Connecting with Others is a Skill, as Well as a Talent
Let me share a secret with you.
The ability to make a strong first impression, influence and persuade people, spread ideas. To get seen, get heard, and get raises … most people aren’t born with that.
Even the smartest, most talented people in the world can have trouble saying the right words in the right way to make the impact they need to make.
That’s the good news.
Because it means these skills can be developed.
This is what I offer. Simple, concrete steps to strengthen critical communication skills. And I do it in a way that’s fun and that sticks.
Do you represent a business organization, association, or women’s group? You can help your people connect with each other and with the world more powerfully and persuasively … and have fun doing it.
Do you need more personal attention than a speaking event offers? For smaller groups or even one-on-one, coaching sessions may be the right way to go.
Do you represent a business organization, association, or women’s group? You can help your people connect with each other and with the world more powerfully and persuasively … and have fun doing it.
Do you need more personal attention than a speaking event offers? For smaller groups or even one-on-one, coaching sessions may be the right way to go.
Latest Blog Posts
Say Good-Bye and Stay Human
You’ve heard about the wave of layoffs sweeping over the tech industry and swamping careers in the process. It’s about the same story at media companies, both “legacy” networks and newspapers, and the online-only entities like VOX are shedding workers in big numbers. One hallmark of the current cutbacks is the utter lack of humanity displayed. And I mean that literally. There’s no human connection in the career-killing. Employees are finding themselves locked out of websites, losing access to Slack, getting mass emails informing thousands of workers at a time that they don’t work here anymore. It's hard to stay human.
3 Questions You Must Answer
3 questions you must answer. It’s an intriguing way to think about organizing our thoughts for a talk, a blog, or even a LinkedIn post.
I often hear from clients who find my suggestion of a three-part agenda for their presentations challenging. They have so much to say! It’s all important! And they can’t possibly narrow it down to three things. A three-part agenda doesn’t mean you only get to say three things though. It does mean all the things you say are organized into three broad categories.Why? Well, you already know about the power of three, right? People are more likely to listen, understand, and stay with us if we tap into that triplet rhythm. And listening, understanding, and staying have to happen before we can expect them to act on what we tell them. The challenge for speakers is to choose and organize their content.
It’s Better to Stand Out Than Fit In
It’s better to stand out than fit in. Remember those word puzzles we used to do when we were kids? They’d give you a list of items like “Apple … Orange … Chair … Banana.” And then ask, “Which one of these is not like the others?” It’s pretty obvious the chair is the one that doesn’t fit into the fruit bowl, isn’t it? Here’s the thing. I always identified with that chair. I didn’t fit into the fruit bowl either. The sad part is that I believed that was a bad thing. If only I could be cherries, instead of a chair … then I could belong with the apple, orange, and banana.
Not just as a child, but well into adulthood, I often felt like a misfit. And just as often, I felt sad about being not quite like the others. Maybe you can relate? There’s a lot to be said for fitting in, and those of us who don’t, exactly, can wind up wondering what’s wrong with us.
