According to many psychology experts, the average person is subjected to hundreds of influence attempts every day. Influence attempts are present in advertisements, selling and buying situations, disagreements, debates, discussions, or any form of everyday negotiation. Interacting with people involves influence so often that we may not even notice it. Although it is an important skill, many people are unaware of exactly how influence works and are less effective trying to persuade others as a result.

The ability to communicate effectively is one of the most essential skills in business, and in life in general. And, although communication methods have evolved and we have all sorts of technical tools to help us, there are still times when communication ‘gaps’ occur. So, even with email, voice mail, texting, and video chat, our messages don’t always get across as intended. Why is that? ...

In our roles in Service Management we come up with solutions and solve problems on a regular basis. It’s part of our job and we are quite good at it. There are times, however, when a new problem arises and the usual solutions simply don’t work. The problem could be technical, an inefficient work process, a staffing issue, or the need for a strategic approach because the standard methods are ineffective. In those situations we need to innovate. The challenge is that our normal thought patterns often don’t promote the use of our creative abilities. They tend to confine us. To get better solutions we need to think differently...

In today’s world of cell phones, texting, and ‘tweeting’, we have a vast array of communications methods at our fingertips. Yet with all these modern tools, “crossed signals” still occur. If you have ever experienced “gaps” in communication, you know they can cause frustration, inefficiency, and negative impacts. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.” ...