One of the good things about an election year campaign (or, in the case of the U.S., an election two-year campaign), and perhaps the ONLY good thing about the endless coverage of candidates, is that we all get the chance to see a lot of people making speeches. If you want to improve your public…Continue reading It’s Not About You
Tag: Ellen Dowling
The Simple Mistake You’re Making in Delivering Feedback That You Can Fix Today
Nobody likes giving negative feedback or delivering potentially disappointing news to a direct report. And while many individual contributors know that they actually need negative feedback to get better at their jobs, they typically don’t relish the idea of finding out that they’re falling short of expectations. Nevertheless, negative feedback– when delivered carefully and thoughtfully– can help individuals and teams course correct,…Continue reading The Simple Mistake You’re Making in Delivering Feedback That You Can Fix Today
Don’t Fidget
Some years back, Ellen was teaching a two-day presentation skills class and one of her students had a big moustache. A really big, “handlebar” moustache. A lighter-hued version of this: Now, the moustache itself was not a problem. The problem was that the student (let’s call him Snidely Whiplash) liked to twirl the ends of…Continue reading Don’t Fidget
How to Bring Up the Elephant in the Room Without Losing Your Courage (or Your Job)
A typical work day for most of us is filled with conversations. Managers and direct reports discuss what work needs to be accomplished, by when, and what success should look like. Colleagues talk about the impact that recent changes are having on their roles and their teams. Leaders articulate their vision for the company’s future, and how to…Continue reading How to Bring Up the Elephant in the Room Without Losing Your Courage (or Your Job)
30 Workplace Situations That Lead to Conflict (and What to Do About Them)
Having conflict at work is inevitable. With all of us managing so many competing priorities, negotiating limited resources, and aiming to be both tactical and strategic, it’s amazing that any work gets done at all. And despite the fact that so many situational, organizational, and systemic issues in our companies contribute to our stress, we tend to…Continue reading 30 Workplace Situations That Lead to Conflict (and What to Do About Them)
3 Ways to Be a More Approachable Leader
You’re busy. You’re stressed. You’re overworked and under-resourced. It’s one thing to feel that way. It’s another thing to share those feelings with your colleagues honestly, openly, and without blaming others. Neither of those will likely undermine your impact and credibility as a leader. What will? Acting out on these feelings in a way that makes others reluctant, or even…Continue reading 3 Ways to Be a More Approachable Leader
The Standup Speaker
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.…Continue reading The Standup Speaker
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…Continue reading The World’s Worst Presenter
10 Presentation Myths and Realities
1. Myth: You won’t have stage fright if you imagine that your audience is naked. Reality: If you think your audience is naked, you won’t be able to look at them at all. (Or you won’t be able to stop laughing.) 2. Myth: There’s nothing you can do to hide your nervousness when you get…Continue reading 10 Presentation Myths and Realities
You Need Both the Steak AND the Sizzle
Recently we read a most interesting account (on a wonderful site called Futility Closet) of an experiment conducted in 1970 at the University of Southern California School of Medicine that proved that, if the speaker is enthusiastic and displays engaging body language, the audience will give him/her a high approval rating, even if what she/he…Continue reading You Need Both the Steak AND the Sizzle
Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are (We See You Hiding Behind that Lectern)
We were amused to read in the Albuquerque Journal that the new governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan-Grisham (described as “diminutive” by the Journal), joked in her inaugural speech that one of her first acts as governor would be to order all lecterns in New Mexico to be lowered. This got us thinking about how…Continue reading Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are (We See You Hiding Behind that Lectern)
Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong
Ah, good old “Murphy’s Law.” Examples of this adage abound in real life: Whatever line you choose to stand in at the grocery store, the OTHER line will move faster. If you drop a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the floor, it will always land jelly side down. The minute you buy a new…Continue reading Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong
A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to this Presentation . . . .
It never ceases to amaze us how many people think that telling jokes is the best way to add humor to a presentation. Where they get this idea from, we don’t know, but we have seen quite a few people try to be the Jimmy Fallon of presenters, only to find themselves using the podium…Continue reading A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to this Presentation . . . .
How to Get a Standing Ovation
First let us ask, have you ever actually gotten one? We’ll bet it was a memorable moment in your life if you did. (And we’d love to hear about it.) But we’re thinking that most people have only seen others getting one: actors in a theatrical performance, concert performers, State of the Union address givers…Continue reading How to Get a Standing Ovation