Picture this… We’re watching a movie where our hero is trapped and facing absolute doom with no obvious way out. We begin to feel anxiety and a deep sense of urgency for an escape. We also do something else… our brains are working fast on a solution for the hero. This can’t be the end! […]
Imagine each of these… you’re covered in mud and rolled in feathers, a baseball balanced on top of an upside down cup, you’re watching a dog swim from a goggle-wearing, breath-holding position under the water. All of these things took a split second for you to imagine. You’re good at this! Of course you’re good […]
“Well, uhh… that’s all I got folks. Thanks for coming… Oh WAIT! … Any questions? No? Okay then yeah, that’s all I got.” That’s word for word how he ended his presentation. While we’re probably all guilty of this at one time in our career, that doesn’t sound good. How do I know? Because I […]
“Um, Good morning everyone. I… uh… well, I’m really glad to be here and um… um… really excited to share um, our thoughts on, um, well it’s not just our thoughts really, it’s really um, our vision, um…well, um… let’s get started.” Your speaker for the day begins like this and you’re in the audience. […]
I’m sure you’ve heard the advice from others to grab your audiences’ attention from the very start of your presentation. Then, hang on to it throughout your presentation. That sounds great! The tough part is answering the question… “Now, how do I do that exactly?” Don’t use a joke! I’m sure at some point you’ve […]
The executive sat there staring at me while I thought about his question. I didn’t have an answer. His question was about the financial structure of our deal. I didn’t see any problem with structuring the payments by his request, but I didn’t have the authority to make that call. I’d have to run this […]
I’m not a huge Winter Olympics fan, but I enjoy watching some of the events. While watching the downhill slalom racing in Korea I heard the announcer say, “With that time, he’s now leading the pack.” For the first time, I heard it. I heard the misnomer in the words he chose. “He’s leading the […]
He paused for a moment and then answered my question. “I want to learn how to be more influential today.” I was in Seoul, Korea for a week of leadership communication training. I had asked all four of the leaders what they wanted to discuss during our time together. This leader’s request was not so […]
I was driving and listening to the radio (KLOVE) when a song by Mercy Me started. It gripped me from the opening line. “Dear younger me, where do I start?…” The song itself is powerful and it made a lasting impression on me because it made me think. I’m 30 years out of high school […]
I was asked to coach the CFO for a company in downtown Houston. I asked her more about why we were meeting. She said, “I told them (her audience) they complain too much and they should like this new HR plan. Later my boss (CEO) said I came across harsh and abrasive.” Wow… you think so? As […]
