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Professional Buzz

Professional Buzz

Professional Buzz is a blog warehousing relevant information, tips and tools for students and professionals looking for career development and advice. Topics range from leadership and management skills to interpersonal communication and innovation in the workplace. The blog is written and curated by Associate Dean of the Graduate College, Anne Converse Willkomm – drawing on her academic and professional experience to provide insight into the latest professional trends, challenges and skills needed to thrive in today’s everchanging workplace.

Categories

Professional Development & Career TipsLeadership & Management SkillsInterpersonal CommunicationInnovation in the Workplace
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3 Ways You Can Foster Inclusion in the Workplace

Learn more about ways you can foster inclusion in the workplace through my interview with Jesse Krohn, the Associate Director, Education & Prevention in Drexel's Office of Equality and Diversity.

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The 3 Benefits of Using Ice Breakers

Next time you have a team meeting, suggest using an ice breaker. When this short 10-minute activity is effectively utilized, by choosing the right type and following some basic rules, it can pave the path toward a more functional team by fostering interaction, a sense of community, and empathy.

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6 Barriers to Effective Communication

Since we communicate with people throughout each and every day, one would assume we'd be fairly good it. I don't believe it is any surprise that we're not. But why? Well, there are six barriers that impede our ability to communicate effectively.

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Five Types of Communication

In preparing for my Fall course: Communications for Professionals, I’ve been thinking more and more about the different types of communication. In previous years, I have outlined four types of communication, but I believe there are actually five types of communication: verbal, non-verbal, written, listening, and visual.

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Transparency

Wells Fargo is in the news again for taking advantage of their clients. In full disclosure, I bank with Wells Fargo, but that does not stop me from questioning their actions. Over the past couple of years, Wells Fargo has made the headlines with a series of scandals for the treatment of their employees and their clients. As I read about the latest scandal, I can’t help but think about transparency and Wells Fargo’s lack of it.

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Interview with Wil Reynolds and Emily Allen of SEER Interactive

This is the 100th blog post! To mark this special event, I wanted to interview a thought leader, someone who could share their thoughts with me, and you, to help us put the professional world we navigate into some perspective. As I began to sift through potential interviewees, I realized that what I really wanted was someone who is actively engaged in making our working world a better place – someone who is leading by example.

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A green exit sign with the added words "the Graceful" to say "The Graceful Exit"

The Graceful Exit

I have written a little bit about leaving a company in the context of not burning your bridges and leaving when you realize a position or company are a wrong fit, but I haven’t written much about actual exit. And how you exit is almost as important as how you enter.

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6 Life Lessons

During the 20th century, when my father, grandfather, and mother were working, the lessons were few and simple. Get up, go to work, complete your work, and return home, and do it all again the next day. Times have changed. As we near 2025, a quarter of the way through the 21st century, there are more pressures, more opportunities and challenges, and a recognition that there is more to life than work.

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Mid-Career Transitions

When you find yourself at a cross-roads, a diverging path– STOP – reassess before embarking down either of the paths before you.

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The Handshake

After talking with my freshmen about the handshake, I started thinking more about this little ritual and had to ask myself the question - are they really all that necessary?

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Ted background with a large 3 surrounded by the words: informational interview in one corner and steps, goals, and musts on the other side with the Drexel Dragon below.

The Rule of 3s for Informational Interviews

While an informational interview could lead to a job interview, the intent, as the term implies, is to gather information. I like to apply the rule of threes to informational interviews. There are three steps, three goals, and three post-interview musts.

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Revisiting The Importance of Soft Skills

Soft skills are interpersonal skills. They are the skills that allow you to interact, engage, and collaborate with fellow human beings to foster a relationship. Without these skills it is much more difficult to function within a team, listen to a colleague with empathy, or to evaluate policies, let alone lead. Leaders who lack these interpersonal skills are unable to inspire, build, support, and encourage their team. In teams where leaders lack these soft skills, there is often high turnover.

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