No One Leads All the Time: 7 Characteristics of Good Followership
Posted On October 28, 2020 BY Dean Brenner
We have been doing some poking around our blog archive lately, and have come across some older posts that were really popular… and that still resonate. And this one is one of our most popular posts ever. We think the point is just as true today as when we first posted it six years ago. […]
You May Be Undermining Your OWN Meetings!
Posted On October 26, 2020 BY Dean Brenner
Quick, but powerful idea for you today. Let’s say you have a meeting coming up and you will be making a presentation. Your boss and some other senior managers will be in the room or the virtual meeting… or maybe a key potential client who you have been trying to sell for a year… or maybe you will […]
Do You Know Who I Am?
Posted On October 23, 2020 BY Dean Brenner
I have been going through our blog archive quite a bit lately. We have been writing in this blog for nearly 15 years, so there is a lot of old content to review. Today, I share one with you that I wrote and posted in August 2009. We are resharing it today because unprepared, one-size-fits-all […]
How To Control That Voice of Doubt Inside Your Head
Posted On October 21, 2020 BY Dean Brenner
That little voice inside your head, the one that tells you aren’t good enough… do you know that voice? Do you ever hear that voice telling you to question your own value or qualifications? Do you ever hear that voice whispering sour questions to you? I hear that voice, and I am sure most of […]
What To Do When The Words Just Won’t Come
Posted On October 19, 2020 BY Dean Brenner
I spent a lot of time this weekend thinking about writer’s block. Well actually, I spent a lot of time this weekend puttering in my garden, and listening to podcasts while I was toiling away. And two of the podcasts were interviews with Aaron Sorkin, the famous writer of television shows such as The West […]
When Bad News Makes You Pause
Posted On October 16, 2020 BY Dean Brenner
We all dread getting that call, the one with bad news about a friend. I got that call yesterday, with the news that a friend of mine named Geoff had passed away, suddenly and far too young. Geoff and I were not close friends. In my past life with the Olympic Sailing program, Geoff and […]
3 Keys to Holding Your Audience’s Attention
Posted On October 13, 2020 BY Dean Brenner
Your audience will only remember a small percentage of what you say. Some studies suggest it will be less than 20%. Fact. Other studies suggest that the average adult attention span is now about 8 seconds. Bummer. So what do you do about it? Focus on all three aspects of the audience experience: Make sure you prepare your […]
5 Solutions to Classic Communication Problems
Posted On October 9, 2020 BY Dean Brenner
If your communication problem is time, then brevity is your friend. Make sure to shorten your message significantly. Reduce your information to a list of “three things,” so that your message is easier to remember. If your communication problem is attention span, then a “hook” is your friend. Work hard to connect with your audience with something […]
Introducing Persuaded
Posted On October 7, 2020 BY Dean Brenner
Good morning, friends. I am proud to share the news with you that my new book, Persuaded, is done, and available! This is my third book, and I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. We will be announcing the book more broadly next week, but I wanted the regular readers […]
The Balancing Act of Leadership Communication
Posted On October 5, 2020 BY Dean Brenner
The world is a constantly evolving place made up of constantly evolving people with constantly evolving expectations. What does that translate into? A world where your skills need to be constantly evolving (obviously). But as obvious as the point sounds, that is a really hard thing for most people to achieve. Agility is a good […]