Communication Skills articles
Read our Communication Skills articles below or browse our Communication Skills hypnosis sessions here.
5 Golden Keys to Assertiveness and Setting Boundaries
My girlfriend said she was impressed; but I wasn't pleased with the way I'd 'handled' the situation. For years afterwards (and still now, it appears), I would use this incident as an example of how not to be assertive.
Are You Too Nice?
Let's face it: Lois Lane just didn't fancy Clark Kent, did she? But why not? He was good-looking, gentle, kind, thoughtful, sensibly dressed...
How to Tell if Someone is Lying
Research shows that most of us are terrible at spotting a liar, because we have all been trained to look for body language signals that are not actually associated with lying. I want to encourage you to forget all the body language clichés and focus on signs of lying that will tell you the truth.
Speak Clearly
I was enjoying a self-righteously healthy salad in a café in town the other day, minding my own business, craning to hear other people's conversation. Two young women with one guy were chatting:
"So, he's like, you know, 'No way!' So, I goes, 'Way!' And he's like, 'What?' So I goes, 'What what?' So he goes, 'What you on about?' So I'm like, 'What are you like!'"
Stop Being So Defensive!
If we're caught in an avalanche, it's a natural instinct to adopt the defensive posture and make like a foetus. But being emotionally defensive as a general strategy is self-destructive.
Be a Great Conversation Starter: Talk to Strangers with Ease
"Don't talk to strangers!" To which a pedantic (and annoyingly bright) seven-year-old might reply: "What, never! How about when I'm forty; at a party or having a job interview?"
How to Read People
People are perverse or - let's be fair - they can be. You think you read them right and wham! They do something to confound your expectations. Were there any clues you missed?
How to Stop Compulsive Lying
Turns out Claire had lied since she was little. Recently she'd lied at work, telling everyone she was terminally ill with cancer. She'd got a huge amount of sympathy and attention, not to mention extended time off. Now she'd been found out and fired.
6 Key Social Skills
Social skills are arguably the most important set of abilities a person can have.
