Laurie Ford

Is Anyone Studying How to Listen?

February 8, 2016 in effective communication, leadership, unproductive conversations /by Laurie Ford

We think that when “leaders” speak, they will be followed. But who teaches leaders how to listen?

The Power of Promising: Listener + Do + Due

February 1, 2016 in Accountability, Closure conversations, Credibility, get results, Performance conversations, promises /by Laurie Ford

How to get yourself to Do something you don’t want to Do? Add a Listener and a Due date. Here’s how.

Time Management – No Excuses

January 25, 2016 in change management, Daily communication, excuses and justifications /by Laurie Ford

To change your habits, try changing your conversation: here’s one way to do that.

Integrity and Reliability – They’re Related

January 12, 2016 in Accountability, Credibility, effective communication, promises /by Laurie Ford

A local college teacher called last night and asked if I had another recommendation for a technical support person to help with his Public Speaking class, because the first guy I recommended wasn’t working out. Here’s how that dialogue went… Me: “What happened to Ed? I thought he was your guy for that?” Teacher: “Ed […]

Want Something? Get Specific.

January 6, 2016 in Accountability, change management, Credibility, leadership, Performance conversations, Understanding conversations /by Laurie Ford

Wishing is a waste of time. Invest some brainpower in getting clear about what matters.

Give Your Goals a Little “Infrastructure” for Success

December 29, 2015 in change management, Credibility, get results, the four conversations /by Laurie Ford

You can make a resolution to reach a goal – just include a communication plan to support your successful change.

Productive Meetings Don’t Just Happen

December 16, 2015 in Uncategorized /by Laurie Ford

The meeting didn’t go well. In fact, one executive walked out before it was formally ended. Several people were annoyed or impatient while others, looking bored, simply didn’t participate. It was ultimately a waste of people’s time and energy, and left a few bad feelings to be cleaned up later. What was the purpose of […]

Time to Talk? Efficiency vs. Effectiveness

December 9, 2015 in Accountability, Daily communication, effective communication, get results, Performance conversations, requests /by Laurie Ford

Improve both efficiency and effectiveness with a clear and complete request.

No Closure, No Accomplishment

December 2, 2015 in Accountability, Closure conversations, Daily communication, get results, project management /by Laurie Ford

A normally upbeat and productive guy was suddenly downcast and discouraged yesterday morning. I went in to see Chuck and talk about progress on his most important project – implementing an employee development program – and he wasn’t even interested anymore. Wow. “This project doesn’t matter,” he said. “I thought it would make a huge […]

Attitude Can Cause Blindness and Ignorance

November 17, 2015 /1 Comment/in Accountability, Credibility, get results, Performance conversations, promises, requests /by Laurie Ford

After years of saying that a consultant’s job is not to change people’s attitudes, I might need to eat my words. Here’s what I learned from reviewing a Harvard Business Review case: a bad attitude can blind an employee – even a good one – from seeing who to communicate with and who needs […]

About Laurie Ford

Entries by Laurie Ford