Communication shapes how teams learn, respond, correct, and build trust. Trace Blackmore, CWT welcomes returning guest Paule Genest, Director, Sales and ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) Water and Energy TGWT / The Tannin Guys for a conversation on positive communication, temperaments, the WOW Effect, and how water professionals can use words with more clarity and care.

Communication With a Positive Impact

Paule reframes positive communication as communication with a positive impact. The goal is not fake positivity or polished language. The goal is to use the right words, tone, timing, and listening habits to create better emotional and relational outcomes.

That distinction matters in technical environments. Teams may say they want innovation, accountability, safety, or trust, but unclear or defensive communication can unintentionally create the opposite result. Paule reminds listeners that communication is not optional. It is operational.

Listening, Temperaments, and Shared Definitions

Trace and Paule revisit the temperament framework made familiar to Scaling UP! Nation through Kathleen Edelman's past appearances. Paule identifies herself as a "yellow," while Trace identifies as a "red," creating a useful example of how different communication styles can either complement or frustrate one another.

They also discuss why listening is more than waiting to respond. Paule encourages listeners to pay attention to words, nonverbal cues, context, environment, and emotion. She also emphasizes the importance of shared definitions. A word like "innovation," "courage," or "accountability" may not mean the same thing to every person in the room.

The Fizz Factor

Paule introduces the idea of "just enough fizz" in communication. Fizz is the energy, care, authenticity, and clarity that makes communication feel alive without becoming fake, overwhelming, or unclear.

Too little fizz can make communication flat. Too much can create noise. The professional challenge is learning how much energy, directness, empathy, and clarity the person and the situation require.

When Communication Gets Difficult

The conversation also addresses harder moments: tension in meetings, emotional escalation, apologies, safety corrections, and urgent technical situations. Paule encourages professionals to pause, breathe, validate, and revisit conversations when needed.

In a boiler room or safety-critical setting, direct communication may be necessary immediately. However, Trace and Paule agree that teams can still return later to review what happened, protect the relationship, and improve the system.

Better communication does not remove difficulty from technical work. It helps professionals handle difficulty with more clarity, humility, and purpose.

Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!

Timestamps

01:17 — Trace shares information about the Global 6K for Water and invites listeners to participate on Saturday, May 16.

02:20 — Trace introduces the episode topic: why clear, positive communication matters during busy seasons filled with projects, audits, customer calls, emails, and coordination.

03:28 — Words of Water with James McDonald

05:03 — Trace encourages listeners to visit the Scaling UP! H2O events page and highlights the 2026 Environment Systems Research Institute Conference in San Diego, California, July 13–17.

06:33 — Trace previews Legionella Awareness Month in August and explains why the podcast dedicates the month to Legionella, waterborne pathogens, expert interviews, and industry education.

08:29 — Trace introduces Industrial Water Week, taking place October 5–9, with daily themes for pretreatment, boilers, cooling, wastewater, and careers.

09:45 — Trace announces the return of Detective H2O during Industrial Water Week and reminds listeners why the week is designed to celebrate the industrial water treatment profession.

10:42 — Trace sets up the main interview by identifying miscommunication as a common professional challenge and introducing the need for better communication.

11:17 — Trace welcomes returning guest Paule Genest of TGWT Clean Technologies Inc. and references her previous appearances on Episode 192 and Episode 380

12:31 — Paule shares what she has been focused on since her last appearance, including growing relationships, improving communication, and supporting the water technologies community.

13:47 — Paule discusses her podcast-style work with power engineers and boiler operators, created to bring visibility to professionals who are often overlooked.

14:40 — Paule shares her work as an adjunct teacher at the University of Montreal, where her class on social responsibility and PR has become a required course.

15:23 — Paule talks about the Women of Water community, mentoring Abigail Coquette, and the value of documenting mentorship experiences for future learning.

16:05 — Trace reflects on an AWT Colorado Springs panel with baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z, showing how different generations respond to the same communication questions.

17:01 — Paule explains how she has learned to organize her communication around the listener and the message she wants them to take away.

18:30 — Trace introduces temperaments, with Paule identifying as yellow and Trace identifying as red, and connects the discussion to Kathleen Edelman's communication work.

19:31 — Trace explains why communication should be shaped for the recipient, using his Gen Z son and punctuation in text messages as an example.

19:54 — Paule explains that positive communication is not simply the opposite of negative communication, but a way of choosing words that influence emotional and relational outcomes.

21:40 — Paule emphasizes listening as an art and encourages professionals to pay attention to words, nonverbal cues, context, environment, and emotion.

22:43 — Paule explains why shared definitions matter, using "innovation" as an example of a word that may mean different things to different people.

23:54 — Paule discusses how people bring past experiences into present conversations and references I'm Okay, You're Okay and the child, parent, and adult framework.

26:00 — Trace asks Paule to explain her idea of "just enough fizz" in communication.

26:09 — Paule defines fizz as the energy, care, authenticity, vulnerability, and positive impact that help communication become more effective.

28:14 — Paule introduces the Fizz Factor Quiz and walks Trace through possible responses when tension rises in a team meeting.

29:29 — Paule compares communication styles to still water, espresso, sparkling water, and kombucha, helping listeners visualize different ways people show up in conversation.

30:30 — Paule explains the importance of speaking truth with empathy, checking tone and timing, and acknowledging how a message is received.

31:40 — Trace shares the example of a communication stick, where one person speaks until the other can accurately reflect what was said.

34:07 — Paule explains how to step back during emotional conversations by breathing, noticing physical cues, and returning to a listening mode.

37:10 — Paule reframes positive communication as "communication with a positive impact," focusing on the outcome it creates for both parties.

40:02 — Trace explains the three-part apology: acknowledging what happened, connecting with how it affected the other person, and asking how to make it right.

41:01 — Paule connects social responsibility with communication and explains why the outcome needs to be positive for both parties in a dialogue.

42:11 — Paule describes the communication model of speaker, listener, message, environment, noise, context, and feedback.

45:21 — After the sponsor break, Trace explains a question he uses when communication does not land as intended: "What did you just hear me say?"

45:55 — Paule suggests rating meetings and conversations by asking what each person felt, understood, and took away.

46:34 — Trace asks how communication changes in urgent safety situations, such as a boiler room issue that could lead to equipment failure or injury.

46:59 — Paule...