Do Not Abuse Voicemail

One thing I am sure we all hate is getting home after a long day’s work and checking phone messages, only to find out that half of the messages or more are from telemarketers. They leave a lovely message describing in painful detail all of the advantages of using their system, or buying their product, […]

Facebook – Web page

For those of you interested, I have just created a Facebook page for 3V Communications. You can look at photos and videos, but more importantly you can connect with people like you – interested in communication skills. Join the group, be a fan! Start a discussion, comment on one. Here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toronto-ON/3V-Communications-Communication-Skills-Training/14886705364 Enjoy!

Follow Your Passion

This post is not mainstream communication but rather closer to my life-coaching and entrepreneurial roots. To make a long story short my cousins whom I grew up with watching horror flicks have entered the world of self-employment and have registered a small business. I have had many talks with these two good guys on the […]

Leaving Moscow – Thoughts On Doing International Business

Today was my last day of training the fine folks at WorldMark Corporation/Oil Technology Overseas here in Moscow, Russia. Although this was not my first international training mission, it is certainly one of my fondest. The reason is that in a relatively short time (6 weeks) I have acclimatized myself quickly to a new culture, […]

Do You Speak the Same Way to a Taxi Driver and a CEO?

Greetings everyone! Sorry it has been a while – Moscow has been keeping me busy (but for only one more week now). I thought you might like to consider the question in the title – from a communications perspective, anyway. Rebecca MacDonald, Canadian entrepreneur and co-founder of Energy Savings Income Fund, was recently asked a […]

The Best 3 Books for Managers?

The best 3 books on management, as voted by the PROFIT 100 (Source: PROFIT magazine, Dec-Jan 08), are Good to Great by Jim Collins, Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore, and The One-Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard. Has anyone read these? Care to comment on what you thought? Agree or disagree? Do you have any […]

The Russian people are great!

Say what you will about the Russian gov’t, the military and some parts of history, but the Russian people are quite okay in my books. Thursday I was invited over to a student’s house with her hubby and a few others to eat and drink. I FINALLY had Russian vodka. Predictably, the girls drank cocktails […]

Build Relationships Even When Travelling

Greetings from Moscow, Russia again! As most of you know I teach relationship-building techniques, the art of small talk and the secrets of winning first impressions. These interpersonal communication skills are vital in life. I also teach networking skills, as these soft-skills are imperative in building business and commerce relationships. How many successful sales people […]

Communication Barriers in Moscow

Hello my friends, It has been a while since my last newsletter. At that time I was reporting on why New Year’s resolutions fail. That newsletter caught the attention of someone at CBC and I was invited to come in to the studio on the morning of January 1 to discuss my views. It was […]

Ric on CBC TV now on YouTube – FYI

This is a follow-up to my appearance on CBC News Television January 1st 2008. I was asked by CBC to come in and discuss why 90% of New Year’s resolutions fail. We only had 5 minutes but we talked about the main reasons why we fail and what we can do to achieve goals. They […]