Your Word is Your Bond

It is not always easy or even possible to follow this axiom, but if you can, you will be greatly respected by others, and you will feel good about yourself. Recently I used this phrase in a customer service email to my bank, when I was chastising a rep for not calling me back when […]

How to Negotiate without Compromising Everything

Hello everyone, How do you feel about this word ‘compromise’? Does it have a positive meaning for you, where you say to yourself “okay great, now we both (or all) will win. I love win-win situations”. Or does the word ‘compromise’ have a negative connotation to you, where you think “oh great, now I have […]

Is Spelling Really Important?

Yes and No. Proper spelling is important for written reports, essays and school assignments, as well as any and all business documents (including emails). BUT proper spelling is not important for understanding words and meaning in the sentence. Most people can read the sentences below and still understand the correct meaning (i.e. words) without much […]

CHINESE GUY EATS SOOO LOUD!

Hello Everyone, Isn’t it interesting when one makes fun of the stereotypes from one’s own culture? This is Peter Chao, and although he is Chinese, he actually does not have such a strong accent as embellished in his videos.  He lives in Vancouver, BC and in this video he seems to be annoyed at a […]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hello wonderful readers, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. It is funny that this greeting is almost becoming extinct here in Toronto, as some people are concerned with offending others who do not celebrate Christmas. Instead we use phrases like “Happy […]

Quick Interpersonal Communication Advice

Here is some advice that I often give to clients and friends (and to myself!), at different times. I hope you find them useful. See people eye to eye. Hear people with more than your ears. Talk to people heart to heart. Feel someone’s real message using empathy. Listen To words and FOR meaning. Deal […]

Can You Laugh at Yourself?

The most confident people are able to laugh. They laugh under stress, they laugh at jokes, even if they are not particularly funny (out of respect for the joke-teller – as long as they are not disrespectful jokes), they laugh at themselves when things go wrong or when ‘Murphy’s Law’ takes over their life for […]

Positive Competitive Behaviour

“There are two types of competitive behavior. One is a sense of competition because you want to be at the top. You create obstacles and harm someone. That competition is negative. But there is a positive kind of competition, which benefits the individual, the competitors, and the economy. Let your competitors also grow, without any […]

Improve Your Body Language Knowledge

As most of you know, I am a big fan of studying body language. It is a huge part of interpreting other people, as well as presenting the right ‘vibe’ to others. I love teaching what I know to my clients, and seeing it in action everyday. In fact, my company is named ‘3V Communications‘ […]