I’ve always enjoyed sharing stories when I speak. Unfortunately, when I started telling stories over 25 years ago, they weren’t nearly as engaging as they are today. I know I’ve still got plenty of room to improve, but you can trust me when I say, they’ve gotten much better! This is thanks to the generous […]
During my college years, I’m ashamed to admit it, but I was self-centered. It was all about me. For an infant or a small toddler to think this way, you’d probably expect it. But, as a college-aged student, it just looks selfish. Not a great way to meet new friends. Since that time I’ve discovered […]
Everyone looked at him and waited to hear his response. All nine people in the conference room had their attention fixed on one person. After a brief but dramatic pause, he began to speak with a calm voice and a solid solution. The rest of the group seemed transfixed as they listened. It was hard […]
I was listening to two managers in my workshop when he said it. They were doing a role-play exercise and focusing on coaching style questions but it was obvious to me now, this manager didn’t quite get it yet. I heard him ask, “Did you ask Jenna from Marketing to help with this?” The response […]
My concern for the upcoming event increased when I asked the executive how their organization defined leadership. His response was, “Well, you really can’t define leadership because there isn’t just one definition. Everyone has their own definition.” Hmmm…. How do you teach something you can’t explain simply? It’s the job of senior leadership to remove the […]
Golf has always been a game of both simple and complex. Speaking persuasively to an audience can feel the same way sometimes. For an audience to commit to following a leader, influence will always play a role. Since I know many leaders love to hit the links… I’ll use golf as the metaphor to teach […]
There are two ways to get someone else to do something. You can tell them or you can persuade them. Telling can lead to compliance or conflict. Persuading can lead to commitment. I’ve found that gaining commitment through communication can be done in four steps. I call this method WiFi. It’s not what you think. […]
I was sitting in a conference-room meeting with one of our customers just observing. One gentleman did not speak much, but when he did… everyone listened intently. I tried to figure out what he was doing with his responses and I found something! He was using a simple structure for each response. Now, I’m sure there […]
When I first started speaking in the early ’90s I was flattered to hear from some audience members that I reminded them of Jim Carrey. “You definitely bring the energy!” I loved hearing that. My world crashed back down to earth real quick when former students were tested after class on the content. The organization wanted to […]
Providing constructive feedback to the people I coach can be challenging for several reasons. For my students, it can be difficult for them to receive feedback from someone they’ve just met! They know I’m going to point out areas in need of improvement. This creates feelings of exposure and vulnerability. Here’s how I approach the coaching in 4 steps. As a […]
