Question of the Week It is important to "begin a conversation in a way that doesn't make it difficult for the person to respond, disagree, or add their perspective," communications specialist John Stoker says in a post at his DialogueWORKS blog. He then lists some poor ways for leaders to start a conversation or meeting with colleagues. For instance, "I don't mean to offend you..." is really a set-up to offend a person, Stoker writes. "If you think that a person might be offended by something that you have to tell them, then you should really think about how you might deliver your message in a way that is respectful." Or if you start a conversation with "of course, as you know," then the person you're speaking to is unlikely to "ask you questions about what you are saying because they won't want to admit what they don't know." So this week, we'd like to ask you: What phrases do you hate hearing when talking to colleagues (and thus avoid using) because they seem to get in the way of solving problems? Answer in the comments. Read the answers to last week's question: Do you volunteer on a regular basis? Featured answer: Posted by Neal Weinstein: "I volunteer once a week as a ski instructor at Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation at Sunday River, Maine, helping handicapped kids and adults learn to ski. My problems disappear when I work with these kids." | 
