If you didn't get the chance to read my "Influencing Virtual Teams" bestselling book, or if you have read it and would like a simple refresher of the 17 tactics presented in it, here's a quick 60-second overview on SlideShare. I hope you find it helpful! Hassan P.S. - Can I ask for a quick favor? If you've read the book, would you take 1 minute to review it on Amazon? I would love to hear your feedback (I read every single review), and it would mean the world to me. Click here to ... Read More
How To Increase Confidence and Reduce Stress in 2 Minutes Using Simple Power Poses
I just watched this video and thought it was remarkable. Professor Amy Cuddy from the Harvard Business School conducted research on "Power Poses" and the impact they have on your confidence and stress levels. Apparently, doing simple power poses (like standing with your hands on your hips or putting your feet up on a desk) for only 2 minutes before a meeting, presentation, or performance could give you a significant confidence boost that makes you perform at a much better level. It's ... Read More
Please, Know When to Shut Up in Meetings
Here’s a common problem in teleconference meetings: some people just don’t know when to shut up to get a point across. This includes folks who keep making the same point over and over again, and do not understand the concept of “less is more.” Although this happens in face-to-face meetings as well, it is more common in virtual meetings because the presenter can’t read his or her audience’s visual cues to know whether they’re still actively listening. In the spirit of knowing when to shut up, ... Read More
The 3 Types of Responses to Questions: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Nearly every single response to every single question I’ve ever asked someone in a meeting, phone call or email can be classified under one of three categories: one’s good, the other’s bad, and the third’s ugly. The good is when someone answers the question first, and then gives additional information afterwards. The bad is when they do it the other way around. The ugly is when they never answer the question. Here’s a visual to explain the difference. Here’s an explanation of why you need to ... Read More
Japanese Perfection and Why You Need to be Specific in Your Requests
I’m reading a book called “Reframing Organizations” by Lee Bolman & Terrence Deal (Jossey-Bass, 2008) for an Organizational Behavior course I’m taking and I came across a hilarious section which refers to an encounter between two companies in the 1970s or 1980s. The first is an American company which needed ball bearings and the second is a Japanese plant that made them. Here’s what apparently happened: Although the book’s main point was more about the difference in company standards ... Read More