While debates at work or at home can devolve into unproductive arguments, when they are guided in a positive direction during meetings, they can prove highly beneficial. Differing perspectives, opinions and ideas can either derail a discussion or serve as fuel to propel it toward a positive outcome. The caveat is most meetings are void of any debate whatsoever. [...]

The definition of productivity has changed significantly since the early days of corporate America. Clocking in and out on time, meeting deadlines and showing supervisors respect used to be enough to qualify. Today’s corporate landscape, however, is far more complicated. Measuring and improving productivity, therefore, must be approached in a more complex way. Traditional Markers In the past, productivity [...]

While making your employee recognition program a priority may seem unrealistic given your already endless priority list, doing so delivers a host of very attractive benefits: Top-tier recognition programs allow organizations to see their ROI firsthand during the process of recognizing excellent work. Best-in-class companies are 21% more likely to view recognition as extremely valuable for driving employee performance.1 Best-in-class [...]

In this day and age, going green is becoming a necessity rather than an option. The importance of addressing and tackling environmental issues cannot be understated. Some of your attendees and stakeholders will expect or even demand it, those who are not environmentally conscious certainly will not mind it, and going green is cost effective in many ways. Making your [...]

Did you know that you have internal customers in addition to external customers? Everyone knows about external customers. They are the people who purchase your product or use your services and people who have a vested interest in your organization. Terms for external customers include buyers, consumers, vendors/suppliers, stakeholders, government and creditors. Internal customers are the people who consume or [...]

If the presenters and panelists at your meetings do not tell stories, the meetings will fail. We are not talking about recounting what you did last night or sharing how your Aunt Ida makes the best pumpkin pie on earth. Rather, we are referring to vivid, compelling stories that relate to the topic at hand. Notice that we said stories [...]

Competition is fiercer than ever when it comes to sales, in large part because the Internet and digital marketing mediums have widened the playing field. In the past, competition was once limited to the local level or regional level. Now, it is bigger, stronger and you must contend with it at a global one. While this intense competitive environment may [...]

High-quality writing too often gets overlooked these days thanks to spell-check and shorthand text acronyms such as “LOL” (laugh out loud) or “BTW” (by the way). It is common to see misspellings in common words such as “separate” and incorrect usage such as “their” instead of “there.” Additionally, and perhaps worst of all, some business emails or text messages end [...]

Meetings are largely perceived as boring, lengthy and largely unproductive but it does not have to be this way.  Asking the right types of questions can prove extremely useful for obtaining insight, encouraging introspection and making decisions that progress a project, department or the entire organization forward. Before you begin to think about the specific questions, make sure they are [...]

“Wellness” has been a buzz word in the corporate world for many years – close to two decades now. It is thrown around during the hiring process, company-wide meetings and posted on social media. Unfortunately, too many companies fall to properly implement a wellness program. Offsite meetings, conferences and other events are no exception. The irony is significant. Carving out [...]