Muhammad Ali, Always Speaking, Always Heard
Posted On June 8, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
I am going to write about Muhammad Ali today. And I won’t come close to doing justice to the man, his history or his legacy. I’m not sure anyone can. But let’s get a few things out of the way, in an attempt to at least attempt to gaze at the scope of his life […]
What REALLY Matters Most in Business Communication
Posted On June 6, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
I just returned from my 25th college reunion this past weekend, and yes… it was fun and exhausting, and a wonderful walk down memory lane. I spent time with great friends who I see regularly, occasionally and almost never, and all of it was amazing. Every reunion contains countless “so what have you been up […]
The Power of Non-Verbal Communication
Posted On April 26, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
I am relearning, once again, some powerful lessons about communication. And I am learning them from our infant daughter. Our daughter is rapidly approaching her first birthday, and is doing all the things you would expect her to be doing. Crawling around, getting into things she shouldn’t, making all sorts of sounds, screaming when she […]
Why You Should Make Time to Prepare for Meetings
Posted On April 13, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
One of the most frequent questions or objections we hear in our workshops, usually delivered right about the time we are teaching our Latimer Group Model for Persuasion, is this… “I don’t have the time to do the things you are telling me to do. I know I need to, but I just don’t have […]
Post from the Past: A Better Way to Open Your Meetings
Posted On April 11, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
(Note: This post was originally published in August of 2013. But it’s more important now than ever.) My family and I spent the weekend with some dear friends, and over the course of a weekend of laughter, swimming, ping pong and wine, the conversation turned (for a few minutes) to business. My good buddy, who […]
Know Your Audience… AND Their Organization
Posted On March 30, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
My colleagues and I preach the importance of “knowing your audience” all the time. We believe it is a critical component of persuasion. But knowing your audience requires knowledge on multiple levels, beyond just the individual. Here is what I mean… if you are pitching someone on your product or service, and trying to sell […]
Post from the Past: Practice DOES Matter
Posted On March 28, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
(This post was originally published Dec 2014) I had an outstanding experience recently with a workshop participant from one of our major client companies. This young man had participated in one of our one-day presentation skills workshops about six weeks ago. And then he signed up for a different workshop this week, a two-day “executive […]
Soundwaves: How to Be the “No Distraction” Colleague
Posted On March 16, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
Think about how you communicate in the workplace. Not just the words you use, or doing what you say you’ll do, or meeting deadlines, or smiling and being easy to work with. Assuming those traits are all a given, what about your “brand” among your coworkers? Have you given thought to how you, personally, are […]
Soundwaves: Brevity and the War on Detail
Posted On February 29, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
We talk and write often about our 5 “ingredients” in the recipe for great communication: Clarity, Brevity, Context, Impact, and Value. We also have written a few articles and blog posts about the War on Detail — the notion that details in business and communication DO matter greatly, but we should choose carefully which details we […]
Soundwaves: Why You Should Be More Than a Messenger
Posted On February 22, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
We talk about this subject VERY often in our workshops and keynotes at The Latimer Group. We think it’s a hugely important step toward gaining competitive edge in the workplace. The next time you speak in a meeting, or make a presentation, be MORE than a messenger. Make that presentation more than “just giving an […]