Choosing the Correct Tone When You Speak
Posted On August 4, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
Sometimes it is hard to know the right way to say or write something. Sometimes it is hard to know the correct tone to take. How should I speak to these people? How formal or informal should it be? The answers depend on lots of things: the nature and seriousness of the topic; the level […]
How to Edit Your Presentation When Time is Short
Posted On July 29, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
It’s a common occurrence in the business world. You prepare a meeting, presentation, or speech for a certain length of time, only to find out that you have a lot less time than you planned for. Sometimes we even learn our fate as we are walking into the presentation. We’ve spoken a lot lately about […]
For Better Team Alignment, Don’t Forget This Critical Step
Posted On July 21, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
In an earlier post, we talked about the first critical step towards creating a well-aligned, motivated and productive team. You must have a clear direction, mission or goal for that team to be aligned around, before you have any hope of having an aligned team. What’s the second critical step? Well, at the risk of […]
A Tip for More Powerful Storytelling
Posted On July 3, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
This is a simple idea, but a very powerful one. We’ve all heard it before, yet so many of us continue to ignore it’s value. Whenever possible, tell your story with pictures and not words. Pictures create images in the mind, and for most of us the mind retains the things it sees much longer […]
Communication is the “Clutch” for Your Business Engine
Posted On July 1, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
The other day I was on a conference call with two good friends. One, Bill, is the CEO of US-based marine industry company. The other, Ron, is an independent marketing consultant. We were catching up on some business issues, and Bill made a comment that stuck with me. His company has had some communication challenges […]
The Recipe for Great Communication
Posted On June 10, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
If we look at our communication as if it were a meal that our audience will consume, we’ll of course want to prepare a communication “meal” they will enjoy. And in order to do that, there are 5 ingredients that must be included in our recipe: Clarity, Brevity, Context, Impact, and Value. But how much […]
The Art of Negotiation (as taught by a four-year old…)
Posted On June 9, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
I spent the entire day yesterday with my four-year old son. We had quite a nice little Saturday. We woke up early, had breakfast together, and then went out for some man-style shopping. Home Depot was the highlight, for some tools. We then came home and spent several hours in the yard together. We […]
Switch and Shift: 5 Communication Behaviors We All Must Adopt
Posted On May 28, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
We’re pleased to contribute once again to Switch and Shift, a business blog focused on “the human side of business.” Our most recent contribution is called “5 Communication Behaviors We All Must Adopt.” In the rapidly-changing business world of the 21st century, there’s an overwhelming need for clearer, more succinct business communication. If we can […]
The War on Detail
Posted On May 19, 2014 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 […]
Simple Advice: Do What You Say, Say What You’ll Do
Posted On April 28, 2014 BY Dean Brenner
I was speaking with my good friend Tom the other day. Tom is a business owner, and the definition of a straight shooter. He doesn’t tolerate people who waste his time or who don’t deliver as promised. We were speaking about a few things on the phone, and he shared a story of a contractor […]