When Communicating, Don’t Make People “Change the Channel”
Posted On February 6, 2017 BY Dean Brenner
The world I grew up in and the world my young son is growing up in are vastly different. And I’m not even that old! But when I was a kid, there was no cable TV, no internet, no streaming content… We had five channels, and you watched what was on, commercials and all, and […]
End Annoying Conference Calls in 5 Easy Steps
Posted On January 25, 2017 BY Dean Brenner
We’ve all been to THIS conference call… too many times in fact. While Tripp and Tyler absolutely nail the inherent comedy in the ways we conduct conference calls, let’s take the conversation to the next level. How do we run better conference calls? Here are a few simple ideas: 1. Set context and get the […]
The Global Need for Respect
Posted On December 19, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
During the past year of client work, we’ve spent time with professionals from over 25 different countries… busy, ambitious, successful, intelligent professionals. They worked in finance, engineering, marketing, communications, procurement, and all sorts of leadership and management positions. Our client base is certainly a diverse group! And any time we have an intense period of […]
Mapping Your Communication Progress
Posted On December 12, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
Our work at The Latimer Group is all about helping our clients build strong and powerful communication skills. And to do that effectively, we have to be able to help them assess two things: current strengths and weaknesses, AND a path towards improvement. One without the other just isn’t that helpful. Skill development, in any […]
Speaking Tips: Substance Over Style
Posted On November 8, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
At The Latimer Group, we constantly preach the importance of substance over style. Substance matters. The details matter. Your message matters. Otherwise you are like this guy. Major props to our friend and client Karen for sharing this video with us. Have a great day. At The Latimer Group, our individual Coaching services are highly […]
A Simple Tip for More Powerful Storytelling
Posted On October 31, 2016 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 […]
Think of Your Message Like a Meal
Posted On October 17, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
A good meal should be enjoyed, one bite at a time. Take a bite, chew it, swallow it, enjoy it. If you eat it too quickly, it will be over and you will not have had a chance to think about it and appreciate the experience. Slow down! Don’t eat so quickly! And a good chef […]
Anticipate the Objection, and Make the Connection
Posted On October 12, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
I am currently in Paris, France running a series of two-day executive communication skills workshops for one of our top clients. The participants came from all over EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa.) In today’s workshop, we had executives from France, UK, Morocco, Italy, Portugal and Egypt. It was an outstanding group, and a thoroughly enjoyable day. In […]
Is Practice Part of Your Communication Routine?
Posted On October 11, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
It is early on a Tuesday morning, and I am up early preparing for a couple of weeks of Executive Communication Skills workshops with our largest client. The participants will come from all over Europe, and the Middle East. I have advocated many times in the past that we all should “know our audience.” And […]
The Secret to Finding Your Executive Voice
Posted On October 6, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
We recently finished an intensive workshop with one of our top clients. The topic was Executive Communication Skills, and the goal was to coach a small group of about 10 rising executive stars in the art of persuasive, executive-level communication skills. We covered a lot of ground over the two days, but one topic worth […]