A picture of daisys over a flag
Back Stories

A MEMORIAL DAY MEMORY

The author describes watching US Army Reservists walking past her house when she was growing up in Queens, New York

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a picture of breathe mints and mints on a green background to discuss a communications and the increase of mint sales post covid 19
communications

Newly Minted Data

Last week, I heard about a trend study that made me smile. Breath mint sales are on the rise.

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picture of a bored black bull dog laying on a chair by Pricilla de Prez - Unsplash
Boredom

Boredom is Underrated

“Yes, boredom is that state of agonizing disinterest coupled with the sense that time is moving too slowly.  But that state of mind can help you develop your thinking and creativity skills.”

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A little girl is standing in front of a brick wall with the words "For Women" painted on it.
leadership

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

It’s International Women’s Day and it’s time to celebrate our achievements, our collaborations and potential. I am sharing a group of inspiring quotes* I discovered while researching this day. These women have shown us how to use our voice to inspire and lead others

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STORYTALKS - A Podcast by Narativ
inspirational leadership

Responsible Leadership with Earl Breon

This month on our Storytalks by Narativ Podcast, we’re spotlighting Earl Breon, a former active duty United States Marine with over 25 years of experience in coaching and leadership development. He is the CEO and Founder of The Leadership Phalanx where he combines his civilian and military experiences with his love of history to bring his clients what he calls, “The 11 Shields of The Leadership Phalanx”.

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communications

Reenergize Your Communications By Taking A Pause

When we start to get “verklempt” (very emotional in Queens dialect and Yiddish), my guidance to us is simple: engage in “The power of doing just one thing to reenergize and connect.” The exercise is as simple as it sounds: Pause, regroup, find a positive action, and reach out.

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Louisville Students Reinterpret Jon Baptiste's Music
Appreciative Inquiry

Appreciate Inquiry – The Art of Acknowledging and Echoing What You Heard

In a nutshell, Appreciative inquiry is the process of hearing and acknowledging another person and the facts and emotions they expressed. However theory is great but here’s a musical prompt to help us appreciate the this theory. Listen as The Louisville Leopard Percussionists model this practice into action as they play Jon Baptiste’s “I need You” at their recent concert.

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My view gave me a place to have a view and gain perspective.
business storytelling

Story Share Your Way to a Fresh Perspective and Maybe a New View.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to get a fresh perspective. I know this far too well because I’m short. I’ve experienced a lifetime of shortness, and as a result, I’ve spent considerable amounts of time trying to see what others could view so easily. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy teaching the art of story sharing because it allows the participants to gain a fresh perspective about themselves and others.

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How can we learn how to dialogue with others?
business storytelling

How do you create dialogue in a polarized environment?

How do you create dialogue in a polarized environment? Seems like it’s impossible to have a conversation that at some point will not devolve into a series of opinions that culminate in someone (or more people) leaving in a huff. What are your strategies for listening in such a world?
Consider Socratic Dialogue and follow Sira Abenoza’s work with the Institute for Socratic Dialogue and as a professor at Esade law and business schools in Spain.

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STORYTALKS - A Podcast by Narativ
business storytelling

The Art of Dialogue with Sira Abenoza

Our latest STORYTALKS by Narativ is up with Sira Abenoza the founder of the Socratic Dialogue Institute. She talks with Jerome Deroy and Julienne B.

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Sometimes we need to reach out for help when we are having communication challenges reserver
business storytelling

Having a Communication Challenge?  Sometimes we just need to  contact a trained professional.

When we encounter communication challenges, sometimes we just have to woman or man up and ask a trained professional for help.
Websites, apps, and technology enable us to function as self-sufficient beings.  Being an independent professional forces you to be your own IT support.  This role requires us to read many vender-generated pdfs, endure bot-driven chats, and scroll through countless Q & A’s, all in Quixote-like searches for a solution.  One that you often do not find. 

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Fluorescent Colored Computer Keys
business storytelling

Ada Lovelace was a calculating woman

Ada Lovelace was a calculating woman. She was an English mathematician and the world’s first computer programmer. Lovelace was born into privilege as the daughter of a famously unstable romantic poet, Lord Byron (who left her family when Ada was just 2 months old) and Lady Wentworth.

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A grilled cheese sandwich was my Friday reward when I was growing up in Queens, New York
engagement

Take a moment to acknowledge your week’s efforts with a Friday ritual. When I was growing up in Queens, New

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folded slice of Queens Pizza
being authentic

Happy Thanksgiving – “Keep it Authentic but keep it together at the table!”

Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s my “Learned-It-In Queens Communications” style holiday wish for everyone (including me!)

I hope that you have the opportunity to gather with friends and family this weekend and share special moment around the dinner table.
1. Breaking bread together provides us with an opportunity tobreak down barriers and nourishes. Consider it the yeast of communication.

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STORYTALKS - A Podcast by Narativ
people engagement

Learning From First Graders

Are you going fully remote? Fully in person? Hybrid? Staggered? So many of these terms were only a small part of corporate life, now it’s all we think about. What can we learn about how to re-engage and welcome people back from other institutions, outside of business?

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STORYTALKS - A Podcast by Narativ
communications

Communication Gaps in a Hybrid World

In this digital and remote work age, how do you balance humanity and technology? What are the communication gaps that are occurring in your work place as a result of an increasingly “connected” world?

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STORYTALKS - A Podcast by Narativ
communications

Vulnerability, Leadership & Storytelling

This is our latest episode of STORYTALKS – a podcast by Narativ. During this episode Jerome Deroy and Julienne B. Ryan discuss the connection between leadership, vulnerability and storytelling.

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A colander is used for a communication prompt
being authentic

Manage Your Steam! – Tips on keeping your cool at work

When we lose our temper, we fall into our emotional brain, and our thinking brain shuts down. When our thinking brain shuts down, we say and do incredibly dumb things.  We trigger the primitive part of the brain aka the Amygdala. This stimulation triggers a fight or flight response in ourselves, the recipient of our anger, and anyone who might be within earshot. Rational thinking and responses go out the window.

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Narativ's STORY TALKS
communications

Hold On To Your Valuables – Knowledge Management and Storytelling

In our brand new podcast series – Narativ’s Storytalks – Jerome Deroy and Julienne Ryan discuss their observations and learnings around being proactive in collecting and sharing your company’s secret sauce so that critical knowledge is not lost as you experience high turnover.

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Photo courtesy of Bob Dea
communications

Pulling Together – it’s about purpose and trust

In my book The Learned It in Queens Communications Playbook – Winning Against Digital Distraction, I write that developing strong listening skills helps build trust and strong teams. Well, I saw that skill set in action this weekend. I attended dragon boat races at the Dragon Boat Festival in Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, New York.

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being authentic

Using Anecdotes that Work

Put your anecdotes to work! Yesterday, I had the pleasure of participating in an energizing virtual workshop led by Shawn

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communications

Digital Distraction and Communication

On the LifeBlood ENGAGE podcast with George Grombacher, we talked about the challenge of making tech a net positive in your life vs a negative, how to show up, listen and be present for others, and the role storytelling can play in improving our communication.

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communications

Experiencing a miscommunication? Remember to “keep it together!”

What’s My Learned It In Queens Lessons? 1. First, find a smart, creative person who engages in deep listening when you need to solve a problem
2. Listen to their suggestions and give their ideas a chance to percolate. In other words, trust that they know what they are doing.
3. Don’t pick up the phone or fire off an email saying “Whatareyakiddingme?”when you think you’ve been “misheard.”
4. Instead, give yourself and your resource the gift of the pause.
5. Chances are you’ve gotten some great advice, but your brain needs time to process the information.
6. Then say the words that any creative consultant loves to hear “ Thank you” and “You were right and so on point.”

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being authentic

Keep It Authentic!

Last year we all became Zoom aficionados as COVID-19 life propelled us to seek virtual options to connect with each other. We figured out how to adjust lighting, volume, camera placement, and stage backgrounds. We even discovered that Zoom had created a “touch up appearance” option which, depending on the setting could enable us to smooth out a few edges or give the appearance that we were wrapped in a gauzy mist.

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