Speaker training and communication skills 
Ten Tips for Effective Web Meetings
It’s been a full morning. You’re back to your desk with a cup of coffee to get ready for the 11 o’clock web meeting. You open your email. 40 new messages. “Well,” you think, “I’ll be sitting here for the next hour. I’ll catch up during the meeting.”
Sound familiar? Studies show that 6 of 10 people plan to multi-task during a web meeting, making these meetings less effective than their face-to-face counterparts. You can counteract the multi-tasking effect and have productive web meetings by implementing a few simple techniques to manage the process, enhance your presentation, and create interaction among participants. Read more…
Communication Skills Affect Quality of Life
“The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.” Anthony Robbins
Is this a typical Anthony Robbins overstatement? I don’t think so. My years of experience as a professional speaker, trainer and communicator in hundreds of organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to nonprofits like schools and churches supports this comment. My doctoral research into the difference between ordinary and extraordinary communicators and leaders also reinforces the importance of communication. Read more…
The High Price of Procrastination
How much is procrastination costing you or your organization? Maybe more than you are willing to pay.
More than two months before Alexander Graham Bell submitted his patent for the telegraph, Elisha Gray had already arrived at the conclusion that voice could be transmitted over a telegraph wire. Why, then, is Elisha Gray anonymous and Alexander Graham a celebrated inventor? Read more…
Do They Know You Care?
Have you heard this advice? “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” No doubt we are interested in those who are interested in us. This truth applies to the area of presentations as well. Most audiences will find a speaker interesting only to the degree that they sense he or she is interested in them.
Thus, effective speakers are effective writers. And effective writers develop messages from their audiences’ perspective not only from their own. Bottom line: Don’t skip your audience analysis! Read more…
Perception Trumps Position
Someone wise once said, “If you think you are a leader look behind and make sure someone is following. A leader with no followers is only taking a walk.”
This quote reminds us that effective leadership has less to do with our position over others and more to do with the perceptions of others–the power to inspire the extraordinary stems from the perceptions of our constituents not from our position or title.
What perceptions does your team have of you? What perceptions do your constituents have of your team? Can you and your team inspire the extraordinary or are you only capable of pleading for the ordinary?
EDC Communications can help you assess your “perception-power” using our proprietary, on-line leadership evaluation. Contact us to learn more about this exciting tool.
UnCommon Courtesy
“Yes, please.”
“No, thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
“Thanks so much!”
“How may I help you?”
“Yes sir.”
“Yes mam.”
“I appreciate your view on this issue.”
“Fair enough, a differing but valid opinion.”
“I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
“As you wish…….” (Wesley never dies). Read more…
Accomplishing What Matters Most
“If you have more than three priorities then you don’t have any.” — Jim Collins (Good to Great)
“Try to catch two rabbits at the same time and they both get away.” –Anonymous
When I read these quotes, I think about my frenetic work day. Often I can work all day and still not be sure what I accomplished of long-term value.
All of you lead similar lives.
Won’t you join me as I strive to put “first things first” (Covey) and prioritize our days and weeks to do the thing that will add greatest value to our respective teams and organizations. Try reviewing and prioritizing your tasks for the week on Sunday night when you have time to reflect on what is most important. If you wait till you are in the middle of your day, you may never get time to reflect.
Once your priorities are set, be disciplined enough to follow-through–which is more about saying “no” than “yes.”
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing
The ability to clearly communicate in writing is more important than ever. Poorly written emails, letters, reports, and presentations can cause people to question your competency. Paying attention to some key details is all it will take to maintain your credibility when you write. A few mistakes to avoid:
- Spelling mistakes. This is definately commin. Spelling counts! Pay special attention to words that are not in the spell-check dictionary, such as brand names. Be sure that the names of people, companies, and products are correct. Do not rely on spell-check alone—always read documents aloud before printing or distributing them.
- Choosing the wrong word. Their our best clients. In the same vein as spelling mistakes, choosing the wrong form or spelling of a word quickly undermines your credibility. Familiarize yourself with the most commonly misused words and their proper meanings. Some examples are: their, they’re, or there; it’s vs. its; than vs. then; affect vs. effect; and ensure vs. insure. Your spell-checker will not catch words that are spelled correctly but are used in the wrong context.
- Using slang, jargon or internet-speak. Whatever! LOL! Slang and jargon are easily misunderstood and can be offensive to some. You should also avoid using “emoticons”—the little faces that are often inserted in text messages or email signatures. Beware of language that is only relevant to the internal workings of your organization, such as acronyms or nicknames for projects or departments. Say what you mean in a way that “outsiders” can understand it as well.
- Run-on sentences or paragraphs. The longer the sentence the more difficult it will be for people to understand your point because it will become lost within the verbiage of the sentence or phrase that… Read through your document: If a sentence includes more than one conjunction (if, and, but, yet, or, nor, so, that) you should divide it into shorter statements that will be more easily understood.
- Misplaced modifiers. The sales director will give a presentation in Kentucky. The sales director in Kentucky will give a presentation. Misplaced modifiers are confusing, and require that your reader read slowly and carefully to understand your point. A modifier (“in Kentucky”) should be placed as close as possible to the object that it modifies (“the sales director”).