Tag Archives: courtesy

Complex Communications Solutions vs. Perhaps a Simpler One

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Robert Basil

From Paul Constant in The Stranger today: Chris DeRose published an article at Business Insider addressing the fact that McDonald’s is failing at customer service, with a vice president of the company openly talking about the “rude or unprofessional employees” … Continue reading →

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To thank or not to thank on Twitter?

Posted on March 31, 2013 by tierneywisniewski

Nick Bilton’s suggestion that e-mail thank-yous are a time waster has sparked debate on whether or not it’s appropriate to thank people in digital communications. Some have gone so far to suggest that this new social ethic of efficiency is creating … Continue reading →

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Stopping the Page from Being Blank

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Robert Basil

In the mid-1990s, shortly after I moved to Vancouver, I got a job doing Investor Relations for a public company drafting news releases, presentations, brochures, and the like. I would put drafts of these items together and present them to … Continue reading →

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Ethics of Persuasion: The Reciprocity Rule

Posted on March 10, 2013 by tierneywisniewski

I was walking down Granville Street the other day on my way to London Drugs when I spotted two Chinese monks ahead of me speaking to passersby. Ordinarily cautious of sidewalk solicitors, I let one of them engage me precisely … Continue reading →

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Language Log » Tiny grass is dreaming

Posted on January 26, 2013 by tierneywisniewski

  Language Log » Tiny grass is dreaming. When I found this gem through @stevesilberman‘s Twitter feed, I knew I had to blog it. I could talk about this as a product of a higher context culture than ours, but … Continue reading →

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Keep Your Promises, Keep Your Confidences, and Keep Your Appointments

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Robert Basil

The prefix para means “beside” or “beyond.” Paralinguistic or paraverbal communication usually refers to *how* one’s words are conveyed: through tone, body language, speaking speed, or even through one’s wardrobe. In both workplace and social environments, though, beside and beyond … Continue reading →

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“We Agree”

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Robert Basil

“We agree much more than you think.” This was Niels Bohr‘s kind way of indicating profound disagreement with a colleague’s point of view.  The genial physicist knew that the literal truth of that statement – after all, all scientists would … Continue reading →

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The Golden Rule

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Robert Basil

In most of my classes, when I am teaching email etiquette and protocol, I tell them the stories of Larissa #1 and Larissa #2.  Larissa #1 was a student of mine in the early 1990s, when I was teaching in … Continue reading →

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