What you say to yourself matters as much as what you say to someone else. We all have worked with a difficult person, and for some of us, we're working with a whole bunch of them. For you, it could be the fierce individualist who doesn't seem to want to be a team player, or the boss
Most of us are talking too much and not adding value. Whether you think of yourself as Chatty Charlie, Reserved Rebecca or someone in between, chances are you have experienced the power of saying more with less. If you've ever worked in an office where someone stage-whispered "layoffs are coming" across the cubicle farm, you've
When "I'm sorry" becomes overused, it gets tuned out -- and so do you. We all make mistakes. From minor ones like mispronouncing someone's name (which, depending on the person, could be a big deal) to major ones like making an expensive misguided hire, every single one of us can remember the workplace errors we've made that are cringe-worthy
Know the magic word that cuts through the noise. Franklin Delano Roosevelt once gave this pithy advice for making a good presentation: "Be sincere. Be brief. Be seated." As a professional speaker and presentation coach for the past two decades, I agree with this public speaking wisdom, and I would add one more tip: "Be memorable."
As a coach and international business school instructor, I have worked with hundreds of current and future leaders who are accomplished, bright, and capable — and who quickly lose their confidence and competence when making business presentations. For a subset of these leaders — those who need to present in English when it isn’t their
In my role as a leadership coach, I consistently hear my clients say that they crave negative feedback from their managers in order to improve in their jobs, grow their careers, and achieve better business results. However, when it comes to soliciting negative feedback, they find that their managers would rather dismiss, deny, or delay
You have a big presentation to make to your client, your funders, or your boss. You've spent hours developing a deck that's concise, crisp, and visually stunning. You've practiced the delivery so that you speak with clarity, calm, and confidence. You've tested to make sure your tech is glitch-free, proofread the printed materials, and developed an
When someone violates your needs, you need to know how to push back with confidence We all have to work with difficult people. That's a fact of life -- and work. And one person's difficult person isn't necessarily another's. You might experience Analytical Amy as challenging to work with because she slows every single process
When someone is fighting fair, call it out and say "thank you" Have you ever had a conflict with a co-worker? Of course you have. If your company employs more than one person, workplace conflict is inevitable. And even if you're a sole proprietor, you're going to have challenges with clients, vendors, industry colleagues and others.
You only get one chance to make a favorable impression for yourself, and for your colleagues and clients. Whether you're hosting a conference, mingling at a networking event, or leading your team through a presentation to a new client, there's one step that's inevitable: introducing people to one another. If you're like most busy professionals,
