Just Saying - The BRIEF Lab

Have you ever been stuck in a conversation that was going nowhere? Feeling helpless, what could you do to avoid the dead-end direction? Unfortunately, this happens frequently to us both inside and outside work. This week, I outline three “U-turn” tactics to get the conversation back on course.

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In meetings, it’s easy to run out of time. Participants rarely allocate sufficient time to summarize what’s been discussed and assign action items with any time to spare. In this episode, I provide a few practical ways for meeting leaders to think and act with the ending in mind.  

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When Amazon infamously ditched PowerPoints in meetings and opted to use a six-page written narrative format, many professionals took notice of their bold move. However, very few followed their lead. After reading a book on Amazon’s leadership philosophy (“Working Backwards”), I decided to experiment with a new meeting format. In this podcast, I provide a […]

The post Ep. 380 – The B.E.S.T. Meeting Method appeared first on Just Saying.

What happens when managers have too many people and priorities to handle? A recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted a growing concern when organizations are trying to get much more from a thinning front line of leaders. One of the results is that bosses are running out of time to spend with their extended teams. […]

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Polished leaders all master these three areas. They can frame their role powerfully, share courses of action convincingly, and summarize complexity consistently. In this episode, I provide very practical ways to improve in each area to rise above the rest.

The post Ep. 378 – Roles, recommendations, and re-caps appeared first on Just Saying.

We can speak very different languages, from finance, tech and science to logistics, legal and engineering. What are some simple ways to increase your awareness and avoid common tendencies to talk past people and lose them along the way? In this podcast, I share a clip from a 1960’s show “Flipper” and provide some common-sense […]

The post Ep. 377 – You’re speaking dolphin appeared first on Just Saying.

What’s the return on investment (ROI) if your organization is filled with clear communicators? In a recent conversation with a business consultant, I was challenged to measure it mainly in time savings. In my experience, however, that’s the easy answer. The deeper one is calculating the hidden impact when you cause chaos and confusion?

The post Ep. 376 – What’s the cost of confusion? appeared first on Just Saying.

As new leaders step into new roles, many of them fail to help their subordinates understand the best way to communicate with them. Rather, they let vague assertions, false assumptions and ongoing trial-and-error observations shape the way they get and give information. In this episode, I provide a simple two-step process to gain clarity about […]

The post Ep. 375 – Defining your communication preference (no more guessing) appeared first on Just Saying.

If you want to become a clear and concise communicator, getting your extended team to commit would go a long way. After more than a decade of teaching our BRIEF system, we have introduced an annual subscription service that is designed to drive accountability and predictable outcomes. In this podcast, I shed some light on […]

The post Ep. 374 – BRIEF Team Builder: a new annual subscription service appeared first on Just Saying.

According to “Shark Tank’s” and entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk had incredibly high signal-to-noise ratios. In other words, they could maintain high levels of clarity without succumbing to distractions, disruptions or low-level chatter. In this episode, I share some practical ways to manage your noise and increase your ratio.

The post Ep. 373 – What’s your signal-to-noise ratio? appeared first on Just Saying.

Call Back Episode 209: Tech Timeouts, originally recorded on October 18, 2021. When you are always on, that means you’re never off. Living in a 24/7 world of pervasive connectivity, we are challenged to find rewarding moments during the day to disconnect.

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A 1980’s self-help guru predicted that if you “go into the silence” for 30-60 minutes, you will get clarity 100% of the time. In an environment that doesn’t allow even a few minutes alone, we may find this hard to believe or impossible to achieve. Well, in times that are highly volatile, uncertain, complex and […]

The post Ep. 372 – You’re better left alone appeared first on Just Saying.

Think about being in a meeting and seeing someone who has no vital role and nothing to say. They just fill a chair and add no immediate value. Like a potted plant, they may be there to fill a space. In this week’s episode, I challenge conventions about not inviting people that don’t need to […]

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Whether it’s an important conversation or a very difficult one, we need to be ready. In this week’s episode, I will walk you through six different considerations to put you in a frame of mind that improves your chances that the exchange will go better than planned.

The post Ep. 370 – Making key conversations count (the 6 T’s) appeared first on Just Saying.

Watching someone communicate with no purpose and no plan is brutal. It’s like seeing a poor farmer scatter seed blindly into the wind. If this is how you show up, it’s going to take a toll. Many people communicate like this, with little or no plan with what they want to say. This is where […]

The post Ep. 369 – You’re all over the place appeared first on Just Saying.

Great leaders are authentic and willing to share when they’ve struggled, been tested and have failed. Success is often the result of severe challenges, stupid mistakes and painful losses. By being able to open up and share these personal stories, leaders can connect with people more deeply than by barking orders and giving speeches.

The post Ep. 368 – Sharing crucible stories appeared first on Just Saying.

Many professionals aspire to be thought leaders, yet few have what it takes. If this is what you (or someone you might know) feel compelled to pursue, be warned that with this role comes responsibilities. Not only do you need to be experienced, knowledgeable and respected, but you also must be a clear communicator who […]

The post Ep. 367 – Becoming a thought leader (not a thoughtless one) appeared first on Just Saying.

If you can’t sit still for a moment, it will be hard to extract the real value AI. As these mind-bending developments increasingly take root, we may be too busy to even take notice. The irony – harsh reality, actually – is that we absolutely must embrace quiet time to slow down, learn and embrace […]

The post Ep. 366 – Working with AI slowly and quietly appeared first on Just Saying.

Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z all think they’re somehow superior. When it comes to communication, there are definitely differences but people share more in common than they’d like to admit. In this episode, I provide an limited overview that gets you thinking more about what we all value.

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Professionals may worry too much about their presentation skills and fail to improve their daily conversations. Whether it’s calling someone, providing an update or having a side-bar discussion, these moments happen far more than standing at a podium and wowing an audience.

The post Ep. 364 – Botching your day-to-day conversations appeared first on Just Saying.

A subject matter expert (SME) can be both a source of knowledge and suffering. Without realizing it, they can dive into the weeds and pull you in deep with them. In this episode, I share some practical considerations to help curb your tendency to become a say-it-all.

The post Ep. 363 – Know-it-alls appeared first on Just Saying.

Imagine taking one day a month and setting it aside as a “Quiet Workday” that’s dedicated to deep work. In this challenge, I provide recommendations for you to schedule a day where more than half is spent in silence, there’s a specific focal point and an agenda designed deliberately for you to go much deeper […]

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Running around can be depleting and choosing to stop can energize and empower us. After taking a pause myself for several weeks, I have chosen to continue the podcast into our 9th season In this episode, I share five different moments where we can pause three to five seconds and gain great power when doing […]

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Do you think that this podcast should continue for another season? I have mixed feelings and would like to hear directly from you. I can go either way. In what might be the last episode, I share some possible adjustments to the format that might make the content more relevant. It’s time for my listeners […]

The post Ep. 360 – Giving my audience a voice (is this our last season?) appeared first on Just Saying.

We can all degree that most salespeople talk too much and aren’t great listeners. Learning from an accomplished sales trainer, I recently was inspired to create a new training program called “Quiet Selling” to teach professionals to listen more and talk less. In this episode, I share five moments that can help you slow down […]

The post Ep. 359 – My discovery of Quiet Selling appeared first on Just Saying.

Thanksgiving in the U.S. is one of my favorite holidays of the year. To keep up with the tradition, I’d like to share how gratitude is a powerful way to ground me and lower the noise in my personal and professional life. In this episode, I also share a short list (in no specific order) […]

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You may want to start a podcast, go to be a guest on one, or are just curious about how people prepare for them. After eight seasons doing this podcast and numerous guest appearances on other shows, I thought it might be helpful to provide some behind-the-scenes insights on how I do this podcast to […]

The post Ep. 357 – How I prepare for a podcast appeared first on Just Saying.

Almost everybody does it and nobody likes it. The adage is when you’re early, you’re on time; and when you’re on time, you’re late. In this episode, I share some simple, yet practical advice on how to be early, be quiet, and be ready – and avoid the domino-effect of being late.

The post Ep. 356 – Showing up late and unprepared appeared first on Just Saying.

Can you imagine being on a flight and nobody gave any notice that you were going to land? After hitting the runway unprepared, many passengers would feel it. In meetings, getting ready to wrap it up is as important as getting started and setting the tone up front. In this episode, I provide a short […]

The post Ep. 355 – How to end a meeting like you meant it appeared first on Just Saying.

To me, clarity is what matters, not selling books, doing a podcast, or making appearances. After a decade publishing books on brevity and clarity, I want to remind listeners that communication is mostly about preparation (not delivery), that your audience has a voice (and we need to hear it more), and noise is the real […]

The post Ep. 354 – Why it’s not all about books appeared first on Just Saying.

If change is the only constant, why aren’t professionals, teams and organizations keeping their message up to date? Whether it’s economic, political, technical or strategic change, organizations must keep their messaging current, yet many keep falling far behind. In this episode, I provide some guidance on how to stay current and avoid having their mission […]

The post Ep. 353 – When your mission changes, why doesn’t your message? appeared first on Just Saying.

As the release of my third book “Quiet Works: Make silence the secret ingredient of the workday” approaches, I take time to field some questions on each chapter.  In this episode, I focus specifically on Part Four: Quiet Places and Programs (chapters 14-17) and Part Five: Quiet Challenges (chapters 21-22).

The post Ep. 352 – Q&A on the book “Quiet Works” (part 3) appeared first on Just Saying.

As the release of my third book “Quiet Works: Make silence the secret ingredient of the workday” approaches, I take time to field some questions on each chapter.  In this episode, I focus specifically on Part Three: Quiet Practices at Work (chapters 9-13).

The post Ep. 351 – Q&A on the Book “Quiet Works” (part 2) appeared first on Just Saying.

As the release of my third book “Quiet Works: Make silence the secret ingredient of the workday” approaches, I take time to field some questions on each chapter.  In this episode, I focus specifically on Part One: Our Noisy World Just Gets Noisier (chapters 1-5) and Part Two: Quiet Isn’t What You Think” (chapters 6-8).

The post Ep. 350 – Q&A on the Book “Quiet Works” (part 1) appeared first on Just Saying.

A recent “ice cream” incident at a restaurant got me thinking about my immediate reaction when I first saw Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. Spoiler alert: my two words were, “that’s it?” In this episode, I talk about managing expectations as a deliberate communicator.

The post Ep. 349 – Managing Expectations (Two Words When I Saw Plymouth Rock) appeared first on Just Saying.

Do you find it a struggle to engage in formal, one-on-one conversations at work? For many managers and subordinates, these scheduled exchanges can seem stale, fruitless and stiff. By approaching them as a pointed and personal conversation with specific questions in mind, we can make them memorable and impactful on both sides.

The post Ep. 348 – Three questions to improve your next one-on-one appeared first on Just Saying.

Going deeper can be quite difficult, especially when there’s so much competing for our attention. Our value and impact are greatly diminished by impulsively skimming the surface and chasing the least important thing and most tempting text. In this episode, I share insights from three profound business books that might help you answer this question […]

The post Ep. 347 – Do you do deep work? appeared first on Just Saying.

Are we spending enough time thinking about what’s critical for us today, this week, or this month? Are we talking about it in clear and concise terms? And are we actually getting our MPP done consistently. In this episode, I make the connection between deliberate preparation and predictable execution.

The post Ep. 346 – Defining your most pressing priority (MPP) appeared first on Just Saying.

The term bottom-line-up-front (BLUF) is widely known in military and governments circles. Regardless of how many people are familiar with the acronym, most end up delivering the bottom line at the bottom (or BLAB). This isn’t what busy, attention-starved audiences really want yet are forced to accept.

The post Ep. 345 – Why does BLUF frequently turn into BLAB? appeared first on Just Saying.

What would you likely do if given a few extra minutes while waiting for someone to arrive? Or standing in line? Or in-between meetings? In this episode, I discuss how our impulsive tendency to grab our smartphone or keep on consuming information is what makes us squander magic moments of quiet and settle for more […]

The post Ep. 344 – How you might abuse a few minutes of free time appeared first on Just Saying.