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Why No One Understands You (and What to Do About It)
Video

Why No One Understands You (and What to Do About It)

99U, 2015

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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Misunderstandings and personality clashes can tarnish relationships among co-workers at any organization. Peppering her analysis with examples from politics, sports and pop culture, communications expert Heidi Grant Halvorson clearly imparts how to overcome obstacles to communication at work. Some of her advice will sound familiar, but her delivery is fresh and entertaining. getAbstract recommends Halvorson’s droll insights to anyone who feels misunderstood and to everyone with colleagues who grate on their nerves.

Summary

At a 2006 G8 Summit, George W. Bush made headlines when he attempted to give Angela Merkel an impromptu back rub. She immediately recoiled. The ensuing media storm labeled Bush chauvinistic and condescending – after all, he didn’t try to give Vladimir Putin or Tony Blair a massage. Certainly Bush acted unprofessionally, yet it’s unlikely he intended his well-meaning gesture to be sexist or patronizing. Alas, colleagues commonly misunderstand one another’s intentions. Though you might see yourself as “an open book,” the truth is that you’re not. While you have free...

About the Speaker

Heidi Grant Halvorson is the associate director of Columbia University’s Motivation Science Center.


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