Emotion is Your Friend
Posted On July 30, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
We spend all of our time here at The Latimer Group coaching and training people to get to the point, and to use their communication to drive good outcomes. In other words, we are teaching people to be persuasive all the time. And there are lots of things that contribute to being a persuasive communicator. […]
Persuasion is Not Always Possible
Posted On July 23, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
We preach preparation and audience understanding, all day, every day here at The Latimer Group. One of our foundational beliefs is that the more you understand about what your audience cares about, wants, needs, is motivated by, the easier it will be for you to build connection, anticipate roadblocks, and build message plans that are […]
The Recipe for Great Business Communication
Posted On July 16, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
Hey Friends, In the modern business world, there are really five ingredients that have to be present all the time for great communication to be possible. Depending upon who you’re “cooking” for, depending on what audiences you’re preparing for, you’re going to make choices of which of those ingredients needs to be most dominant. So, […]
Bridging the Gap Between Intent and Impact
Posted On July 9, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
Here is a common scenario that I have watched and experienced many times: the words that were spoken/written by someone were received in way that was different from the intended impact. The message that was received or the feeling that was created was not at all what the speaker/writer was trying to send or create. […]
Become a More Confident Public Speaker
Posted On June 25, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
The single most frequently asked question I hear regarding public speaking is this… “Dean, how can I be more confident as a speaker?” I’ve been in this line of work for more than twenty years, and every year, I hear that question more than any other. And throughout my time leading The Latimer Group, my answer has remained […]
Persuasion Tips: Be Prepared to Argue BOTH Sides of a Topic
Posted On June 20, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
We think and talk about persuasion a lot over here at The Latimer Group. We believe that the ability to use your words to create good outcomes is a critical skill in our world today… this has probably always been true, but perhaps never MORE true than it is today. In a world where communication and information […]
Assess Your “Degree of Difficulty”
Posted On June 18, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
There are lots of ways to think about persuasion. And our team always advocates an approach that is based on preparation and a thorough understanding of the audience. But there’s one fundamental and additional element that can never be forgotten. In addition to a thorough understanding of your audience, you also need a thorough understanding […]
Silence Is NOT An Absence of Music
Posted On June 11, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
When we are listening to music, and there is a moment of silence in the piece of music, that moment of silence is not an absence of music. No. Rather, the moment of silence is part OF the music. I love this idea. The silence is a conscious choice by the composer. The silence contributes […]
Critical Mindset Shift: Be More Than a Messenger
Posted On June 6, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
We talk about this theme often here at The Latimer Group. But as with any important theme, it merits multiple mentions. When we are communicating in the workplace, we need to make sure we have the correct mindset. And that mindset is this… be more than a messenger. We need to be thinking about doing […]
Leadership and Followership… Both Matter
Posted On June 4, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
Everyone always wants to talk about leadership. Every organization is obsessed with training its leaders, present and future. And many professionals invest in developing their own leadership skills. Important stuff, and I am not suggesting those are bad things to focus on. But leadership is only one part of the equation for a successful organization. […]