20+ years of inspiring confidence and connection, one conversation at a time.
Real-time business conversation skills for leadership, sales, and customer service
Despite having more ways to communicate than ever before, many organizations are finding that real-time conversations have become more difficult, more fragmented and less effective.
At the same time, the need for strong real-time communication has never been greater. Organizations depend on conversations to build trust, strengthen relationships, reduce friction and move work forward.
In Mary Jane Copps’ 2026 Real-Time Business Conversation Index, 98% of senior business leaders agreed that real-time conversations are critical to business success. Yet only 11% believed their organizations were handling those conversations effectively.
Real-Time Conversations Matter
Today’s workplace depends on many forms of real-time conversation: phone calls, video calls, leadership discussions, stakeholder conversations, customer interactions, team communication and sales conversations.
As communication becomes increasingly digital, many professionals spend less time practicing and using the skills required for clear, confident and effective real-time conversations. The results can include:
- increased misunderstanding
- communication avoidance
- reduced confidence during difficult conversations
- tension between teams and stakeholders
- customer frustration
- conversations that feel rushed, reactive or unclear
Real-time conversation skills directly impact leadership effectiveness, customer experience, collaboration, and business growth.
Not A “Soft” Skill
It was in the late 1960s that skills such as conversation, empathy and leadership received the label “soft skills” by the U.S. military. At the time, mechanical abilities were labelled “hard skills” such as working with heavy machinery.
The term "soft" was never meant to imply weakness or insignificance, yet these essential skills have often suffered from a lack of attention because of this connotation.
Today, we know better. We know that conversation skills are essential to every business across all industries and that every team member benefits from access to the training and coaching needed to continually improve.
Business success depends on far more than information; it depends on conversations.
Mary Jane Copps
For more than 20 years, Mary Jane has been known internationally as “The Phone Lady,” helping organizations strengthen phone communication, customer conversations and sales performance.
Today, her work continues to support phone conversations while also helping organizations improve all forms of real-time business communication, including leadership discussions, stakeholder conversations, customer interactions and team communication.
With a practical, human approach to training and coaching, Mary Jane helps individuals and organizations communicate with greater clarity, confidence and awareness during the conversations that matter most. For more information, visit Mary Jane's About page.
Delivering the “How” of Effective and Efficient Business Conversations
Leadership & Team Conversations
Leaders and teams learn to create greater clarity, trust and alignment during everyday workplace communication.
Stakeholder & Client Conversations
Practiced and effective communication with clients, customers and stakeholders reduces friction, misunderstanding and avoidance.
Sales Conversations
Strengthen real-time sales conversations through better listening, stronger questions, increased confidence and relationship-building.
A More Human Approach to Communication
Messages arrive constantly. Conversations are often shortened, delayed or replaced with text-based communication.
Yet trust, clarity and strong relationships are still built through real-time human interaction.
Through customized workshops, coaching, auditing, and speaking designed around the realities and pressures facing modern organizations, Mary Jane’s work helps organizations strengthen the communication skills that support healthier conversations, stronger relationships, and more confident teams.