Dean Brenner

We write constantly in this blog about all the different elements of good communication… clear messaging, effective visuals or slides, powerful presence and delivery, speaking with the “executive voice“… these kinds of topics are the dominant themes in this blog. But today, I want to write about the “net effect” of all of these things. […]

Originally published with the Forbes Coaches Council February 21, 2018. Many of us have big ideas: a new business, a new product, a new initiative at work. But taking that big idea from a dream into reality isn’t always easy — and it’s easy to feel intimidated by the process. All too often, we shelve our […]

At The Latimer Group, we believe there are five “ingredients” that must be present in order to have effective, persuasive communication: Clarity, Brevity, Context, Impact, and Value. We teach these concepts in our workshops and write about them here on our blog all the time, and we believe that all great communication contains these five […]

My family and I were visiting my wife’s parents in central Mexico recently, when an extraordinary thing happened. We took our two children to a nearby playground, and there were lots of local children playing there at the time. Our son Zach, now eight years old, noticed two other children about his age, a brother […]

Have you ever led a meeting, handed out the slide deck, began discussing the topic and while still on slide 1 or 2, most of your audience has already flipped to the last slide? I’m sure you’ve seen this before… Perhaps you’ve been the one flipping to the last slide, or perhaps you were the […]

Does your organization accurately communicate your message and your brand to the street? Does your entire organization communicate a consistent message out to your customers, vendors, partners or shareholders? Are you sure? The larger your organization is, the more common it is to have communication gaps. Simple fact. And therefore, the larger your organization is, […]

Most people struggle to get to the point. Most people struggle with clarity and brevity. And this affliction is largely due to an inability to plan out the message, and prepare appropriately. Getting to the point quickly and clearly is not just a delivery technique. It is the output of organization and preparation. However, on top of good […]

Originally published with the Forbes Coaches Council January 29, 2018. Not long ago, I made a decision about a key benefits program for my company. I was excited about it; I felt like I was making a good call for the whole team. That Friday afternoon, pumped up, I sent out a Slack message to everyone announcing […]

Don’t worry… this post is not an endorsement of any political figure, party or position. But I am shamelessly grabbing a well-known, and highly divisive, political slogan to make a point about the United States, and the state of our culture. As a country, we talk all the time about how to make our country […]

My colleagues and I write all the time about the characteristics and keys to great communication. Many of them are obvious… preparation and practice are near the top of any list. But there is another component to great communication, that often goes unnoticed in our fast-paced, back-to-back-to-back meeting world. Time management, and creating a short […]