soft Front, Wild Heart, on the On Being Podcast, and thought about the ways we approach (or don’t approach) controversial topics.
Is Hardball for Women Still Useful?
20 March 2018
Barbara read Hardball for Women: Winning at the Game of Business: Third Edition by Pat Heim and Tammy Hughes and considered some actions women can take to get their work goals accomplished. (Men could do more to help address gender inequities by reading this book, too.)
What Makes a Good Story?
29 May 2018
Eden read How to Tell a Story by Daniel McDermon and thought about practical ways she could enhance communication through storytelling.
Speak Confidently—How to Eliminate Ums, Uhs, and Likes
3 July 2018
Eden read So, like, how can I, um, clean up my speech? by Lisa Evans and practiced being comfortable with awkward silence.
Lessons in Culture from Netflix
14 August 2018
Janie read To See the Future of Competition, Look at Netflix by Bill Taylor, and was surprised to learn that some aspects of the culture at Netflix are similar to our ways of working at Allison Partners.
Try a Little Shift in How You Talk to Yourself
4 September 2018
Barbara watched Pinkcast 2.22: This is how to talk to yourself and learned a different way to use self-talk in stressful situations.
Open a Notebook, Close Your Laptop
18 September 2018
As another school year gets underway, Allison reflected on the power of writing notes by hand rather than using our computers.
Listening is Hard Work!
30 October 2018
Barbara read Listening to People by Ralph G. Nichols and Leonard A. Stevens, a classic Harvard Business Review article, that explains the science behind why listening is so difficult.
Getting Yourself to Have a Difficult Conversation
13 November 2018
Barbara read How to Have Difficult Conversations When You Don’t Like Conflict by Joel Garfinkle in the Harvard Business Review.
Sensitivity and Censorship
20 November 2018
Eden read Uncensored: My Life and Uncomfortable Conversations at the Intersection of Black and White America by Zachary Wood and examined what makes her uncomfortable about controversial topics.
Accepting Compliments as a Way to Practice Happiness
22 January 2019
Eden read How to Accept A Compliment—Even if It’s From Yourself by Micaela Marini Higgs and thought about the value of “acknowledging the small wins.”
Why do They Act That Way?
29 January 2019
Barbara reread You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, a book about gender differences, by Deborah Tannen and found that many of the behaviors Tannen describes still ring true for her and the people she lives with and coaches.
Choose Your Words
1 February 2019
Rachel read The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds and was even more inspired to be like Jerome and choose her words carefully. Whether you're practicing empathy and understanding others, or sharing your own story and hoping to be heard, words hold power.
