Debra Fine

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The Big Talk

“Want a drink?” – Why your answer could be fuzzy.

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  Dear Debra: I have a neighbor whom I would consider a friend, though we aren’t so close that we discuss all the intimate details of our lives. I enjoy her company and she is “a regular” in my home whether it is a one-on-one visit or a neighborhood social function. I know she struggles […]

Is There A Time For Fussing and Fighting My Friend?

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    Today, as I was driving to one of my small talk engagements, I was humming along with John Lennon’s Imagine and the music really resonated with me. Partly because I was always a teeny bit jealous of Yoko with her white dress and white headpiece and white room and white piano and – […]

The Lunch Break – And Why Experts Think It’s A Good Thing.

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Lunch breaks, for some reason, are frowned upon in the US; but new research shows that taking a lunch break is actually good for your health. In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Dr. Chris Cunningham, Professor of Industrial-Organization and Occupational Health Psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga touts the benefits of the […]

Talk Tyrants and Their Victims | A Small Talk Series | The Interrupter

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  Beware: There are small talk criminals lurking everywhere. The coffee shop, your kids’ school, the gym, the office, the dinner party. These brazen bullies strike quickly and without warning – and they don’t care who they hurt. My ongoing series, Talk Tyrants, serves two purposes: it allows you the chance to escape the attack […]

I Don’t Like Your Tone. Why Email Can Cause Major Confusion.

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  Dear Debra: My brother-in-law (my husband’s brother) is getting married in South Carolina next spring and my husband and I are very happy for him and his fiancée. He has asked that we bring our children along (ages 2 and 4), which will prove difficult considering our two year-old is VERY much a two […]