by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes I can do more than my job. I can exceed and excel. I recommend caution. I read an editorial recently about newspapers. Perhaps that editorial was agreeable or not as it delved into the politics of the English language (thoughtful and fraught with peril). The topic was journalism, journalists, and journal-ing. […]
Entries Tagged as 'Communication'
Exceeding the Job (Caution)
November 13th, 2025 · No Comments
Tags: Communication · Competence · Expectations · Expertise · Growth · Ideas · Journal · Management
Conceding
November 10th, 2025 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes you concede or yield to another person’s experience in a situation. Folks seem to hate that. “You have more experience with this type of thing or this type of situation. I yield to your judgement here.” Seems like that is pretty reasonable and wise. Folks seem to hate it. What is […]
Tags: Agreement · Communication · Competence · Decide · Knowledge · Management · Writing
Their Point of View
November 3rd, 2025 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips An old book refreshes how to write to someone else. I recently found an old book—old meaning 40 years old. “How to use the power of the printed word” was published in 1985. It comprises a dozen essays from famous folks of that day about writing and reading and such. I am […]
Tags: Clarity · Communication · Other · People · Writing
A Little-Better Prompt
October 20th, 2025 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Here is an attempt to gain value from a chattering bot by wording the prompt a little differently. These chattering bots are everywhere. Some value is gained while some skill is lost. I thought of a better prompt: Find, display the URL, and display a few sentences from three key commentaries regarding […]
Tags: Alternatives · Artificial Intelligence · Clarity · Communication · Tools · Writing
Abbreviations
October 13th, 2025 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Abbreviations have real purposes. Laziness is not one of them. I see many abbreviations these days. Most are acronyms (TBD, F/U/W, Apr, etc.) that are not expanded. Funny thing, I read in an authoritative book at some point in time that abbreviations were used for: Please note “to save typing when there […]
Tags: Communication · Context · Energy · Vocabulary · Writing
Success Bringing Failure or at Least Anxiety: Wikipedia
October 9th, 2025 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes success brings failure. Sometimes success brings anxiety. Note Wikipedia as an example. Back when Wikipedia was young (I am old enough to remember that), it was fun. I would write articles for it. I would put photographs in it to add some depth to some articles. Joy. Experiment. Learn. Then Wikipedia […]
Tags: Chaos · Communication · Failure · Knowledge · Success · Wikipedia · Writing
Simple Tools, Strong Emotions
September 8th, 2025 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes the best pieces of writing are still from simple tools and strong emotions. I recently read yet another post from a writer about how in the world you can write while you are traveling or on vacation or something or other that perplexes those who attempt to write. Ten years ago […]
Tags: Authentic · Communication · Notebook · Remote Work · Work · Writing
Eye Contact or “Hey, I’m Over Here”
August 14th, 2025 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Another fundamental in speak to people seems to have been lost. I recently had the misfortune of sitting in a conference room for a period of time that was greater than three hours and somewhat less than an infinity of pain. I, and another couple dozen colleagues, was facing a giant screen […]
Tags: Authentic · Clarity · Communication · Culture · Respect
Meeting Mumble: Fear and Confidence
July 10th, 2025 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Ever notice how some people speak software during meetings? Are they afraid? Where is their confidence? I don’t hear well. Too many years in noisy equipment rooms with fans blowing too loud. Hence, I concentrate on what people say and the volume they use when saying it. I’ve noticed that many people […]
Tags: Appearances · Authentic · Communication · Management · Meetings
Doing It Wrong or Recounting It Wrong
July 7th, 2025 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips I can do something wrong. I can do something right, but be mistaken in how I tell the story of the doing. There is a difference. Is one mistake better? I can do something wrong. For example, not tighten the lug nuts properly when I change a tire on a car. I […]
Tags: Communication · Ethics · Government · History · Leadership · Learning · Thinking