Dean Brenner

Have you ever worked with someone who seems obsessed with taking credit for everything? I have, and it… is… awful. It is unmotivating, frustrating, and exhausting to be around someone who is constantly trying to remind you how great they are. All you ever hear from a person like that is some version of “look at […]

There are a few scenarios that show up frequently in our workshops. And one of the most common is a request from a participant to help them sell their idea/initiative/recommendation. Nearly every day, we work with people who have looked at the problem, done the research, and believe they have the correct solution or idea […]

In our coaching and training, we end up discussing the interview process all the time. Many of our clients interview regularly for promotions within their company. And almost all of our clients have to conduct interviews with others, for positions they are trying to fill on their own teams. Part of our coaching process is to ask […]

Hello friends! We recently added a new element to our website, where you can submit your communication questions directly to us. We will collect the questions, and either answer directly back to you, or when appropriate, publish a series of questions and our answers on our blog. Our goal here is to give you some […]

What makes a great speaker? The qualities that immediately come to mind are things like confidence, expertise, poise, concision and great storytelling. These are all incredibly important pieces of not only engaging an audience but also persuading them. But there’s another aspect to excellent, convincing communication that can be easy to overlook: respecting your audience. Why respect? […]

As a speaker, it’s always important to project authority. Whether through a mastery of detail, a clear understanding of your audience’s needs, a strong speaking voice or a poised stance at the front of the room, showing that you have expertise and confidence can go a long way toward persuading your audience. But there’s another […]

It has become a complete cliché to talk about how fast things move in the world today. But let’s lean into the cliché for a moment, and then talk about how we react to it. How fast is the world moving? Let us count the ways. We can measure it any way you want. There […]

I have been teaching and coaching communication skills for a long time… twenty years in fact. Which is a strength, in many ways. I have a large reservoir of experiences and stories, and have seen a lot. But doing anything for a long period of time can also be a weakness. Your experience can become […]

Hello friends! We recently added a new element to our website, where you can submit your communication questions directly to us. We will collect the questions, and either answer directly back to you, or when appropriate, publish a series of questions and our answers on our blog. Our goal here is to give you some […]

Great communication does not just happen. It requires thought, preparation, practice… and it requires a philosophy. There are many philosophies out there in the 21st century business world. But here is what works for us (and our clients tell us it works for them as well): Great communication requires a few key ingredients, which are the basis […]