Presentation Skills

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. […]

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 […]

I was recently leading a workshop, when a participant named Paul started talking about the card game poker. We were discussing body language and presence, and Paul equated the conversation to having a good “poker face” while playing cards. In other words, he was talking about maintaining a consistent presence when speaking, no matter what we might […]

This post was written by Ang Barnard, Facilitator and Coach for The Latimer Group. “How do you manage your nerves during a presentation?” It’s a frequent question we’re asked here at The Latimer Group. Everyone gets nervous – even seasoned speakers. I speak publicly on a regular basis, and recently gave a well-received Ted Talk. And as […]

Checking in from vacation with my family… Our son had a friend with us for a few days. And amidst all of the typical summertime outdoor activities, they asked for (and received) permission for some daily screen time. The two boys are both avid fans of Minecraft, a digital world I know precious little about. […]

We spend all of our time here at The Latimer Group coaching and training people to get to the point, and to use their communication to drive good outcomes. In other words, we are teaching people to be persuasive all the time. And there are lots of things that contribute to being a persuasive communicator. […]

This post was written by Ang Barnard, Facilitator and Coach for The Latimer Group. Did you know our brains process visual information 60,000 times faster than text?! This is according to research compiled by 3M, the corporation behind Post-it Notes. In other words, intentionally using visuals in your presentations can help you capture attention and become more […]

Here is a common scenario that I have watched and experienced many times: the words that were spoken/written by someone were received in way that was different from the intended impact. The message that was received or the feeling that was created was not at all what the speaker/writer was trying to send or create. […]

The single most frequently asked question I hear regarding public speaking is this… “Dean, how can I be more confident as a speaker?” I’ve been in this line of work for more than twenty years, and every year, I hear that question more than any other. And throughout my time leading The Latimer Group, my answer has remained […]