FEATURED STORY: Navigating communication in the workplace can be tricky. But experts agree the most effective way to improve communication is by first gaining self-awareness — understanding your own personality traits, behaviors and listening preferences — then learning to recognize and appreciate those in others.
Myers-Briggs, Strength Finders, Emergenetics — you’ve likely taken a test or two that helped you conceptualize your working style and communication preferences. But do you know how to listen?
Owned by Anne Descalzo and Rachel Zillner of Clutch consulting firm, LQ Listening Intelligence was founded on the belief that effective listening is key to good leadership and better business outcomes.
LQ’s CEO Katie McCleary authored “Bridge the Gap,” which explores how to manage anxiety during work interactions, embrace diversity in teams and listen more effectively. LQ offers a proprietary, science-backed test called the ECHO Listening Profile, which claims to help teams identify listening styles and barriers to communication.
There’s an adage that a meeting among five people yields five different versions of that meeting, which can be both good and bad. Differing perspectives can spark breakthrough ideas, but only if those perspectives are heard and valued. If not, diversity of thought can just as easily lead to exclusion and conflict — often depending on who’s taking the notes.
Now that tools like Otter.ai are automating notetaking, it raises some interesting questions: What does it mean to be objective? And is objectivity always what we want, or does it strip away the nuance of enlightening communication?
– Dakota Morlan, managing editor
Other stories you may have missed: Step Inside Sacramento’s Most Immersive Tiki Worlds
Tiki bars are making a comeback in Sacramento, with spots like Shipwrecked Paradise Island and Hawthorne’s Hideout at Stage Nine incorporating complex, swashbuckling stories into decor and drinks. Step inside their worlds in this month’s Taste.
How Sacramento Creatives Are Redefining the Arts Economy
Across the country, arts funding models are shifting. Where once large institutions absorbed the majority of public and philanthropic support, new approaches are emphasizing direct investment in artists themselves.
Cal State Workers Are Getting a One-Time Bonus, Paid for by a $144 Million Loan Due Next Year
CalMatters: The California State University system will seek a state loan of $144 million that it’ll have a year to repay at no interest, even though current projections show the system will have to add to its deficit to repay the debt.
Sacramento’s Waterfront Beckons Paranormal Tourists
Paranormal tourism has been a steady draw for Sacramento’s waterfront over the years, and October is peak season for businesses that capitalize on the spooky atmosphere.
Recommendations From Our Staff
Judy: I went to the grand opening Friday night of a new Spanish restaurant in Roseville: Telefèric Barcelona. The chain restaurant that features paella and empanadas began in Barcelona and has other locations in California, but chose Roseville for its Sacramento-area location. I’ve been to the openings of several international restaurants that chose Roseville rather than any other city in our region, such as Brazilian steakhouses Fogo de Chão and Galpão Gaucho. In fact, the Mexican restaurant La Popular, which is based in Mexico City, chose Roseville as its first U.S. location. Maybe it’s the demographics or population, but the Placer County city is drawing international attention for its dining scene.
Jennifer: I’ve been on another French New Wave kick lately, and yesterday I watched Jean-Luc Godard’s “À bout de souffle.” I find most Godard films I’ve seen annoying (for their misogyny, pretentiousness and so on), but I enjoyed this one mostly because of its likeable female lead: a short-haired New Yorker who wants nothing more than to be able to work as a journalist in Paris and speaks French with an unabashedly American R. Best of all (spoiler alert), she doesn’t end the film in the arms of the irritating male lead (Jean-Paul Belmondo playing his usual handsome rake), which means I can imagine a happy and productive future life for her.
Odds and Ends
From recycling to winemaking, our October issue spotlights six multigenerational businesses with roots in the Capital Region. Read it today on your computer, phone or tablet.
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