Listen to the audio version of this post here. In a virtual meeting or at the front of a real-world room, it’s easy to fall into a trap when we’re speaking to attract clients and referrals. When we’re out to highlight our contribution to the company and advance to a new position. Or when…
What Are You Wearing To Work Today?
Listen to the audio version of this post here. Working from home has changed a lot of things, hasn’t it? Some of us are commuting from the bedroom to the basement. Negotiating with partners and kids for workspace and bandwidth. Connecting with colleagues and clients only on virtual platforms and feeling Zoomed-out as a…
How To Begin With A Bang
Listen to the audio version of this post here. You’re about to present your big idea in a Zoom meeting. Or you’re on MS Teams telling a potential client why they should choose your firm for the project. Or maybe your professional association’s holding its first virtual conference—you hope your breakout session will net…
It Seems So Black And White
Listen to the audio version of this post here. There’s been a lot of black-and-white lately. I don’t mean racial rhetoric, although there’s been plenty of that too, in a campaign season that included demands for racial justice, demands to defund police and threats about upending suburban life, among other things. No, when I…
What You Say To Yourself Without Words
Nervous About Your Zoom Presentation?
Thank You For …
Listen to the audio version of this post here. It’s not exactly a newsflash that gratitude is good for us. Thanking people for their effort, expertise, or contribution generally gives them a warm feeling, often a warm feeling about us. And someone who knows they’re appreciated is more likely to continue being generous with…
Can you stop foraging and focus?
The First Step To World Peace
Getting Ready For The Big Day
A Break In The BlahBlah
Listen to the audio version of this post here. Seems like we’re always rushing, doesn’t it? Even in these days when we’re not literally going much of anywhere, there’s this sense of pressure to get things done, to respond immediately, to move the project along. Think about the language we use. We’re forever jumping…
Check Your Surge Capacity
Hey, What’s Happening To Your Glabella?
Singing Their Song
“The Connect”—Why You Need It
Listen to the audio version of this post here. Political campaigns and conventions are such an opportunity to study what works … and what doesn’t … when it comes to getting a message across and persuading people to pick you. That’s a priority for presidential candidates, of course. It’s also crucial for all of…
Ambition, Opinions and Smiling
Listen to the audio version of this post here. As the speculation intensified—”Who will Joe Biden choose as his running mate?”—so did the endless sexist blather. Whoever your favorite is, or if your own pick is None of the Above, you’ve no doubt heard the critiques from all quarters. “She’s too ambitious.” “She’s way…
Your Virtual Presentation—It’s Not A Lullaby
That Word—What It Means For Women
Listen to the audio version of this post here. You’ve heard about the Big Bitch Brouhaha on Capitol Hill. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out the congressman who’d insulted her in vivid terms. And she actually repeated those vivid terms on the House floor. Barrels of ink and pounds of pixels later, we know how…
Going To Work Where?
When They Just Don’t Get It
What Happens When They Mirror Your Mood?
Listen to the audio version of this post here. What state are you in? It’s not your location I’m looking for. I’m curious about the way you’re being at this moment. That means the emotion you’re feeling. And the way you’re thinking. How you’re holding your body. The way you’re moving—or not. Your energy…
It’s Not Optional
Listen to the audio version of this post here. “I’m not versed in public speaking.” We’ve seen this a lot lately. Somebody says something somewhere. Somebody else is offended. Controversy ensues. Exhibit A: Louis Vuitton’s Artistic Director for Menswear. No, I’m not a fashionista either – I couldn’t tell you much about Louis Vuitton…
Is F2F Gone for Good?
Listen to the audio version of this post here. Yes, there’s Zoom. And phone calls. And of course, texting. None of it is a substitute for real, live human contact, is it? We might miss face-to-face meetings more or less, depending on our personality or temperament and on what we were accustomed to, pre-pandemic.…
Getting Around To It
Listen to the audio version of this post here. Some of us are launching whole new careers because the pandemic has upended the old one in ways that seem insurmountable. People in retail, fitness and hospitality are among those reinventing themselves as their employers close for good. Some of us are adjusting. Doing the…
Many Things Are True
Where’s The Meaning In The Mayhem?
Listen to the audio version of this post here. How are you holding up? Seriously. It’s a lot, isn’t it? The pandemic. The economic collapse. Now the demonstrations along with the looting and destruction that accompanied them. Stores and restaurants just beginning to come back from the CoronaCrisis have been shut down again, some…
Don’t Let Your Mask Mess Up Communication
Listen to the audio version of this post here. Maybe you believe anyone out and about without a face covering is selfish to the point of being a public menace. Or maybe you’re mocking those mask-wearing “sheeple.” However you feel about face masks, they’re required in many places now. And there’s no doubt they…
Where’s The Brighter Side?
Reopening And Rage — What To Do Now?
Listen to the audio version of this post here. You’ve seen the stories I’m sure. Customers at a just-reopened Cape Cod ice cream parlor erupt when their sundaes aren’t ready for pick-up. They spew such abuse at the teenage cashier, she quits at the end of her shift. The owner says, “People have forgotten…
Twitter, Feng Shui and your Zoomroom
Listen to the audio version of this post here. You’ve probably seen some odd things during video conferences. You may have even done some odd things during video conferences. Now that we’ve moved all our meetings from offices and conference rooms to our laptops, there are still some things to think about. A big…
The New Meetings, Same As The Old Meetings
You’re Invited. But How?
Listen to the audio version of this post here. Funny, the things that can spark a debate. There are plenty of major life-and-death issues on which opinions differ dramatically. And then there’s … online scheduling software. I set off a firestorm the other day with my thoughts about Calendly and company. Namely, it rubs…
Are You Zoomed Out Yet?
Listen to the audio version of this post here. We’ve all been adapting to business meetings, sales conversations, and networking events on Zoom. Not to mention what were wryly called Zeders, the virtual Easter dinners, and those newly ubiquitous video Happy Hours. Some of us are having fun with this sort of Jetsons-ish way…
Ready To Take The Pledge?
Another F*ing Growth Opportunity
Fancy Meeting You Here
We’re all Zooming now, aren’t we? Or Skyping. Or maybe you’re using an enterprise videoconferencing system while your whole company is working from home. You know I’m eager to return to face-to-face communication. And, it doesn’t look like that’s happening soon. We should all get better at the virtual meetings that are (and may remain)…
Can we stop “distancing” already?
We know from years of research that human connection is critical to our well-being. That loneliness is toxic. That we need relationship to each other. And yet here we are. With everyone from the federal government to the mayor to our doctors telling us (over and over and over 🙄) to practice “social distancing.” Can…
Who Gets Your Attention? Are You Sure?
Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are
Don’t Go Down In A Hail Of Bullets
PowerPoint has been around for more than 30 years now. For much of that time, expert speakers have been encouraging us to use it more creatively and effectively than the engineers who designed it to show information to each other. Include more images, they tell us. And fewer words. Ditch distracting special effects. And for…
Walk the Talk to Make the Sale
So, this email showed up in my inbox: “Good morning and happy Saturday. I hope you are enjoying your weekend…and I was wondering if there was anything that I could help you with.” That’s wonderful. Except it’s Monday. Now I understand this is an automated message. The guy didn’t just sit down at his computer…
Ready To Change The Conversation?
If it seems like everyone is angry all the time, it’s not your imagination. People really are on edge. Spoiling for a fight. Quick to take offense. And of course, some are quick to give it. Political conversations are a minefield. And that’s spilled over, don’t you think, into other parts of our lives. How…
When Audience Participation Goes Sideways …
You’ve probably run into one of those people who treats audience participation as a chance to hold forth. They present a challenge for a speaker, don’t they? This question arrived in my in-box from an HR expert: “During my presentation, I paused to ask questions and opinions. I like getting some conversation going instead of…
How Do You Do Natural Networking?
If “networking” conjures up schmoozing at some professional society meeting, rattling off your elevator speech, and thrusting your card at everyone within arm’s reach, it’s time to expand the way you think about networking. Natural networking happens anywhere people come together for any purpose. Like for instance … well, come back with me to the…
How Should You Be Like Mr. Rogers?
Who’s Sneezing For You?
Yes, it’s cold-and-flu season, as those commercials about coughing-sneezing-and-runny-noses remind us. Incessantly. This is about a different kind of sneezing. The kind of sneezing that gets you clients. Or gets you promoted. Or gets you elected. This sneezing is about spreading your “ideavirus.” The concept comes from Seth Godin, who says it’s way past time…
Talking Too Much
You might know somebody like this. Advice columns have been full of questions lately about how to handle the people who interrupt you, talk over you, or just never listen to what you have to say. (Yes, I still read advice columns—it’s satisfying to spend a moment on other people’s problems instead of my own.)…
January 1, 2020
Tis The Season, Like It Or Not
Sometimes you feel all fa-la-la-la-la. Sometimes you don’t. I debated staying out of your inbox this week. Maybe you don’t celebrate Christmas. Maybe you do, and you’d rather mark the occasion without emails like mine. Maybe you’re too busy to even look at your email. By the time you stumble across this one it’ll be…
Your Work: Do Tears Go With The Territory?
Are You Ready To Own It?
I’m willing to bet you’re terrific at something. And it’s entirely likely you’re not willing to own it. You have plenty of company there. The Kennedy Center just handed out this year’s Lifetime Achievement Awards. One went to Linda Ronstadt, noting her worldwide album sales of more than 50 million, 30-some gold and platinum records,…
It’s The Wind-Up … And The Pitch!
How would you respond to this LinkedIn message? “Catherine, I hope you’re having a great day. My name is Dr. So-and-So, leadership and empowerment coach. It’d be great to connect to learn more about your work, and review if there’s a fit for my services within your organization or for yourself. Looking forward to connecting.”…
Your Talk’s Like a Turkey …
Getting On The Same Page
You know that sense you get sometimes in a conversation? The two of you are on the same wavelength. Singing from the same hymnal. Seeing eye-to-eye. English has loads of idioms to describe that delightful feeling of rapport. I experienced it the other day when I sat down for breakfast with a new friend. In…
Can We Ever Like Powerful Women?
What do we have against women who run for president? Unsettling news for Democrats emerged from a poll in six battleground states where electoral college votes put the president over the top in 2016. Although national polling gives several Democrats a solid edge over Trump, those six key states present a different view. Especially for…
Less Really IS More
Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director at Steppenwolf Theatre here in Chicago. She’s directed big hits on Broadway as well, she’s a Tony-award winner, and she’s a professor at Northwestern University. She is a very big deal in theatrical circles. No, I’m not about to audition for a role in a play. I’m telling…
Practice Makes Perfect. IF You Do It.
What makes it so hard to rehearse for your business presentations? Every expert on speaking recommends rehearsal. Yes, that includes me. At the same time, just about every would-be speaker says, “Awww, I really don’t wanna rehearse.” Or something to that effect. Yes. That also includes me. I have a speaking engagement coming up, with…
The Signals You Send
When you’re leading a meeting, conducting a conference call, or having a sales conversation, your state is absolutely critical. No, not your geographical location. I’m talking about the way you’re being. That means the emotion you’re feeling and the thoughts you’re thinking. How you hold your body and how you move. Your energy level. All…
Your Body Is Your Key To Communication
How Creative Are You?
Does the very question send you into a song-and-dance about how you don’t have a creative bone in your body and you never have? Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who owns every bit of your creative spirit. You make your living doing graphic design or photography or playing piano. You may even refer…
You’re The Kind of Person … Or Are You?
You’re all set for an important meeting with a client or colleague. You’ve done your homework, you’re completely prepared for this conversation, and you arrived early so the two of you can get right down to business. Because that’s the kind of person you are. Responsible, respectful, caring about relationships. You wait. And wait. And…
Put Down The Social Media Megaphone
Conversations Connect us. Or Not.
Have You Heard The One About … Workplace Humor?
Gender Judo: Not Just For Women
You know professionals come to me to develop Executive Presence; they want to be more potent and persuasive at work. It’s rare that my mission is: Make this person more likable. The NY Times Gender Editor is scoffing at a request to recommend a “likability coach” for a woman who comes off as a little…
Are You Ready For Extreme Interactivity?
There’s a time to deliver a well-crafted, well-rehearsed speech. Most business presentations are not that time. Not that we skip the crafting and rehearsing. We’re generally better off, though, in a conference room, board room or online meeting, to skip the speechifying and have a conversation with our audience. Business presentations almost always benefit when…
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 68
- Next Page »