Communication

There are two ways we can get people to do what we want or need them to do: because we have influence over them, or because we have authority over them. We can have influence without authority, and we can have authority without influence. Influence comes from respect, collaboration, and credibility. Authority comes from title and your […]

Do you want to be an effective communicator? Be more memorable? Do you want people to follow your lead, support your idea, or buy your product or service? Of course you do. When I say “be memorable,” I’m not suggesting that you do something outrageous so that they remember that crazy person who did “x.” I mean […]

There have been a few moments throughout my coaching career when a single question appears that impacts the entire business community, regardless of industry, geography or company size. And right now is one of those moments. The universal conversation I am having with our client companies, the individuals I coach, my friends and business acquaintances, and […]

In all the communication coaching that we do, one question seems to come up all the time. “How do I get my leader to realize he/she needs some coaching as well?” Most leaders are really good at identifying your areas of possible improvement. But the very best ones are also good at identifying their areas of possible improvement. If […]

How well do you actually listen to the people around you? Do you think you listen well? Are you sure? I think I listen fairly well, most of the time. When I focus on it, which is most of the time, I do listen well. But it is far too easy to get distracted, and […]

I recently got a great email from a client named Colin. We’ve done extensive work with his company over the last five years, and Colin will occasionally reach out and give me a great idea for a blog post or a podcast. Colin listed for me the ways that his colleagues can reach him: work email (which he […]

Have you ever written or sent something to a colleague, client or partner, perhaps something important, that you worked hard on, and really looked forward to the ensuing discussion? You really wanted to hear their thoughts or you needed an answer? And then been surprised when no prompt response came? And nothing… still nothing… no […]

The other day I was on a conference call with two good friends, one of whom is the CEO of his company. We were catching up on some business issues, and my CEO friend made a comment that stuck with me. His company has had some business transition over the last 12-24 months, and this […]

I recently saw a post on Instagram from a good friend, who also happens to be a highly effective child psychologist and successful author. Her name is Katie Hurley, and she posted the following: “When we replace ‘what’s wrong with you?’ with ‘what have you been through?’ we meet each other with empathy and compassion.” […]

(We recently had a conversation with a good friend of The Latimer Group, who said something really powerful to us. Our friend shared that her firm no longer calls communication a “soft skill.” Instead, they refer to communication as a “power skill.” We LOVE that, and it caused me to write this post, which has […]