Imagine that you’re carefully explaining something — to your boss, or a client, or a colleague, or someone who reports to you — and their eyes start to glaze over. This can be a sign that they’re getting too much information. None of us wants to bore our listeners, so here’s how to avoid over-explaining. Use the Instant Read More
public speaking
For Public Speaking (and Business) Success, Pick Up the Phone
Twice this week, I’ve had to remind sophisticated clients that you can pick up the phone when you need information: In one case, a client who’s applying for an academic job realized that she could get an inside track on what they were looking for by asking the acting department head. Another client, who’d just Read More
When Someone Asks a Question You Can’t Answer (on Stage or in a Meeting), Be Ready with a “Phrase that Pays”
Sometimes your mind purrs along like a well-tuned engine. Other times it coughs up thoughts, feelings, and anxieties that are worse than useless. Flashes of insecurity are human and inevitable. But when negative thoughts pop into your mind, it’s all too easy to freeze up, sputter, or panic. For many of us, this happens when we’re asked a question that Read More
Public Speakers! 3 Steps on How To Book a TEDx Talk
Ten years ago, a post on how to book a TEDx talk would have been very short, because TEDx didn’t even exist until 2009. Since then, there’ve been 15,000 TEDx (local TED-style) events, and the number of Internet views of TED speeches recently hit the billion mark. Obviously, the word is out. And since many people want to share their ideas from a TEDx Read More
When You Need People to Do What You Say, Use Accountability!
If the people you work with are human, they probably don’t always follow your instructions… and that can lead to a follow-up conversation (or confrontation) that many of us find awkward. Never fear, though: You can avoid feeling like the bad guy or having to listen to lame excuses if you build accountability in, from the start. Here’s how Read More