Be articulate. The world becomes a better place as people understand each other the first time or at least by the second time. Articulate people have something to say but it doesn't take them forever to get their point across. (FYI, after 30 seconds of speaking, you start losing your audience.)

  Read more »

Enjoying yourself at large events is an acquired taste for a lot of people, including me. I'd much rather be at a small event. Nevertheless, there is a lot to be said for networking at the big events that draw top talent. Sometimes you simply have to attend one because it's part of your job. These tips are guaranteed to help you benefit and enjoy your next big event.

1. Recognize in advance the big benefits. Read more »

Anyone related to the pharma CRM (Customer Relationship Management) training business on the East Coast (or maybe the entire country) knows who Janet Fenn is. For the rest of you, she is Director of Training services for LPW Training Services. Her background includes Corporate Education, Compliance, Risk Management and Human Resources!

1. What do you love most about your work?

Establishing a plan and seeing it through to successful execution. When the plan comes together, it's a work of art. Read more »

I've been imagining Ben Franklins raining down on me for years now and so far it hasn't happened. But reading all the research coming out about brain rewiring, I decided to do an experiment, for the sake of the Mixonian community. If you read much here, you know I like gardening but I'm not that successful at it (yet.) March a year ago, my dad and my son planted (in my yard) 8 beautiful camellias. 5 are still standing and 1 doesn't look so good. About 3 weeks ago I decided I needed to plant 5 hydrangeas on one side of my back yard. But I didn't want to buy them, I wanted to manifest them. (Frugalista to the core!)

So it took a few weeks. Read more »

People often ask me for tips to make their presentations better, or how to feel more confident when speaking in front of a group. Finally I saw how for those of you who love to give parties have a great advantage in delivering messages to a group. If you enjoy entertaining, you must be a whiz of presentations! The key elements are the same.

You can think about these elements of giving a party, or making a presentation.

1. You're the Event Planner, even if you hire an Event Planning Pro.

  Read more »

For those who asked, and everyone else, here are 5 of my recommended reads for 2013 so far. I put links to Amazon for your convenience.

1. Search Inside Yourself by Chade Meng Tan. 

  Read more »

Hi there. Today features our second Real Communicator, Sally Hamilton, HR Director at Metrics, Inc. (a pharmaceutical company) in Greenville, NC. Sally was one of the first employees of the Metrics, which opened in 1994. The company was just bought by the publicly-traded Mayne Pharma of Australia.

1. What do you love most about your work?

Well, a paycheck and benefits is most appreciated. The interaction with so many people can be a lot of fun - it can also be very frustrating.

  Read more »

See, I told you communication was more important than you thought! This tool involved intrapersonal communication. That means communication with yourself, where, you probably have your most fascinating conversations! Here's how it works. Good questions lead to new perspectives. New perspectives result in higher levels of thinking. Higher-level thinking is what solves your problem!

The underlying assumption, is....every problem has a solution. The kicker to that is that the solution is totally different from what you thought it should be, or even what you wanted it to be. (Hint: the solution is usually simpler than what you thought!)

There's an example after the questions to show you how this process works. These 7 questions you can use to coach yourself to solve a sticky situation, move forward on a project, to drop some burden without guilt, to take better care of yourself or just to enjoy your life more. They are in sequential order and I suggest you answer one at a time.

  Read more »

Hi there! Today you're getting a treat -- the chance to know how successful folks who work real jobs in real companies  (that's our working definition of "corporate America") deal with communication issues at work. Our debut in this series, Real Communication: Voices from Corporate America, features Kim Wright-Brown, Sales Manager at Comcast in Charleston. She's been with Comcast for nearly 20 years and moved into sales from advertising and marketing. Her team covers sales to businesses in the Charleston area.

  Read more »