The Importance of Staying in Touch
Posted On August 4, 2021 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 2010, back when he was with one of our biggest client companies. He left that company in 2011, which is probably the last time we had any contact with him […]
Speaking Tips: What to Do If You Ramble On and On and On…
Posted On August 2, 2021 BY Dean Brenner
Most people struggle to get to the point. Most people struggle with clarity and brevity. And this affliction is largely due to an inability to plan out the message, and prepare appropriately. Getting to the point quickly and clearly is not just a delivery technique. It is the output of organization and preparation. However, on top of good preparation, there are […]
The Essence of Presence
Posted On July 30, 2021 BY Dean Brenner
When we say someone has a strong “presence,” what does that actually mean? I mean, specifically, what does it mean? Ask 100 different people (and we have), you might get 50 different answers. A strong presence means different things to different people. And when you push people to define what it actually is, you tend […]
Don’t Make People “Change the Channel”
Posted On July 28, 2021 BY Dean Brenner
The world I grew up in and the world my kids are growing up in are vastly different. And I’m not even that old… at least that is what I say to myself every day! When I was a kid, there was no cable TV, no internet, no streaming content… We had five channels, and […]
Making Memory Work for You
Posted On July 23, 2021 BY Jay Prewitt-Cruz, EdD
Publisher’s Note: This post was written by Jay Prewitt, who is the newest member of our team, and is a Facilitator and Coach with us at The Latimer Group. Jay is pursuing a EdD in Organizational Leadership at the University of Southern California, and brings a wonderful voice and perspective to our team and to our readers. […]
Your Presence is Everything About You
Posted On July 21, 2021 BY Dean Brenner
There is a mindset I hear people articulate from time to time… and that mindset is that your presence is primarily created by the way you look and carry yourself. I heard this again recently in a workshop I was teaching, and the participant said that they did not have the wardrobe to create a […]
How Quickly Should You Get to the Point? It Depends!
Posted On July 19, 2021 BY Dean Brenner
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. […]
Persuasion Tips: Make Your Audience Feel the Problem
Posted On July 14, 2021 BY Dean Brenner
Getting people to listen to you in today’s modern workplace is hard enough. We write about that challenge all the time. But once you get people to hear you, your challenge is not over. Getting people to hear you is a great first step… but only a first step. The next step, which may also be the […]
Good “Pre-Persuasion” Makes Everything Else Easier
Posted On July 9, 2021 BY Dean Brenner
Do you find it easy to persuade people? That’s a broad question, with an answer that is likely to be some version of, “sometimes.” Whether someone is easily persuaded depends on a lot. The size of the ask, the environment and situation you’re in, the kind of person you’re trying to persuade, and other variables can all play […]
The Difference Between Influence and Authority
Posted On June 25, 2021 BY Dean Brenner
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 […]