Be More Than a Messenger
Posted On November 18, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
We talk about this theme often here at The Latimer Group. But as with any important theme, it merits multiple mentions. When we are communicating in the workplace, we need to make sure we have the correct mindset. And that mindset is this… be more than a messenger. We need to be thinking about doing […]
Great Communication as Service to Others
Posted On November 9, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
When we communicate well in the workplace — when we get to the point, when we articulate value, when we make the point clearly — what we are really doing is respecting our audience, and their time. When we do not prepare sufficiently, or make the point quickly and clearly, then what we are really […]
The War On Detail
Posted On November 2, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
Details matter in business, and in some industries, the details are everything. But the amount of detail we discuss in meetings and presentations, and the way in which we communicate it, is a daily source of frustration in most companies. Ask yourself this question: “What percentage of meetings that you sit in take your time […]
How to Persuade Your Audience Using the Concept of Leverage
Posted On October 28, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
Have you experienced the power of presenting in front of a camera? Chances are if you’ve been in one of our workshops, you’ve had the opportunity to be videotaped while you present. And you’ve experienced firsthand the transformational power of seeing yourself come to life on the screen. It’s a tremendous learning experience—we see our […]
Do You Have “Situational Awareness” in Business?
Posted On October 26, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
It is a little after 4am on a cold and dark October morning in New England… jet lag. I’m home for a few days after client work that’s taken me across the country and back. During stretches like these, where we have several busy months, and a global tour of client work, there is one […]
Know Your Audience, and Great Things Will Happen
Posted On October 22, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
We discuss in every single workshop the power and importance of knowing your audience. It is a fundamental belief here at The Latimer Group, and we embrace the fact that knowing your audience is a key differentiator between mediocre and great communication skills. Here is a story to illustrate the point. We partner with many […]
How You Can Be the “No Distraction” Colleague
Posted On October 15, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
We live in a world of distractions, constant and loud. We are expected to be available to everyone all the time, we compete for mindshare with unlimited amounts of content and entertainment, we have a social media landscape which can turn every day into an all-day conversation with friends all over the world. Quieting the […]
Letting Go of PowerPoint Once and for All
Posted On October 12, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
Today’s post was written by Kelly Slater, co-owner of Slater’s Garage Ads & Audio. This afternoon I made a sales presentation to a client remotely, using a screen-sharing app. Of course, it involved a multiple-slide PowerPoint presentation (because the common thinking is that customers NEED to see your offer, idea, strategy, etc. in a multi-page […]
The Three Levels of Delivery, Part 2
Posted On September 24, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
Recently we shared a framework my colleagues and I use at The Latimer Group, that captures the different levels of delivery skills possible for business communication. We got a great deal of reaction on that piece, including a question via Twitter from good friend John. John asked, “What happens when you need to work on […]
The 3 Levels of Verbal Delivery
Posted On September 22, 2015 BY Dean Brenner
There are lots of ways to think about how we speak, and the way we deliver our message in the workplace. There is no one single standard for what is required and what is considered “great.” Authenticity always needs to rule the day, and we all need to have the confidence to speak in our […]