How can you take the America’s number one fear—public speaking—and make it even scarier? Oh I know! By adding in almost no time to prepare. And who would do such a thing? Oh, just bosses, clients, the real speaker whose flight was delayed. So, in other words, it happens all the time, when you least
In order to leverage the diverse strengths of your team and allow them to share and shine, you need to delegate. Delegating, when done well, not only reduces your own workload, it develops your employees, gives you and your team a bigger range of skills and impact, provides emergency back-up (since you’re not the only
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it
“The new normal.” “Tremendous uncertainty.” “Unprecedented times.” These are three phrases most of us rarely heard (or said) before March 2020, but now we are flooded with them. And every time we hear them on the news or at work, we are reminded that our lives as we knew them have changed. Many days bring
"Everybody is stressed" used to be hyperbole. But today, it's reality. And none of us know how long this is going to last. Between working remotely, homeschooling our kids, health concerns, racial tensions, economic challenges, and more, the list of worries and tensions can seem endless. If you're a leader whose intention is to treat
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," begins Charles Dickens's historical novel A Tale of Two Cities. For most of us, we know how to communicate with our team in both of those scenarios. In the best of times, we seize the opportunity to celebrate wins, offer positive feedback, highlight the impact of individual contributors and
Today's rapidly changing business environment calls for a new approach to sales, customer service, and relationship development. The need to become your clients' trusted adviser in an uncertain world is very important during this time. But this can be tricky in this virtual landscape for several reasons. First, when your customers are feeling reticent to buy
Most of us have come to appreciate (or at least tolerate) working virtually. It makes setting up meetings simpler, decreases commuting time, allows for more flexibility, and levels the playing field for team members who were already working virtually with nonvirtual colleagues. But for all its benefits, one thing that working online doesn't make easier is
Whether you're connecting with your colleagues over the phone or by video, being able to replicate the interpersonal connection of an in-person meeting is hard. We're often missing the clues and cues that each of us send (consciously or unconsciously) to demonstrate engagement, attention, agreement, disagreement, commitment, disinterest, and more. However, we don't have to miss them.
We're no longer "going remote" or "transitioning to online." It has already happened. If you're going to be leading online meetings, learning sessions, webinars, programs--whatever you call them--you need to develop special skills to keep people engaged. As someone who frequently facilitates webinars, virtual leadership programs, and online coaching (including presentation skills), I don't want to keep
As a leader, it's your job to help motivate, engage, and coach your people. And to do this, you need to have ongoing conversations with each member of your team to learn more about what makes them tick--and what ticks them off. This can be easy and rewarding when you're working with a direct report
Whether you're a startup, a new leader, or a seasoned professional taking on new responsibilities, you're trying to master every aspect of your business. But you can't have all the answers. No one does. Even so, the thought of getting bombarded with questions from clients or prospects that you can't answer quickly and intelligently probably keeps you
As a professional speaker and speaking coach, I rarely refer to notes while I'm actually speaking, and that's for three reasons: First, it's my job to know my content inside and out. Second, because my presentations are interactive, I have multiple opportunities to check my notes while my audience is doing an activity or having a discussion.
We've all worked with that person. Which person? The negative one who complains about everything, from looming deadlines and long commute times to the carb-heavy snacks and the slow elevator. The one who sighs when you ask her to do something even slightly outside of her job description. The one who names everyone else as the reason
