The Workplace Communication Podcast

In a world where speaking up can often feel futile, where justice and fairness seem elusive, and where workplace conflicts can leave us feeling unheard, it’s easy for many conflicts to go unresolved. Finding a neutral party that will lend an ear and unearth the truth without being swayed by the biases and preconceptions ingrained in our society may seem like an impossible feat. With over 25 years of experience investigating and mediating disputes, Dean Bernard has seen what happens when people are silenced by fear. As a Conflict Strategist and CEO of Bernard and Associates, he deeply understands that honesty, integrity, and fairness must be the pillar of any workplace investigation for people to be willing to open up. On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, Dean shares valuable insights on the most crucial aspects of any investigative process, choosing a neutral investigator, adopting a trauma-informed approach, addressing employee curiosity, and more. Join us as we delve into Dean's methodology, where he emphasizes the power of listening, understanding, and maintaining an open mind to navigate the complex world of workplace investigations. Leadership tips you won’t want to miss: 🎙️ How to choose an investigator who leads with neutrality 🎙️ Leaving behind traditional assumptions for a trauma-informed investigation 🎙️ Dealing with the curiosity of employees who aren’t involved in the conflict 🎙️ Nurturing a culture of open communication in the workplace to resolve conflicts effectively 🎙️ Practicing active listening and empathy skills to better navigate conflicts Dean Benard is a conflict strategist with over 25 years of experience investigating and mediating disputes. Starting his career in nursing and later transitioning to policing, Dean ultimately found his calling in investigative work. His firm, Bernard and Associates, specializes in workplace investigations, striving to provide impartiality and neutrality throughout the process.   If you’re looking to enhance your understanding of integrity and neutrality in workplace investigations, then this episode is for you! If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.  🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/ For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above. Dean Benard’s contact information: Website LinkedIn YouTube Facebook Twitter Lindsay’s contact information: To book a discovery call E-mail Website Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict LinkedIn Previous podcast episodes

Driven by her passion for conflict resolution, Carol Bowser's journey began in community mediation training. There, she discovered the profound significance of actively engaging individuals in the resolution process in order to unlock possibilities for those seeking resolution of conflict. Her background in law further fueled her desire to empower people through mediation while emphasizing the vital role of effective communication and validation in building trusting, collaborative relationships. As a Workplace Conflict Expert and Founder of Conflict Management Strategies, Carol empowers individuals to actively participate in resolving workplace conflicts. She firmly believes in the transformative power of involving people in creating collaborative solutions, setting her apart as a true visionary in her field. On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, Carol shares invaluable insights into universal themes surrounding workplace conflict so you can address conflict head-on with less stress. Join us as we delve into practical strategies that individuals can use to strengthen their conflict resolution skills, whether a team leader or team member in a virtual setting. Leadership tips you won’t want to miss:  🎙️ How conflict resolution fosters a sense of ownership 🎙️ Identifying signs that conflict is increasing in a remote team 🎙️ Recognizing unmet expectations as a core cause of conflict 🎙️ Building time for team development into team meetings  Carol Bowser, J.D is a workplace conflict expert. After practicing Employment Law for several years, Carol founded Conflict Management Strategies when she realized a lawsuit can’t deliver the level of resolution and satisfaction that is gained when people are actively involved in creating solutions to their workplace conflict. In her over 20 years of experience, she has discovered some universal themes about workplace conflict and loves to share how people at all levels can strengthen their conflict resolution muscles.  If you're looking to enhance your conflict resolution skills and improve communication within your remote or virtual team, then this episode is for you! If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.  🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/ For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above. Carol Bowser’s contact information:  Website LinkedIn Facebook Twitter  Lindsay’s contact information:  To book a discovery call E-mail Website Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict LinkedIn Previous podcast episodes

Katrina German, a visionary entrepreneur and passionate advocate for social change, is revolutionizing our relationship with technology through her company EthicalDigital.ca. Katrina ’s ground-breaking research with the University of Saskatchewan has revealed what we’ve all suspected intuitively - social media impacts our mental health. This concern has been the driving force behind Ethical Digital’s emphasis on mindful communication for a healthier online environment. On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, Katrina talks to us about the importance of leading with kindness and empathy in our communications, both in business marketing and the online workplace. We explore how our digital interactions and the way we communicate affect our well-being and mental health, productivity, and sleep. Join us as Katrina shares insights and practical tips on creating healthier communication habits and fostering a kinder online environment. Leadership tips you won’t want to miss: 🎙️ The ethical considerations in using FOMO as a marketing technique 🎙️ Creating inclusive and inviting marketing messages through conscious language choices 🎙️ Adjusting our online behaviours to minimize the negative impacts of social media on our mental health 🎙️ Aligning marketing strategies with personal values to create a positive and inclusive online environment 🎙 Setting healthy boundaries for digital engagement with your team to promote adequate recovery Katrina German is the CEO and founder of EthicalDigital.ca, where they are changing the trajectory of the internet through digital strategy, research and certification. Katrina has recently been included in Future for Good's "2022 Social Good Founders to Watch", has won the YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Entrepreneurship, Startup Canada Prairie Award for Innovation, and has won the prestigious international Women in Tech award for "Women in Communications". If you're interested in leading with kindness and enhancing your communication skills in the digital space, then this episode is for you! If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.  🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/ For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above. Katrina German’s contact information: Website Book LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Lindsay’s contact information: To book a discovery call E-mail Website Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict LinkedIn Previous podcast episodes

Shelby Scarbrough has worked in the White House as a member of President Ronald Reagan’s advance team and a protocol officer in the U.S. Department of State. Through these roles, her interactions with prominent world leaders led her to a journey of evaluating, exploring and deeply understanding the concept of civility. As author of Civility Rules! Creating a Purposeful Practice of Civility, Shelby believes that civility is not just about how we treat each other. She believes it extends to the characteristics of our own behaviour and how we show up in the world as individuals who aim to build a civil society. On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, Shelby joins us to talk about how to stop hostility and incivility in the world. Join us as we discuss how shifting from focusing on the “difficult” people who prevent us from living collaboratively in a civil society to self-reflection on our own behaviours and decisions can have much greater impact on the world than we sometimes imagine. Leadership tips you won’t want to miss: 🎙️ ️ The connection between civility on a societal level and workplace civility 🎙️ How to discern trust in our relationships 🎙️ The role of emotional intelligence in interpersonal communication 🎙️ Taking individual responsibility to create a civil society 🎙️ The overriding principles to watch out for in a difficult situation Shelby Scarbrough began her career in the White House as a member of President Ronald Reagan’s advance team and then served as a protocol officer in the U.S. Department of State. She is the author of Civility Rules! Creating A Purposeful Practice Of Civility. If you’re looking to enhance civility in your workplace, then this episode is for you! If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.  🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/ For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above. Shelby Scarbrough’s contact information: Website Book LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Lindsay’s contact information: To book a discovery call E-mail Website Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict LinkedIn Previous podcast episodes

Darrin Jahnel has had the heart of an entrepreneur since the day he was born. From a software engineer with multiple side-hustles to $70,000 in credit card debt, he has experienced the rocky start of many entrepreneurs. Despite his initial challenges, Darrin has always kept his eye on his true passion, trusting this would open the doors he wanted in life. Now, as a founder and CEO of Jahnel Group, Darrin leads a 150-person team in his thriving software consulting company in upstate New York. His unwavering focus on building a world-class workplace culture full of happy people has been the secret to his success. Together with his brother and partner, Darrin has spent more hours thinking about and planning for how to bake workplace culture into every aspect of their company than anything else. On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we sit down with Darrin and dive deep into all of the ways in which Jahnel Group has built their workplace culture into one where people wake up eager and excited every day to tackle their next big project. Tune in now to be inspired. Leadership tips you won’t want to miss: 🎙️ Consistently going out of your way to foster deep connections 🎙️ Intentionally planning for people to do extraordinary things together as a way to build bonds 🎙️ The ROI of creating a self-serve buffet of culture-building activities 🎙️ Building all layers of leadership in a way that supports your workplace culture Darrin Jahnel is the founder and CEO of Jahnel Group, a 150-person software consulting company headquartered in upstate New York. Darrin leads with energy and is maniacally focused on creating an amazing work environment for his team. Jahnel Group has made the Inc 5,000 list 6 years in a row and has won multiple best workplace awards for their amazing culture. If you’re looking to build a happy workplace culture for your team, then this episode is for you! If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.  🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/ For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above. Darrin Jahnel’s contact information: Website Company website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Lindsay’s contact information: To book a discovery call E-mail Website Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict LinkedIn Previous podcast episodes

Anyone who knows me knows I am a wee bit passionate about communication. A brief interaction can touch your soul and change your life when you truly connect with someone. I began The Workplace Communication Podcast with the hopes of having this impact on others’ lives, and to bring these skills to leaders around the world who want to lead through trust and respect. For our 100th episode, we did things a bit differently. I’m joined by my 11-year-old niece, Maddy Farrar. Maddy is an 11-year-old who has the soul and wisdom of a 90-year-old. After watching the video clip for this episode, my 11-year-old daughter said, “what’s happening to her? I’m really worried about her. She’s starting to sound like you”. Watch out listeners, I may just end up with a permanent co-host. Join us as Maddy grills me about the history and goals of the Workplace Communication Podcast and explores how my passion for learning influenced my career as a leadership trainer and speaker. Leadership tips you won't want to miss: 🎙️ The importance of building a business authentically 🎙️ Communication as an essential key to successful leadership 🎙️ Focusing on having a bigger impact in life and on those around you 🎙️ Shifting from an authoritarian leadership style to a more collaborative style 🎙️ Making society a better place through trust and respect Lindsay Lapaquette is the Founder of Collaborative Solutions and host of The Workplace Communication Podcast. She specializes in training middle managers to communicate more authentically with their teams. If you’re looking to learn more about how this podcast began and to celebrate this huge milestone with us, then this episode is for you! If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.   🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/ For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.  Lindsay’s contact information: To book a discovery call  E-mail Website Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict LinkedIn  Previous podcast episodes

Change is an inescapable aspect of our lives. It often happens faster than we are able to adapt. One of the challenges we face during change is the fear of being left behind. This can happen if we aren’t able to fully adapt to the changes surrounding us. And let’s face it. With the current economic climate, adaptability is key to businesses survival. According to Jim Frawley, Founder of Bellwether, by tapping into our beliefs and the traits that make us each uniquely human, we can ensure we are not left behind is. Armed with a deep connection to ourselves, we become more adaptable to change without even needing to fully understand every aspect of the changes we need to adapt to. On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we talk with Jim about how employers can prepare for an economic downturn and communicate effectively with employees through challenging times. Leadership tips you won’t want to miss: 🎙️ Why perspective shifts constantly, based on changing contexts 🎙️ Recognizing the difference between problems and circumstance 🎙️ Accepting and embracing that there are no rules for future change 🎙️ Making quicker decisions for greater adaptability 🎙️ Repositioning yourself to create value to your clients through a looming recession Jim Frawley is the Founder and Principal of Bellwether, a company dedicated to helping organizations and people build resiliency, adapt to change and thrive in rapidly shifting contexts. He is the host of the Bellwether Hub podcast and best-selling author of Adapting in Motion: Finding Your Place in the New Economy, a practical guide to responding to multiple levels of macro change. If you’re wondering about where to start in your preparation for change, then this episode is for you! If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.  🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/ For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above. Jim Frawley’s contact information: Website Book LinkedIn YouTube Twitter Instagram Lindsay’s contact information: To book a discovery call E-mail Website Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict LinkedIn Previous podcast episodes

Christian Espinosa was convinced from an early age that his intellect was his greatest asset. This belief served him well until he became a CEO and noticed that his team members also coveted the sought-out title of smartest person in the room. This jockeying for recognition of intelligence began affecting how Christian’s team related to and communicated with clients. Christian suddenly realized that his greatest weakness was people skills – and that it was one he would need to develop to continue to be successful in business. On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we talk with Christian about the 7 steps he took to raise emotional intelligence and improve his self-leadership skills, ultimately turning his biggest weakness into his greatest strength. Leadership tips you won’t want to miss: 🎙️ The challenges that come from hanging your identity on being the smartest person in the room 🎙️ Why the true meaning of communication is the response you get 🎙️ How acknowledging others starts with being able to acknowledge yourself 🎙️ Accepting that developing emotional intelligence skills comes with hills and valleys Christian Espinosa is the bestselling author of “The Smartest Person in the Room”, an entrepreneur and founder of Alpine Security, a white hat hacker, a certified high-performance coach, and a lover of heavy metal music and spicy food. Christian used to value being the smartest person in the room until he realized that his greatest contribution to humanity, leadership, and the fight against cybercrime is his ability to bring awareness and simple solutions to challenges associated with high IQ/low EQ staff.  If you’re looking to develop your emotional intelligence skills, then this episode is for you! If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review. 🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/ For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above. Christian Espinosa’s contact information: Website Book LinkedIn YouTube Facebook Twitter Instagram Lindsay’s contact information: To book a discovery call E-mail Website Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict LinkedIn Previous podcast episodes

Faisal Hoque is no stranger to the typical hurdles of life. After building a highly successful company in his late twenties, he learned that things don’t always work as anticipated when he was fired from the second company he opened. Things only got worse when his twenty-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer. Faisal not only had to take care of his son throughout his illness, but he also had to find a way to rise up again in his career. These life experiences are what led Faisal to a journey of internal life reflections that revolved around overcoming the fear of failure. On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, Faisal Hoque, Founder and Chair at NextChapter at Shadoka, gives us a peek at his acceptance journey, where he found that practicing mindfulness, resilience and empathy helped him maintain a consistent sense of pragmatic optimism in the face of fear. Leadership tips you won’t want to miss: 🎙️ Finding momentary joy amidst adversity 🎙️ Finding meaning by impacting others when you have space 🎙️ Engaging in daily meaningful activities as a way to conquer fear 🎙️ The power of building community and connecting with others on a human level 🎙️ Balancing logic and emotion to enhance resilience Faisal Hoque is the founder of SHADOKA, NextChapter, and other companies that focus on enabling sustainable and transformational changes. He has developed over 20 commercial business and technology platforms and worked with public and private sector giants such as the US Department of Defense, GE, MasterCard, American Express, PepsiCo, IBM, Home Depot and JPMorgan Chase. If you’re looking to learn new ways of overcoming the fear of failure and don’t know where to start, then this episode is for you! If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.  🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/ For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above. Faisal Hoque’s contact information: Website Book: Everything Connects and Lift LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Lindsay’s contact information: To book a discovery call E-mail Website Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict LinkedIn Previous podcast episodes

Working as a team of diverse members with hundreds of differences is something that many of us have yet to master. One thing that often remains untapped is the strength and power of optimizing those differences that lie between us. Carolynne Wintrip has been fascinated by team work and collaboration from a young age. She believed that learning about team collaboration would not only help her to impact change, but also help her team to become more productive, achieve better results, and build stronger relationships. On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we’re talking with Carolynne Wintrip, Learning & Team Effectiveness Consultant at Luminus Learning about cognitive diversity and the kind of power it holds in the workplace in order to enhance team collaboration. Leadership tips you won’t want to miss: 🎙️ Recognizing the way in which you process information 🎙️ Identifying the gap between how you and the person you’re speaking with process information 🎙️ Adapting and appreciating the different thinking and behavioral styles of your team members 🎙️ Moving past the affinity bias to find ways to understand people who process information differently than we do Carolynne Wintrip is a dynamic facilitator and the founder of Luminus Learning. Her mission is to help people and teams improve collaboration and results. She creates and facilitates learning experiences and conversations that support leadership and team effectiveness, organizational change, communication, influence, and resilience. An experienced Emergenetics Associate, Personal Resilience Practitioner and Team Effectiveness Coach, Carolynne thrives when exploring and acting on new possibilities with people. If you’re looking to enhance your team collaboration through cognitive diversity, then this episode is for you! If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.  🎧 Listen to the episode: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/ For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above. Carolynne Wintrip’s contact information: Website LinkedIn Twitter Lindsay’s contact information: To book a discovery call E-mail Website Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict LinkedIn Previous podcast episodes