The costs of faulty communication are enormous for companies. Each year, billions of dollars are lost, precious time is wasted, innovation is thwarted, and morale suffers. But sharpening influence skills can address these challenges and create huge payoffs. Collaborative and commitment-driven interaction is the key to overcoming the obstacles of ever-rising performance expectations, widespread stress, and remote work. Drawing from 35 years of performance-improvement experience, Rick Brandon, PhD, trains thousands of people to improve their results and work relationships by improving the clarity and persuasiveness of their communication. Straight Talk is his “edu-taining” workshop-in-a-book for anyone who wants to develop direct, empathetic, and positive communication skills that will benefit themselves, their teammates, and their companies. It’s common sense but not always common practice to work on improving interpersonal skills in order to achieve accountability and a more productive and harmonious work climate. Straight Talk shows how thoughtful changes to communication can create a ripple effect across teams and organizations. Each chapter is packed with practical tips, simple how-to instruction, real-world examples, involvement exercises, and humor, to help readers build positive influence skills with competence and confidence. Straight Talk hones core Assertive Speaking and Empathic Listening skills, and then funnels them into step-by-step formats for six vital workplace situations: Gaining Commitments, Advising and Guiding, Recognizing, Reminding, Constructively Confronting, and Challenging Ideas. Straight Talk will empower you to make interpersonal expertise your competitive advantage.

Good communication is at the heart of every successful team. 13 Guidelines for Effective Teams gives each individual within an organization the power to create the most reliable environment for effective communication. Used by an entire team, the stage is set for breakthrough creativity and top-tier productivity. Team facilitator Kaley Warner Klemp has compiled these powerful principles into a concise pocket manual, making effective team communication accessible in virtually any work environment.

The latest book from remote-leadership experts shows leaders how to design a team culture that has a one-team mindset and gets great results under hybrid-work conditions. With hybrid work becoming increasingly common, organizations must address the unique challenges that hybrid teams pose and learn how to purposefully design them. The Long-Distance Team guides leaders on how to create the culture they envision for their teams and organizations while navigating a new way of working. This title shows how to apply the 3C model of team design-which focuses on connection, cohesion, and collaboration-to create from scratch a successful hybrid team and culture. It shows how leaders of all levels can overcome challenges such as proximity bias and deteriorating social connections to create an environment where everyone can contribute and add value equally, regardless of location. Drawing on their expertise in remote leadership, authors Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel provide tested guidance for building long-distance teams. The book includes practical tools and models that leaders can apply to define their aspirational culture, consciously design teams, and create and nurture engagement. Discussion guide is available in the book for reading groups and book clubs.

Establishing professional relationships is an important part of building a career. With this enlightening resource, readers will be ready to wow their boss and peers with their commitment to teamwork. This insightful read will clearly explain how to communicate in an effective manner, all while being assertive, influential, and cooperative. Readers will find step-by-step guides on how to negotiate and how to handle conflict in a professional, respectful, and direct manner. Teens will be empowered to speak up at work, make friends, and take their career to the next level.

This shifts the paradigm away from the therapist's responsibility for success to the couple's responsibility, from the more negative emphasis of focusing on problems to a more positive goal of creating a fulfilling relationship, and from a quick fix to lifelong development skills."--Jacket.