“One of the surest marks of character is the willingness to accept negative feedback without feeling animosity toward the person who gives it.”
—Dianna Booher
“Character influences others far more than clever words.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“In today’s culture, some people think moral responsibility means picking up their munchies mess at the movies.”
—Dianna Booher
“Work productively because you have a high standard of ethics.”
—Dianna Booher
“Competence plus character creates influence.”
—Dianna Booher, from Your Signature Work
“Talk ISN’T cheap. It can cost your reputation or relationships.”
—Dianna Booher
“Arrogance and attitude sometimes scream so loudly that the actual message a person plans to deliver gets lost in the noise.”
—Dianna Booher
“Master your emails—make them faster, fewer, and better—and you’ll stand out as a clear communicator.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Email cannot be both a productivity tool and a weapon.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“If you’re in the back channel, stop pushing your email out into the flow. Let the official ‘owner of the news’ tell the news.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Don’t let FOMO (fear of missing out) keep you hanging on someone’s distribution list ‘just in case.’”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“As you edit your writing, structure should precede sentences. That is, fix the framework first.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Think BEFORE you write.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Write from your reader’s point of view. What are THEY interested in knowing?”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“As a communicator, don’t simply hope for the best. Plan for the best.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Without an overview and clear transitions throughout your email, readers often waste time in reading details they have no interest in knowing.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Subject lines should be informative, not mysterious.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer,Better Emails
“Your email greeting and sign-off should match the rest of your email in content, relationship, and tone.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“When drafting emails, never sacrifice clarity or tone to be brief.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Avoid multiple messages in a single email. One message will inevitably be relegated to second fiddle.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Editing is to an email what polish is to shoes. In addition to the shine, it serves as repellant.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Placement of information in a sentence is to writing what voice inflection is to speech.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Redundancy in your email distracts from your message.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Wordiness dilutes impact.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Brevity increases impact. That can be good or bad.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Misplaced words amuse and confuse readers.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Just as with traffic signs, punctuation marks give specific directions to the reader. Using them incorrectly is as goofy as honking a horn every time you turn left.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster,Fewer, Better Emails
“Bad grammar is like bad breath—even your best friends won’t tell you.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“If the closing line of your email almost types itself, consider it a cliché.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Your personal brand is reflected primarily in how you express yourself in conversation, in meetings, in writing.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“For many professionals, your communication is how you ‘show up’ in today’s marketplace.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Give serious thought to how you use lighthearted emojis. They leave a lot to interpretation.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“We were told a decade ago that email would revolutionize the way we work and save us an enormous amount of time. Only half of that proved true.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“If you want to vent, by all means, put that in an email. Just don’t send it.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Let emails with a negative message cool off. Overnight is best. But even an hour helps.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Why not give background first in writing an email? Simple answer: Clarity and time. Summarize first.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Remember that you’re emailing with a message—not just a subject. Take a stand.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Your emails are ALWAYS clear to you—or you wouldn’t have written them as you did. Clear in the mind of the reader is what counts.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Casual emailers have grown exuberant, tossing exclamation points like confetti at the end of sentences.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Drivers who use the wrong signals pose a safety hazard. Emails with the wrong punctuation pose a clarity problem.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“On copyright infringement…ignorance is not a defense…It’s a bellyache and a bulldozer over your bank account and career.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“You’ll be remembered far longer for raising thought-provoking questions than for opinions.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“People who speak up move up.”
—Dianna Booher
“Strong communicators trade on trust. It’s their currency.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“Competence plus character wrapped with great communication skills creates influence.”
—Dianna Booher
“Speed has become the newest metric of quality communication.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“Improve your thinking and you’ll improve your communication.”
—Dianna Booher
“To be effective, an apology should be swift, sincere, specific, and solution-focused.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“Ideal conversation should be an exchange of thought. If you wait to wade in until you can be witty, you may end up a wallflower.”
—Dianna Booher
“Without a strategic plan, social media posts, tweets, pins, hangouts, and scopes are about as predictable and significant as spray paint on a very windy day.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“’Listening to talk shows, do you ever wonder who took the ‘civil’ out of ‘civil discourse’?”
—Dianna Booher
“Innovation calls for direct communication, where honesty is valued above harmony.”
—Dianna Booher
“Arrogance, rather than ignorance, rears its head in many subtle ways.”
—Dianna Booher,from Communicate Like A Leader
“Exercise your courage muscles today. Need to have a tough conversation?”
—Dianna Booher
“When in doubt, leave it out.”
—Dianna Booher
“If your communication impedes rather than improves the situation, it has become problematic, not strategic.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“You have the final ‘say’ about what you say. With that comes responsibility.”
—Dianna Booher
“Communication is the soul of management: analysis and solid decisions translated into clear messages that influence people to act and feel good about their performance.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate With Confidence!
“Communication cultures are created—not wished into existence. Great communicators model the masters, develop the strategies, practice the techniques, and measure the results.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Hearing only what’s said leaves many gaps in your understanding.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Change is difficult enough. To persuade, either reduce the size of the change—or make it so large that it’s ‘new.’”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Convoluted government regulations have gagged people to the point that they fear communicating with customers without signing paperwork first.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Being emotional may actually be one of the BEST things a woman has going for her!”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“People cannot hear logical reasons until they work through the related emotional issues.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“When making a request, give people time to consider the commitment. Otherwise, you may get a yes answer and a no on follow-through.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“’Yes, but’ stalls progress. ‘Yes, and’ propels the conversation forward.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Drop the doublespeak. People distrust what they don’t understand.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Squelch the urge to splurge. Communicate more with less. Subtract to add.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“The strength of a statement is often inversely proportionate to its length.”
—Dianna Booher
“Communicate through your body language that you enjoy being alive.”
—Dianna Booher
“Clear communication sharpens focus and drives action.”
—Dianna Booher
“If you can’t write your message in a sentence, you can’t say it in an hour.”
—Dianna Booher
“Communication is about making things happen, getting action, changing behavior, or changing minds.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Mixed messages bewilder even the brightest people.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Making the complex simple is hard.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Never mind your intentions. Communication is about what others hear with your words.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Don’t just drift into dialogue, draft copy, and deliver. Effective communicators know the outcome they want and plan how to get there.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Good communication may not make a risky deal safe, but poor communication may sell the benefits of a good deal.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Precise communication packs a punch.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“People dodge generic information. Specificity builds contrast and draws attention.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Passion as a communicator pushes us to contribute to others’ lives, to change situations, and to champion causes.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Words can make a deeper scar than silence can possibly heal.”
—Dianna Booher, from The Worth of a Woman’s Words
“When speakers refuse to boil it down, listeners have to sweat it out.”
—Dianna Booher, from Speak with Confidence!
“Consistent messages delivered over time gradually sink in—even if wrong. How much better if encouraging!”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Your choice of words can turn the positive into a negative in a nanosecond.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Communicating the potential outcome of an idea engages us because it demands deep reasoning.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Communicators intuitively think more is better. Speakers add value. But listeners average overall value and walk away with a single impression.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Ditch doublespeak. Unravel the babble.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“A logical case informs—but rarely motivates.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Once words leave your mouth, credibility goes either up or down. Trust remains stable, grows, or plunges.”
—Dianna Booher, from What More Can I Say?
“Remove the emotional noise so people can hear you.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“With attention spans getting shorter and shorter, you need to ramp up your idea wattage.”
—Dianna Booher
“Be direct. Don’t couch an opinion or objection in a question.”
—Dianna Booher
“To communicate effectively with others, we must know our own heart and mind: What are my intentions in this conversation? Am I admitting my true feelings? Am I projecting my intentions and feelings onto the other person? What do I want the outcome of this conversation to be? Then we must ask ourselves, Will my words and my tone accomplish my purpose?”
—Dianna Booher
“When writing or speaking, if in doubt, leave it out.”
—Dianna Booher
“Confidence as you communicate creates more than charisma. It cracks open your future.”
—Dianna Booher
“The right timing in your communication can mean the difference between a welcome response and rebuke.”
—Dianna Booher
“Simple, solid ideas sell. But making the complex sell—now that’s hard.”
—Dianna Booher
“As a communicator, never underestimate the power of persistence.”
—Dianna Booher
“We hardly have time to tell people things the first time, much less time to tell them over and over and over.”
—Dianna Booher
“People are overburdened with information and skeptical of spin. Your first challenge in communication is getting past the ho-hum.”
—Dianna Booher
“People who consider themselves great communicators often talk just because they can express themselves well, rather than because their ideas are sound and profitable.”
—Dianna Booher
“The best of life is a meaningful conversation between life-long friends.”
—Dianna Booher
“Few things stir your spirit and make you feel alive like engaging in a deep conversation.”
—Dianna Booher
“As a leader, strive to speak to the heart.”
—Dianna Booher
“If you want to breathe fresh air into your life, make up your mind to talk—really talk—to someone for an extended time.”
—Dianna Booher
“As a communicator, know when a plus becomes a minus.”
—Dianna Booher
“’Inappropriate emails misdirected can be the basis of lawsuits. Are you sure ‘Send’ is the right command?’”
—Dianna Booher
“The strength of a statement is often inversely proportionate to it’s length.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Words will work–if you make them. And positive, powerful, tactful words work best of all.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Specificity in communication builds contrast and draws attention.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Disregarding content when communicating can be self-defeating–and downright dangerous.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Great communicators model the masters, practice the strategies, and measure the results.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Spread the message: Words matter.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Courage shows up most in the midst of adversity.”
—Dianna Booher, from 10 Smart Moves for Women
“Arrogance, rather than ignorance, rears its head in many subtle ways.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like A Leader
“To be effective, an apology should be swift, sincere, specific, and solution-focused.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“Ongoing conflict is like a simmering pot of water. In a bubbling state, you will never experience calmness and peace within yourself.”
—Dianna Booher, from Get A Life Without Sacrificing Your Career
“Some conflicts are important; some are unimportant. Knowing the difference can determine the course of your life.”
—Dianna Booher, from Get A Life Without Sacrificing Your Career
“To reduce stress, resolve ongoing conflict with others.”
—Dianna Booher, from Get A Life Without Sacrificing Your Career
“View difficult people as a challenge—not a focus for complaints.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate With Confidence!
“Where there’s silence, there’s typically a reason.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Keep reminding yourself that you can choose how to handle conflict. If you don’t like past results, choose differently.”
—Dianna Booher
“Some people are born to bellyache. So probe to determine the degree of dismay before you decide to dismantle your plans to please them.”
—Dianna Booher
“’You can make people angry as you ‘make a point.’ But do you have time to deal with the fallout?”’
—Dianna Booher
“Communicate. At the least, talking reduces tension; at best, talking purposefully and well resolves issues.”
—Dianna Booher
“Don’t kill a good idea just because it wasn’t expressed well. Not all creative thinkers are effective communicators.”
—Dianna Booher
“Planning your phrasing can make the difference in building your case and blowing up a deal.”
—Dianna Booher
“Beware the power of negative emotion to dwarf influence and stall change in those around you.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Good decisions can turn into disasters when communicated poorly.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Your goal is to present either an informative briefing or a persuasive case—not necessarily a comprehensive case.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“People want to HAVE choices to solve problems. But oddly enough, they often call in professionals to help them limit choices in decision-making.”
—Dianna Booher
“Over-choice paralyzes people. Persuasive people help others narrow the path to their best choices.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“People rarely change their thinking or behavior based solely on logic.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Edit your message to the essential. Too much information and too many options paralyze people.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Email matters NOT just because of credibility and clarity. Email also poses security risks and legal liabilities.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Today all substantive correspondence can take place through email.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Read your email once. Think. Decide. Delete. Do—either reply, forward to someone else to handle, or schedule for action.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“A good rule-of-thumb on the REPLY ALL email feature: Is your response helpful to the others on the distribution list? If not, fly solo. Set the example.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Even in this day of technological miracles, emails still do go astray before reaching the intended reader. So if in doubt, follow up.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Acknowledging receipt of emails will eliminate at least half of the ‘reminders’ and ‘follow ups.’”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Let emails with a negative message cool off. Overnight is best. But even an hour helps.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Instead of composing an email about a situation or topic and then deciding who should get a copy, reverse the process. First, consider your audience.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer,Better Emails
“Many email writers start with a ‘once upon a time’ perspective. Wrong approach!”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Your email greetings should warm readers up—not put them off.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Without greetings in long email strings, it’s often difficult to determine who said what to whom.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Far too many poor decisions rest on knee-jerk email responses.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster,Fewer, Better Emails
“When drafting emails, never sacrifice clarity or tone to be brief.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“As with subject lines, keep your signature block informative, useful, and brief.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Avoid multiple messages in a single email. One message will inevitably be relegated to second fiddle.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“For important emails, allow a cool-off period. Overnight is best; an hour will do.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Readers don’t slog through their emails for entertainment. They want information without having to work for it.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Your emails are ALWAYS clear to you—or you wouldn’t have written them as you did. Clear in the mind of the reader is what counts.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Wordiness dilutes impact.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Brevity increases impact. That can be good or bad.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Casual emailers have grown exuberant, tossing exclamation points like confetti at the end of sentences.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Drivers who use the wrong signals pose a safety hazard. Emails with the wrong punctuation pose a clarity problem.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“If the closing line of your email almost types itself, consider it a cliché.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Give serious thought to how you use lighthearted emojis. They leave a lot to interpretation.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“When you think of a career, you approach things differently. You’re not capitalizing solely on your strengths; you need to turn your weaknesses into pluses as well. You’re not looking for a coach who’ll make you feel important; you want a coach who will challenge you. You’re not focusing on winning one big championship title; you want to sign with a team that provides a lifetime of championship opportunities. You’re not focusing on the season’s stats; you’re focusing on lifetime achievement records. The same holds true in pursuing God’s best at work. You’re not focusing on a job; you’re focusing on building character in the job. You’re not focusing solely on income; you’re focusing also on impact. You’re not focusing only on a career; you’re focusing on making a contribution in your calling.”
—Dianna Booher, from Your Signature Work
“What if we all lived each day of our lives in such a way that we would be proud to add our signature to it when the day was over—just as the artist, novelist, or clothing designer signs a piece of work? When artisans sign their work, they’re making a statement: ‘I’m taking ownership. This is my personal best at this moment.’”
—Dianna Booher, from Your Signature Life
“You’ll be remembered far longer for raising thought-provoking questions than for opinions.” —Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“You are the creator of your character, the writer of your life’s story, and the architect of your work life.”
—Dianna Booher, from Your Signature Life
“Your body is the temple of God, and he can live either in a small motel room or a mansion, depending on your intention and the attention you give to what kind of life you are building by the way you live each day.”
—Dianna Booher, from Your Signature Life
“Gratitude is not a matter of luck or talent or wealth. It’s a mental attitude.”
—Dianna Booher, from First Thing Monday Morning
“Approaching our work environment without hearing God’s voice can be disappointing, even disastrous, as striking out on vacation without being briefed on the weather reports for the destination.”
—Dianna Booher, from First Thing Monday Morning
“Deciding that they can never be the best, many employees settle in to become the least.”
—Dianna Booher, from First Thing Monday Morning
“If Jesus felt the need to ask questions and listen to His friends for feedback, how much more should we check our perceptions and improve ourselves by listening?”
—Dianna Booher, from First Thing Monday Morning
“We need to measure ourselves with someone else’s yardstick occasionally.”
—Dianna Booher, from Your Signature Life
“If your communication impedes rather than improves the situation, it has become problematic, not strategic.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.”
—Dianna Booher, from Your Signature Work
“Feedback, properly evaluated, from a caring contributor, can be invaluable in gaining perspective on where you’re going, what you’re doing, and what kind of person you’re becoming.”
—Dianna Booher, from Your Signature Life
“The advice we receive from others tends to be largely our own; we hint at what we want others to tell us.”
—Dianna Booher
“You have too much to lose if you don’t get feedback and much to gain if you do.” —Dianna Booher
“Most people won’t find it easy to give honest feedback. You’ll need to give them permission.” —Dianna Booher
“Feedback is invaluable to anyone interested in growth and improvement.”
—Dianna Booher
“Feedback is often repeated until you learn it.”
—Dianna Booher
“Consider negative feedback a gift, not a gripe.”
—Dianna Booher
“The difficulty in getting helpful feedback doesn’t lessen the importance of the effort.”
—Dianna Booher
“There are two kinds of people in the world who hear feedback: Those who respond with, ‘Hmmm…tell me more’ and those who say, ‘Hmmm…so what makes you so smart?”
—Dianna Booher
“Simplicity and persuasion are intricately linked.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Influence is not about what you say, but what others hear–after they observe.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“The best of life is a meaningful conversation between life-long friends.”
—Dianna Booher
“Arrogance, rather than ignorance, rears its head in many subtle ways.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like A Leader
“Few things stir your spirit and make you feel alive like engaging in a deep conversation.”
—Dianna Booher
“There’s nothing like time with friends to warm the heart and freshen the outlook.”
—Dianna Booher
“To be effective, an apology should be swift, sincere, specific, and solution-focused.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“‘When making a request, give people time to consider the commitment. Otherwise, you get a ‘yes’ answer and a ‘no’ on follow-through.’”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“More and more, we trust fewer and fewer people and sources. A key question: Who benefits?”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“If you’re not happy about what you’ve received in life, be happy for what you’ve escaped.”
—Dianna Booher, from First Thing Monday Morning
“When you communicate gratitude, you lift your own spirits.”
—Dianna Booher
“Your humor should affirm your integrity—not be the cause of your downfall.”
—Dianna Booher
“A sense of humor can be sunshine in a windowless office or a reward during an economic downturn.”
—Dianna Booher, from First Thing Monday Morning
“Humor also serves its purpose when it permits us to be children again, to step outside the pressure of the adult role of always having the answers and handling problems correctly.”
—Dianna Booher, from First Thing Monday Morning
“Humor should spread a smile, not wrinkle a brow.”
—Dianna Booher, from First Thing Monday Morning
“We may use self-deprecating wit on ourselves as a shield of self-defense, but we should never use sarcasm as a sword to wound others.”
—Dianna Booher, from First Thing Monday Morning
“Self-deprecatory humor can help us rise above feelings of inferiority. A popular notion says if we can laugh at ourselves before others do, we’re well-adjusted people.”
—Dianna Booher, from First Thing Monday Morning
“A good sense of humor may be the most important thing to wear when you go out in public.”
—Dianna Booher, from First Thing Monday Morning
“Humor can be a powerful tension reliever, especially the kind of humor that brings a belly laugh.”
—Dianna Booher, from First Thing Monday Morning
“People are too complex to be fully understood. So you can approach them with either trust or distrust. Your choice—and that often determines the relationship.” —Dianna Booher
“How you handle email determines the trajectory of your career.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Email cannot be both a productivity tool and a weapon.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Far too many poor decisions rest on knee-jerk email responses.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“When drafting emails, never sacrifice clarity or tone to be brief.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Brevity increases impact. That can be good or bad.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“On copyright infringement…ignorance is not a defense…It’s a bellyache and a bulldozer over your bank account and career.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Your personal brand is reflected primarily in how you express yourself in conversation, in meetings, in writing.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“For many professionals, your communication is how you ‘show up’ in today’s marketplace.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Give serious thought to how you use lighthearted emojis. They leave a lot to interpretation.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Failure of leaders to ‘own up’ sets up a mindset for failure to deliver.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“No matter how smart you start, there’s always room to move—to learn, grow, and improve.”
—Dianna Booher
“Become a coach, not a critic.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“A leader who communicates well can be a laboratory for life.”
—Dianna Booher
“A big part of strategic thinking involves sorting the significant from the trivial.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“Influence is not about what you say, but what listeners hear–after they observe.” —Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Even when you have the final say or okay, sell your ideas to get others aboard.” —Dianna Booher
“Demoralizing managers cost a fortune while motivating managers serve as a magnet for their organization.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“To trust means revealing your reasoning behind decisions.”
—Dianna Booher
“Storytelling is no longer considered an ‘art’ mastered by only the few; it has now become a fundamental leadership skill like writing, speaking, and vision-casting.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“As a leader, strive to speak to the heart.”
—Dianna Booher
“Context matters. Consider it before you make ANY sensitive announcement.”
—Dianna Booher
“Change happens because leaders communicate solutions in ways that influence people’s emotions–not just their reasoning.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Gobbledygook wastes translation time, creates distrust, and limits your influence.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“The age of generalization has passed. Communicate specifically. Be the filter for your followers.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Think what a relief you feel when someone truly hears you. Give the gift of listening often.”
—Dianna Booher
“Listening is not waiting your turn to speak.”
—Dianna Booher
“An easy way to reduce our own error factor on the job is to talk less and listen more.”
—Dianna Booher
“Listening helps close the gap between perception and reality. Otherwise, you’re selling tires to a person without a car.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Your personal brand is reflected primarily in how you express yourself in conversation, in meetings, in writing.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“If participating in a marathon meeting, don’t get stuck in the murky middle.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Just as with race cars, what’s ‘under the hood’ drives a meeting’s overall success.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“If you ‘own’ the meeting or conversation, take charge.”
—Dianna Booher
“The typical agenda for corporate meetings sounds as appealing to attendees as a bottle of lukewarm water to sunbathers on a hot summer day at the beach.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“Good negotiators listen for agreement; weak negotiators listen for disagreement.” —Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Negotiate each new situation as if a more important opportunity will rest on the relationship developed in the current deal.”
—Dianna Booher, from Commmunicate Like a Leader
“Good negotiators are comfortable with silence; they listen far more than they talk. Weak negotiators talk more than listen.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Good negotiators remain calm in discussions and control their reactions. Weak negotiators become agitated and show emotion.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“From screenplays to boardrooms, collaboration separates the winners from the losers.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Influence is not about what you say, but what others hear–after they observe.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Keep yourself physically fit, financially fit, intellectually challenged, and socially well-rounded.”
—Dianna Booher, from Your Signature Work
“Age does not depend upon years, but on outlook. Some are born old; others never age.”
—Dianna Booher
“Injustice feels like an itch you can’t scratch.”
—Dianna Booher
“Simplicity and persuasion are intricately linked.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Without a strategic plan, social media posts, tweets, pins, hangouts, and scopes are about as predictable and significant as spray paint on a very windy day.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“Whether persuading is good or bad depends on intellectual honesty, choice, purpose, and outcome.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“You can’t persuade people to change their minds or their actions if you don’t know what they’re thinking or doing.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“To have influence on others, you have to believe you can.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Storytelling is no longer considered an ‘art’ mastered by only the few; it has now become a fundamental leadership skill like writing, speaking, and vision-casting.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“Perspective-taking makes persuasion possible.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Persuasive leaders use precise, powerful, yet tactful phrasing.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Making persuasive messages shorter rather than longer doesn’t necessarily make them high impact.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“When presenters offer extra benefits, the offer does not necessarily have an additive effect. Often the ‘extra’ cheapens the perceived value of the overall benefit and subtracts real value. At best, the low-value ‘extra’ may leave a negative impression of the high-value benefit.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Persuasion is not manipulation. Whether it’s good or bad depends on honesty, intention, outcome.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“A 2-minute thank-you is appreciated; a 5-minute thank-you is endured.”
—Dianna Booher
“You’ll be remembered far longer for raising thought-provoking questions than for opinions.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“If you don’t edit yourself before you speak, your listeners will do it as you speak.”
—Dianna Booher, from Speak With Confidence!
“A good sense of humor may be the most important thing to wear when you go out in public.”
—Dianna Booher, from First Thing Monday Morning
“The longer the quotation, the more punch the audience expects it to pack.”
—Dianna Booher, from Speak With Confidence!
”Storytelling is no longer considered an ‘art’ mastered by only the few; it has now become a fundamental leadership skill like writing, speaking, and vision-casting.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“End with a wallop, not a whimper.”
—Dianna Booher, from Speak With Confidence!
“Your goal is to present either an informative briefing or a persuasive case—not necessarily a comprehensive case.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“Boredom is contagious—audiences get it from speakers.”
—Dianna Booher, from Speak With Confidence!
“Slide test: It’s not to see how much text fits a space, but how much concept sticks in the brain.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Doublespeak persists as a protective shield. It also limits your influence, wastes translation time, creates distrust, and causes confusion.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“To expand your influence, ditch doublespeak.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“The next time you’re faced with a more-is-better temptation, squelch the urge to splurge. Communicate more with less.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Short does not necessarily equate to clear. Clarity comes from word choice, structure, and relevance.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Never use a $100 story in a three-minute time slot to make a nickel point.”
—Dianna Booher, from Speak with Confidence!
“Structure is to storytelling what framing is to a house. Without it, you just have a heap of supplies on a vacant lot.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“As a leader, strive to speak to the heart.”
—Dianna Booher
“If you can’t write your message in a sentence, you can’t say it in an hour.”
—Dianna Booher
“’When preparing and delivering your presentation, keep asking yourself, ‘So what?’”
—Dianna Booher
“Every presentation serves as a chance to showcase character, substance, and style.”
—Dianna Booher
“Human nature leans toward excess. That’s why it’s so easy for managers, parents, or leaders to lapse into lecture mode. More is not always better.”
—Dianna Booher
“Whether you’re talking about change, political campaigns, or charity, when you want to act, speak directly to the heart.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Making the complex simple is hard.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Peer pressure forces people to reexamine their thinking, attitudes, and behavior and to consider changes in ways few other methods of influence can.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“To be effective, an apology should be swift, sincere, specific, and solution-focused.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“No matter the size of your paycheck or the thrill of your industry’s recognition, the loudest applause you will hear will be that of your family.”
—Dianna Booher, from Your Signature Work
“Arrogance, rather than ignorance, rears its head in many subtle ways.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like A Leader
“Friends beat therapists in two ways: They don’t make you lie on a couch to talk, and they’re far less expensive!” —Dianna Booher, from Your Signature Life
“Negotiate each new situation as if a more important opportunity will rest on the relationship developed in the current deal.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“Solid relationships are built on a series of meaningful conversations.”
—Dianna Booher, from Your Signature Life
“If your communication impedes rather than improves the situation, it has become problematic, not strategic.” —Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“Words can make a deeper scar than silence can possibly heal.”
—Dianna Booher, from The Worth of a Woman’s Words
“Pushing, pouting, pointing fingers, and invalidating opinions lead nowhere.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“There are few greater responsibilities in life than to weigh your words with wisdom and kindness.”
—Dianna Booher, from The Worth of a Woman’s Words
“I’ve lost more sleep over words than from any illness, work, or obligation in my life.”
—Dianna Booher, from Well Connected
“Your relationships are the sum total of your interactions with other people stacked end to end.”
—Dianna Booher
“Generic apologies sound forced, insincere, and lacking in personal accountability.”
—Dianna Booher
“Expand and deepen your personal relationships to create deeper self-awareness.”
—Dianna Booher
“Never interpret a person’s words and actions until you know their motives.”
—Dianna Booher
“The depth of your relationship with another person is directly proportional to the quality of your conversations.”
—Dianna Booher
“People do not know what you think, feel, value, believe, or hope for them unless you’re able to tell them courteously, clearly, and convincingly.”
—Dianna Booher
“More and more, we trust fewer and fewer people and sources. A key question: Who benefits?”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“When making a request, give people time to consider the commitment. Otherwise, you get a ‘yes’ answer and a ‘no’ on follow-through.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“More and more, we trust fewer and fewer people and sources. A key question: Who benefits?”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“People distrust what they don’t understand.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“After people trust you, they’ll decide whether to consider what you have to say or what you want them to do.”
—Dianna Booher
“Strong communicators trade on trust. It’s their currency.”
—Dianna Booher, from Communicate Like a Leader
“Innovation calls for direct communication, where honesty is valued above harmony.”
—Dianna Booher
“If you want to persuade, pick up your pen.”
—Dianna Booher
“If you can’t handle rejection, forget writing as a career.”
—Dianna Booher
“As you edit your writing, structure should precede sentences. That is, fix the framework first.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Think BEFORE you write.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Write from your reader’s point of view. What are THEY interested in knowing?”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Placement of information in a sentence is to writing what voice inflection is to speech.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Wordiness dilutes impact.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Just as with traffic signs, punctuation marks give specific directions to the reader. Using them incorrectly is as goofy as honking a horn every time you turn left.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Bad grammar is like bad breath—even your best friends won’t tell you.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Your personal brand is reflected primarily in how you express yourself in conversation, in meetings, in writing.”
—Dianna Booher, from Faster, Fewer, Better Emails
“Don’t just drift into dialogue, draft copy, and deliver. Effective communicators know the outcome they want and plan how to get there.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Once you’re finished, give it one more reading. You can always strike another word.”
—Dianna Booher
“Bureaucrats often do not intend to inform. They write to protect their organization. Doublespeak persists as a protective shield.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Communication doesn’t need to end when the last word leaves our lips. Writing as a form of communication is often overlooked. To understand its power for influence, you need to look no further than one-sentence TV or magazine ad.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Disorganized documents discourage people from reading. Convoluted sentences require rereading and waste time.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
“Short does not necessarily equate to clear. Clarity comes from word choice, structure, and relevance.”
—Dianna Booher, from What MORE Can I Say?
