Organizations are about conversations. For any organization to achieve its goals, people need to interact and those interactions require dialogue and conversation. Yet, thanks to technology, we seem to be having fewer genuine conversations. This book seeks to change this, through "how to skills" and wider cultural change advice.

Stories are orders of magnitude which are more effective than facts at achieving attention, persuading, being remembered, and inspiring involvement. Signature stories-intriguing, authentic, and involving narratives-apply the power of stories to communicate a strategic message. Marketing professionals, coping with the digital revolution and the need to have their strategic message heard internally and externally, are realizing that a digital strategy revolves around content and that content is stories. Creating Signature Stories shows organizations how to introduce storytelling into their strategic messaging, and guides organizations to find, or even create, signature stories and leverage them over time. With case studies built into every chapter, organizations will realize the power of storytelling to energize readers, gain visibility, persuade audiences, and inspire action.

This book demonstrates the power of writing in informal and formal organizations in the past and the present. It shows how writing, despite long lasting criticisms that can be traced back to Plato, and in spite of its frequent definition as a mere recording medium is in fact a creative mode of communication that supports the expression of emotions, the developing knowledge, and the building of strong communities among faraway individuals. The first part of the book illustrates how this has been true historically. The focus on writing as a fundamental mode of communication - the other being speech or the oral mode - is still important in our technology-infused world, where writing seems to have been reduced to short cryptic text messages or tweets. Precisely because of their heavy reliance on technology, current practices are in need of a deeper understanding that focus on deep as opposed to surface features and unveil the four essential mechanisms - objectification, reflecting, specifying, and addressing - that give writing its creative powers. In the second part of the book, we use contemporary case studies and interviews to illustrate how shifting our focus from the media to the mode of communication and focusing on the mechanisms of writing allows us to go beyond current debates about the capabilities of various communication media and to understand better today's communicative practices. This book is an attempt to unveil the powers of writing as well as to highlight the implications for organizations of the potential loss of these powers in today's world where writing-based distributed collaborations, interpersonal relationships, and online communities are key sources of innovation and support for individuals and organizations.

Become a Talent Talker!

Great people developers take an interest in others, they recognize that they didn’t get to where they are on their own, and they want to “pay forward” the time that others have invested in them. Helping others unlock their talent and potential is an enormously rewarding activity, and it doesn’t take very much time, just the right attitude. If you look back on your own career and recognize a talent talker in your past, you owe it to them to become one yourself. If you don’t see a talent talker in your past, you need to look harder, because no one can make it on their own.

Getting managers to have development conversations is one of the most important drivers of unlocking talent and potential in your organisation. This book, and the TalentTalker.com application, makes it easy for any manager to sit down and have a development conversation.

Those conversations can be about improving performance, managing a career, developing leadership skills or formulating and executing new business strategies. Talking connects people, people who feel connected are more engaged, engaged people deliver exceptional results.

Yolanda Lacoma, holds a Master’s degrees in Psychology and European Studies and a postgraduate course in Education. Prior to starting her consulting practice Yolanda was a professor at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland where she developed and delivered a variety of executive development programs. After moving to the United States in 1997, she founded PeopleTree Group and is currently the CEO.

Martin Sutherland is the Global Director of PeopleTree Talent Analytics International. He is a founder member of the company, launched in 1998. He has 23 years of professional consulting experience in the ICT, Energy and Power, Financial Services & Banking, Transport, Retail and Manufacturing sectors.

Emotional Intelligence is a complete guidebook to help you leverage your EQ for greater professional and personal success.

Research now shows that people with higher levels of emotional intelligence generally have:

• Greater job satisfaction
• A better chance of getting promoted
• A bigger salary
• A higher standard of living
• Fewer family conflicts
• A stronger immune system
• A lower chance of developing cardiovascular disorders, and
• A more fulfilled life!

Written especially for the South African workplace, this newly updated edition will show you to improve and develop your emotional intelligence by focusing on these aspects of EQ:

• Self-awareness
• Self- regard
• Assertiveness
• Empathy
• Interpersonal relations
• Problem- solving
• Impulse control
• Stress tolerance
• Flexibility
• Optimism
• And more!

Throughout the book, you will find practical tips, exercises, and case studies to help you develop your emotional intelligence. Now is your chance to open the door to a better life!

Annette Prins a senior counselling psychologist, involves herself with developing human capital. As CEO and co-owner of the company Talent and Wellness Management, she developed and presented an array of workshops in the people skills arena, for the corporate and tertiary sectors. She specialises in stress management, anxiety and mood disorders and trauma counselling.

Eugene van Niekerk has taught psychology at both under-graduate and post-graduate level. His academic background is also complimented by work as psychotherapist and corporate consultant. Eugene’s interests include, amongst others: emotional intelligence; mind-body medicine; mental health in an information society; how affective neuroscience is able to improve individual and organisational performance.

As consultant Annette Weyers has been part of the wellness industry for fifteen years. She was co-founder of the Centre for Talent and Wellness Management an organisation that offered professional services to develop human talent and promote wellness. Services to employees included support and interventions through counseling, coaching, inspirational talks and workshops. "

Organizational Communication: Foundations, Challenges, and Misunderstandings examines how communication is central to organizational life and the complexities and complications that arise as people attempt to coordinate their organizational activities. The text underscores the importance of the relationships we establish with the people with whom we work and how a better understanding of organizational communication theory and application can help us anticipate and manage misunderstandings in the workplace. In Part One, students learn about classical and modern management theories, systems theory, and frameworks for understanding organizational communication, including organizational culture and critical theory. In Part Two, the text covers topics traditionally covered in organizational communication textbooks through the lens of misunderstandings. Stories from organizational members highlight challenges and opportunities related to communicating in the organization. Realistic recruitment, socialization, the relationship between supervisors and subordinates, peer and team relationships, and leadership communication are addressed. The fifth edition features new interview data; broader coverage of diversity; expanded discussions of emotions at work; and examinations of workplace bullying, blended relationships, and technology as it relates to gender and age. Offering students a balanced mix of theoretical and practical information, Organizational Communication is an exemplary textbook for introductory organizational communication courses.

Networking master and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Ivan Misner along with David Alexander, and Brian Hilliard teach entrepreneurs how to master the art of networking. Introducing an exclusive results-measuring system; the Network Scorecard; this powerful guide motivates entrepreneurs to reach quality prospects, leverage new and current contacts, prompt ongoing referrals and ultimately, boost their client base and their bottom line. With this powerful guide, eager entrepreneurs uncover undeniably effective networking techniques for building, reviving, and growing their business. Following the action plans provided, entrepreneurs learn key networking strategies including how to build their social capital, farm (not hunt) relationships and referrals, leverage the four major; of their networking driver, track the results of their efforts, and more. Entrepreneurs also discover how to enhance their networking efforts with new media tools, helping them reach new levels of referrals, free promotion, and connection with their clients.

Whether running a company or working for an organisation, "Brilliant Workshops "will equip you with all the practical tools and effective techniques you need to run your workshop effectively.

This book challenges the myths about delivering effective workshops and will give you all the essential information you need to deliver brilliant workshops to any audience.

In this re-published book The Insight Discipline: Crafting New Marketplace Understanding That Makes a Difference, Liam Fahey details the analysis methods and modes of deliberations required to overcome data challenges and create an insight-driven culture. He lays out the business case for why leaders must emphasize the goal of attaining new insight if they want to gain maximum value from analysis. The Insight Discipline provides you with a comprehensive guide to what it takes to craft marketplace insight that extends beyond the typical analysis findings. Plus, you'll see how to use new insight to influence thinking, decisions and action at any organizational level. This book forms part of the American Marketing Association (AMA) Leadership series: 7 Big Problems of Marketing.

Networking for Nerds provides a step-by-step guide to understanding how to access hidden professional opportunities through networking. With an emphasis on practical advice on how and why to network, you will learn how to formulate and execute a strategic networking plan that is dynamic, multidimensional, and leverages social media platforms and other networking channels. An invaluable resource for both established and early-career scientists and engineers (as well as networking neophytes!), Networking for Nerds offers concrete insight on crafting professional networks that are mutually beneficial and support the advancement of both your career goals and your scholarly ambitions. Networking does not mean going to one reception or speaking with a few people at one conference, and never contacting them again. Rather, networking involves a spectrum of activities that engages both parties, ensures everyone s value is appropriately communicated, and allows for the exploration of a win-win collaboration of some kind. Written by award-winning entrepreneur and strategic career planning expert Alaina G. Levine, Networking for Nerds is an essential resource for anyone working in scientific and engineering fields looking to enhance their professional planning for a truly fulfilling, exciting, and stimulating career. professional planning for a truly fulfilling, exciting, and stimulating career.Networking for Nerds provides a step-by-step guide to understanding how to access hidden professional opportunities through networking. With an emphasis on practical advice on how and why to network, you will learn how to formulate and execute a strategic networking plan that is dynamic, multidimensional, and leverages social media platforms and other networking channels. An invaluable resource for both established and early-career scientists and engineers (as well as networking neophytes!), Networking for Nerds offers concrete insight on crafting professional networks that are mutually beneficial and support the advancement of both your career goals and your scholarly ambitions. Networking does not mean going to one reception or speaking with a few people at one conference, and never contacting them again. Rather, networking involves a spectrum of activities that engages both parties, ensures everyone s value is appropriately communicated, and allows for the exploration of a win-win collaboration of some kind. Written by award-winning entrepreneur and strategic career planning expert Alaina G. Levine, Networking for Nerds is an essential resource for anyone working in scientific and engineering fields looking to enhance their professional planning for a truly fulfilling, exciting, and stimulating career.

The ultimate playbook for using artificial intelligence to communicate effectively, build teams, and win customers Not long ago, we imagined a hyper-connected world full of trust and openness--a world where effortless communication would bring about a new understanding between people everywhere. Judging from our current environment, this vision of the future may have been overly optimistic. With infinite channels and countless voices flooding them with messages, most people have become highly skeptical and guarded by necessity. As a result, communication is much harder than ever before. Despite the unprecedented connectivity enabled by modern technology, we are far less likely to trust and to invest the time needed to build strong relationships. How can we use technology to reverse this trend? A groundbreaking new branch of artificial intelligence--Personality AI--may be the answer. Combining traditional machine learning, data analytics, and behavioral psychology, Personality AI helps professional communicators tear down walls, establish trust with their audiences, and utilize data to build meaningful relationships, strengthen empathy, and win more customers. Predicting Personality is a practical, real-world playbook for any individual or business whose success hinges on the ability to communicate effectively and build teams. Authors Drew D'Agostino and Greg Skloot--CEO and President, respectively, of Crystal, the app that tells you anyone's personality--show you how businesses can leverage Personality AI and machine learning to grow faster and communicate more effectively than was previously possible. This reader-friendly guide teaches you what Personality AI is, how it works, and demonstrates its practical applications in both life and business. This book: Explains how to understand personality types in various contexts, including sales, recruiting, coaching Provides guidelines for using personality data to learn and execute Explores ethics and compliance considerations surrounding the use of Personality AI Offers valuable insights from a leader in the business applications of Personality AI Predicting Personality: Using AI to Understand People and Win More Business is a must-have guide for C-suite executives, sales and marketing professionals, coaches, recruiters, and business owners.

Get exclusive insight into the internal communications strategies behind leading businesses like WPP, Heathrow Airport, Pizza Express, BG Groups and more, and learn what 'good' looks like in internal communications, to ensure yours demonstrates a clear impact on ROI and business performance. In many companies, internal communications (IC) is too often not seen as a credible contributor to overall business performance. This book will enable you to prove the value of IC to senior company members by demonstrating its impact on ROI, enhanced employee engagement and improved business functions. Featuring case studies and lessons from leading companies, The People Business offers readers a unique, inside perspective on what works (and what doesn't) in the world of corporate internal communication and strategy, offering tips for success from senior IC leaders, including what they have learned along the way and what remains challenging. Built around interviews with senior practitioners from a diverse range of leading firms, this book offers a refreshingly honest perspective on the practices and challenges facing IC today.

Expertly navigate any workplace conversation and come out on top When confronted with difficult situations in the workplace, many people are at a loss for words. That's why New York Times bestselling authors Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine created Lifescripts: What to Say to Get What You Want in Life's Toughest Situations. Using two-color flowcharts, Lifescripts maps out 109 difficult conversations, guiding you through discussion openers and effective responses reach the desired result. This completely revised and updated edition includes nearly 50 new business-focused scripts covering everything from apologizing for a misdirected email to requesting better meeting manners. Inside, you'll find scripts to fit any situation you're confronting at work. Use the signature Lifescripts visual flowcharts to work your way through exactly how the conversation should go. Be it boosting employee morale or getting the raise you deserve, when the time comes, you'll be prepared not only with the right words and phrases, but with the confidence you need to get what you want. Work your way through conversation scripts for terminations, performance reviews, negotiating job offers, asking for raises, and much more Learn a unique set of icebreakers, pitches, questions, answers, and defenses for each difficult conversation Easily develop a winning conversational strategy using the signature visual flowcharts unique to Lifescripts Get strategic tips on attitude, timing, preparation, and behavior to help make any conversation a success This revised Third Edition of Lifescripts is here to help employees and managers communicate even more clearly and effectively. Whatever the situation, Lifescripts provides a road map to navigate the most perplexing, problematic dialogues for success.

Managing Corporate Social Responsibility offers a strategic, communication-centred approach to integrating CSR into organizations. Drawing from a variety of disciplines and written in a highly accessible style, the book guides readers in a focused progression providing the key points they need to successfully navigate the benefits and implications of managing CSR. * Chapters are organized around a process model for CSR that outlines steps for researching, developing, implementing, and evaluating CSR initiatives * Emphasizes stakeholder engagement as a foundation throughout the CSR Process Model * Discusses ways to maximize the use of social media and traditional media throughout the process * Offers international examples drawn from a variety of industries including: The Forest Stewardship Council, Starbucks Coffee, and IKEA. * Draws upon theories grounded in various disciplines, including public relations, marketing, media, communication, and business

"Meeting Excellence" is a comprehensive resource that provides a wide range of ready-to-use tools that have been developed and tested by a meeting initiative within Novartis Pharmaceuticals. It is based on years of research observing team meetings, examining existing meeting documents, and conducting a number of intensive individual interviews in the U.S. and Europe. This important book offers the information and tools needed to prepare, facilitate, and follow up on all your meetings. Step by step, "Meeting Excellence" shows how to Create an action-focused meeting agenda Ensure that everyone participates in discussion Deal with disruptive and inattentive people Develop a climate of trust among meeting participants Create and deliver effective meeting presentations Stay on track to achieve your meeting goals Achieve clear communication during a multicultural meetingLiven up a dreary and unproductive meetingClose your meeting on an upbeat and positive noteGet action on team action items Improve meeting communications with line managementEvaluate your meeting quickly and effectivelyChoose among various web-based meeting tools

Strategic Communication at Work provides the reader with a practical approach to engaging in all types of communication-one-on-one, small group, and large group-to achieve intended results. The framework presented enables readers to make informed decisions that increase the effectiveness of their communication and enhance their credibility. Lennard presents the IMPACT Paradigm-Intending, Messaging, Presence, Attending, Connecting, and Together-in the first part of the book explaining the benefits of using a single framework for all strategic communication. The second part illustrates how to apply these principles and approach interactions with a purposeful mindset, express ideas congruently, and connect with others. The third part offers curated exercises for practicing communication skills, along with specific ways to integrate the paradigm into everyday communication interactions. The text's clear and practical approach will appeal to graduate students of business communication, as well as instructors and professionals interested in improving their communication skills.

Make an Impact with your Written English deals with the English business writing you need to take you a step further in your executive career. The book also helps organizations stand apart by getting noticed for the right reasons, whatever the target audience. It focuses on writing English as a key business tool and how clear, concise messages are a must in international business today. Yet the fewer words you use, the more important it is to get them right. So the book focuses on word power: to promote and sell your messages - as well as 'brand you' and your organizational brand. An essential read, full of invaluable advice and checklists for native and non-native English writers who need to brush up their skills in writing English for sales, PR, presentations, reports, minutes, manuals and the web etc.

"Attention leaders...and aspiring leaders: "
- Have you been told that you should "work on your presence" and you don't know what that means?
- Or perhaps you've been told you have excellent presence and you should continue to leverage it...and you don't know what "that" means.
- Do you observe other leaders or professionals with exceptional presence and wish you had it too?
Today, executive presence is essential for anyone aspiring to be a better leader, regardless of their level, industry, or job duties. "Managing the Moment" explores the relationship between effective leadership and one's style and presence. With humor, insight, and practicality, Lisa Parker demonstrates clearly that every interaction contributes to the way leaders are perceived. She makes the case for how and why leaders should manage "every moment." You'll see that the reason to strengthen your professional presence is not just about you; it's about your team, your relationships, and the health of your business.
Using fascinating and relevant case studies and real-life examples, Lisa Parker takes the mystery out of developing professional presence and offers dozens of dynamic tools, tips and guidelines to create the kind of presence you want to create.

Ask the right questions and get improved, sustained employee performance

Since technology has made it easy to access, share, and distribute company data, many managers avoid live interaction, instead relying on emails, text messages, Web-based seminars to manage their employees. But although technology has changed, people have not. There is still a need for effective face-to-face communication; managers need to have the ability to ask the right questions and use the answers to find solutions.

"Questions That Get Results" is an innovative, powerful resource that provides managers with the questions that lead to real answers for motivating employees, minimizing conflicting priorities, maximizing working relationships, building trust, holding the team accountable, coaching for greater performance, selling ideas, creating change, hiring the best candidates, and negotiating solutions to internal and external conflicts.Each chapter profiles a manager who is struggling to communicate, an otherwise successful leader who is simply missing an element in their managerial toolkitFollowing each profile are practical tools that will assist any manager faced with a similar situationTogether the authors train approximately 30,000 professionals per year

Increase your effectiveness and bring out the best in your employees by learning the "Questions That Get Results."

Even though office gossip is generally frowned upon, many studies show that gossip in organizations is not only inevitable, but can even be a positive communication tool. However, by gossiping in the wrong way, employees can easily lose the trust of their colleagues and be perceived negatively very quickly. Research shows that people who claim to never gossip tend to be considered as socially inept, but those that are constantly gabbing at the coffee machine are quickly seen as untrustworthy. There is an optimal amount of time one should gossip - somewhere in the middle - which we call the sweet spot of gossip. However, it's not only the amount of time one spends gossiping that will make or break an employee or manager. Other factors such as credibility, what we gossip about, whom we gossip with, culture, and place, all play an equally crucial role in the art of gossiping successfully at work. Finding the right balance for all of these factors is of the essence.

Straightforward, practical, and focused on realistic examples, Business and Professional Writing: A Basic Guide for Americans is an introduction to the fundamentals of professional writing. The book emphasises clarity, conciseness, and plain language. Guidelines and templates for business correspondence, formal and informal reports, brochures and press releases, and oral presentations are included. Exercises guide readers through the process of creating and revising each genre, and helpful tips, reminders, and suggested resources beyond the book are provided throughout. The second edition includes new sections on information security and ethics in business writing. New formal proposal examples have been added, and the text has been updated throughout. Business and Professional Writing instructor site resources include PowerPoint lectures, suggested assignments, grading rubrics, and lesson plans, and suggested lecture notes. KEY FEATURES: Very concise-points are made as briefly and directly as possible Tone is friendly and encouraging rather than formal or academic Strong coverage of marketing and promotional writing: brochures, social media, and news releases are covered along with other kinds of workplace writing Readable layout, with many concrete examples, instructive images, and helpful tips throughout