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One night last week, I was going through some old files in my basement, and stumbled across a box simply marked “Desert, Spring 2002.” I knew immediately what it was… in May 2002, right around the time I was launching The Latimer Group, I took some time to clear my head and enrolled in an […]

This post was written by Hannah Morris, Facilitator and Coach at The Latimer Group. Conversations are a dance. There are times when one partner or party clearly takes the lead, and other times where it is unclear who determines the next step. In these more delicate dances, we edge forward, check to see if our audience […]

We just finished an intensive workshop, designed in multiple modules and spread out over multiple days, with one of our top clients. The topic was Executive Communication Skills, and the goal was to coach a small group of ten rising executive stars in the art of persuasive, executive-level communication skills. We covered a lot of ground […]

Let’s get a few things straight about what persuasive communication is NOT. Persuasive communication is NOT about simply overpowering the other person. Persuasive communication is NOT about using the power dynamic in your favor to always get what you want. Persuasive communication is NOT about getting in the last word, and cutting the other person off […]

Hello friends! We are continuing our latest blog tradition of fielding your questions about effective communication. In the future, if you have a question you want to engage us on, send away! Just email us directly with your question. When we get a question from you we will always answer directly back to you. And […]

Most people think of their communication as a tangible and clear output: words on the page, images and messages on a slide, words coming out of the mouth. And there is truth in that belief. Strong communication is a series of clear outputs. We spend a ton of energy here at The Latimer Group helping […]

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 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 essentially the same: Self-awareness and Practice. Great […]

We’ve spent a lot of time over the years writing about “the new communication age” and life in a “post-PowerPoint world.” Communication skills have never been more important than they are right now. And one of the best ways to communicate in a powerful way is through the use of story. Story can be used in lots of […]

Like many families, much of our summer was spent keeping our kids engaged in activities. We want them active, outside, and off screens as much as possible. For our son, that meant sleep away camp for the first time, as well as an engineering design class, and some sailing. For our daughter, that also meant […]

I am just back after two weeks of vacation with my family… two weeks of hanging out with my kids, swimming, playing games, and just trying to keep up. (I am exhausted… I think I need a vacation…) Each day of my vacation began the same way… the sounds and smells of brewing coffee… a […]