Commentary

Robin’s Blog Posts

Dennis Blog Posts

Melody’s Blog Posts

Kristen’s Blog Posts

Speak with Confidence

Laura’s Blog Posts

Monica’s Blog Posts

Ian's Blog Posts

Do You Struggle to Get to the Point? Try the HEC Strategy!

Ever been asked to “get to the point” and found yourself scrambling? If so, you might be an inductive thinker—someone who starts with smaller details and builds toward the bigger picture. While this approach feels natural for many, it can waste time and frustrate deductive thinkers, who prefer starting with the conclusion. Enter the HEC strategy: Headline-Example-Comment. This simple framework helps you speak clearly and efficiently in 20 seconds or less. 1. Headline Start with

Read More »

From Jargon to Clarity

In technical fields, your expertise is invaluable—but when sharing complex information with non-technical listeners, the goal isn’t to showcase your depth of knowledge. Instead, focus on helping them understand and trust what you’re saying. As a communication coach with 30 years of experience, my advice is simple: “It’s not about you.” Your listeners need clarity, not complexity. Tailoring your message to how they want to receive it fosters understanding and builds trust. Here are three

Read More »

Speak With Confidence Tips

Tip #1: Consider your use of contractions If you want to polish and add gravitas to your speaking style, it’s time to reconsider your use of contractions. The words below can be a good start to set a formal tone and an excellent approach to elevate your messaging. aren’t → are not; there’s → there is; can’t → cannot; they’d → they had; couldn’t → could not; they’ll → they will; didn’t → did not;

Read More »

Executive Communication Coaching ~ An expanding and specialized field

Executive Communication Coaching (ECC) is a specialty within the leadership coaching field which focuses on imparting communication skill expertise to achieve individual, team and organizational success. ECC focuses on assessment and targeted goals, mindset change, skill presentation and practice; and is measured by observable results. Client self-discovery and insight are integral to the coaching process, as they greatly impact ability to integrate and apply new and effective strategies. ECC is distinguished from other Executive Coach

Read More »
Presenting technical information to non-technical listeners

Meaning Keeps Non-Technical Listeners Engaged

I recently met with a client who was concerned about presenting on a “dry topic”. His topic was full of data and technical concepts that he felt would bore the audience, and after hearing his first run through, he was correct. One of the best ways to present technical information to a non-technical audience is to focus on what data means, not on the data itself. For example, if you analyze the stat sheet of

Read More »

Cross-Cultural Conversations: Why Do We Misunderstand Each Other?

The topic of misunderstanding has many angles to discuss; it’s hard to pick one — tone, choice of words, inflection, context, etc. Let’s look at teams that have members from other cultures. Now, remember, each group has its own culture, so when you see me use the word culture, it does not only mean different countries; it might mean other departments. The specific word I’ll focus on for this discussion is IDIOM. Definition an expression

Read More »