When was the last time that you laughed so hard that you almost peed yourself? If it has been a while, you have a problem. We need to get you laughing. Laughing is part of the human experience and feels glorious. Laughing is an intense, joyful reaction to something we find funny. It is a relief and a physical expression of strong emotion. Laughter relieves anxiety and tension. There are a lot of studies about how laughter reduces blood pressure and helps to release endorphins that help diminish pain. I don't know about you, but I'm in! Laughter is FREE, and available to everybody. Think of a funny memory, read a funny book or watch a funny show or movie. Some therapists and doctors prescribe "laugh therapy" to relieve stress and relax the whole body. Laughter can also increase blood flow and improve blood vessel function. Laughter has benefits in social situations. Laughter can diffuse tense situations and conflicts. It can also create or intensify bonds between people. Sometimes we think that laughing really hard and having a lot of fun is reserved for children. Everyone needs to laugh. And we need to laugh hard and regularly. I have a lot of respect for how much everyone is dealing with today. My clients have so many responsibilities at work and at home. Friends and family members of mine sometimes get overwhelmed with current life demands as well as everything going on in the news and media today. It can be easy to get overwhelmed. This is all the more reason why we need to take time for the things that are good for us, like exercise, hobbies that we enjoy, healthy food, good relationships, rest, and laughter.
How do you get your “laugh quotient” up? When feeling depressed or tense, take a minute to watch a funny YouTube video or take a walk and reflect on a funny movie or memory. Spend time with funny people. Think about what makes you laugh, and spend more time in that situation or with those cues. Find the humor in situations, and talk about it. And watch shows that make you laugh. Opt for these instead of watching violence or drama. Read articles, blogs, or watch videos of people who make you laugh. Whatever works for you, give your funny bone a regular dose of what it’s looking for. Keep laughing. It's good for your spirit and your body.
I laugh hard every day. You can too. Open yourself up to this amazing gift from the Universe. You will be glad you did. For more information on laughing regularly and loving your life, email me at lisa@lovingmylife.us.
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What are you grateful for today? Gratitude is good for you! See more information in this video from PBS.
Please let me know below what YOU are GRATEFUL for today. THANK YOU!!
I have been touting the benefits of understanding communication styles for a few months now. Before I move onto another topic, I want to make sure it’s crystal clear why it’s so important to understand your personal communication style and how to understand others’ communication styles. Essentially, these insights benefit you in three important ways. Number 1: Establish Credibility When you understand the strengths and weaknesses of your “go to” communication style, you can make conscious adjustments when and if needed. Understanding how to “speed read” others’ preferred styles can help you quickly share the information that will be most meaningful to your audience. Specifically, when you understand the strengths that you have that build credibility, you can enhance those. When you understand aspects of your style that undermine credibility and trustworthiness, you can minimize those. We all have tendencies that can benefit us or have the opposite effect and derail us. Knowing what those tendencies are and being aware of them is important. Then we can consciously manage them in a way so that we build credibility. Number 2: Influence Others Are you a sales person? If you said no, you’re wrong. We’re all sales people. We all need to sell our ideas and recommendations. We need to help others see things the way we see things. We want others to see our side of the story, whatever the “story” is. We influence, in part, by understanding aspects of the person we are trying to influence. In addition to understanding their needs, we should know how to structure what we are going to say to be most influential. We need to arrange our information in the most beneficial way and only include what will be relevant to the personal we are talking to. If we have even some understanding of their preferred communication style, we can adjust our message to be more influential. "You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, Number 3: Build Relationships
I once knew a person named Cynthia who was a master at building relationships. Cynthia had many characteristics that made her good at building relationships, she was funny, kind, a good listener, and empathetic just to name a few. Cynthia also knew when and how to masterfully adjust to a variety of different types of conversations. She could talk about facts and details or discuss the “big picture” and abstract ideas. She could cut to the bottom line or socialize before getting down to business. For Cynthia, what seemed like an uncanny knack for intuiting what information people needed was actually mastery of reading communication styles and flexing to meet people’s styles. Because of this, people loved being around Cynthia, and she built trust and comradery easily. You have important things to say. You need to be heard. To get your message across, it’s important to construct your messages in a way that you can be heard. Understanding communication styles accelerates your progress in this area. Within the next week I will make a special offer that will help you assess your communication style and learn to speed read others’ communication styles. Click the "Bloglovin'" button above to subscribe to this blog, or click here and like my Facebook page to be notified of upcoming special offers. Seriously, any insights you can gain to help yourself be a better communicator helps you personally and professionally. So, sign up for more information now! Photo credit: © Lightpoet | Dreamstime.com Communication styles impact all of our conversations, even our conversations about lunch! Here's an example for you: It’s Friday, and the group always goes out to lunch on Friday. Bob, Riley, Kai, and Anne are in Bob’s SUV exiting the parking garage. Bob says, “Ok, it’s big decision time. Where would all of you like to go? What sounds good for lunch?” Riley says, “We went to the Thai place last week, and I heard the chicken place is closed for renovations. I LOVE, the Italian place with the big salads, but it’s always so warm in there. How about the vegetarian place with the AWESOME tofu burgers and the BEAUTIFUL view of the lake? That place is so fresh and hip! And I like supporting a local business.” Riley smiles and looks at everybody. Kai says, “Just so I get back in time.” He’s looking out the window. Anne says, “Based on the price, the traffic patterns, and the diverse menu options, the deli around the corner is consistently the best option. I read on Yelp that their tomato basil soup just won an award.” Anne is checking her email on her iPhone. Bob says with a big smile, “Thanks everybody! How about if we go to the deli this week and go to the vegetarian place next week. We can leave a little bit earlier next week to make sure we get back in time. Will that work for everyone?” Everyone nods and agrees with Bob and then starts to catch up with each other on the week’s latest news and plans for the weekend. As we can see with Bob, Sally, Jim, and Anne, people communicate differently. We focus on different types of information and share that information in different ways. We use different styles in our verbal and nonverbal communication. Some people focus on “bottom line” issues, like Kai. Others focus on data and details, like Anne. Others focus on relationships and agreement, like Bob. And others focus on feelings and values like Riley or something else entirely. What we focus on and how we deliver our message makes each of us unique. We can leverage this uniqueness as a strength in a variety of personal and professional situations. Most of us want to be influential with others. Having an understanding of communication styles can help us be influential. By understanding our own communication style and the communication style of others, we can adjust our messages to be more influential. For example, when talking with Anne in the scenario above, it would be important to share data and details to be influential. When communicating with Bob, it would be important to show how recommendations will build alignment and stronger relationships. To learn more about the four different communication styles, click here to enroll and download my one-page Communication Style Guide. After downloading the guide, think about which style is your dominant style. Next, think about the style of someone you want to influence. When influencing someone, adjust your communication style to match theirs a bit more. That way they will be able to hear and understand you message more thoroughly. Good luck! If you have any questions or would like to learn more, email me at lisa@liszczconsulting.com or call me at (832) 203-5183. Thank you, and have a great day! Photo credit: © Arne9001 | Dreamstime.com I coach so many people on communication style, that I admit I’m a bit of a junkie about it. I’m a bit of a political junkie too. I enjoy watching the campaign coverage. In national politics and in a professional career outside of politics, three things are critical for success:
People make decisions about us based on our communication style. They decide if they like us, if we know what we’re talking about, and if they can trust us. We communicate verbally and nonverbally, and our style is throughout the message we send. Sometimes I mute the television, and I just watch Donald, Hillary, and Bernie. I concentrate on their facial expressions, hand gestures, and body postures. Each of them is very different in how they communicate nonverbally. We get a different feeling from each of them simply based on their styles and aside from the context of what they are actually saying. These behaviors, as well as voice tone, volume, and inflection are part of communication style. We consciously or unconsciously integrate the nonverbal information that we observe into what we think about people. We use this information to make decisions. Others use the same information to make decisions about us. It is important to have self-awareness of how we are perceived. This can help us make adjustments when needed and accelerate our success. I am offering a free one-page download on the four communication styles that I teach on my website for a limited time. You can go to my homepage (www.liszczconsulting.com) and subscribe to my newsletter to receive it. Then, I encourage you to think about Donald, Hillary, and Bernie and assess each of their communication styles. Finally, decide which style you think is your dominant style. I’d love to read your comments below!!
Project success relies on effective communication. Technical skills are key, yes. But communication is essential for on time, within budget completion of projects. According to the Project Management Institute, the message is clear. In their 2013 white paper, the PMI notes some impressive statistics. So, get your communication flowing, or plan to have mediocre results. Sources:
Do you ever feel like you've finished a conversation, and everything is crystal clear...just to find out later that it wasn't? It happens to all of us. In conversations with our spouse, children, colleagues, boss, employees, friends, etc. we sometimes think that we are on the same page and then find out later that we were not. Communication is an art and a bit of science. It involves talking and listening, and oh so much more. For more details on the finer aspects of communication, stay tuned to this blog. As we all work to improve our communication skills, life's misunderstandings and surprises will become fewer and relationships will become more rewarding and satisfying.
All the best! When you are listening to someone, give that person your undivided attention. Focus on his or her body language, tone of voice, and other nonverbal cues. Tone of voice can convey emotion, so if you’re checking text messages, doodling, or thinking about your "to do “ list or your next vacation, you’re almost certain to miss the nonverbal cues and the emotional content behind the speaker's words. If you find it hard to concentrate on some speakers, try taking notes—this habit will reinforce their message and help you stay focused.
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AuthorLisa Liszcz has over 20 years of experience developing leaders and teams in four different global organizations in a variety of industries. In 2014 she became an entrepreneur and is rocking her inner superhero and loving her life like mad. Archives
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