Talk About Talk - Communication Skills Training Dr. Andrea Wojnicki

Gratitude is a communication skill that can build loyalty, serves as a catalyst to connect, and it releases endorphins! Andrea interviews The Currency of Gratitude author Michele Bailey, who shares insights on how to express gratitude in a professional context, how gratitude relates to brand ambassadors, how gratitude relates to reciprocity, whether expressing gratitude makes you sound weak, and some provocative thoughts about work-life balance. 

 

RESOURCES



* BOOK: The Currency Of Gratitude: Turning Small Gestures Into Powerful Business Results by Michele Bailey – https://amzn.to/434Vqpe

* Michele Bailey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-bailey-a111b6a/

* Michele’s agency is BLAZING: https://blazing.agency/

* Recommended podcasts:



* Tim Ferriss – https://tim.blog/podcast/

* Smartless – https://www.smartless.com/

* Happier – https://gretchenrubin.com/podcasts/

* On Purpose – https://www.jayshetty.me/podcast

* Huberman Lab – https://www.hubermanlab.com/podcast

* Voices of leadership – https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/voices-of-leadership-insights-and-inspirations/id1710435149







 

CONNECT WITH ANDREA & TALK ABOUT TALK



* LinkedIn: 



* Andrea –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreawojnicki/

* Talk about Talk – https://www.linkedin.com/company/talkabouttalk/





* Website: TalkAboutTalk.com

Communication Coaching Newsletter:  https://talkabouttalk.com/blog/#newsletter-signup



YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@talkabouttalkyoutube/



 



TRANSCRIPT

I have a question for you. What are you grateful for? Who are you grateful for? How often do you explicitly express your gratitude? I mean beyond a simple THANK YOU.

 

Welcome to Talk About Talk Podcast Episode #155, where we focus on the power of gratitude. My guest for this episode is an expert on Gratitude. In fact, she literally wrote the book entitled, The Currency of Gratitude. Her name is Michele Bailey. I can’t wait for you to meet her. 

 

You’re going to learn about the benefits of gratitude, how exactly you can express gratitude in a professional or work context. How gratitude relates to brand ambassadors. And how to think about gratitude and reciprocity. And lots more. Including whether expressing gratitude makes you sound weak, and some provocative thoughts about work life balance. 

Are you ready? 

 

Welcome to the Talk About Talk podcast episode number 155, The Power of Gratitude

 

In case we haven’t met, let me introduce myself. My name is Dr. Andrea Wojnicki and I’m your executive communication coach. Please call me Andrea!

I’m the founder of Talk About Talk, where I coach communication skills to ambitious executives like you – to elevate your communication, your confidence and your clarity, so you can establish credibility and then accomplish your career goals.

 

If you go to the TalkAboutTalk.

Andrea coaches you on 5 quick fixes to boost your communication effectiveness: How to avoid upspeak, establish eye contact, focus on others, communicate with precision, and control your narrative. Where should you focus to get traction and improve your communication skills?

 

CONNECT WITH ANDREA & TALK ABOUT TALK



* LinkedIn: 



* Andrea –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreawojnicki/

* Talk about Talk – https://www.linkedin.com/company/talkabouttalk/





* Website: TalkAboutTalk.com

Communication Coaching Newsletter:  https://talkabouttalk.com/blog/#newsletter-signup



YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@talkabouttalkyoutube/



 



TRANSCRIPT

Lately, when I’m in coaching sessions, I’ve been noticing a few common mistakes that many executives make. Sometimes it’s a bad habit.  Sometimes it’s just not knowing better. It almost always negatively impacts their credibility. Fortunately, there are quick fixes that can significantly improve their communication effectiveness, and ultimately boost their credibility. 

 

So I thought it might for an impactful episode if I shared with you 5 quick fixes to boost your communication effectiveness. Are you curious what these 5 quick fixes are? Let’s do this.

 

Welcome to the Talk About Talk podcast episode number 154, quick fixes to boost your communication effectiveness. Yes, this is going to be a productive episode.

 

In case we haven’t met, let me introduce myself. My name is Dr. Andrea Wojnicki and I’m your executive communication coach. Please call me Andrea!

I’m the founder of Talk About Talk, where I coach communication skills to ambitious executives like you – to elevate your communication and your confidence, so you can establish credibility, and accomplish your career goals.

 

If you go to the TalkAboutTalk.com website, you’ll find many resources to help you out. There’s information there about one-on-one coaching, online courses, bootcamps, corporate workshops, the archive of this bi-weekly podcast, AND, I really hope you’ll sign up for the Talk About Talk newsletter. That newsletter is your chance to get free communication coaching from me. 

 

This is going to be a relatively short episode, but it’s going to be valuable for you. I encourage you to think about which one or two of these five things where you can get the most traction to improve your communication.

 

I encourage you to carefully listen to the definitions, the examples, the stories, and the solutions that I will list for you here. Don’t worry about taking notes. As always, I do that for you. I’ll summarize what the five points are at the very end, and I encourage you to go to the talkabouttalk.com website where you can access the full transcript of this episode.

 

Alright let’s get into this.

 

The first quick fix that I recommend is this Avoid upspeak.

 

1of 5 Quick FIxes: Avoid Upspeak

Upspeak is the habit of ending sentences with a rising intonation, as if posing a question. Kind of like this? It’s a common feature among many speakers?, particularly women and younger individuals,? but it’s not exclusive to them. 

Recently I’ve noticed an uptick in Upspeak. Yeah, got that. And uptick in upspeak.

It’s like upspeak might be a trend.  But this is not a trend you want to join. When you sound as if you’re asking a question, even when it’s not a question,

Should I share my personal life at work? This is about boundaries and navigating your professional identity. Andrea shares 3 real risks to sharing your personal life at work, then 3 levels of benefits. The balance between sharing personal information and maintaining professional boundaries is delicate and can significantly affect workplace culture, individual well-being, and even your own career trajectory.

 

CONNECT WITH ANDREA & TALK ABOUT TALK



* LinkedIn: 



* Andrea –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreawojnicki/

* Talk about Talk – https://www.linkedin.com/company/talkabouttalk/





* Website: TalkAboutTalk.com

Communication Coaching Newsletter:  https://talkabouttalk.com/blog/#newsletter-signup



Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@talkabouttalkyoutube/



 



TRANSCRIPT

Whenever this topic of sharing your personal life at work comes up, I always think of this experience I had about 10 years ago. I was serving as an advisor for a small private firm. I respected the CEO very much. He sent an e-mail out to all of the advisors asking us to submit to him our corporate bios for the website. At the bottom of his email request, he said something like, “Please make sure you include some personal details at the end. We all know that people tend to like us better when we add some personal details to the bottom of our professional bio.”

 

I remember thinking:  Is that true?  Seems possible. I want to see the research!

 

I get this Q a lot in the workshops and coaching I do.  Men and women both ask me about this. Should we talk about our hobbies? Should I mention that I run ultra marathons?? Should I mention that I do stand up comedy on the weekends? Or that I look after my partner’s elderly parents? Should I mention that I have a newborn at home?

 

In this episode, I’m going to share with you what the academic research says about specific reasons that we should or perhaps should not share our private or personal life at work.  The advantages and disadvantages, if you will. 

 

The answer to this question of “should we share our personal life at work?” does not have a simple yes or no answer. I would think of it more as a checklist or a series of considerations. My goal is to help you make informed decisions about whether and what to share about your personal life at work, depending on your PERSONAL context. Sound good?

 

Welcome to the Talk About Talk podcast episode number 153, sharing your personal life at work.  

 

In case we haven’t met, let me introduce myself. My name is Dr. Andrea Wojnicki and I’m your executive communication coach. Please call me Andrea!

I’m the founder of Talk About Talk, where I coach communication skills to ambitious executives like you – to elevate your communication, your confidence, and your clarity, so you can establish credibility, and accomplish your career goals.

 

If you go to the TalkAboutTalk.com website, you’ll find many resources to help you out. There’s information there about one-on-one coaching, online courses, some amazing bootcamps that I run every few months, corporate workshops, the archive of this bi-weekly podcast, AND, I really hope you’ll sign up for the Talk About Talk newsletter. That newsletter is your chance to get free communication coaching from me every week. 

 

Alright let’s get into this.

 

A few years ago, at the beginning of COVID, I was doing small group personal branding workshops for se...

Are you a giver or a taker? Andrea shares evidence for why being generous can be an advantage plus 5 specific suggestions for how you can be generous at work starting today.

 

CONNECT WITH ANDREA & TALK ABOUT TALK



* LinkedIn: 



* Andrea –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreawojnicki/

* Talk about Talk – https://www.linkedin.com/company/talkabouttalk/





* Website: TalkAboutTalk.com

Communication Coaching Newsletter:  https://talkabouttalk.com/blog/#newsletter-signup



Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@talkabouttalkyoutube/



 

RESOURCES



“Influence” by Robert Cialdini – https://amzn.to/3M1ScfA

Talk About Talk episodes with Sharon Mah-Gin:



Ep.67 – Online Networking https://www.talkabouttalk.com/67-online-networking-with-sharon-mah-gin/

Ep.107 – Communication Skills for JOB-SEEKERS https://www.talkabouttalk.com/107-job-seekers/



Ep.146 – Resume Best Practices https://www.talkabouttalk.com/resume-best-practices-with-executive-recruiter-sharon-mah-gin-ep-146/





Academic Papers:



“Everyday Prosociality in the Workplace: The Reinforcing Benefits of Giving, Getting, and Glimpsing”  Chancellor, Margolis, Bao, Lyubomirsky 

Aknin, Lara B., Elizabeth W. Dunn, Ashley V. Whillans, Adam M. Grant, and Michael I. Norton. “Making a Difference Matters: Impact Unlocks the Emotional Benefits of Prosocial Spending.” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 88 (April 2013): 90–95.

“Social Motivation: Costs and Benefits of Selfishness and Otherishness” Crocker, Canevello, Brown, Annual Review of Psychology







 



TRANSCRIPT

 

I’ve been hearing the word GENEROUS a lot lately.  In different contexts. So I started to take notice.

 

I proactively identified situations or contexts where I saw people being generous – or being selfish.  And I identified people in my network who are generous – the givers, versus the takers.  

 

What about YOU? Are you a giver or a taker?  Of course we like to think of ourselves as givers, not takers.  But does it actually matter?  I mean, I see a lot of selfish people out there doing pretty well.  Am I right? 

 

Yes, we are wired to be self-interested.  If we weren’t, we would not survive.

But that does NOT mean that we always ACT in a way that is self-serving.  Research shows that we are very capable of acts of kindness, compassion and yes – generosity, even when we might be acting against our best interests.  Research also shows there are great benefits of being generous.

 

In this episode, you’re going to learn about the power of generosity and what they call “prosocial behavior”, specifically at work. I’m going to tell you what the research says about the impact of being a giver versus a taker.  Spoiler alert: being a taker might benefit you in the short term, but that’s about it. You want to be a taker.

Are you a powerful storyteller? Andrea interviews strategy and storytelling expert Rob Tait, who shares examples of and suggestions for great stories. These insights apply to stories from and about both product brands (marketing) and people brands (personal branding). NOTE: the accompanying free “Storytelling Tip Sheet” includes Rob’s 9-step process for creating compelling presentations and lots more to help you become a better storyteller.

 

Free “STORYTELLING TIP SHEET”: https://talkabouttalk.com/storytelling

 

CONNECT WITH ANDREA & TALK ABOUT TALK



* LinkedIn: 



* Andrea –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreawojnicki/

* Talk about Talk – https://www.linkedin.com/company/talkabouttalk/





* Website: TalkAboutTalk.com

Communication Coaching Newsletter:  https://talkabouttalk.com/blog/#newsletter-signup



Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@talkabouttalkyoutube/



 

RESOURCES



Rob Tait:



LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/robtait/

Email – robmtait@gmail.com

Website – https://www.taitstrategicstorytelling.com/





ep.11 STORYTELLING with Harvard Professor Jerry Zaltman – https://www.talkabouttalk.com/11-storytelling-with-harvard-professor-author-jerry-zaltman/

Ken Robinson TedTalk “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” – https://youtu.be/iG9CE55wbtY?feature=shared

Adam Grant – https://adamgrant.net/

Terry O’Reilly Under The Influence – https://terryoreilly.ca/undertheinfluence/

Jeopardy podcast – https://www.jeopardy.com/listen/inside-jeopardy

Volkswagen ad – https://youtu.be/SBNSWjkFrOM?feature=shared

Nancy Duarte – https://www.duarte.com/

Steve Jobs –  https://youtu.be/MnrJzXM7a6o?feature=shared



 



TRANSCRIPT

 

Well, hello there and welcome to talk about Talk Podcast Episode #151.  The Power of Storytelling with Rob Tait.

Yes, this is episode #151. I’ve been doing this for a while. I remember way back in the early days, when I was learning the craft of podcasting, I used to listen to a podcast called,  The school of podcasting with Dave Jackson. I listened to it every single week. I considered him to be my podcasting coach. Kind of like the way I hope that I am your executive communication coach. Anyway, one day I finally got the nerve to email him, and then he ended up featuring me on his podcast a couple of times. 

Before one of the interviews when he interviewed me, he asked me to suggest a specific TAT podcast episodes that will give him some idea of what I do. I remember this. Viscerally. I suggested that he listened to podcast episode number 58, mentally preparing to communicate with confidence. In our conversation before the interview, he said to me, I listened to that episode you suggested. You definitely know what you’re doing.

Are you a thought leader? Andrea interviews prolific thought leader Roger Martin, professor emeritus and past Dean of the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto. Learn the distinction between private and public thought leadership, why you should consider your cadence in publishing, and three objective criteria to use when evaluating your brand promise, whether it’s for an advertising campaign or for your own personal brand.

 

CONNECT WITH ANDREA & TALK ABOUT TALK



* LinkedIn: 



* Andrea –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreawojnicki/

* Talk about Talk – https://www.linkedin.com/company/talkabouttalk/





* Website: TalkAboutTalk.com

Communication Coaching Newsletter:  https://talkabouttalk.com/blog/#newsletter-signup



Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@talkabouttalkyoutube/



 

RESOURCES



Roger Martin



https://rogerlmartin.com/





HBR – Harvard Business Review –









2023 Year in Review – https://hbr.org/year-in-review

Roger Martin’s Jan’24 HBR article – https://hbr.org/2024/01/the-right-way-to-build-your-brand

Andrea’s Self-Introduction article – https://hbr.org/2022/08/a-simple-way-to-introduce-yourself

Roger Martin video (A Plan is Not a Strategy) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuYlGRnC7J8

Michael Porter HBR video (Porter’s 5 Forces) – https://youtu.be/mYF2_FBCvXw?





* Smart Brevity book – https://amzn.to/3pj2Jdj





Roger’s Favorite Thought Leaders –









Amy Edmondson – https://amycedmondson.com/

Adam Grant – https://adamgrant.net/

Dan Pink – https://www.danpink.com/









Roger’s favorite podcasts –









Farnham Street Knowledge Project podcast – https://fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast/

Tiffany Bova’s What’s Next! podcast – https://www.tiffanibova.com/whats-next-podcast/









TRANSCRIPT

 

Well, hello there and welcome to talk about Talk Podcast Episode #150. I am so excited about this episode. Today we’re tackling the topic of thought leadership and building your brand.

 

Just over a month ago, I was sitting in the waiting room of my eye doctor scrolling through emails on my phone when I saw an e-mail from HBR – Harvard Business Review. The e-mail was titled “HBR’s best of 2023.” Interesting. So I opened up the e-mail and I started scrolling. … I paused because I couldn’t believe my eyes, and then I gasped out loud. Someone asked me. Are you OK? I had a huge smile on my face. Yes, I’m definitely OK, thank you.

 

What I saw on my phone was the announcement that my HBR article entitled, “A Simple Framework to Introduce Yourself”, was one of the top 3 most read articles in HBR in 2023. Wow, I couldn’t believe my eyes. 

 

I kept scrolling through the email and I saw a face that looked very familiar.