There is certainly a lot of love about the month of May. On my list of favorites are:

Shrubs and flowers blooming in my garden.
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A plethora of shades of green as the different types of trees explodes with leaves.
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Celebrating the love and sacrifices of Mothers and Veterans.
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Bird migrations - some coming. some going.
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Vacation planning.
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And grilling out and entertaining on the deck.

What do you appreciate about this special month; a time for waving goodbye to spring while we welcome summer? I didn't realize it, but there are 31 reasons to celebrate during May, including National Limerick Day and National Truffles Day. Hit the button below to see them all. There's something for everyone.
(And here's an easy and delicious recipe for homemade truffles!)
As more people around the world are vaccinated, we'll return to the pleasures of face-to-face and frequent social interactions. A recent Washington Post article by Galadriel Watson highlights 12 tips ( top 5 repeated below) for getting back into meaningful conversations, after a year of giving and receiving responses such as, "Not much new here" or "Same old, same old."

Have fun, listen, learn and enjoy the flow of an engaging two-way conversation with a friend, family member, or a casual acquaintance. Let's celebrate verbal curiosity and respect, while we continue to stay well!

-1-
FIND COMMON GROUND - something that affects everyone.

-2-
BE OBSERVANT and CURIOUS about the person you are speaking with.

-3-
LOOK FORWARD to upcoming events.

-4-
DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, so you have a new topic to share - maybe
a new book or hiking trail.

-5-
CUT OUT DISTRACTIONS. Turn off your alerts and, if in person, put your cellphone out of sight.
Have Zoom Meetings taken over for your team's method of communication? And do you always have the video camera on? if so, you may want to check on your team's overall well-being and look into the concept of Zoom Fatigue. EMI took some time to review the research on Zoom Fatigue and recently initiated changes to help our team deal with this psychological issue.

Read our latest news post for more information on the solutions we are implementing, such as Zoom Free Fridays.
A recent posting by McKinsey caught our attention. Did you know that babies laugh, on average, about 400 times each day, whereas people over the age of 35 only laugh 15 times, if that!?

The world is very serious these days, and looking back over the past 18 months, we haven't been given a lot to laugh about. Yet, as documented in a Harvard Business Review article, Organization Culture: Leading with Humor, there are many benefits to appropriate humor.
Every year we celebrate Mother's Day in May. On that day more calls are made than any other day of the year.
Contact us for more information on how EMI can provide appropriate solutions to your organizational challenges.
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