Before you read any further, take a few minutes (5:46, to be exact) to watch this YouTube video of 14-year-old standup comedian Dylan Roche. Isn’t he hilarious? He also provides very good examples of three elements that standup comics and public speakers have in common. 1. They both perform in front of a live audience. […]
Tag: communication keynote speaker
3 New Ways to Manage Your Time That’ll Give You Hours Back Each Day
I have yet to meet the professional who has declared, “Time management? I’ve got that handled.” (And if that’s you, please send me a DM on Twitter so I can interview you for a future article). Most busy professionals struggle with assessing how much time certain tasks will take, managing multiple priorities, saying no, and many more […]
How to Talk to Your Boss About Your Career Goals
People managers wear many hats: delegator, goal-setter, accountability-partner, brainstorming buddy, performance evaluator, obstacle-mover, resource-allocator, and more. (This, of course, is all in addition to their day jobs of actual work.) And there’s one critical role for managers that often doesn’t get addressed: career developer. According to research by Right Management, the global career and talent development expert within ManpowerGroup, only 16 […]
The World’s Worst Presenter
One of our favorite TV shows, Whose Line is it Anyway?, frequently includes a bit called “The World’s Worst . . .” in which the players must come up with various examples of the worst characteristics of a variety of professions. The world’s worst surgeon, for one example: (Player mimes performing an operation.) “Am I […]
Saying These 2 Words During a Big Presentation Could Damage Your Credibility
Every presentation is an opportunity to demonstrate your confidence, competence and character. You have the chance to prove that you understand your audience’s concerns, and show how you can meet their needs. And, when you do it well, you also get to boost your personal and professional credibility. Until you say, “I’m sorry.” Saying, “I’m sorry” […]
3 Mistakes Managers Make During One-on-One Meetings
The late, great fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld once remarked, “I don’t do meetings.” And if you were Karl Lagerfeld, you didn’t have to. For the rest of us, however, meetings are a part of getting work done, even if they often feel like an interruption of our real work. No matter what you think of meetings in general, having regular, focused, and productive one-on-one conversations […]
Before You Say That You’re Too Busy, Ask Yourself These 3 Questions
Despite the ubiquity of technological advances, for many of us, time management is more of a problem than ever. Whether you keep postponing finishing your client presentation because your boss keeps throwing new projects at you, or you can’t schedule your family vacation because you have too many high-priority tasks, getting a handle on getting things done can […]
How to Respond to Someone Who Just Got Bad News at Work (Don’t Say ‘Look on the Bright Side’)
When you see your friend or colleague at work, you hopefully get a warm smile, a friendly hello, and maybe a little chat about your favorite TV show that was on last night. But at times, as soon as you see him, you know something’s wrong. His shoulders are slumped, his gaze is distracted, and that smile […]
Difficult Person Driving You Nuts? Here Are 3 Strategies to Try If You’ve Tried Everything Else
Working with a difficult person (and, often, more than one) is as expected in the workplace as attending pointless meetings. We’ve all desperately tried to get a colleague tobehave better, like the one who complains every time a change is announced, or who nitpicks at every detail in your presentation, or who completely withdraws when given […]
3 Words That Really Work to Motivate Your Employees
When you think about your annual physical exam, you may be worried that your doctor is going to criticize your choices (like eating too much steak and not enough salad), deliver disappointing news, or find something frightening. Those are the kinds of concerns that prevent people from reaching out to their physician for help. But feeling judged, […]
3 Ways to Get More Positive Feedback From Your Boss
Most of us think about feedback as negative: being told by our manager that we’ve fallen short of a goal, or that our work processes need work, or that a behavior needs to change. And yes, negative feedback delivered thoughtfully and constructively, is critical to helping us make progress. Let’s not overlook the importance of receiving […]
3 Things That Women Say Yes to that Undermine their Impact at Work
Most of us hope that our colleagues and bosses see us as helpful. Helping in the workplace has been recognized as an important and desirable organizational behavior for decades, from both an interpersonal relationship perspective as well as a business productivity perspective. When we’re helpful, we contribute positively to the social and emotional fabric of the company, as well as to […]
3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Pitching an Idea to Your Boss
From ride-sharing to co-working spaces, and from Netflix to 3D printers, all of these were, at some point, brand new ideas. And each of them had a person (or people) behind the idea who saw the business potential in turning their idea into reality. But generating cutting-edge concepts isn’t just good for the business — it’s […]
