Thursday, May 17, 2007

Quit Your Yapping

Here's my latest piece in Corporate Dealmaker magazine; if anything, I went light on my aversion to yapping in the workplace. I've got nothing against sports-related banter or lurid office gossip, but windbag-itis gets under my skin. Perhaps the prevalence of e-mail has made some feel the need to squeeze more out of every opportunity to talk (although their e-mail messages typically also display this tendency). Besides being annoying, this habit is ruinous when trying to get things accomplished or negotiate effectively.

Listen effectively and talk sparingly. As my favorite Southern rock band (the Drive-By Truckers) says, "just because I don't run my mouth doesn't mean I got nothin' to say."

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