What Happens When You Switch Gears?

People expect you to communicate in a certain way. You have … we all have … characteristic ways of expressing ourselves. There are words and phrases you use over and over. Some come from your profession or field of study. Your ethnic background or the place you grew up. You might use slang that’s current,…

Are you a Trusted Advisor, or just giving advice?

You hear this a lot, especially from people who give advice for a living. Could be financial advice, health advice, get-your-kid-into-college advice, whatever. “I’m a trusted advisor to my clients,” they’ll say, as if “trusted advisor” were printed on their business cards. It’s not, usually. And I’m not sure how many of the people who…

Less Is So Much More

Whether you speak to an audience of hundreds at a conference … or a handful of colleagues around a conference table … discipline is your friend. Here’s what I mean by discipline. You can’t say everything you might like to say in the time you have available. You’ll need to choose what to leave in…

Get Back On The Horse

Ever tempted to just give up when something doesn’t turn out the way you’d hoped? It happens, right? You know your stuff, you’re good at what you do, and still … sometimes you don’t meet your own standards. How do you handle that? When I fall short, it’s easy to conclude I’m not cut out…

What Do They See You Say?

If you want people to like you, trust you, or buy from you, being congruent is critical whether you’re talking in a small meeting or speaking to a big crowd. My clients hear this all the time: “If what you say and what they see don’t match, people will believe what they see.” Your words…