📣 We’re in the news again! 🗞 Success.com magazine profiled us after interviewing CEO Carrie Beckstrom. The article highlights our human-centered approach to public speaking, technical and executive presentations, and storytelling—and making smart use of AI.

Check out these excerpts from the article, which highlight 3 of our most popular programs, Speaking Up: Presenting to Decision Makers®, HighTechSpeaking®, and Powerful Storytelling™.

Tools Are Only Tools—Without Connection

“In time, we’ve learned that the most effective speakers and presenters balance slide decks and other tools like AI with authentic, engaging content and a delivery style that invites people in and creates genuine connections,” Carrie emphasizes.

“When you learn and continually practice communication skills aiming to connect to people’s hearts and minds, you become a better listener and better at collaborating on complex projects, helping leaders make informed decisions, persuading people to embrace a new idea or change and empathizing with them when they struggle to adapt,” she says.

“Plus, becoming a more powerful communicator increases your confidence and your value to any organization or community.”

Powerful Communication Skills for Today’s Workplace

The article highlighted 3 key ways next-level communication skills can drive business and build relationships:

Communicate in a way that enables leaders to quickly make the best decisions

“The team at PowerSpeaking says senior leaders have told them that more than 60% of the presentations people make to them fail. A lot of good ideas go nowhere and critical business decisions are stalled because presenters don’t know what works—and what doesn’t—with this kind of unique audience.

“So, what ensures success? ‘It starts with understanding the executive mindset,’ Carrie explains. ‘These are time-pressed, impatient 10,000-foot thinkers who need you to get to the point quickly—or as we say, ‘first line, bottom line.’

“To help people communicate effectively to executives, PowerSpeaking has a tailored training program—Speaking Up: Presenting to Decision Makers®—in which participants learn the importance of first setting the context and leading with exactly what they want from executives.”

“Being able to clearly communicate complex technical data is a critical skill in many businesses today. To do it well, it’s important to not just deliver data, but also, make it clear what that data means to the audience.

“Along with the strategies and tools PowerSpeaking offers in its targeted technical communication program HighTechSpeaking®, it also sees opportunities for the inclusion of generative AI. For example, when explaining how a new medical device works, you could use an AI tool to find a good metaphor. But to choose the perfect time to use a metaphor or anecdote and tell it in an engaging way, you need a real human who has been trained to communicate well.”

“In recent years, the business world has realized that effective storytelling is a powerful communication tool.

“Participants in PowerSpeaking’s Powerful Storytelling™ program are trained to tap into the power of storytelling. They first learn how and why stories are so meaningful and memorable. Then, they practice using the company’s storytelling framework and other strategies to succeed more often while launching ideas and moving projects forward, inspiring people to buy in and take action, creating a shared sense of purpose and being a more effective leader or project manager.”

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Explore how we can help your team master the communication and presentation skills needed in today’s workplace.

Read more about these topics:

Presenting to Executives: 23 Proven Tips

High-Stakes Technical Presenting: 3 Top Strategies

Engage Your Audience Through Powerful Storytelling Techniques