Why “bricolage” is a word you need to know as a creative
Bricolage is the positive state of 'making do with what's at hand'. Instead of focusing on the resources you lack, bricolage forces you to rely on your breadth of knowledge and skills to create something new--something unique to you. It is at the heart of creativity and innovation.
Why "strong women" labels can hurt all women
The rhetoric used in conversations of female strength often promotes the idea that there are some strong women, rather than promoting the truth that all women are strong. I want to see this change.
How easy are you to "read"? What judgeability is and why it matters
A "judgeable" person is someone who is easy to perceive accurately and is less likely to be misunderstood. Someone who is judgeable is open, transparent, and easy to read, as opposed to someone who is closed, hard to read, and enigmatic.
Communication breakdown: How misunderstandings happen and what to do about it
While misunderstanding might seem like one of those things that doesn’t require a definition I believe there’s benefit to it. For example, it reminds us that misunderstandings take place on a two way street. So often when we feel misunderstood it creates feelings of isolation. We tend to retreat because we feel unknown or unseen.
How to have civil conversations in tense times
We’re all tired of the shouting, polarization and unwillingness to listen that dominates our current politics and news. But what’s worse is how these things are seeping into our culture’s own communication practices.
Why you think people are paying more attention to you than they really are
The spotlight effect is when we overestimate the amount of attention people give to our outward appearance or behavior. It creates a climate that misunderstandings can thrive in. There are very real consequences in our day-to-day life, and professional opportunities alike, if we don't keep the spotlight effect in check.
What is the transparency illusion and how does it lead to misunderstanding?
The transparency illusion is the belief that what we think, feel, desire, and intend is obvious to others. We feel like we're expressing more than we truly are, so we don't make as much effort to communicate as clearly as we should. Transparency illusion often takes place when we feel uncomfortable, insecure or vulnerable.
How to offer empathy when it feels too hard to relate
Even the most naturally empathetic people can experience burnout with empathy. Our desire to demonstrate empathy can easily be overloaded by responsibilities, negativity, or our own internal struggles. We tend to think of empathy as an innate trait, something we have or don't have. But new research suggests otherwise.
How feminine style rhetoric can go wrong
Feminine style rhetoric has excellent advantages for bringing a group together around a central goal. It's an effective style of communicating because it draws upon commonalities and unifies people based on shared understanding. So, if those are the strengths of feminine style rhetoric, what happens when the opposite occurs?
What is feminine-style rhetoric?
'Feminine style' doesn't mean 'women do this'. It's broader than that. Feminine style indicates that the characteristic traits of the style are softer, group focused and collaborative. Rhetoric is the artform of communicating and persuading an audience. Rhetoric is the thought and planning about how information is structured and presented for optimal impact.
How to use your words with integrity
How to use your words with integrity - My top 5 tips to help you preserve truthfulness and become a leader people will trust! In this episode of the Feminine Foresight series, I challenge you to think about the integrity of your own words.
Why 'women's leadership' is a conversation we need to move past
Anytime that there is a social issue; whether it has to do with gender issues, racial issues or disability issues, there is a group of people that is being disadvantaged that the issue revolves around. When this happens, it becomes a topic that we need to talk about. So to move past this conversation would mean it’s no longer a prevalent issue.
What is Feminine Foresight?
I called this series Feminine Foresight because I wanted to pinpoint one of the underlying issues – that many of us hold a deep seeded belief that we (as women) aren’t cut out for leadership. So, I named my series Feminine Foresight to highlight the feminine aspect of leadership.