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I struggle to communicate. I’m sure that’s the reason I am always compelled to write about communication issues. I am a poor communicator. And when I hear stories about communication issues, I’m drawn to them so I can see how I stack up in comparison and to see what I can do to learn to be a better communicator.

Should you be the best at one thing or good at many things?

Do you envy the person at a meeting that when she speaks, everyone stops and intently listens?

In business, you either manage people (push), or you lead people (pull).

In our current culture, many people seem to lose one of their most important, instinctive behaviors. The behavior I am referring to is the use of the word “no.”

My initial reaction to thinking about having difficult conversations through a non-face-to face format is “don’t.” You will lose all the benefits of body language and tone that is needed to effectively convey your message.

If you need to have the same difficult conversation with the same employee a second time, you need to question if your delivery method is effective.

My experience in having successful, albeit difficult, conversations relies on getting off on the right foot. And to get off on the right foot, I meticulously plan every move right up to the moment you start talking.

I have noticed an increase in articles about the use of profanity. Forbes magazine and other business-related media outlets have been providing stories and opinions about the increase of profanity in the workplace.

Probably in no other conversations is tone more important than when having a difficult conversation. In addition to our body language, the tone we use will either escalate the problem we are addressing or ameliorate it.