Articles and Interviews

ARTICLES

Chicago Tribune
How to Turn Down a Request
Rejecting a request generally isn’t fun, whether the advance is romantic (“Want to go out Saturday?”), professional (“Can you have the report done by 1 p.m.?”) or social (“Come on, just one more drink!”). “A lot of times people say yes when they don’t want to, because they’re afraid of hurting or disappointing somebody,” said Ben Benjamin.  MORE »

Bosses, Think Before You Speak
Dear Bosses: You’re doing it wrong. Sincerely, The Employees
OK, that might be a slight generalization of the way many workers feel about their leaders. But I don’t think it’s far off, and I conveniently have some data to back that up.  MORE »

CNBC
Avoiding Those Awkward Office Moments
Everyone has them, usually multiple times a day — conversations that don’t exactly go as planned. Whether the other person doesn’t understand exactly what you are trying to communicate, or the overall tone of the conversation results in unintended yet palpable friction, bad things happen when dialogues take a dive. Relationships are ruined, jobs are lost, and both parties are left suffering as a result.  MORE »

How to Say ‘No’ to Your Boss
Regardless of what you do for a living, or who you work for, there are going to be times when you find yourself having to say “no” to your boss.  MORE »

CTV News
Conversation Killers, and How to Avoid Them –
By Harvey Schachter
When a conversation fails, we tend to blame the people or the topic. Someone, usually the other guy, is at fault. Or the topic was too explosive for the conversation to succeed.  MORE »

Prevention Magazine
Did You Really Just Say That: You could be a worse communicator than you think
You may pride yourself on being one of those people who can talk to absolutely anyone, but how well do you actually communicate? Chances are you’re not coming across they way you think you are, says Ben E. Benjamin, PhD.  MORE »

Seattle Sunday Times
How to Turn Down a Request
Beware of offers you can’t refuse. Sometimes, a request isn’t a direct, open question. Your acceptance is assumed.  MORE »

Additional Articles
Bringing Back the B Word
It’s time to give the brain a break. We’ve been asking it to take all the responsibility for answering the big questions of psychology, and that’s just not realistic. Fortunately, there is another place we can look for answers, a source of insight that fell out of favor decades ago and never quite regained its footing: the study of behavior. MORE »

Read this Article. Save a Relationship.
It’s Valentine’s Day! So you know what people all over the country are doing—critically analyzing their significant others’ cards, gifts, thoughtful words, and romantic plans (or lack thereof) to figure out whether their relationship is thriving or doomed to fail. MORE »

INTERVIEWS

Answers for the Family Interview – Listen to an interview with Ben Benjamin and Amy Yeager

33voices Interview – Listen to an interview with Ben Benjamin

Australian Businesswomen’s Network – Listen to an interview with Anita Simon

Lendio Podcast – Listen to ‘Conversations that Kill Your Business’


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