3 Dec Three Lawyers and an Actuary
This week I had the privilege of coaching three lawyers and one actuary — bright people indeed who were preparing to speak at various conferences.
Three of them needed help structuring their presentations. One executive was having trouble relating to his listeners. Yet they all expressed concern over the thing that holds so many people back.
If you guessed they all suffer from the fear of speaking, you’re right.
There are two types of comments I heard:
Physiological: They mentioned faces turning red, shaky hands, and the fact that they struggled to focus. (more…)
16 Jul Communicate 34x More Effectively
I often caution people on their use of email. Of course it’s fast and convenient, but an important message or request may be diluted for that very reason: you chose a fast, convenient (for you) method to deliver it. If being heard is important, a phone call is far better. And meeting face-to-face gives you the most successful vehicle for delivering your message. A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and reported in the Harvard Business Review quantifies it. They claim face-to-face is 34 times more effective than email when asking someone to do something for you. The report can be read here.
The research concludes “it’s worth considering whether you could be a more effective communicator by having conversations in person. It is often more convenient and comfortable to use text-based communication than to approach someone in-person, but if you overestimate the effectiveness of such media, you may regularly—and unknowingly—choose inferior means of influence.”
Taking the time to be 34x more effective is worth considering when I write my next email.
24 May Future Generations
Angst surrounding communication is universal. Speaking formally before large groups can cause great anxiety, so much so, even the most accomplished professionals often shy away from attempting to try it. But how about one-on-one conversations and speaking with those closest to us?
As we approach the third decade of the new millennium, do you see effective communication increasing or waning? Are our “circles of support” growing or do we reach out to a more limited group of family, friends, and neighbors? (more…)
3 Apr Effective Presentations Certificate Program
With the new season comes a tremendous opportunity to become an effective presenter, one of the most sought-after skills in business today.6 Mar Raising (and Leading) Humans
There are amazing similarities between parenting kids and leading and managing our people at work. Being mindful of this just might help you become more resilient as you groom your employees to operate at high proficiency. Being aware might also give YOU extra energy in the process. Because like raising kids, managing people can be extremely exhausting (yet some of the most rewarding work ever!). (more…)
2 Jan “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”
People who love baseball certainly will remember its originator, Yogi Berra as one of the game’s most memorable players and coach. Many other people know him only for his absurd, but sometimes insightful quotes which spawned their own name: “yogiisms” — defined as seemingly nonsensical or self-contradictory statements that actually convey serious thoughts once listeners untangle the knots of their unusual phrasing.
Reading in the papers about mostly wrong predictions from 2018 and new ones being made for 2019 reminds me of that famous quote.
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