Have you been getting too many blank stares, awkward silences, and people multitasking during your virtual presentations or meetings?
Have you been getting too many blank stares, awkward silences, and people multitasking during your virtual presentations or meetings?
If ever there were a time when we could all benefit from a master class in listening skills, this is it. Our worlds—work, home, the globe—become better places when we listen to each other wholly and deeply.
It’s a new day, a new year, and I’m wondering, where do you want your career journey to take you? I ask not so much with your “technical” skills in mind, but rather, your human skills.
Who would have ever thought we’d long to sit at a conference table and meet with colleagues in person five times a day again? Zoom fatigue is real, but fortunately, we’ve got some comic relief and tips to re-engergize.
How you handle a question-and-answer session during or after a presentation can boost your credibility and reinforce your message—or not. We have techniques to help.
Listen to Master Facilitator Sarah Palmer talk about two common mistakes presenters make when trying to address questions:
Think of a storyteller who had you on the edge of your seat. Now, consider why that person was so engaging. Yes, the story itself was probably interesting, but likely, he or she made the story come alive in the telling, with a captivating voice.
In the process of developing Confident Speaking for Women, we interviewed dozens of women in leadership roles to learn how women can become more successful communicators and leaders at work. From that research, three lines of thought emerged, which are at the core of Confident Speaking for Women. We call them the “3 Cs” of powerful communication: Be Clear, Be Confident and Be Courageous. Listen to women executives like Shannon Brayton of LinkedIn and Yvonne Lin Liu of Genentech talk about how important it is to “Be Clear.”
How often have you seen public figures like politicians and entertainers trip over words, suffer awkward pauses, or make it obvious they’re reading a script while on camera? Yes, even seasoned speakers and presenters can bungle a talk if they’re not in sync with the words scrolling on that teleprompter screen.
Here’s the scene: Eight business people sitting around a conference room table. Half of them are heads down, checking their smart phones. One is flipping through paperwork, and another is doodling. A couple of them are talking to each other. And there you are, standing at the head of the table, halfway through your presentation. Ouch.
Capturing and holding people’s attention is a science and an art form that can be learned. Read on for our best tips. . .
