Rainmakers' rewarding habits | Drew Peterson's murder verdict stands | How prof would change law school

ABA Journal latest headlines

What really makes a rainmaker successful?

September 22, 2017, 8:30 am CDT

Ousted Alabama justice runs for Senate with calls for judicial impeachment for gay-rights rulings

September 22, 2017, 8:00 am CDT

Federal judge tosses challenge to statute banning unauthorized practice of law

September 22, 2017, 7:00 am CDT

Justice Department reportedly asks Skadden for information about Manafort-related work

September 21, 2017, 4:27 pm CDT

The legal education model is out of touch, writes new ABA commission member

September 21, 2017, 2:15 pm CDT

SEC discloses hackers accessed EDGAR system and may have traded on the information

September 21, 2017, 12:22 pm CDT

Is Posner's 'baffling' book an ethics breach? Chief judge objects to release of internal memos

September 21, 2017, 11:48 am CDT

Top Illinois court affirms ex-police sergeant Drew Peterson's murder conviction in hearsay challenge

September 21, 2017, 11:10 am CDT

Major product announcement expected at Clio Cloud Conference 2017

September 21, 2017, 11:00 am CDT

California sues to stop construction of Trump's border wall

September 21, 2017, 9:38 am CDT

In the Magazine

From the September 2017 Issue

Ethics: Innocence Awareness

Some states now require all attorneys to report wrongful convictions

Garner: Pro Tips on Speech Prep

How to enhance audience experience and make your points stick

Question of the Week

What phrases do you hate hearing when talking to colleagues?

It is important to "begin a conversation in a way that doesn't make it difficult for the person to respond, disagree, or add their perspective," communications specialist John Stoker says in a post at his DialogueWORKS blog. He then lists some poor ways for leaders to start a conversation or meeting with colleagues.

For instance, "I don't mean to offend you..." is really a set-up to offend a person, Stoker writes. "If you think that a person might be offended by something that you have to tell them, then you should really think about how you might deliver your message in a way that is respectful."

Or if you start a conversation with "Of course, as you know," then the person you're speaking to is unlikely to "ask you questions about what you are saying because they won't want to admit what they don't know."

So this week, we'd like to ask you: What phrases do you hate hearing when talking to colleagues (and thus avoid using) because they seem to get in the way of solving problems?

Answer in the comments.

Read the answers to last week's question: Do you volunteer on a regular basis?

Featured answer:

Posted by Neal Weinstein: "I volunteer once a week as a ski instructor at Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation at Sunday River, Maine, helping handicapped kids and adults learn to ski. My problems disappear when I work with these kids."