Author: Robert Bacal
How do I use “conceptual pacing” to make better presentations?
Conceptual pacing has to do with the speed at which you impart information, ideas and concepts. It’s not the same as how fast you talk, but it has to do with how quickly you go through a topic. Because people…
What Is Mirroring?
Mirroring – A Communication Tool For Generating Rapport What is mirroring mean in terms of communication? Mirroring is a communication technique that is often attributed to the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), but like many techniques from NLP, it was…
What is Appreciative Inquiry?
Appreciative Inquiry is based on the idea that there is a difference between various types of communication (e.g. advocacy versus inquiry) and that if we truly want to understand how something works, we need to put aside judgments of what…
What is “message chunking”?
When communicating, we need to be aware that the other person can only listen to, process and understand so much information without hitting information overload. It takes time for a person to hear and assimilate what is being said (or…
What is “expressing conversational intent”?
When most of us have conversations, or attempt to communicate, we rarely a) formulate our intent or goals for the conversation even to ourselves, and b) even more rarely explain our intent or goals for the conversation to the other…
What is “self-disclosure”?
Self-disclosure is a simple (at least on the surface) approach to communication that involves sharing information about yourself, history, present, emotions and thoughts. Originated and explained by Sidney Jourard, a Humanistic Psychologist, this simple approach, at least used skillfully, can…
How can I work to maintain appropriate conversational or physical distance in conversations?
You probably know that people have a comfort zone regarding how close they like another person to be when they are talking to him or her. It’s so universal that the show Seinfeld had an episode that comically dealt with…
Using Argyris’ Ladder of Inference” for better communication
Better communication – better understanding The ladder of inference is a concept developed by C. Argyris to explain common thinking and communication processes and to help us become more aware of how we interpret the world around us, and improve…
What Are Mirror Questions (Dyadic Communication)
What Are Mirror Questions? Mirror questions – non-directive techniques to encourage others to speak Mirror questions are non-directive in nature, which means they are intended to encourage another person to continue to add detail to what they have said without…
What are leading questions and are they “bad”?
What Are Leading Questions? Leading Questions – Sometimes Bad, Sometimes Good If you watch courtroom dramas, or read courtroom thrillers, you are probably familiar with the term “leading question”. A leading question “leads”, or pushes the person being asked in…
What are probing questions (dyadic interactions)
What Are Probing Questions? Probing Questions Ask More Information or Clarification Probing questions are, in essence, followup questions that ask for additional information, request the person expand on what she has said, or ask the person to go deeper. Using…
