Dean Brenner

Do you find it easy to persuade people? That’s a broad question, with an answer that is likely to be some version of, “Sometimes.” Whether someone is easily persuaded depends on a lot. The size of the ask, the environment and situation you’re in, the kind of person you’re trying to persuade, and other variables […]

“Get good at something, and don’t try to be something that you are not. Don’t try to do something that you don’t fully understand, . If you try to be something you’re not, it will come off as disingenuous.” ~L.J. Spinnato, varsity football head coach, Choate Rosemary Hall In this episode of The Message Makeover, […]

Originally published with the Forbes Coaches Council, December 2018. One of our central tenets in teaching persuasive communication is to know your audience. Having an informed sense of your audience’s needs, concerns, and context (did the company just suffer a drop in the stock price, did the VP in the room just get a big promotion, […]

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 15 years, and every year, I hear that question more than any other. And throughout my time leading The Latimer Group, my answer has remained […]

“If you don’t hear these words and understand their importance, we are not going to get ‘there.’ And in my world, getting ‘there’ is winning a gold medal.” ~Luther Carpenter, US Olympic Sailing Coach Coaching people to elite performance is hard, under any circumstances. But it is especially hard at the Olympic Games, where you are […]

Making A Plan To Listen

Posted On January 14, 2019 BY

Originally published with the Forbes Coaches Council, December 2018. When we go into a meeting, we all usually have some sort of plan for what we want to say. But how many of us make a listening plan? Now, listening may seem like the simplest thing in the world to do, and the idea of taking a […]

In our communication workshops, we work with clients from many countries, across several continents, and of course, in varying age groups, from just-out-of-college Millennials to Gen X’ers to late Baby-Boomers. In our work with these individuals, we often find a disconnect between how the generations speak to each other. These differences across the generations exist […]

Year-End Gratitude

Posted On December 19, 2018 BY

Every day is a good day to express some gratitude. But the holiday season seems like an especially good time to pause, reflect, and say “thanks” to those around us. My colleagues and I are putting the finishing touches on our year over the next 24 hours, and will close our office for the holidays […]

Several of our coaching conversations at The Latimer Group lately have been focused around one particular challenge: When I am speaking to my boss, how do I stay out of the weeds? I get stuck in the deep detail, and he/she gets frustrated with me. Sound familiar? “Too much detail” is a constant issue in the […]

Originally published with the Forbes Coaches Council, November 2018. When you speak to an audience — be it a room full of executives, a staff meeting, or a one-on-one phone call with a client — keeping a few key concepts in mind can help you get your message across persuasively and powerfully. Clarity, for example, ensures that […]