First Things | Practical Productivity / Efficiency / Life Balance / Purpose / Passion / Identity / Happiness - Brandon Vaughn, Ph.D.

Most would never guess the biggest secrets to verbal communication … learning to listen and observe.  This means our biggest hindrance is often our own mouths … from overuse! This week, we look once more at techniques to help us better observe and listen to people around us. Click to Listen “Listen & Observe” Show Notes […]

We can implement certain “attraction laws” into place that will better enable deeper friendships.  Last week, we discussed one such law … the law of similarity. This week, we look into the various attraction laws and how to practically implement them into our lives. Click to Listen “Attraction Laws” Show Notes Law of Reciprocity: When […]

There are certain “laws of attraction” that we can invoke as tools to help us establish friendships.  One of these is the “law of similarity.” In a culture that often idolizes diversity, it is the commonality that often builds the strongest relationships.  What is the “law of similarity” and how can we use it effectively? […]

We continue talking through the “Golden Rule of Friendship.”  How does this rule apply to compliments?  Do compliments help? Complimenting other people (especially new friends) can be a powerful tool. But … you must be careful and not abuse this technique. Click to Listen “Compliments” Show Notes I want to encourage you to give a […]

The more you can let go of your ego, the better your friendships will be.  Making your conversations more about the other person (and less about you), the more people will love being around you.  This is referred to as the “Golden Rule of Friendship.” This can be very difficult to do since we want […]

In previous weeks, we have looked are the various “friend” signals. But what about foe signals?  What are some things we may do that make us appear unfriendly to other people? During every social approach, humans must assess each other’s intentions. Facial expressions provide cues to assist in these assessments via associations with emotion, the […]

This is a special announcement for the podcast.  Just a quick update on what has been happening and making sure everything is working properly in my system. I have had numerous problems of late with the site … from malware shutdowns … to podcasts not showing up … to Bluehost crashing … I think everything […]

Trust … People size you up in seconds, but what exactly are they evaluating?  Harvard Business School professor Amy Cuddy has been studying first impressions alongside fellow psychologists Susan Fiske and Peter Glick for more than 15 years, and has discovered patterns in these interactions. In her new book, “Presence,” Cuddy says people quickly answer two questions when they […]

It’s well known that good communication is the foundation of any successful relationship, be it personal or professional. It’s important to recognize, though, that it’s our nonverbal communication—our facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, posture, and tone of voice—that speak the loudest. The ability to understand and use nonverbal communication, or body language, is a powerful […]

We continue our study on “The Like Switch” by Jack Schafer and Marvin Karlins. This week we look at the Friend vs Foe continuum as discussed in Chp 1. What is the “urban scowl”? And how might our nonverbal facial expressions be causing people to see us as undesirable or worse a foe in life? Click to […]

We begin a new study this week on “The Like Switch” by Jack Schafer and Marvin Karlins. This week we look at the “Friendship Formula” as discussed in Chp 1. The Friendship Formula is rather simple:  Friendship = Proximity + Frequency + Duration + Intensity. In this episode, we discuss each of these aspects in […]

No one would ever say they want to live with regrets at the end of their life. Yet, we can get so busy in life, that we can never think through the very things that will cause regrets later.   Numerous research has shown what a lot of people consider as regrets at the end […]

Wayne Dyer recently passed away. He was a hero of mine, and someone that I always listened to and realigned my life afterward. Dr. Dyer has many amazing teaching out, and I would encourage that you check them out.   In this episode, I talk about some of the top 10 things I have learned […]

I’m back! After a VERY long absence, I decided to return to podcasting. Where have I been? What have I been up to? What is the future of the show? Hear all about it! Click to Listen “The Return” Show Notes No show notes for this week. “The Return” Episode Resources   No resources for this […]

We introduced the concept of “mindsets” in our last episode. I always like to get the author’s perspective on their topic.   In this episode, we listen to a speech that Carol gave on the topic of mindset. Click to Listen “Carol Dweck on Mindsets” Show Notes “Carol Dweck on Mindsets” Episode Resources Resources on Mindset: […]