Articles

We say it often: the principles of communication, once learned, work for anyone – in any situation and at any time. It makes sense, it sounds good, and, best of all, it’s true. But in spite of those things, it can be difficult to put that truth into practice, especially when the communication contexts you find yourself in change drastically. When...

Just about any discussion of the millennial generation (generally considered those born between 1982 and 1994) is likely to include something about their communication style. For example: Millennials don’t like talking on the phone. They grew up as email and texting were coming into vogue, and they readily embraced those technologies....

Top engineers are among the most valuable assets that a company can have. They’re logical, highly intelligent people. They’re technical experts. They’re efficient problem solvers who can be counted on to get things done. And, far more often than should be the case, they’re distrusted by clients. It’s a puzzling paradox for those who are involved...

Crises have become a predictable feature of everyday life in business. Recently, a shareholder revolt at Uber made it impossible for founder and CEO Travis Kalanick to stay on at the ride-hailing service company, which was found this year to have a workplace culture of sexual harassment and discrimination. Takata, the Japanese auto parts maker of...

One of the easiest things in the world to do is lash out at people when you feel as though you’ve been wronged. One of the hardest things to do is to keep your cool under pressure. At the Ammerman Experience, we understand both scenarios all too well. While it might be tempting to discredit someone’s reputation in a media statement or a press...

Public speaking is usually near the top of people’s list of fears. The reality is that most people would rather be sick in bed with the flu than be in front of a group of people presenting. It’s very much out of their comfort zones. But why is dealing with nervousness such an issue? People are mostly afraid of looking foolish – they don’t want to...

It’s a given that the ability to deliver an effective presentation is a critical skill in business. But today, some presentations may have to be delivered via teleconference or videoconference. Cost is one reason. When your audience is in different locations, travel costs may make face-to-face meetings prohibitive. Time constraints of busy...

Chances are that you’ve heard about Dr. Dao, the man who was violently removed from a United Airlines plane last week after refusing to give up his seat. The resulting video ignited a media storm of backlash, and understandably so – it’s disturbing and hard to watch. In the aftermath of United Airline’s crisis, there is a lot of blame to go...

Setting up a booth at a trade show, is, by its nature, very expensive. Even the most basic display at a high-traffic tradeshow will incur costs in the tens of thousands. And, if your company opts for a truly impressive booth (one with two-story digital displays the size of many full-family apartments), the costs will be much higher – sometimes in...

Among the questions we often get from industrial companies such as utilities and those in energy, chemicals and technology is this one: “We have engineers who are very capable of identifying critically needed, capital-intensive projects at our facility. But they can’t seem to effectively communicate the rationale and details for those projects to...