Presentation Skills

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 […]

The Olympic Games are happening this week and next, which will tell you everything you need to know about where my head is for the next few days. I love the Olympic Games, for many reasons. But near the top of the list is that I love learning about how elite performers became elite. And […]

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. […]

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 […]

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. […]

Asking people if they “get nervous” when they have to stand up and speak is almost not worth asking. For most of us, the answer is a resounding “yes.” As we begin to return to an in-person post-pandemic work environment, many of you will have important meetings, conference calls, or presentations on your calendar. Some […]

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, […]

I do a lot of one-on-one coaching. And in most cases, I will conduct some background interviews to gather information about the person I am coaching… what are their strengths and weaknesses, and what gaps can I help fill? One of the most common weaknesses that I hear during those interviews is that the person […]

When we think about communication in the workplace, all too often we focus on the delivery part: what we will say, what our slides will look like and how loudly we should speak. All that’s important, but what about the other side? Before we speak, we need to listen. And when we do speak, we need to make sure that our audience […]

Do you want to be an effective communicator? Be more memorable? Do you want people to follow your lead, support your idea, or buy your product or service? Of course you do. When I say “be memorable,” I’m not suggesting that you do something outrageous so that they remember that crazy person who did “x.” I mean […]