Your Body Is Your Key To Communication

You can’t do a presentation if you’re not present. In fact, when it comes to communicating, you can’t do much of anything if you’re not present. And yet, people try all the time to run a conference call, or a department heads’ meeting, or a big speech on a stage without being fully present in…

Have You Heard The One About … Workplace Humor?

Why do we even try to be funny at work? There are definite benefits to laughing on the job. And, if you’re in charge of anything … or anyone … humor can be a minefield in a meeting, conference call, or presentation. Maybe you want to boost morale. Bring the team together. Generate some positive…

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…

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…