Margaret’s Persuasion Coach Blog

Some time ago, I wrote about the value of taking a weekly Tech Sabbath.[1] A day away from text messages, e-mail and mobile apps improves our health and our human relationships. And anything that promotes health and good relationships improves our ability to...

Happy Random Acts of Kindness Week! It’s good timing for me, since I recently re-watched my DVD of What the Bleep Do We Know. I have been reminded, once again, how negativity affects us. The more we nurse anger, resentment, ill will, the more we reinforce biology in...

Last week's episode of Downton Abbey left me wishing that I could have a chat with housekeeper Mrs. Hughes. For anyone who isn't following the miniseries, here's a bit of background. A couple of episodes ago, the valet of a visiting nobleman raped Anna, a lady's maid...

Have you heard the expression “Less is more”? It certainly rings true in the field of consensus building, persuasion and related communication skills, particularly with respect to how and where we focus our attention. But before I explain why, let’s look at how...

Creative, out-of-the-box thinking is an important skill for persuasion, consensus building, and negotiation. Fortunately, we can use this skill in many other contexts. Even more fortunately, the more we practice thinking out of the box in everyday situations, the more...

How long do you typically keep your New Year’s resolution? I could measure some of mine in days, rather than weeks or months. Some people feel resolutions are downers, burdens. They avoid them altogether. Yet, we know we would be better off, in one way or another, if...

In many ways, this is the best time of year, a time for catching up with friends and family, taking breaks from work, special foods, peace and goodwill. And as with many good things, there is another side to the holiday coin. You can’t avoid the uncle who brags...

Just a few months before his untimely death, John F. Kennedy negotiated what is commonly called the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) with Nikita Khrushchev. Several aspects of this bit of history interest me from a negotiation standpoint. In “JFK as Negotiator—The Cuban...

Last week, I watched the two-part PBS Frontline special on John F. Kennedy. During the Kennedy presidency, I was only in my preteen and early teen years. There was a lot I never learned about because I was busy doing typical teenage/student stuff. I was too young to...

More than a year ago, I wrote about how practicing gratitude can improve our chances of building win-win consensus.[1] As Thanksgiving ’13 approaches, it’s a good time for an update. Gratitude improves all aspect of health—physical, mental and spiritual. Gratitude...