Career Lessons from Comedians
These days I’m on a real podcasting kick. One of my favourites is the Nerdist, which is moderated by comedian Chris Hardwick. Hardwick has all sorts of guests, but some of the most interesting are his fellow comics. During the…
Four Tips For Asking Great Questions
Asking good questions is an important quality of a friend, a partner and a co-worker. It’s also particularly helpful in a work setting. Whether you are meeting with colleagues or attending your monthly board meeting, asking good and insightful questions…
Three Trends Impacting the Communications World
There’s a lot of change happening in the communications industry these days. Seasoned journalists are flooding into the profession, traditional barriers between advertising and editorial are blurring, and the predominance of digital tools and channels is increasingly challenging traditional media…
Five Steps for Becoming a Great Listener
You and your partner are locked in verbal battle. No matter how you express it, they don’t seem to get it. Instead they seem to be waiting for the last word to come out of your mouth so that they…
How to Give a Memorable Toast
Weddings, birthdays, dinner parties, and happy hours are events where people give toasts. We’ve all experienced incredibly touching toasts and we’ve cringed at the train wrecks, too. Great communicators are masters at honouring guests with toasts that are inclusive, entertaining…
How Talking to Strangers will Enrich Your Career
On Saturday I celebrated the life of my grandmother, Virginia. One of the themes from her memorial service was how my grandma loved having conversations with anyone and everyone about anything and everything. So, I thought it fitting to write…
Three Professional Lessons Canadians Can Learn from American Super Bowl Ads
One thing that unites Canadians and Americans is a mutual love for American Super Bowl ads. Thanks to the CRTC we won’t have to stomach those God-awful Canadian car commercials during the big football game for much longer. But in…
What’s in my Happy Pills
“Wow, John, where can I get some of what you’re taking?” Michael, a colleague of mine, recently said. I’ve heard this before. Over the years, many friends and colleagues have asked what’s in my happy pills. Many natural and learned…
Five Tips for Having Difficult Conversations
The difficult conversations in our work and personal lives are challenging. Sometimes it is easier to veil the truth of what you want to say in generalizations to soften the blow and sometimes people outright avoid a conversation altogether. Being…
Building Community with #theGoodMoneytalks
Today is Vancity Member Day at The Fair at the PNE and I’m excited to focus this article on building community with #theGoodMoneytalks because you can experience them at the PNE today! Inspired by dinner table conversations, #theGoodMoneytalks are focused…