Curt Schilling Did it Right
Posted On March 5, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
I am not a fan of former Boston Red Sox player Curt Schilling. In fact, as a Yankee fan, he was the player I hated the most. But today, he has earned my enduring respect… not because of something he did as a baseball player or in his current career as a sportscaster. No. He […]
To Communicate Well, You Must First Communicate
Posted On January 21, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
Last week I spent some time speaking with someone I occasionally coach. Last week’s problem was that he and a close colleague were in a tough spot, not communicating well. Apparently, the colleague was doing some things that were intensely frustrating for my client. The details are not important to the story, but there was […]
The Importance of Staying in Touch
Posted On January 12, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
We had a great interaction this week, a story worth sharing. We heard from a guy who had been in one of our workshops in 2005, back when he was with one of our biggest client companies. He left that company in 2007, which is probably the last time we had any contact with him […]
An Important Communication Lesson from 2014
Posted On January 9, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
Over the holiday, I was reviewing my client notes from throughout 2014. Last year we worked with client companies in a range of industries, including financial services and banking, insurance, mining, oil and gas, aerospace, commercial construction, and several other forms of heavy industry. And we worked with executives and professionals from North and South […]
3 New Year’s Resolutions for Better Communication
Posted On January 5, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
Happy new year to all! We trust and hope that your holidays were happy and healthy. We’re back today from a well-deserved and welcomed break, and are excited for a great 2015. Over the course of our holiday break, we spent a lot of time thinking about the year gone by, and the year to […]
Year-End Thoughts from The Latimer Group
Posted On December 16, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
We’ve been reflecting a lot lately here at The Latimer Group… not only on 2014, but also on the last 8-10 years. The business environment has changed dramatically: more demands on our time, more access to information, more channels to communicate than ever, social media, lean organizations, a cacophony of opinion on everything… the world […]
4 Steps to Help You Get to Know Your Audience
Posted On December 15, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
Whitney and I are planning in earnest for another trip to Australia for client work, in 2015. We’re finalizing dates, logistics, content, etc. And when we are getting ready for a big trip with lots of client time, we always make sure to spend some time getting (or remaining) familiar with the client’s situation. We […]
Practice DOES Matter
Posted On November 20, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
I had an outstanding experience yesterday with a workshop participant from one of our major client companies. This young man had participated in one of our one-day presentation skills workshops about six weeks ago. And then he signed up for a different workshop this week, a two-day “executive communication skills” workshop. In the October session, […]
The Death of Spin Communication
Posted On November 10, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
The recent election cycle in the United States has made one thing very clear to me… that we have now reached a critical breaking point in our tolerance for “spin” communication. What is “spin” you ask? Anyone who lives in the USA knows exactly what it is, because that is all we hear anymore in […]
The Impact of Optimism
Posted On October 24, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
I’ve been working in Paris, France all week, leading a series of executive communication skills workshops for our largest client. The participants have come from all over Europe and the Middle East: France, England, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Finland and India. It has been a fantastic opportunity to test ideas on a global scale and enhance […]