What makes a good piece of communication?
Read MoreThe 4 T's of Communication
Understanding Pathos, Ethos and Logos
How do you make a convincing argument?
Or make a convincing speech?
Can You Afford to Listen Fully
Are you a good listener?
Read MoreInstagram Carousels - un.blab
How do you make the world a better place?
Ever wondered how you can disagree with tact?
10 Common Fallacies
Do you feel you're being mislead?
Read MoreGetting to Yes
What does it take to get a Yes?
Read MorePunctuation Chart
Inspired by an infographic I discovered on Pinterest.
Do you know your punctuation?
Personally, I speak 2 languages: good english and bad english. I am only fluent in one of them.
Grammar and punctuation has never been my strongest skill. Those of you who regularly follow my posts will know that by now.
For my nudenotes I have always believed if it communicate the idea or content, it's done the job well enough.
But, as a designer I know proper and correct spelling can be a powerful tool to communicate from idea or messaging - it can be the bad chink in your armour that damages your image as an expert or a premium brand.
Hopefully this handy chart will help me to fix that, although I think is will just be the beginning of a long road.
How to e-mail like a Boss
Inspired by an illustration created by Dani Donovan .
Do you have a love - hate relationship with emails?
Are you like me:
Love, not having to pick up the phone or have a face-to-face,
but hate, trying to find the words to explain your point.
With the vast majority of the world in lockdown because of the Covid-19, I am sure the amount of emails being sent has exploded exponentially.
But, just because you have to do it more frequently doesn't necessarily make you better at doing it.
When working from home, email is an essential life-line, and connection your company and colleagues.
Being able to communicate in a concise, clear and compelling is essential - no matter how good you are there will always be scope for miss-interpretation alignment. Hopefully these pointers will help you email like a boss!
Techniques That Will Improve Your Communication Skills
Inspired by an infographic I discovered on Design Taxi, which was originally created by NeoMam Studios
How do you improve your communication skills at work?
Communication is the key to success in many things but especially business.
Sometimes to communicate correctly it seems difficult, but just because it is difficult doesn't mean its not worth the extra time and effort needed to ensure your communication skills are on point!
Some of you with a keen eye for detail will notice a blurry cap in my notes. The reason for this is I actually got the titles for two of the sections the wrong way around. I managed to photoshop the main spread image but couldn't fix the others.
Communication doesn't have to be a danger zone that we all tip-toe around. My hope is that these notes help you to communicate better in emails, conversations and meetings at work so you can achieve your goals faster and more effectively than ever before.
How To Communicate Under Stress
Inspired by an infographic I discovered on Pinterest created by the University of Illinois.
How well do you communicate under stress?
We all know communication is the cornerstone of success. But, when we are under massive stress it can feel like good communication is just a waste of time and energy. Especially when you are just trying to get shit done!
We all know deep down that in fact the opposite is true. When the pressure and stress begins to build up good communication is more important than ever. In these nudenotes we take a deeper look 3 key principles of communication: Speak Carefully, Listen Attentively & Respond Accurate.
Each of these 3 principles has been broken down into 4 actionable tips we can use right now to improve are ability to communicate with those around us when the pressure is on. Let me know it the comments below which of these points you are going to start using from now on.
How To Deal With Rude People
Inspired by an infographic created by personalexcellence.co which I discovered on Pinterest.
What is the best way to deal with rude people?
It's Friday - and I am sure no matter how much we try to avoid them, I bet you have had the pleasure of dealing with some rude people this week.
It seems rudeness is everywhere, and dealing with it - is just part of modern daily life. But does this always have to be the way?
"As children we are told not to respond to rudeness - but you can't let rude people have their way! I hope these techniques help you deal with them better"
In Personal Excellence's blog they recommend focusing on the positive, and gratitude:
"When you come across rude people next time, think about the positive things instead. Be grateful that you have kind people around you. Be grateful that you have things that many others don’t have. Nurture your relationship with those you care about instead. This way you will grow in positivity and attract more great people into your life."
Do you agree? What techniques do you have for dealing with rude people?
(Apart from flipping the bird or swearing till you run out of breathe - two of my personal favourites!)
How To Get People To Like You (Heck, even Love You)
Inspired by an infographic created by inc.com which I discovered on Pinterest.
How do you get people to like you?
Heck, even love you!?
These little seemingly insignificant things can have a massive impact on how others perceive you.
Don't underestimate the power of these seemingly silly techniques, they could be start of an amazing new friendship or relationship.
How To Win Any Argument
Inspired by an article by Business Insider.
How do you win any argument?
We all know how fast a clam sensible debate can turn into a vicious argument. As Creative Professionals we all know that we potentially walk along that knife edge every time we walk into a critique with a client.
Although that is a worst case scenario, we have all been there right!?
Impossible to persuade the other person, no one backing down.
I hope these tips will help you to keep a cool head, will you communicate your case in a courteous, concise and clear manner.
No more awkward arguments for you or your clients anymore.
Business Meeting Phrases
Inspired by an infographic created by englishgrammar.org.
Do you ever struggle with what to say in business meetings?
Some times it can be tough to navigate the business world especially if you don't speak the language - walking the line of strength, respect and understanding.
That's without even starting on the way we describe our creative ideas to others - language is so subjective this is where practice makes perfect.
I hope these notes can use to help you find your voice in your business meetings. These are the connecting phrases you can use interject and seg-way your through in meetings - often if you can’t find your voice in your business meetings as it can often feel like if you aren't heard you don't exist.
Think Before You Speak
Inspired by an infographic created by The Coaching Tools Company.
Do you T.H.I.N.K before you speak?
T.H.I.N.K is a framework originally created to help people be kinder online. But it really applies to all communications - no matter who it is friends, colleagues, family or even strangers.
Before you speak do you think about:
Is it True?
Is it Helpful?
Is it Inspiring?
Is it Necessary?
Is it Kind?
These regularly thinking about these 5 questions in everyday conversations will help reframe your mindset to a more positive and inspiring one which will filter out into all your communications.
Reframing your mindset take time and constant practice to perfect - over time it will just become second nature to interact in this way.
It's overwhelming to do them all at once and will defiantly put an awkward pause in your regular conversations, so focus on introducing one at a time so your don't end up sounding like a robot.
How To Tell The Difference Between Fixed & Growth Mindset Employees
Inspired by an infographic I came across on Pinterest.
Growth Mindset or Fixed Mindset - which is best for employees?
Understanding if you or your colleagues has a fixed or growth mindset can be a good indicator of how likely they are to overcome difficulties, in their day to day duties. So, let's break down these two mindsets:
A Growth Mindset employee is malleable - able to leverage their talents and skills, even look to obtain new skills to overcome problems to ensure a successful outcome.
A Fixed Mindset employee is rigid - tend to stay with their known talents and skills, they often won't push to learn new skills to overcome problems.
It's important to highlight that not everyone fits cleanly into one camp or the other, but understanding the needs and wants of employees with these mindsets is key to the success of any business. So, which is mindset is best?
A growth mindset has been linked to more productive and positive teams. However, it is not always the norm - it's important to access your own situation to find the best fit for you.
Personally, I feel a growth mindset is the best choice. It gives you the flexibility and belief that you and your team can achieve anything that comes their way - Adapt & Overcome!
5 Things Great Communicators Do
Inspired by an infographic created by NBO Group.
How do you become a great communicator?
Strong and effective communication skills are possibly the most important weapon in our workplace arsenal.
Concise, compelling and clear communication can make or break any project and team for that matter.
Day to day in the office communication in many forms: conversations, critiques, presentations and phone calls just to name a few.
I hope these nudenotes help you to become a great communicator in all its forms - empowering you to be more efficient and effective in your work.
Anatomy of a Great Meeting
Inspired by an infographic from advisory.com.
What makes a good meeting?
We take a look at the before, during and after of a great meeting.
According to Harvard Business School Professor Nancy Koehn, 11 million meetings take place in the USA everyday - more that half maybe unproductive.
Meetings. Can't live with them. Can't have a work day without them.
Most meetings are unnecessary. But there is a way to do it right and be successful.