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Articles from Joan Curtis | Selfgrowth.com
- 5 Tips to Use Social Media to Sell without Selling - by Submitted on Dec 01, 2010 from Joan CurtisWhat is your Social Media IQ? If you’re like most people, it’s pretty low. Test yourself and find out! Recently, I conducted a marketing workshop for small business owners and entrepreneurs. It amazed me how little those people knew about the power of the social media to “spread” the word. ...
Views: 673 - Tips to Open the Floodgates with Social Media - by Submitted on Dec 01, 2010 from Joan CurtisHow can businesses open the floodgates? Is there a strategy for involving customers in your business decisions? These are the questions we are all asking as we examine and explore the power of the social media. According to an editorial in Selling Power Magazine, Gerhard Gschwandtner said ...
Views: 679 - Eight Tips to Deal with Bully Emails - by Submitted on Oct 29, 2010 from Joan CurtisRecently, I had the misfortune of dealing with a colleague who liked to intimidate through email. I suspect some of you might have had similar experiences. The entire process made me think about what is the best way to deal with bully emails. We want to “say it just right.” But, what is ...
Views: 4881 - Communication—“It’s Complicated” - by Submitted on Oct 25, 2010 from Joan CurtisWhat’s complicated about communication? You say what you want to say. The other responds. What’s complicated about that? Take the movie, It’s Complicated, for example. For those of us who had the pleasure of seeing it, we may have noticed that Alec Baldwin’s character was a bit ...
Views: 1138(1 vote) - What Kind of Communication is Spam? - by Submitted on Sep 28, 2010 from Joan CurtisWhat kind of communication is spam? You might consider this a ridiculous question, but unfortunately many people do not recognize good communication from spam. Recently, a colleague told me her husband was taking a course on Internet marketing. The gist of the course was how to purchase lists ...
Views: 835 - How to Say Yes When the Answer is No - by Submitted on Sep 28, 2010 from Joan CurtisMany of us who have worked in customer relations understand the importance of making the customer feel good. We do everything we can to help them get answers to their questions. Some of us, however, do not understand this basic premise in good customer relations. Some of us need to learn how ...
Views: 747 - Handling Difficult Conversations - by Submitted on May 30, 2010 from Joan CurtisHow do you respond to difficult conversations? Do you hide from them? Do you push your way through them like a bull in a china shop? Each of us, whether we work independently or in an office environment, faces difficult conversations every day. You want to feel confident and in control when ...
Views: 2553(1 vote) - Social Networks — A Place to Self-Promote? - by Submitted on May 20, 2010 from Joan CurtisHow many of you like to get spammed? Do you enjoy getting those unwanted emails in your inbox? Do you enjoy receiving the automated voice mails on your phone telling you about the latest, greatest whatever? Do you enjoy getting those faxes about low cost health care or cheap vacations in the ...
Views: 851(2 votes) - Is Twitter Noise or a Business Tool? - by Submitted on May 18, 2010 from Joan CurtisRecently, this question appeared in a LinkedIn discussion group. It received lots of attention and many interesting comments. The majority of people saw Twitter as a business tool. A few said it’s just noise, but those people did not elaborate. In other words, they said something like, ...
Views: 732 - How Poor Communication Crashes Airplanes - by Submitted on Mar 29, 2010 from Joan CurtisI recently read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. In his book, Gladwell tells us how poor communication crashes airplanes. In other words, it’s neither the weather nor mechanical difficulties that cause crashes, but poor communication and misguided teamwork. When the pilot and the first officer ...
Views: 1016(1 vote) - Sticky e-Situations - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2010 from Joan CurtisIf you are anything like me, you are spending more and more hours in the workday at your computer. Perhaps, you are out and about but sending and receiving messages via your hand-held device. Communication in today's work world goes beyond the face-to-face interactions or even the telephone ...
Views: 1181(2 votes) - How Powerful is Your Twitter Profile? - by Submitted on Dec 11, 2009 from Joan CurtisWhat does your Twitter profile say about you? Twitter doesn’t give us much space to create a powerful profile, but we can still do it. Would a potential customer look at your profile and say, “I want to follow that person”? Here are some tips you can use to help beef up your Twitter ...
Views: 918(4 votes) - Sticky Situations with Subordinates - by Submitted on Oct 17, 2009 from Joan CurtisGeorge Gallup said, "Employees don't leave jobs, they leave managers." He discovered this fact after surveying many workers in all kinds of industries. When he looked for what makes a job satisfying, he discovered the primary factor was the boss. If you have a bad, frustrating boss, you might ...
Views: 918(1 vote) - What Is It You Do? - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2009 from Joan CurtisHow many times are we asked that question? How many times do we stumble over the response? Let’s see. . . I provide financial services to seniors. . . or I’m a research analyst at the university. As a coach the main problem I encounter with my clients is coming to grips with what they do and ...
Views: 826 - What Do You Know About Social Media? - by Submitted on May 24, 2009 from Joan CurtisWhat do you know about social media? Before you answer that question, let me tell you that you know more than you may think. Social media is simply another way for us to communicate and connect with one another. If you are a smart communicator and understand the power of connections, you ...
Views: 1408 - Listening with Your Heart, not Your Head - by Submitted on Apr 26, 2009 from Joan CurtisWhat is the biggest communications challenge my clients face? The simple answer is listening. My clients struggle with listening because their heads get in the way. They grapple with ways to communicate their messages and often ask me about how to go about saying what they want to say the ...
Views: 1124(1 vote) - Strong Meeting Management Means Strong Leadership - by Submitted on Feb 20, 2009 from Joan CurtisAs we search for ways to more efficiently do what we do, we need to take a long hard look at meetings. How much time is wasted sitting around a room, drinking coffee, hashing and re-hashing old topics, complaining about things that don’t really matter, and wishing for an escape? Few companies ...
Views: 940 - Conversations: When to Hold 'Em, When to Fold 'Em - by Submitted on Feb 10, 2009 from Joan CurtisHow many of us have walked into a room full of people and wanted to turn around and leave? When I think about networking events, my heart freezes. Didn’t our mothers teach us not to speak to strangers? Yet, in this article we're going to examine how to talk to ...
Views: 731 - How to Stay Cool When Speaking in Public - by Submitted on Feb 10, 2009 from Joan CurtisDoes the thought of speaking in public make you tremble inside? Are you one of those people who would rather die than speak before a group? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then fear not, you are not alone. The majority of people would prefer to turn tail and run than to ...
Views: 658 - How to Give a Speech without Notes - by Submitted on Jan 29, 2009 from Joan CurtisFor many people giving a speech causes them to turn tail and run or break out in a cold sweat. They would rather die than walk up to a podium and talk. This phenomenon is actually documented. When people are asked what their number one fear is, an astounding majority say speaking before ...
Views: 2667 - The Challenge of Leadership - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2009 from Joan CurtisYou’ve been promoted, and now you lead a group of people. Wow! Congratulations! As you bask in your new-found career glory, maybe you need to ask yourself a few questions: 1. What does it mean to lead others? 2. As a leader, who are your mentors? 3. ...
Views: 736 - No Punching, No Running—Communicate! How to Resolve Conflict - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2009 from Joan CurtisWhat is the best way to handle conflict? Your mother told you not to hit anyone, and your dad said don’t you dare run. When you enter the workforce and you face a conflict situation, what choices do you have? In real life, we cannot beat up our opponents. If we do, we might find ...
Views: 691 - Keep That Job! Communicate Your Way Out of Conflict - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2009 from Joan CurtisToday’s uncertain economy changes the way we look at everything, including our jobs. Last year we might have thought-- if things didn’t go well in this job, we’d find another. Or, if we didn’t get our anticipated bonuses, we’d just leave. Or, if people ...
Views: 779 - End Conflict Now! - by Submitted on Nov 20, 2008 from Joan CurtisHow many times do we find ourselves in awkward, uncomfortable situations? How many times have you wished you could talk your way out of those little messes or better still, disappear? Ever wonder how confident communicators do it? Want to learn ways to manage conflict and still keep your ...
Views: 784 - Speak Up For Success - by Submitted on Apr 30, 2008 from Joan CurtisWhether you run a small business or are a CEO in a major corporation, if you don’t speak up, you will not reach your full potential. Susan RoAne, in her landmark book, How to Work the Room tells us that 93 percent of people report that they are shy. This number astounded me and tends to ...
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