Collaboration Skills Archives

Throwback: Why Appreciation Matters in Life and at Work

by Diane Burgess-Faber

Gratitude. Appreciation. Recognition. It makes you feel good. This week in the US, many will pause for a day or two to give thanks and show appreciation for the things and people we care about most. It’s no secret how appreciation benefits the person getting it—but did you know it benefits the person giving it just as much? Discover why recognition is such a powerful tool for improving relationships and wellbeing in life—and at work. Learn how to (and how NOT to) express your appreciation to others.

by Diane Burgess-Faber

Collaboration Skills, Conversation Skills, Team Building

Tips for Communicating Effectively While Wearing a Mask

by Kelly Reeves

People in communities across the globe are adjusting to communicating while wearing masks. As we’re all experiencing, masks present both verbal and non-verbal communication challenges. Given this, we’ve prepared 5 tips for effective communications while wearing a mask, and compiled several insightful articles from leading publications on additional best practices.

by Kelly Reeves

Collaboration Skills, Communication Skills, Conversation Skills, In-Person Presentations

How to Lead Hybrid Meetings: 5 Tips for Success

by Kelly Reeves

In preparation for the trend towards hybrid meetings, here are 5 tips that will help your teams successfully lead meetings in which some attendees are in-person and other attendees are joining virtually.

by Kelly Reeves

Collaboration Skills, Teaming, Video, Virtual Collaboration, Virtual Presentations

How Can We Make Socially-Distanced Collaboration Work?

by Brad Holst

It happened fast. One day you were meeting with your colleagues at the office. The next day you and everyone you work with are working in remote isolation from home. Whether you’re new to working remotely or an experienced veteran, we all need to raise our virtual collaboration game to not only make this new reality work, but to make it work really well. Read on to discover seven practical, high impact tactics you can implement right now to ensure the success of your virtual meetings.

by Brad Holst

Collaboration Skills, Hybrid Work, Virtual Collaboration

What Is the Secret to Nobel Laureate Success?

by Kelly Reeves

I met former Nobel Prize Museum curator Tobias Degsell in Belgium last month at the 2019 European ABPM Conference. An expert in creativity and learning, Tobias gave a fascinating keynote on the common ingredients of Nobel Laureate success. Among them? Creativity. Courage. Persistence. But there's another factor that research suggests matters even more. Read this week's blog to learn the secret ingredient to Nobel Laureate success. (Hint: It’s not just that they're smart!)

by Kelly Reeves

Briefing Center, Business Transformation, Collaboration Skills, Team Building, Teaming

Is Poor Collaboration Putting Your Digital Transformation at Risk?

by Suzanne McLarnon

Digital Transformation (Dx) has made working in IT more challenging than ever. The biggest barrier to Dx success? Culture and collaboration, according to 50% of companies surveyed by Appian. A further 27% say lack of collaboration between IT and LOB is the top roadblock. What prevents effective collaboration? Ineffective communication. Read this week's blog and learn why "soft" skills have become a critical success factor for IT professionals everywhere.

by Suzanne McLarnon

Collaboration Skills, Digital Transformation, Team Building, Teaming, Technical Professionals

The Little-Known Secret to More Productive Meetings

by Brad Holst

How many meetings have you gone to this week? Were they productive, or did they just create the need for more? Now think about how many meetings happen every day in your organization. Companies lose millions of dollars each year on wasted employee time in meetings and, as a result, employees become increasingly stressed and unhappy. Believe it or not, part of the problem is the meeting invitation. Learn how a simple, quick addition to your meeting invites can help you and your organization have consistent meeting success every time.

by Brad Holst

Briefing Center, Collaboration Skills, Communication Skills, Critical Thinking Skills, In-Person Presentations, Messaging Skills, Project Management, SCIPAB

4 Steps to Being a Better Active Listener

by Heather Muir

Listening is the most important communication skill. Why? Because nothing kills relationships or productivity faster than NOT listening. Communication barriers, like poor active listening, cost the average organization a staggering $62.4 million a year. Want to improve your team's listening skills? Want to become a better active listener yourself? Use these 4 steps to become a better active listener and start having more productive conversations with your colleagues and customers.

by Heather Muir

Collaboration Skills, Conversation Skills, Influencing Skills, Soft Skills

How Can You Navigate Your Team Toward Success?

by Heather Muir

When team performance sinks, it’s the responsibility of the team’s captain to right the ship. Better yet, a great team captain can prevent their crew from crashing against the rocks or getting stranded in the shallows to begin with. How? Here are 3 things leaders of high-performing teams do extraordinarily well.

by Heather Muir

Collaboration Skills, Project Management, Team Building

Gratitude. Appreciation. Recognition. It makes you feel good. This week in the US, many will pause for a day or two to give thanks and show appreciation for the things and people we care about most. It’s no secret how appreciation benefits the person getting it—but did you know it benefits the person giving it just as much? Discover why recognition is such a powerful tool for improving relationships and wellbeing in life and at work. Learn how to (and how NOT to) express your appreciation to others.

by Diane Burgess-Faber

Collaboration Skills, Conversation Skills, Team Building

Soft Skills Help Businesses Manage Disruption & Transformation

by Heather Muir

Change. Disruption. Digital Transformation. They can wreak havoc on organizations. What can you do about it? How should training and development organizations adapt? Soft skills — even the ability to manage meetings well or to write clear and succinct emails — can reduce workplace confusion and employee frustration in the face of disruptive forces. They can help create calmer, more creative, and goal-oriented workplaces. Here's why your company's ability to do that now is more important than ever.

by Heather Muir

Business Transformation, Collaboration Skills, Soft Skills

Communicating & Team Building on a Global Stage

by Kathleen Redd

Of all the experiences I’ve had in my career, building a committed, loyal, high-performing global team of trainers has been the most rewarding. But along with the energy and excitement of working with colleagues around the world, came the challenges of team building and communicating across time zones, languages, and cultures. This week, I’d like to share some things the past decade has taught me—and others at Mandel—about how to effectively lead, communicate, and collaborate on a global scale.

by Kathleen Redd

Collaboration Skills, Team Building, Teaming

How Video Improves Virtual Communication and Strengthens Relationships

by Kelly Reeves

Video is so powerful. When used effectively, video can transform virtual meetings from ineffectual to productive. And everyone loves being on camera, right? Well, not exactly. If the idea of being on camera makes you feel self-conscious, here are some steps you can take to increase your comfort with video calls and vastly improve your virtual communication and relationships.

by Kelly Reeves

Collaboration Skills, Conversation Skills, Eye Contact, Virtual Presentations

How to Get in the Habit of Being a Great Listener

by Brad Holst

In this attention-anemic world, we humans are rapidly losing the ability to listen. One thing we've learned from the thousands of people who attend Mandel workshops every year is that most people have 3 damaging habits that disrupt their ability to express themselves—and also impede their ability to listen to others. This week's blog explores how to break those bad habits and replace them with ones that can help you become a truly great listener.

by Brad Holst

Briefing Center, Collaboration Skills, Conversation Skills, Eye Contact, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

How to Build Customer Intimacy One Conversation at a Time

by Kathleen Redd

I walked away from last month’s Association of Briefing Program Managers (ABPM) annual spring conference more convinced than ever that customer intimacy is the key to customer loyalty. Let me explain why, and also what you can do to build longer-lasting, more satisfying relationships with your customers.

by Kathleen Redd

Collaboration Skills, Conversation Skills, Sales Readiness, Selling Skills, Teaming

Will Cool Tools Change the Customer Conversation?

by Kathleen Redd

What effect will Internet of Things devices and technology have on how you talk with your customers? How will this technology change the way you plan for your customer engagements or briefings? I’m reminded of an adage from my youth: “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” Here's why you should never lose sight of time-proven principles for engaging customers.

by Kathleen Redd

Collaboration Skills, Conversation Skills, Presentation Skills, Virtual Presentations

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