We communicate with each other all the time, but do we really know what we're doing? Our latest Skye Learning video explains the fundamentals of effective communication.
(Spoiler alert: Be concise, be engaging, and above all, be clear!)
The storm has been building for years. Now it’s hitting with full force.
The storm currently battering the nonprofit sector is a generational one. Leaders of the nation’s 1.6 million nonprofits are old (the median age for mid- and upper-level nonprofit manager is 52, according to a 2018 nonprofit leadership survey), and getting older. And like a lot of Baby Boomers and older Gen-Xers, they’re ready to retire.
Today, companies understand that in order to stay relevant and be successful, they must continually innovate. Companies can hire innovative individuals, but they can also inspire innovation from within. Our latest infographic covers the six “i’s” of innovation and highlights ways to foster innovation in the workplace.
Can people learn to be more innovative? Chris Colbert, managing director of the Harvard Innovation Labs, believes they can. In our latest Skye Learning video, Colbert argues that the key to being innovative is having the courage to embrace new ideas.
The robots are coming. Now what are you going to do about it?
According to a 2017 report by McKinsey Global Institute, advanced automation—including robotics and artificial intelligence (AI)—could eliminate as many as 73 million jobs in the U.S. by 2030. While some workers displaced by automation can easily switch over into similar tasks, the report concludes that up to 54 million Americans will need to be retrained for entirely new jobs.
The three keys to successful business writing are brevity, simplicity, and clarity. Our latest Skye Learning video explains that business writers need to respect their audience -- and that means not wasting their readers' time with writing that is vague, wordy, or convoluted. Keep it simple, and you'll be on the path to success.
Business experts are fond of observing that, “what gets measured gets managed.” But how do you know if you are measuring things correctly? Or whether you can trust the data you get from your tests?
In many cases, improvement experts will use a tool called measurement system analysis (MSA) to test the “system” (i.e., the process, tools, and people) they use to gather data and quantify variation. MSA is a set of procedures that helps to assess a measurement system’s ability to provide good data. In short, it tells you how good your measurement system is—and how much you can trust the information it provides.
As a manager, it’s your responsibility to oversee the work environment and ensure it’s a safe zone for all employees. Therefore, it is important to understand the causes of conflict and learn strategies to combat these issues. Take a look at our infographic that covers the eight sources of conflict and ways to work it.
Most of us spend half (or more than half) of our waking hours in the workplace. At work, we communicate with a range of people with different roles, experiences, cultures, perspectives, and power levels. Knowing how to communicate skillfully across such a wide spectrum of colleagues is an essential skill set in the modern workplace.
Communication comes in different forms. The most basic form of communication is the spoken word, but we communicate with unspoken messages all the time. We often use body language, which is a nonverbal form of communication. Our posture, eye contact, and hand gestures are all forms of body language. Our latest infographic covers five tips that can help you improve your body language.
