When we hear “love language quiz”  or “language of love quiz” we might think about romantic relationships... and, sure, learning about them can definitely help you in your romantic relationship.

But what about all the other relationships in your life?

• Coworkers
• Bosses
• Friends
• Family

Real talk: Everyone communicates differently!

Some people may love receiving a thoughtful gift, while others would rather just spend quality time together. 

The 5 love languages can help build better relationships at work and with friends.

The big key is to talk about what your language is, and find out what theirs is too!

The first step is answering the question, “What is my love language?,” and this quick love language test will teach you (and any friends you’d like to share it with) just that!

Take the quiz here:

It’s a situation that many of us have found ourselves in.

You just got some earth-shattering news: maybe a big deal went through at work, or you got into a heated argument with a friend.

And you just need some good old fashioned empathetic listening for a minute.

So you go to a friend and vent over a cup of coffee. But your friend isn’t really hearing you. They’re giving unwanted advice, talking about their issues, and just…not listening!

It’s frustrating!

You might feel angry, or shut down.

How did we get here? 

What’s the difference between listening and really hearing someone?

That secret ingredient is empathy. 

And today, we’re going to make sure you don’t accidentally fall into that “not hearing” trap! 

Looking for ways to meet new people?

You’re in the right place!

Maybe you’ve just moved to a new city and you’re looking to get out there and make some new friends.

Maybe you’ve lived in your city for years, but you’ve been stuck in a routine.

Either way, here’s a list of 30+ ways to meet new people.

We’ve all been there…

You’re in virtual meeting after meeting and it feels like ALL you do is hop into business. 

It’s nearly impossible for someone to stay in work mode all day, and an occasional pivot to something a little more exciting than work can be very beneficial. 

Icebreaker questions are great ways to connect with people, bolster team building, make new people feel welcome, and learn a bit about yourself, too!

Icebreaker questions can also…

• Help the team loosen up a little bit
• Make a stressful week a little more enjoyable
• Promote stronger relationships within teams
• Spark ideas that are related to work (but the rest of the conversation can wait for the conference room)
• Make after-work drinks a little more fun!

As more companies go remote, it’s going to be easy to hop into the trap of Zoom meeting after Zoom meeting with no team building moments…

But you can prevent it with a little excitement and change!

This list of 170+ Icebreaker questions will make your next 4-hour planning meeting fun (well… somewhat, at least).

Also--these questions can also be used at an after-work happy hour, meetup, or whenever you’re meeting a group of new people!

Effective communication is one of the most powerful skills you can have as you move through the world.

Communicating effectively helps you understand other people’s motivations, and gives you the power to share your own insights without anything getting lost in the shuffle. 

Effective communication can help you in your career, socially, and in your personal relationships.

For example, effective communication can help with:

• Navigating an emotionally charged conversation at work
• Breaking out of conflict patterns with your significant other
• Creating a plan for a new collaborative project

With the tool of effective communication in your toolbox, you’ll have fewer misunderstandings, be better able to communicate your wants and needs, and enjoy better relationships with others! 

So let’s dive in!

Ahh...would you rather questions!

When you think about it, our decisions mold who we are as much as anything else does, outside of the people who raised us. 

Some decisions are easier to make than others, and level-of-importance also varies greatly, but pretty much all questions we need to answer have some aspect of “would you rather…”

“Would you rather go to college, join the military, or hit the workforce when you become an adult?” would be an example of a pretty heavy “would you rather” question, and it’s also a great conversation starter. 

However, sometimes something as simple as “Would you rather sing or dance?” can teach you just as much about someone, depending on how much they actually enjoy either or both options.

(It’s also fun to see how they handle tradeoffs )

This list of 159+ would you rather questions was designed to help you lead conversations and learn more about your friends, coworkers, or even complete strangers.

The first section, “Would You Rather Questions for Friends” will be more suited for people you know, but the other two: “Funny Would You Rather Questions” and “Deep Would You Rather Questions” are questions you can use with anyone!

For more questions: Check out this list of 150+ Interesting Questions to Ask Friends.

Let’s dive in!

Our friends are some of the most important people to us.

They support us, have fun with us, and inspire us!

Jim Rohn, entrepreneur and achiever, said it best:

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

But what do we do when some of those people are fake friends?

Listen, we’ve all been there.

You’ve got a group of pals, but you’ve got a feeling that things just aren’t right.

When you’re surrounded by your REAL friends, your life is more awesome and hanging out is much less draining. 

But how can you tell the difference between a real friend and a fake friend?

Questions serve a bigger purpose than just being a way to get an answer from someone. 

They help steer conversations, they make us think, and they open up parts of people’s personalities we didn’t know were there. 

This list of 150+ questions to ask friends is split into four categories, each for different situations with friends! 

Have you ever known someone for many years and they say something that makes you think “How did I never know that?”

Asking questions can do so much for a friendship, and asking questions to friends also helps you build social confidence so you can bring your question-asking skills to other settings where you might not be as comfortable. 

From finding common interests to learning how you can best support your friends, questions can be the framework for deep and meaningful conversations friendships. 

Here’s the list of 150+ interesting questions to ask friends!

Have you ever watched someone give a presentation or run a tough meeting at work and thought… 

“How can I be the one doing that?!”

Time for some real talk...

As much as corporate culture claims to reward loyalty and hard work, more often than not, it’s the people who have excellent communication skills who get hired and promoted. 

It’s not a conspiracy, it’s just human nature. 

Learning how to improve communication skills will pay off for the rest of your career.

People who are able to communicate with confidence and finesse have an easier time building a rapport with others. 

When you’re more likeable, people’s cognitive biases tend to assign you other positive qualities as well--whether or not you fully deserve them. 

Unfair? Maybe.

Reality? Definitely.

If you feel like you’re struggling to communicate in your career, or that you’ve been passed over one too many times for that project or promotion, consider learning how to improve your communication skills!

At a certain point in your career, you look around and realize EVERYONE is technically proficient. Developing better communication skills is what will help you stand out from the crowd.

Also, a side benefit is: You'll communicate better in your personal life as well as your career!

​Win/win! Let's dive in!

Let’s dig in!

I like the saying, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”

Not only is it catchy, but it relates to areas of life...ESPECIALLY to building social skills. (As a social skills coach, this is what I do all day every day!)

Right now starting conversations with others at a meetup or dinner party might make you want to run and hide in a corner and “check your email”. 

For many of my social skills coaching clients, this is a common feeling.

And it boils down to a lack of social competence that leads to a lack of social confidence.

But the good news is that social skills can be learned!

​And a social skills coach can help you get the results you want faster than trying to learn it on your own.

Oprah Winfrey, one of the most famous people in the world, has been very vocal about her early struggles with social interaction. 

When asked about the steps she took to build her social skills (and ultimately her empire) she replied with, “Once you start to make changes, no matter how small, suddenly everything seems possible.”

This article will cover 7 ways that a social skills coach can help build that confidence and be prepared for a more successful social life. 

Do you have a friend or coworker who just seems to know how to build rapport with pretty much anyone in any social situation? 

It may seem like magic..they walk over, start talking, and it looks like they’ve known each other for years--even though they just met!

That’s the power learning how to build rapport.

​And the great thing is...building rapport is a learnable skill... and that’s what we’re talking about today.

There is nothing wrong with being nice. 

Doing things for people who need help, being considerate, being generous--these are all traits to be admired. 

However, there is a very fine line between being “nice” and being a people pleaser. 

So how can you tell the difference?

For starters, being a do-gooder comes with feelings of joy and satisfaction--like when you volunteer at a soup kitchen or help an elderly woman carry her groceries to the car. 

Chronic people pleasing can look similar on the outside (helping a coworker catch up on a project for instance) but comes with feelings of resentment and overwhelm--usually followed by guilt for feeling that way. 

These negative feelings are caused by burnout. People pleasers tend to overcommit to others and say yes at their own expense. 

For many of us (yes, I’m a recovering people pleaser as well!), this burnout and resentment become a vicious cycle that can harm our relationships and reduce our quality of life. 

In this article, we’re going to discuss how to identify people pleasing tendencies and how to stop them. 

You can still be a good person, but you won’t get stuck doing stuff you don’t want to do because you’re afraid of what other people will think of you. 

No more...

• Blowing up your Friday by picking your friend from the airport in rush hour traffic.
• Helping your coworker's sister (that you've never met) move.
• Babysitting your friend’s “I swear he’s really nice” dog. 

Once you stop people pleasing, you’ll be amazed by the sense of relief and clarity. Your relationships will improve, you'll make more genuine friendships and your self-esteem will grow as you learn to stand up for yourself in a way that is confident, tactful, and kind. 

When you stop people pleasing, you know that you're doing whatever you want because YOU want to, not so that others will approve of you. 

Real talk…

EVERYONE feels socially inept at some point in their lives.

It’s just part of being human.

​Maybe you’ve felt socially inept when…

• You told a joke that totally bombed at that backyard BBQ.
• You accidentally blurted out something rude and didn’t realize it until later.
• Your brain seems to shut off and you have no idea what to say in conversations.

If you’ve ever felt like that...I’m here to tell you that it’s okay. It happens!

And the great thing is that being socially inept is something that can be improved. Working on your communication skills can help you become more socially skilled and that feeling of being socially inept will fade away.

Look, we’ve ALL been there… We meet a new friend, or hit up an old friend, and they lay this on you…

“What should we do?”

“Uhh…I don’t know, I’m good with whatever…”

I think it’s always better to have a plan rather than just doing the same old thing.

If you’re looking for things to do with friends, you are in the right place. I have 225+ things on this list that you can do with friends.

So if you’re…

• Looking for things to do with friends on the weekend. Check.
• Looking for things to do with friends at home. Check.
• Looking for things to do with friends when bored. Check.

…I’ve got you covered!

Doing memorable or even challenging things with friends is important because it can lead to peak experiences that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

Keep this list handy and you’ll never run out of things to do.

If you’re looking for topics to bring up while you’re doing things with friends, be sure to check out my list of 300+ conversation topics and starters.

Ready? Let’s dive in!

“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price we all have to pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” – Vince Lombardi

Imagine that you group together the greatest baseball players of all time - Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, and Mike Trout.

Now imagine that they all speak different languages and have no idea what the others are saying.

As a communication coach my clients ask me to help with situations like this all the time.

You may be the Babe Ruth of software development , but if you can’t connect with the VP of Sales (the Mike Trout of soft skills), you’re not going to climb very far up the corporate ladder.

Communication skills don’t come naturally to many of my clients.

​And while the reasons for that may vary, they all figured out the hard way that to advance, they’d have to study up and invest in their ability to communicate effectively with their bosses, their coworkers, and their clients. 

The good news is you don’t have to do it alone. 

Using the guidance of a communication coach can help you achieve the success you want to see in your career more quickly and effectively than trying to level up on your own.