Tagcommunication

Conversational narcissism: what is it and how to avoid it?

We are starved for attention. And not in the least because a lot of the social supports people used to rely on have disappeared. We live a performative and public existence where we’re constantly seeking and vying for other people’s attention. Our brains are being retrained as our natural behaviours are being used to exploit what is one of the most valuable commodities today: our attention. In a time when we’ve substituted in-person interaction with instant messaging, like my brother- […]

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How to recognise a conversational narcissist & tips on how to be a charming conversationalist from a communications expert

A conversational narcissist is someone who tends to steer any conversation to focus on themselves. Whether this is by giving more shift-responses or by simply withholding support-responses, you’ll recognise a conversational narcissist by how they always make every exchange you have with them about them. You may suspect a conversational narcissist if it’s someone who: needs a lot of attention, can’t seem to stop talking, or seek you out just to tell them how great they’re doing. 1) They are […]

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The surprising origin of the postcard & how sending a card is participating in history!

Bird cards on a windowsill

The postcard has been around for over 150 years. And whether you’re sending one from your travels in far away lands, for someone’s special birthday or just sharing some awesome memories with the person you made them with, the postcard can do no wrong. It connects two people in a gorgeously nostalgic way. With the perfect design on the front and a heartfelt note on the back, you can never go wrong with sending someone a card. This humble medium […]

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Why you should be writing postcards: 8 forgotten reasons why they’ll always be better than email (and how to start today)

Sunflowers are the perfect thing to cheer someone up

The first postcard was sent by a dude to himself. That was by an English gent named Theodore Hook in 1840. But it wasn’t until an American, by the name of John P. Charlton, copyrighted the first American postcard (how American of him), that they really took off and became popular with collectors, known as deltiologists. Since then our communications have become quicker than instant noodles and the value of each piece of communication has gone down. I mean, how […]

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Floriography: learn the secret language of flowers so you can give unique gifts which are imbued with meaning and significance

Floriography is a cryptic way of communicating through flowers and plants. Meaning, significance and symbolism have been attributed to flowers for centuries, but most recently its popularity soared in the 19th century. Victorian England was not anything if not concerned with that which was proper. Men and women – particularly unmarried ones – were not free to associate with each other as it was deemed improper, and this led to floriography becoming popular alongside a rising interest in botany. Feelings […]

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5 tips from a copywriter on writing a cover letter: this is how to bring out the best of yourself & show why you’re perfect for the job!

How to write a winning cover letter that will be read and not thrown int he trash

We used to live in communitites where we’d spend most of our lives with people we knew. But then we left that behind and started moving into cities. Cities that are full of strangers. People we’ve never met and never will. And this means you’re faced with the challenge of convincing complete strangers that they should take a chance on you. Give that job to you. Not the next person. To make that happen, you want to make sure that […]

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Why it matters that you show your love & 10 ways to say “I love you”

A woman holding a heart

Did you know that sharing your love will lower your stress hormones, cholesterol and blood pressure as well as boost your immune system? To get all these benefits, though, you need to express your love, not just feel it. You can say “I love you”, write a note or send a text to say “I’m thinking about you”. Hugging, listening and offering to help with chores are all ways of showing your love too. Just being in the presence of […]

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What if you could genuinely comfort someone without resorting to “it’s okay” and a pat on the back?

What to say instead of "it's okay"

If you want sympathy, look in the dictionary between SHIT and SYPHILIS. Sympathy drives disconnection because it is drawing a silver lining around someone else’s pain and dismissing their feelings as no big deal. You easily fall back on sympathy when you’re trying to protect your own heart (especially when you’re an overwhelmed empath), but acting like you don’t have a heart doesn’t make you a very good person. How you make other people feel about themselves, says a lot […]

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What’s the smarter way to deal with a crying child?

How to deal with a temper tantrum the smart way

Parenting is a lot like the bar scene; everyone’s yelling, everything is sticky, the same music plays over and over again and once in a while somebody pukes. There’s also a lot more yelling at people from the bathroom than I ever imagined. Parenting was a lot easier when I was raising my non-existent kids hypothetically. Back then I didn’t know that I could ruin someone’s day by asking them to put pants on. The standard toddler to-do list goes […]

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