Presentation Skills

One of the key elements of successful persuasion and consensus-building is how you frame the choices for your audience. I spend time in every single workshop I teach, trying to help our clients think about a problem from at least two angles: what they want the audience to think/feel/do; and how much urgency they will […]

We all know that one of the most important questions to address in our communication is why. Why are we proposing this change? Why is this a problem? Why should you care? Along with what, how, when, where, who, and next, the why helps our audience see the relevance and importance of our communication and […]

There are lots of ways to think about persuasion. And our team always advocates an approach that is based on preparation and a thorough understanding of the audience. But there’s one fundamental and additional element that can never be forgotten. In addition to a thorough understanding of your audience, you also need a thorough understanding […]

Death by PowerPoint. Or as Dilbert put it: “PowerPoint poisoning.” It is software that is so despised that it has been banished by many organizations, and is the frequent subject of cartoons about the proverbial drudge of office life. It’s easy to hate on PowerPoint. After all, it’s often the single common denominator between all the boring presentations […]

Communication clarity is really hard in the 21st century… a mantra I have recited over and over in this space. It’s hard because of the noise, the competition for mind share, and shrinking attention spans. But often the best way to combat difficulty and noise is to focus on the most simple, basic elements of […]

This post was written by Hannah Morris, Facilitator and Coach at The Latimer Group. Conversations are a dance. There are times when one partner or party clearly takes the lead, and other times where it is unclear who determines the next step. In these more delicate dances, we edge forward, check to see if our audience […]

We just finished an intensive workshop, designed in multiple modules and spread out over multiple days, with one of our top clients. The topic was Executive Communication Skills, and the goal was to coach a small group of ten rising executive stars in the art of persuasive, executive-level communication skills. We covered a lot of ground […]

We’ve spent a lot of time over the years writing about “the new communication age” and life in a “post-PowerPoint world.” Communication skills have never been more important than they are right now. And one of the best ways to communicate in a powerful way is through the use of story. Story can be used in lots of […]

Most people communicate selfishly in the workplace. Sorry… I apologize for that harsh opinion. But I believe it to be true. Most people communicate with their colleagues, customers, vendors, and suppliers based primarily on their own needs, wants and goals. Most people build their communication (presentations, meeting agendas, negotiation points, talking points) based on what they want, […]

There are a few questions we frequently hear from our workshop participants. And perhaps the most vexing is the question of detail: how much do I need, where do I put it, how much is too much? Without exception, it comes up and is a major topic of conversation in every workshop. Why? For two simple, […]