Persuasion

My colleagues and I always talk about the importance of getting to the point quickly. So don’t worry… I am not about to contradict twenty years of Latimer teaching. But my colleagues and I also believe in the importance of audience and situational awareness, and that we should always try to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. […]

Do you find persuasion easy? For most of us, the answer probably is some version of “sometimes.” It’s a broad question, with lots of variables: what you are “asking” for, the environment and situation, the person being asked, and several other variables can all play a part in how easily the persuasion happens… or if it […]

This post was written by Jay Prewitt, Director of Coaching and Facilitation at The Latimer Group. I was at a post-rehearsal sushi dinner with my friend Ayur, who sings bass with me in a choral ensemble. Ayur is ethnically Mongolian, speaks Russian, Buryat, and Korean, and has been living in the United States for a year and […]

Let’s talk about building credibility… real credibility. Not the short term version of credibility that comes from a referral or a common friendship or the personal courtesy of someone giving you a chance. No… let’s talk about the long-term credibility that is built by you, your actions and your performance. Real credibility is created in […]

One of the things that consistently comes up in conversation during coaching and training is the moving target of credibility. How to get it… what to do if you don’t have it… and how much of it is needed. And just like any other “power source” it helps to first understand the sources of credibility, […]

My colleagues and I are always making the case for stronger communication skills. And if we are going to make that case, then we also have to make the case for better preparation. And if we are going to make that case, then we also need to create some time in our work lives to […]

I spend a lot more time thinking about listening now than I used to. Why? I am not really sure. It could be my advancing age. It could be parenthood. It could be experience in my job. It could be the influence of some of the people in my life. Probably, it is a little bit of […]

Communication (or rather great communication) is not a series of memorized steps, standard moves, or a list of tips and tricks (oh how I hate that phrase…) No. Great communication is really about questions and choices. It is about understanding what is really going on in a given moment, seeing the situation clearly, and then deciding […]

This week, Latimer CEO and Co-Founder Dean Brenner is a guest on the Fiducient Advisors’ Nonprofit Investment Advisors podcast. The Latimer Group and Fiducient share a close corporate relationship, as we have worked together in a variety of ways on a number of different projects. So we were excited when they invited our CEO to […]

I love to garden. And I love being part of a team. So let’s connect those two topics today. Every skilled gardener knows that building a healthy and successful garden requires planning, effort and maintenance. You need to understand the environment for your would-be garden… sun, soil and water are the big variables. You need […]