“You make me angry.” “Don’t get your noise out of joint.” “Settle down.” “Just ‘cause I said it, don’t mean that I meant it.” We use scores of phrases like these when involved in interpersonal conflict. If not spoken out loud, we speak them inside our head. Needless to say, our conflict directives rarely end the […]
Apply A Culture Map To Visualize Interpersonal Differences
December 9, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
One of my newest, favourite communication tools is a Culture Map. I first came across this better way to visualize cultural differences in Erin Meyer’s book, The Culture Map (published earlier this year). Here’s a short interview of Meyer, about her book: (video not displaying? watch here, on YouTube) The Culture Map The Culture Map is […]
Diverge Off The Problem Before You Converge On The Solution
December 1, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
To solve a difficult challenge, come up with as many solution ideas as possible. Then “murder your darlings”. Converge on the best idea. Good ideas The story I most often tell myself about ideas is the one Steven Johnson articulates in his book, Where Do Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation. “Good […]
The Thank You Game
November 27, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
A couple of years ago, I learned about The Thank You Game via local mediator colleague, Julia Menard. Thank you Julia! I thought it appropriate to share it, given it’s Thanksgiving Day in the US, today. Julia credits the McGonigal sisters, Kelly McGonigal (health psychologist) and Jane McGonigal (game designer) for the idea. The McGonigal sisters […]
