Is there such a thing as client-relationship etiquette? We may not think of communication skills as the key to client engagements, but it’s alarming how quickly a project can fail without prioritizing frequent communication. Freelancers (and agencies) should not be tempted to take a creative brief, not ask any questions…

The key to effective team communication — 65% of startups fail due to co-founder conflict. This means that despite our best efforts, teams implode when communication breaks down. The stress of big projects leads to personality conflict and friction on a team. The internal friction builds, leading to dysfunction and disengagement. How do we fix organizational dysfunction? Presence in conversation …

Three free hosted sessions coming up at General Assembly SF 11/27 Communication skills: Learn to sharpen your vocal presence with Lauri Smith

Define and socialize your startup vision Every startup journey begins with an existential crisis: Who are we? To answer this question, startup founders typically lay out their vision for the future in a pitch deck. The pitch deck describes a problem worth solving and paints the picture of your solution…

Your team expects you to speak up. BigTalker recently hosted a teamwork communications professional development session at General Assembly. The premise of the ‘Teamwork dynamics’ session is that teamwork is critical, but messy. Per the Atlassian teamwork project: “Working in teams is challenging. There are many things that get in…

Teamwork is a learned skill that we can keep improving According to Atlassian’s teamwork research “Teamwork has never been more important than it is today. Did you know that 90% of companies report they are working on projects so complex that only teams of people working together will be able…

If at all When it comes to corporate wellness, most of the companies I’ve talked to simply track their wellness initiatives by surveying employees. Employee satisfaction. They present a perk like free food, a kegerator or a learning fair and ask “did you enjoy this?” If the answer is yes…

How to develop core leadership skills It’s a typical corporate scenario — a high performing employee finds themselves taking on a management role. The go-getter employee is proud of her upward mobility. She is eager to learn new skills required to handle the challenges of leadership. In addition to her…

Teaching skills to strengthen focus If there is one unique Millennial experience that is undeniable, it’s that Millennials grew up with the Internet and the rest of us didn’t. Non-Millennial generations, you may recall, grew up in a constant state of unintended digital detox. Like it or not, we were…