"Veteran financier Ray Dalio [photo, left] has been in every kind of meeting: the good, the bad and the ugly.

"When I am asked to explain how my five-step CLEAR method can be helpful to a client in a single sentence, this is what I say: it is a way to build bridges, instead of walls, when communicating across cultures.

Alex Durand (photo, left) is the Ask a Credible Career Coach columnist at TheMuse.

"Some of the latest research has been published in a new book out called, Engaged: The Neuroscience Behind Creating Productive People in Successful Organizations.

Curtis Newbold presents an infographic on the topic.

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"Chronically-negative people can slow down your momentum and sabotage real success.

"In August, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)’s release of a buyer’s guide for podcast advertising signaled that advertisers and marketers are beginning to take podcasting seriously as a marketing channel.

"It is paradoxical that as job coaches, video interviewing, resume-sifting software and sites like LinkedIn and Indeed have added new maneuvers for HR and job seekers alike, finding the right person is as hard as ever.

"In our highly polarized times, just about everyone has experienced the fruitlessness and stress of online political arguments.

"In order to get the insights you’re so eager to get your hands on, you’ll need to ask targeted and smart questions.

"I’ve spent much of the last decade studying (and having) conversations and teaching people how to understand their own exchanges.

"When one person asks another a question, it takes an average of 200 milliseconds for them to respond.

"You became a business leader because you’re capable, confident, and intelligent, right?

"In the world of international business, it's critical to know your words will be understood by people from another country, or it could spell disaster.

"Relationships are still the driving force for how professionals get the jobs they want, how the top sales reps outperform the rest of their team, and how entrepreneurs get their companies funded and off the ground.

"In the realm of business, people often say that it’s a cut-throat or dog-eat-dog world.

"Knowing what you do not know is a sign of wisdom, according to Greek philosopher Socrates.

"With so many ways to visualize data, do you ever wonder which chart you should be using to showcase your information?

"The best workers do the best and the most work.

"Presenting information to a crowd is an art form.

"How to fix the most common blogging bloopers.

"An infographic by film editing simplifiers Filmora lists nine trends to keep an eye on in the coming year.

"We’re headed toward the end of another year, and it’s time to start planning the next year.

"If you receive a calendar invitation and it’s clear from the above suggestions that you need not attend a meeting, you have options: .