Letting Go of PowerPoint Once and for All
Posted On October 12, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
Today’s post was written by Kelly Slater, co-owner of Slater’s Garage Ads & Audio. This afternoon I made a sales presentation to a client remotely, using a screen-sharing app. Of course, it involved a multiple-slide PowerPoint presentation (because the common thinking is that customers NEED to see your offer, idea, strategy, etc. in a multi-page […]
The Three Levels of Delivery, Part 2
Posted On September 24, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
Recently we shared a framework my colleagues and I use at The Latimer Group, that captures the different levels of delivery skills possible for business communication. We got a great deal of reaction on that piece, including a question via Twitter from good friend John. John asked, “What happens when you need to work on […]
The 3 Levels of Verbal Delivery
Posted On September 22, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
There are lots of ways to think about how we speak, and the way we deliver our message in the workplace. There is no one single standard for what is required and what is considered “great.” Authenticity always needs to rule the day, and we all need to have the confidence to speak in our […]
Why You Won’t (or Can’t) Get TO THE POINT
Posted On September 9, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
We write all the time in this space about the importance of getting to the point. No one likes to sit in a meeting, or presentation or on a conference call and listen to someone delay or ignore the most important information. We hate it when others do that to us. And yet many, if […]
Switch and Shift: Leadership is One Big Sandbox
Posted On September 8, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
We recently contributed another article to our friends at Switch and Shift, a business blog focused on “the human side of business.” Our latest piece is called, “Leadership is One Big Sandbox,” and is all about the little demonstrations of respect that we as leaders need to show our coworkers every day, and how even […]
The Shortest Route to Shorter Meetings
Posted On September 3, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
Simply get to the point. I write about this topic a lot… and I keep writing about it, because every day we see people speak who take their sweet time getting to the point. We are all busy, we are all suffering from reduced attention spans, and we all hate sitting in meetings, presentations or […]
Would Your Audience Choose to Stay?
Posted On September 1, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
We spend an incredible amount of time speaking with our clients about capturing attention right up front when we speak. In a hyper-speed, over-scheduled, attention-starved world, it is critical that we have the skills to capture our audience’s attention right away. Otherwise, they will never engage, they won’t be listening, and they won’t absorb anything […]
The Connection Between Great Leadership and Vulnerability
Posted On August 26, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
I had a great chat this morning with a partner of The Latimer Group’s. She and I discussed a number of components of great leadership in the 21st century, and one of the ideas we kicked around was the concept of leadership “vulnerability.” I was struck by the idea enough to write a quick post […]
Put Down the Phone, and Slowly Back Away
Posted On August 18, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
We’ve reached a tipping point, I believe, in the use of mobile devices. These tools have had a wildly successful positive impact on our efficiency and ability to communicate. But too much of any good thing can eventually become a bad thing, and that is where we are with mobile devices. And we’re hearing it […]
One Year Later: On Robin Williams, Depression and Friendship
Posted On August 17, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
Just about a year ago, I wrote this short piece around the time of Robin Williams’ passing… For me, the words still ring true, and I refer back to them fairly often. The original post follows below. Hope you find it helpful. ~Dean No matter how certain you are, you never really know what another […]