Dean Brenner

We recently published a couple blog posts about the “inner voice” that often creeps inside us, and attempts to shake our confidence before a big meeting, speech, or presentation. We included some strategies about how to quiet that voice, and help alleviate some of the self-doubt and negativity that comes when that voice gets loud. […]

The Cost of Poor Communication

Posted On February 3, 2016 BY

My colleagues and I always talk about the importance of strong communication skills. And we also always talk about a few business world realities that make communication hard: too many meetings, overwhelming amounts of information, multi-tasking to the point of complete distraction, short attention spans, etc, etc, etc. We talk about these issues constantly. These […]

We recently wrote about that voice of insecurity that comes into our heads when we are experiencing self doubt. We all know that voice. Some of us hear it more often than others, but we have all heard it… the voice that says you aren’t good enough, you aren’t ready, you are going to under-perform. […]

Note: We recently added to this post an audio version, as the latest installment of our Soundwaves podcast. Listen via the audio player at the bottom of this post, and be sure to check out the entire library of Soundwaves episodes available on iTunes, or via your favorite podcast player. There is this voice inside […]

I was listening to a speaker recently, while sitting in the back of a ballroom at a company conference. I was scheduled to speak later in the day, so I came early to “breathe the air” and hear themes being discussed at the conference. As I was listening to the kickoff speaker, a senior member of the […]

Do People Find You Credible?

Posted On January 14, 2016 BY

We spend a lot of time discussing credibility with our clients. And we always like to tell them that no matter how good a speaker you are, no matter how strong your message, voice and presence are, if your audience does not find you credible then we can’t help you. Credibility is everything. To quote […]

There is an old adage that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat people who “don’t matter” and when no one is looking. In other words, you get the real insight into a person’s character by the way they treat people who can’t help them in some way, or […]

As we close out 2015, my colleagues and I at The Latimer Group have been giving a great deal of thought to what we learned over the last twelve months. Communication is a critical skill, in every organization. And there is a never-ending need to keep working towards improvement, for us as well. So, with […]

The Caveat of Building Consensus

Posted On December 17, 2015 BY

At The Latimer Group, we’ve been talking lately about the difference between Persuasion and Consensus. The question came up in our discussions among our colleagues and clients about whether Consensus is always necessarily a good thing. We wrote recently that it is — that we can persuade our coworkers toward a certain outcome, but if […]

We were having lunch with a good friend and client of The Latimer Group last week. During our discussion, we mentioned some ideas around the concept of “consensus” as it differs from the concept of “persuasion.” Our work has always been focused on helping our clients build the skills of persuasion, and our clients value […]