Archives

13 Mar Speaking Business English Clearly

Best Practices in Communication for Managers

Thinking on Your Feet

This 30-minute recorded lesson teaches you how to process and organize your thoughts quickly in a way that will help you communicate clearly and with confidence

Have you ever wondered how some people always have the right thing to say at the right time? (more…)

Selling Yourself at a Job Interview

Job interviews can be challenging. Very few people enjoy talking about themselves and find it to be stressful. In addition to having the right skills, you have to get through the job interview. This lesson will share with you a proven best practice for how to ensure that you are being as effective as possible during your interview. (more…)

Managing Employees Remotely

Overcoming challenges in communication, motivation, and employee engagement

The coronavirus is forced many of us to work and manage remotely. With large numbers of employees working remotely or in a hybrid environment for the first time, managers have a whole new set of challenges to continue leading effectively. (more…)

12 Mar Communicating During Crisis

During this 30-minute recorded lesson you will learn the three most important things that must be communicated during a time of crisis and proven techniques for putting it all in place immediately.

In these unprecedented times, your people are relying on your insight and direction. (more…)

Virtual Presentations Beyond the Basics

Since COVID, there has been a surge in the use of Zoom, Teams, Slack, and other tools for virtual presentations. Dr. Ethan Becker, President, and Laura Mathis, Executive Communication Coach have together coached hundreds of remote presenters and share best practices in this 30-minute recorded webinar.

5 Mar ChatGPT: When Your Technical Skills Are Eclipsed, Your Humanity Will Matter More Than Ever

That’s the title of an insightful article from The New York Times by Aneesh Raman and Maria Flynn. It states “A.I. could usher in a world of work that is anchored more, not less, around human ability.” As speech coaches, we can only respond with “Whew!”

Fascinated, we turned to A.I. and asked ChatGPT to summarize it. Here’s what we got:

The article discusses a significant shift in the skills valued in the economy, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (A.I.). While technical skills have been highly sought after, they are increasingly susceptible to automation by A.I. On the other hand, “soft skills” such as communication, empathy, and critical thinking are becoming more crucial and durable in the workforce.

It highlights the need to rethink workforce training, moving away from an overemphasis on technical skills like coding and data analysis. Despite the current focus on technical education due to its perceived competitiveness in the job market, there’s a growing realization of the importance of human-centric skills.

The emergence of generative A.I. is expected to impact various professions, potentially affecting all types of work to some extent. As A.I. takes over routine tasks, it’s predicted that future job roles will focus more on collaboration and communication, emphasizing people skills.

The article emphasizes the need to recognize and prioritize human capabilities in the age of A.I., rather than succumbing to fears about job displacement. It stresses the importance of people skills in effectively working with A.I. systems and underlines the demand for such skills across industries.

Leaders across sectors are urged to develop new educational approaches that align with the evolving demands of the economy, placing equal importance on training in people skills alongside technical skills. This involves reevaluating the prioritization of science and engineering over humanities in education.

Employers are encouraged to invest in educating employees not only in A.I. tools but also in people skills and interpersonal collaboration. The shift towards valuing human potential alongside A.I. could lead to increased equity in the workforce and broader societal benefits.

Ultimately, the article suggests that the future economy will be characterized by a “relationship economy,” where people skills and social abilities are paramount. This shift calls for a reimagining of what is possible for humans, both individually and collectively, and underscores the importance of investing in and valuing human capabilities.

As speech coaches, we work on refining these tools. It’s about creating muscle memory and a good coach can help you build that.

You can find the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/14/opinion/ai-economy-jobs-colleges.html

27 Feb Conference Presenting: Back to Basics

It’s that time of the year when organizations are gearing up for client conferences. Below are three suggestions that I find myself reminding all of my clients to include in their presentations.

1. Give your listeners a reason to listen.  We call this a benefit statement, or I often refer to it as W.I.I.F.M. (What’s In It For Me).  It answers the question, “What is your presentation going to give listeners?” Think about your overall message and not what’s on your agenda slide.
2. Include one or two sentences about yourself in your introduction.  This information is not your title or your department you work in.  I suggest that you include something that is unique about your experience as it relates to your topic.  A great example of this is a recent conference presenter who only used her title as she introduced herself. When I asked her about her experience, I found out she was a top influencer who had been working in retail for over 20 yrs.  Two pieces of information that create instant creditability for this presenter.
3. End with an action statement. When you are wrapping up Instead of saying, “Thank you,” I suggest you use this as an opportunity to direct your listeners to do something with the content you just delivered.  A great example is, “Let’s continue this conversation.  I am available after we finish up. Come find me.”