Communication Psychology and HR – with Gerhard Ohrband — Podcast

How to Overcome Polarization in Discussions 27.06.2026 11min

We often label people as "stingy," "irresponsible," or"negative." But what if those same qualities become strengths in theright context? Sometimes the first step toward resolving conflict isrecognizing the positive intention behind the other person's perspective. Thatdoesn't mean you have to agree—it means you're making dialogue possible.

How to Get More Information from Employees — and from People in General 20.06.2026 10min

Many organizations invest heavily insurveys, monitoring systems, and data collection. Yet the best informationoften emerges in places where no one is measuring anything.People share more when they feelrespected than when they feel watched.If you want better ideas, morehonest feedback, and deeper insights from employees, the answer may not be moresurveillance—but more trust, reciprocity, and psychological safety.

The Biggest Mistake Is to Make No Mistakes 13.06.2026 12min

Many organizations say they valuecontinuous improvement. But do they create the conditions that make improvementpossible?The reality is simple: learningrequires experimentation, and experimentation inevitably involves mistakes.Whether in sports, music, or communication, progress happens when people areallowed to practice, reflect, and try again.Perhaps the biggest mistake istrying so hard to avoid mistakes that we never give ourselves the opportunityto improve.#Communication #Leadership#SoftSkills #LearningAndDevelopment #PersonalDevelopment#ProfessionalDevelopment #CorporateTraining #ContinuousImprovement #Feedback#CommunicationSkills

When Companies Outsource Responsibility for Soft Skills 06.06.2026 14min

Many companies encourage employees to take responsibility for their own development. That sounds reasonable—until a customer has a bad experience.Customers don't care whether an employee was given a reading list, access to online courses, or recommendations for self-improvement. They hold the company responsible.The uncomfortable truth is that communication, respect, cooperation, and customer service are not just individual competencies. They are reflections of organizational culture.Can companies really delegate responsibility for human behavior to employees, or is this simply another avoidance mechanism?#Leadership #Communication #SoftSkills #OrganizationalCulture #CustomerExperience #EmployeeDevelopment #Management #WorkplaceCulture #BusinessLeadership #CommunicationPsychology

Why We Often Don’t Share Useful Information With Our Colleagues 31.05.2026 12min

In many organizations, knowledge is createdevery day—but far too often it stays locked inside individual employees’ headsinstead of becoming part of the company’s collective intelligence.This becomes especially costly infast-moving teams, where people change roles or leave after a couple of years.A new colleague in a sales position, for example, could benefit enormously fromthe practical experience of those who came before—what worked, what didn’t, andwhat really made a difference.Yet in many companies, sharingdoesn’t happen naturally.It’s not just about tools like Slackor Notion. The deeper reasons are often structural. Incentives may rewardindividual performance over collaboration, making knowledge feel like apersonal advantage rather than a shared resource. Psychological safety alsoplays a big role—people hesitate to share mistakes or failures, even thoughthat’s often where the most valuable learning lies. And sometimes, knowledgesimply feels like personal territory: something you’ve earned through effortand therefore hesitate to give away.If we want better collaboration, weneed to look beyond platforms and ask deeper questions about incentives, trust,and ownership of knowledge.How does this work in yourexperience?#knowledgemanagement #teamwork#organizationalbehavior #psychologicalsafety #leadership

Why We Sound Unconvincing in Conversations — Even When We Mean Well 23.05.2026 12min

Most people prepare forconversations by thinking about what they want to say.But conversations are not speeches.They are unpredictable, emotional, and psychologically complex. Often, we arenot only talking to the other person — we are also reacting to invisibleobservers, social expectations, fear of judgment, and our own innercontradictions.And that is exactly why peoplesometimes sound unconvincing even when they are sincere.#Communication #Psychology#CommunicationSkills #Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #BodyLanguage#SelfAwareness #PersonalDevelopment #Conversations #CommunicationPsychology

Why We Resist Improving Our Communication Skills 16.05.2026 15min

Improving communication is rarelyjust about learning a few techniques. It often challenges our identity, habits,emotional comfort zone, and even the expectations other people have about us.Sometimes growth feels wrongprecisely because it is real growth.#CommunicationSkills #Psychology#PersonalDevelopment #Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #BehaviorChange#CommunicationTraining #SelfDevelopment

Employee Voice Between Pretense and Reality 09.05.2026 15min

Many companies today speak about openness, participation, and employee voice. But what happens when employees actually challenge the status quo?In this episode, I explore the gap between HR branding and lived organizational reality — from onboarding processes that exist mostly on paper to cultures where speaking upward is still perceived as risky.Based on observations from Moldova and international research, this is a reflection on psychological safety, organizational culture, and why companies often unconsciously punish the very honesty they officially encourage.#employeevoice #OrganizationalCulture #Leadership #PsychologicalSafety #HR #Management #Communication #EmployeeEngagement #CorporateCulture #WorkplaceCulture #FeedbackCulture #LeadershipDevelopment

What Do I Think and Feel About This Person? 02.05.2026 9min

Before any difficult conversation in HR or leadership, there is a step thatis often overlooked: clarifying your own internal position toward the otherperson.This is not a “soft skill” or optional preparation. It often determineswhether a conversation becomes clear and constructive—or confused andemotionally distorted.In most workplace relationships, perceptions are mixed. We rarely deal withpurely positive or negative impressions. Instead, appreciation and frustration,competence and tension, often coexist at the same time.The problem is not this complexity. The problem is when it remainsunstructured.Without internal clarity, conversations tend to become inconsistent: mixedmessages, unclear priorities, and fluctuating tone. And the other person isleft unsure what truly matters.Clear communication starts before speaking. It starts with how clearly weorganize what we already think and feel.#communication #hr #leadership #psychologyofcommunication #management#feedback

Error Management Training for Communication 25.04.2026 13min

LiteratureKeith, N., & Frese, M. (2008). Effectiveness of errormanagement training: A meta-analysis. Journal of AppliedPsychology, 93(1), 59–69.Most people believe the besttraining is the one where you make the fewest mistakes.But what if the opposite is true?When you only practice the “perfect”response, you become rigid.When reality shifts—even slightly—you get stuck.The real world of communication ismessy, emotional, and unpredictable.That’s why the most effective learning doesn’t happen by avoiding errors—but byusing them.When you experiment, fail, adjust,and try again, you don’t just learn what works.You learn how to recover when things don’t.And that’s the difference betweensounding good in training and performing well in real life.#communication #leadership #learning #training#softskills #personaldevelopment #coaching #growthmindset#organizationaldevelopment

Why Learning from Success Stories Might Not Be a Good Idea 18.04.2026 11min

For years, I consumed successstories, looking for patterns to replicate. It felt logical: learn from thosewho made it.But what if success stories don’t actually explain success?We often mistake correlation forcausation. People who succeed don’t always know why—and we fill in the gapswith appealing narratives.Lately, I’ve been shifting away fromself-help and toward testing ideas myself. Less imitation, moreexperimentation.What’s your take—are success storiesuseful, or misleading?#selfdevelopment #criticalthinking#businessinsights #personalgrowth #learning #entrepreneurship #mindset

How Can I Admit My Own Faults? 11.04.2026 11min

Admittingmistakes sounds simple—until your environment punishes you for it. Many peopledon’t avoid responsibility because they lack integrity, but because they’velearned that honesty can be risky. The real question is not whether admittingfaults is good, but when it is safe—and how to create that safety yourself.#Communication #Leadership #Psychology #SelfAwareness #EmotionalIntelligence#WorkplaceCulture #PersonalDevelopment

Improving Communication and Soft Skills Becomes Critical in a Crisis 04.04.2026 12min

When times get tough, communicationis no longer “nice to have”—it’s essential. Clear conversations, open feedback,and sharing ideas can prevent costly mistakes, keep teams aligned, and evenuncover opportunities when the pressure is on. Investing in soft skills paysoff exactly when you need it most.#CommunicationSkills #SoftSkills #Leadership #Teamwork #CrisisManagement#EmployeeEngagement #BusinessGrowthWhen times get tough, communicationis no longer “nice to have”—it’s essential. Clear conversations, open feedback,and sharing ideas can prevent costly mistakes, keep teams aligned, and evenuncover opportunities when the pressure is on. Investing in soft skills paysoff exactly when you need it most.#CommunicationSkills #SoftSkills #Leadership #Teamwork #CrisisManagement#EmployeeEngagement #BusinessGrowth

Why Keeping Updated on Politics Improves Your Customer Service 21.03.2026 4min

Many people say they’re notinterested in politics. But often, that really means they’re not interested inwhat’s going on in the world. And if we disconnect from the realities peopleface—economic pressure, uncertainty, frustration—we risk disconnecting from ourcustomers too.Staying informed isn’t about picking sides. It’s about understanding people.And that understanding is what makes the difference between average andexceptional customer service.#CustomerExperience #Empathy#Communication #Leadership #BusinessSkills #CustomerService#EmotionalIntelligence #ProfessionalDevelopment

How to Handle Toxic People at Work 21.03.2026 11min

At almost every seminar or speakingevent, someone asks me this question: How do we deal with toxic people atwork?My answer is probably lesscomfortable than expected. Before labeling someone as “toxic,” it’s worthasking a few difficult questions. Could the situation be more complex than itseems? Is the other person simply under pressure? Or could there be somethingin the interaction that we ourselves unintentionally allow?Sometimes what we call toxicbehavior is stress, misunderstanding, or a communication style shaped bysomeone’s background. Before escalating the situation, it may be worth having arespectful conversation, giving feedback, and allowing the other person toexplain their perspective.Handling difficult people at workoften begins not with confrontation—but with curiosity, clarity, andboundaries.#communication #leadership#workplacecommunication #conflictmanagement #emotionalintelligence#leadershipdevelopment #professionalgrowth #workplaceculture

Learning Perspective-Taking in Conversation 07.03.2026 4min

Learning Perspective-Taking inConversationHere’s a small habit I try topractice: I regularly read or watch media from the side I usually disagreewith. Not because I want to adopt those views, but because it helps meunderstand how other people think.The same principle works in theworkplace. If you work in one department, try reading what people in anotherdepartment read. Learn their vocabulary, their priorities, and how they seewhat’s happening in the company.Understanding different perspectivesoften makes conversations easier—and more productive.What do you think?#communication #leadership#perspectivetaking #empathy #workplacecommunication #organizationalculture

Listening to the Person Behind the Words 04.03.2026 8min

Evernotice how much people reveal without saying it outright? The way someonespeaks, their tone, and what they leave unsaid can tell you a lot. Learning totune in with empathy rather than judgment changes how conversations unfold—andyour connections with others.#CommunicationSkills #Empathy #ActiveListening #SoftSkills #Leadership

Can I change my voice? 25.02.2026 11min

Your voice shapes first impressionsmore than you might think. It’s not just what you say, but how your bodysupports your voice under pressure. Improving vocal impact is often less aboutpushing harder—and more about releasing tension where you don’t need it.#communication #voice #leadershippresence #publicspeaking #selfawareness#professionaldevelopment

Is “fake it until you make it” a good strategy for communication? 18.02.2026 9min

We’re often told to act confidentfirst and let confidence follow. But in communication, people are far moreperceptive than we think. Subtle signals leak through, trust is fragile, andauthenticity matters more than performance. Maybe the real question isn’t howwell you can fake it—but how honestly you can grow into who you’re becoming.#communication #authenticity#leadership #trust #personaldevelopment #psychology #publicspeaking

Why “No Complaints” Might Be the Worst Sign in Your Company 11.02.2026 6min

Why “No Complaints” Might Be the Worst Sign in Your Company