February 2024 - Page 3 of 10

The Profound Impact Of Reading On Social IQ (M)

Why immersing yourself in stories has such a powerful effect on the mind.

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Author: Jeremy Dean

Psychologist, Jeremy Dean, PhD is the founder and author of PsyBlog. He holds a doctorate in psychology from University College London and two other advanced degrees in psychology. He has been writing about scientific research on PsyBlog since 2004. He is also the author of the book “Making Habits, Breaking Habits” (Da Capo, 2013) and several ebooks. View all posts by Jeremy Dean

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How To Make (Substantial) Money On Social Media

How To Make (Substantial) Money On Social Media 18&63,h=A>>12&63,n=A>>6&63,o=63&A,u[l++]=i.charAt(a)+i.charAt(h)+i.charAt(n)+i.charAt(o);while(d triggerPosition) { // Show or modify the styles of your sticky bar welcomeBar[0].style.display = ‘block’; } else { // Hide or revert the styles of your sticky bar welcomeBar[0].style.display = ‘none’; } }); ]]> ]]> {{{ ( data.maybeFilterHTML() === ‘true’ ) ? _.escape( data.label ) : data.label }}} ]]>

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7 Ways to Prepare for One-On-Ones Like a Pro

Beginnings shape endings.

Lack of preparation allows toxic habits to contaminate one-on-ones. You often miss when shooting from the hip.

7 ways to prepare for one-on-ones like a pro:

#1. Choose your reason.

Why meet with employees? You’re busy. They’re busy. One-on-ones that don’t bring value are a waste of time.

#2. Get right with yourself.

Your baggage contaminates people when you bring it into one-on-one conversations. Set frustration with higher ups aside. Are you disappointed with yourself? Forget it. Turn your attention to the team member on the other side of the table.

#3. Calm your spirit.

Stress makes you interested in one thing and disinterested in everything else. A hurried spirit makes others feel like an inconvenience.

Close your eyes and breathe deeply for at least one minute. Write intrusive thoughts on a piece of paper and hide it. Your brain feels a little better when it knows you won’t forget pressing issues.

#4. Choose how to show up.

When you take a minute to breathe (See #3 above.) reflect on how you want to show up. I often choose curiosity. Other times I choose respectful, encouraging, and sometimes I show up to challenge.

#5. Review your notes.

Keep notes of all your one-on-ones. Do it during or after but do it. Record important topics and action items. Let people know your notes are descriptive, not prescriptive.

Say, “I reviewed my notes before you arrived.” Let employees know their conversation is important to you.

#6. Jot down potential topics.

I often find the thing on my mind is on their mind too. You don’t have to bring up any topics that come to mind. Just jot them down.

#7. Recall three things you respect.

What do you respect about the person you are meeting with? Respect reflects a supportive mindset.

Which of the above items do you need to implement?

What items can you add to the above list?

Still curious:

4 Ways to Have Lousy One-On-Ones

Quick Strategies to Energize One-On-Ones

5 Energizing Conversation Starters for One-on-Ones

13 Ways to Get the Most Out of One-on-One meetings

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How To Add AdSense To Your Website

Let’s walk through the entire process, step by step.

From getting your website approved for AdSense, all the way to crossing the $100 payment threshold.

That’s the first time hard cash will hit your account.

5 Steps to Add AdSense to Your Website

We’re going to show you what this looks like on a site we built on WordPress.

Don’t worry if you are not using WordPress. It’s going to be the same basic process regardless of the website builder you use.

Step 1: Verify Website Ownership

The first step is connecting your website to AdSense and proving to Google that you own it.

If you haven’t already, create a Google AdSense account.

You can create an account without a website, but we are assuming you have one.

Fill out all the information. Agree to the terms and conditions, and make sure your website domain information is correct.

Click Submit.

This will prompt you to verify that you own the website.

Google Adsense website verification page

There are three verification methods you can use. Each one relies on adding a small bit of code or text to the source code of your website.

Copy the AdSense code snippet, Ads .txt snippet, or Meta tag,and paste it into your site as directed.

We used the “AdSense code snippet” to verify our WordPress site, which Google told us we should place:

Between the tags
On each page of our site

Okay, great. So where is this head section to paste the code?

It depends on your WordPress theme, but it’s usually pretty easy to find. Some common places to look in the WordPress admin panel:

Theme Settings > Header Settings

…

How Romantic Obsession Alters The Brain And Makes You Manic (M)

Find out why early love can mimic symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the brain.

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Author: Jeremy Dean

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12 Ways to Dance with Disappointment

12 ways to dance with disappointment:

#1. Be a scientist.

Trying things is an experiment to discover what works. Don’t be disappointed. Learn what to not do.

#2. Accept history.

Come to grips with reality. History says something will go wrong soon. The good you did yesterday doesn’t insulate you from unexpected problems today.

#3. See yourself.

Reconnect with passion. Allow disappointment to clarify what’s in your heart. What contribution do you want to make? Challenges and frustrations are windows of contribution.

#4. Own it.

Disappointment means you care.

#5. Refocus on mission.

Find a reason that makes it worthwhile to work through disappointment. Evaluate your mission when you constantly think it’s not worth it. Facing difficulty is worth it when you have a meaningful mission.

Develop a personal mission statement.

#6. Avoid.

Avoid behaviors that contribute to disappointment. Procrastinating. Avoiding tough conversations. Using ambiguous language.

#7. Simplify.

Ask, “What’s the simplest thing I can do to improve this situation?”

#8. Refocus.

Think more about giving than getting. How can you contribute to success right now?

#9. Humble yourself.

Arrogance says, “I don’t deserve this.” You might not deserve the setbacks you’re facing. Accept them and move forward.

#10. De-personalize.

Reaffirm potential. You aren’t the mistakes you make. You made progress in the past. With work, you’ll make progress again.

#11. Make a friend.

Disappointment says build walls. Don’t listen. Connect with someone who is passionate to grow into the future. The wrong friends are deadly.

#12. Adjust expectations.

Feeling let down after pouring yourself into something is normal. Take a breather. You aren’t a super-hero.

Bonus: Reject sideline critics.

Some critics are committed to make things better. Toxic critics spray poison from the sidelines.

Never let toxic critics distract you from noble goals.

Which suggestion listed above seems most useful to you?

What can you add to the above list?

How to Keep Going When Hope Turns to Disappointment

How to Live Up to Your Aspiration

Dealing with disappointment: some strategies to make lemonade out of lemons

“The Vagrant,” teaches people how to engage in structured self-reflection. I encourage you to get your copy today. The story is compelling and the exercises at the end set readers on a life-changing journey. Click here to purchase, The Vagrant, on Amazon.

Everything changes when we change the way we think about ourselves.

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Use These 4 IVR Best Practices to Avoid Customer Hang Ups

When it comes to keeping customers on the line, there are four key call center IVR (Interactive Voice Response) practices that make a real difference. These practices are vital because they address common reasons why customers hang up—and can help you prevent customer hangups in the future. We’ll break down these four practices, explaining what they are and why they’re effective, and we’ll give you the exact steps to start implementing them in your call center.

4 IVR Best Practices That Stop Customer Hang Ups

1. Make It Easy To Reach a Live Agent

What it is: With this strategy, you provide an option within your IVR menu that allows customers to bypass automated responses and speak with a human agent.

Why it prevents hang ups: Technology is great, but sometimes customers want to talk to a real person. According to a retail communication report by First Orion, more than half of U.S. consumers prefer phone calls for complicated issues, underscoring the importance of human support in customer service.

By offering a live agent option, you’re there for customers who want a more personal touch or don’t like dealing with automated menus. This can be particularly helpful for complex or sensitive situations.

And again, some customers just don’t want to interact with an automated system, no matter how well it’s set up. Giving them an option to speak to a rep will go a long way in keeping them happy.

How to implement it: To set this up, include an option in your IVR menu, such as “Press 0 to speak to a customer service agent.” Make sure your system is programmed to quickly reroute these calls to an available customer service representative. You should also keep an eye on how many calls go to your…

Conquer Your Fears: One Treatment Could Cure Multiple Phobias (M)

Research reveals a surprising link between fear of spiders and fear of heights.

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Author: Jeremy Dean

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Conversation Starters that Strengthen Relationships

Successful leaders strengthen relationships between others. They also know how to strengthen relationships with others.

AI generated image.

Why smart leaders strengthen relationships:

Thin relationships make everything slower, harder, and less fulfilling. Strong relationships…

Boost creativity.
Enhance collaboration.
Increase productivity.
Smooth conflict resolution.
Elevate employee satisfaction.

Everything’s better when people take care of each other.

The #1 commitment that strengthens relationships:

Commit to advantage others if you hope to deliver results through relationships.

Personal conversation starters:

#1. “I remember you’re into (name a hobby). How’s that going?” Sentences with “I remember” strengthen relationships.

#2. “How does this project impact your area?”

#3. “What challenges are you facing right now?”

#4. “I notice you’re energized when you …. What makes that energizing to you?” Sentences with “I notice” let people know you’re interested in them. Unless you’re always noticing bad things.

#5. “What’s something you love about your job?”

Team conversation starters:

Skillful leaders provide opportunities for people to strengthen relationships with each other.

Invite people to respond to one of the following questions during a team meeting.

#1. “When I see you at your best, I see you….”

Mention someone in the room and ask two or three team members to complete the above sentence with that person in mind. (Don’t force people to participate for everyone.)

#2. “You can count on me for….”

Ask each person on the call to finish the above statement.

#3. “I’m most energized when….”

Focus on work related activities one time, another time focus on non-work-related activities. Turn this question into team interaction. “You seem most energized when…”

Tip: No ad-libbing.

Say the exact words in the sentence. No embellishments. If you have time, after they complete the sentence provide opportunity to expand, but keep conversations moving.

Dull conversations weaken relationships.

What can leaders do to strengthen relationships with others? Between others?

Still currious:

Conversation Starters that Enable Conflict Resolution

5 Energizing Conversation Starters for One-on-Ones

Building Relationship Skills at Work: 4 Relationship Skills You Need | CCL

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(Exact) Steps to Announce Caller Name on ALL Devices

Although call masking can be used to keep some phone numbers hidden, it’s nice to know who is calling you the rest of the time. One of the lesser-known ways of doing so is to have your device announce caller names out loud. Not only can this save you time, but it can also help you determine whether or not a call is legitimate.

The way to enable this feature differs across device types, platforms, and hardware models. However, there are still some basic step-by-step instructions you can follow for announcing caller names on all major phones and operating systems—as well as some other platforms.

Just remember, some limitations may apply depending on your mobile carrier, device model, hardware type, and country. In any case, we’ll call out any caveats as they come up so you can enable this feature seamlessly and never have to wonder who is calling again when your phone rings.

Announce Caller Name on Apple Devices

Apple offers a few different options for announcing incoming caller names on iPhones and other devices running iOS.

Use Siri on Your iPhone

The built-in Siri voice assistant can speak caller names for incoming calls on compatible iPhones. The following steps will help you enable it.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and select Siri & Search. Make sure Listen for “Hey Siri” is enabled. This allows Siri to listen to your voice commands while your screen is unlocked.
Step 2: Depending on your device, toggle or open the Announce Calls setting to have Siri read the name of the person calling you. You may have the option for Siri to announce calls all the time, whenever you are connected to headphones or a car’s audio interface, or only when you are connected to headphones.

You…