Month: August 2016
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A comment on "5 Trends In Government Technology We’ll See In 2017"
(Here’s the original post: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-trends-government-technology-well-see-2017-steve-ressler) This is an important post but I am not sure I agree with its premise or all of its points. For one thing, per #3, it appears the assumption is that Hillary Clinton will win. Why does the post assume this? To strategize means to play out both scenarios. Trump vs. […]
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Finding Strength in Surrendering Control
So they sent me to a training class in advanced communications, specifically managing conflict through difficult conversations. As it happens this trainer was better than most, and I found myself listening closely. You’ve heard of the book Critical Conversations and although the class was not specifically centered on that book, it was all about getting […]
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Thank you to my top 10 international audiences
Hi everyone, United States Ukraine Russia France Germany China United Kingdom Bulgaria Canada Poland I appreciate that you take the time to read my blog. Best wishes, Dannielle ___________ Image credit: The original uploader was Augiasstallputzer at [[::| Wikimedia Commons]] – Own work, based on shoreline data from GSHHS (“crude” level), a public-domain source, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1055628 – By Dannielle Blumenthal, […]
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Communicating to a Cynical Workforce
We don’t need to debate this, do we? People are mostly checked-out at work; they don’t take the time to read your carefully crafted Intranet messages very carefully, if they read them at all; they can barely be bothered to take the all-employee survey with its detailed questions and response choices. And if you tell […]
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30 Notes About Critical Conversations
I took a training class on how to handle difficult conversations. Sharing the points most important to me. Goal – become a thinking partner in a collaborative relationship Need to learn to listen – not just steamroll, try to save time. If you are directive all the time people don’t feel valued. Learn how to […]
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Overcoming the Barriers to Government Transparency
There are at least five types of information that federal employees, not just communicators, generally want to share with the public: Mission: They’d like the public to be aware of what the agency does and why it’s important. They want the public to know about the significance of the broader issue as well, such as […]
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The 5 Characteristics of a War Dog
Jonah Hill gives a masterful performance in War Dogs, as the yeshiva-educated sociopath Efraim Diveroli. The movie is based on a true story about two Jewish high school screwups who discover a gray area into which they can leap and make millions. They become successful small-time arms dealers, commit large-scale fraud, get arrested by the FBI, get convicted and serve […]
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On The Merits Of An Empty Mind
I spend nearly all my time in my head. And while I’m there, I work very hard to keep the environment free. No useless clutter, I don’t want it – I will not let it in. Here’s why: We are bombarded with information all the time. Not to mention marketing. (At times, there is no […]
2016 Diary - Dannielle Blumenthal 