Welcome to Straight Talk

Being direct in communication is appreciated by most people. Time is of the essence for the majority of us so getting to the point is important. The challenge comes when we are too direct in our approach. Most people don't like it. Watch this video to hear straight talk about this style of communication, and learn a tip on how you can improve it. To sign up to receive a weekly video tip, click here.

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What It Means to Speak Truth to Power

"Speaking truth to power" has become a common phrase to use when speaking about truth and/or power in a discussion that encourages courageous discourse on controversial matters. It is an old phrase coined back in the 1950s by the Quakers and is defined as "a non-violent political tactic, employed by dissidents against the received wisdom or propaganda of governments they regard as oppressive, authoritarian or an ideocracy." (Wikipedia) I've heard it overused in a lot of ways and not with a clear purpose in its meaning within the context of what was being spoken. We latch onto certain words and phrases as language goes in and out of style on almost a monthly basis. In this current generation, there seems to be a new word or phrase created daily and then abandoned when they become overused like worn out sneakers from last year's fall collection. But words have staying power even if you get tired of hearing the...

A Dozen Ways to Tell Your Boss No

In basically every training class I do on communications, I get people who are reluctant to manage up. In a few cases, the direct, decisive communicators establish early on in the relationship their boundaries and preferences to their boss. Those bosses who can respect other people's limits tend to listen without feeling threatened or disrespected. But generally, workers tend to treat their superiors as demigods and themselves as powerless servants who shouldn't speak up for fear that they'd be punished for having an opinion or for pushing back in areas where they are overwhelmed or uncomfortable. I get asked, "What do I do when my manager piles all of this work on me, and I can't get it done by his unreasonable deadlines?" Among other things like how they manage their time, I usually ask if they've had a discussion with their manager about their workload. The common response: "Oh noooo, I can't do that. He's the b...

How to Stop Interruptions in Conversations

So you're sitting in a meeting, and you begin to answer a question that has been directed toward you by your boss. You get through about half of your response when a colleague jumps in and offers his take and essentially silences you. There is evidence that if you are a woman, this will happen to you more often than if you are a man, and it's likely to happen to you by both genders. Interruptions in communications like this happen all the time whether you're in a group offering your opinion or one-on-one sharing a story. Regardless of the setting, we all find it annoying and rude. These disruptions of dialogue hamper thought processes, contribute to misunderstandings, and devalue people's input. So what do we do when they keep happening to us? A few worthy suggestions can be found in Kathryn Vasel's article, "Next time someone interrupts you in a meeting, try this" . But what...

Talk Ain't Cheap

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