Persuasion

So often in preparing to communicate, we make a fundamental mistake: we enter a messenger mindset. Rather than establishing a clear goal and aiming to persuade our audience, we set out to inform, to update, to share. On this path, we end our inquiry with a period: here’s what I need to say, full stop. But […]

In so many organizations, we see discussions around problem solving go wrong. To be an effective problem solving organization, there has to be a framework of questions that will lead towards full alignment on the issue. Once we have that alignment, then we can have a serious conversation around legitimate solutions. In a world where everyone […]

We post frequently on this blog about listening skills. Listening is of critical importance to your ability to persuade, sell, lead, follow… everything in the work place. But here is an important question for you to think about. How well do you listen to people you don’t like? We all come in contact with people […]

I’m so happy to introduce my former Broadcast.com and Yahoo! colleague Tim Sanders to our Latimer Group community. Tim is the author of five books including the New York Times Bestseller, “Love is the Killer App.” He is a top-rated keynote speaker and CEO of Deeper Media. Tim preaches generosity toward others at work. He […]

Have you ever sat through a meeting, or a conference call, or a presentation, and thought to yourself, “Oh my god… I wish this person would get to the point…“? Yeah. Me too. Many, many times. We all know what it feels like to have our time wasted by someone who just won’t, or can’t, get to the […]

Communication clarity is really hard in the 21st century… a mantra I have recited over and over in this space. It’s hard because of the noise, the competition for mind share, and shrinking attentions spans. But often the best way to combat difficulty and noise is to focus on the most simple, basic elements of […]

Persuasive communication is NOT about screaming louder than the other person. Persuasive communication is NOT about bullying or intimidating someone into agreeing with you. Persuasive communication is NOT about interrupting someone, cutting them off so they cannot finish their point. And persuasive communication is NOT about saying one thing to a colleague and then playing […]

“Did the speaker first capture the audience’s attention?” This is perhaps the most critical coaching question we ask in our persuasive communications workshops. What’s the big deal? Well, it’s a noisy, “this one goes to eleven” world out there, and it’s only getting noisier. How are you going to be heard in that world? If you can’t capture […]

The numbers may vary from study to study, but the story is generally the same these days: a significant percentage of emails today are initially read via a mobile device. But when it comes to work-related emails, most of the importantemails we write, the ones with some substance on important topics, we tend to write from […]

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 […]