Dean Brenner

Today we continue our series on classic persuasion and communication mistakes. And today, I want to share a few thoughts on how to handle those really hard conversations we all need to have with a colleague from time to time, when we have to give some feedback that might not be well received. So let’s […]

Let’s continue our discussion of classic persuasion mistakes… here’s another one that we see all the time. If you want to persuade someone to take advantage of an opportunity, don’t spend all your time trying to demonstrate all the upside, how unbelievable the idea is, and how they would be crazy if they didn’t do […]

My colleagues and I spend just as much time changing the way people think about communication as we do anything else. Better communication is not about new tips or tricks (here is a line I hear in workshops a lot… “I am looking forward to getting some new tips.” Wow, does that drive me nuts.) […]

One of the keys to being a good colleague, teammate, and leader is self awareness and self regulation. (The same holds true for being a good friend, spouse and parent, by the way.) And, a big part of self awareness and self regulation is knowing when your stress and anxiety levels are approaching high levels.  […]

We have been doing some poking around our blog archive lately, and have come across some older posts that were really popular… and that still resonate. And this one is one of our most popular posts ever. We think the point is just as true today as when we first posted it six years ago. […]

Quick, but powerful idea for you today. Let’s say you have a meeting coming up and you will be making a presentation. Your boss and some other senior managers will be in the room or the virtual meeting… or maybe a key potential client who you have been trying to sell for a year… or maybe you will […]

I have been going through our blog archive quite a bit lately. We have been writing in this blog for nearly 15 years, so there is a lot of old content to review. Today, I share one with you that I wrote and posted in August 2009. We are resharing it today because unprepared, one-size-fits-all […]

That little voice inside your head, the one that tells you aren’t good enough… do you know that voice? Do you ever hear that voice telling you to question your own value or qualifications? Do you ever hear that voice whispering sour questions to you? I hear that voice, and I am sure most of […]

I spent a lot of time this weekend thinking about writer’s block. Well actually, I spent a lot of time this weekend puttering in my garden, and listening to podcasts while I was toiling away. And two of the podcasts were interviews with Aaron Sorkin, the famous writer of television shows such as The West […]

We all dread getting that call, the one with bad news about a friend. I got that call yesterday, with the news that a friend of mine named Geoff had passed away, suddenly and far too young. Geoff and I were not close friends. In my past life with the Olympic Sailing program, Geoff and […]