Mapping Your Progress As a Communicator
Posted On April 21, 2023 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 […]
The Heart of Great Business Communication
Posted On April 18, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
The hardest thing for any subject matter expert (an “SME” in business vernacular) to do is to explain his or her area of expertise in simple and clear ways. When we are “in” it, when we are living the topic every day, when we know a lot about a certain topic, it often can be […]
Public Speaking: Facing Down Fear | #LatimerAt20
Posted On December 7, 2022 BY Dean Brenner
This is the fifth in a series of short essays written by CEO and Founder Dean Brenner to commemorate the 20th anniversary of The Latimer Group. In this series, Dean will share his reflections on, and learnings from, the last two decades. Today’s topic is management of the stress and emotions that, for many, often […]
6 Simple Steps to Avoid “Death By Meeting”
Posted On October 24, 2022 BY Dean Brenner
I ask the following question in every workshop or coaching session I lead: “Have you ever been to that meeting or presentation that was so disorganized, that you regretted accepting the meeting invite?” Of course you have. We all have. The Latimer Group spends a lot of time working inside large organizations, and all of […]
Anxiety When Speaking? That’s Actually Good
Posted On April 4, 2022 BY Dean Brenner
The question I’m asked most often in workshops and coaching sessions is, “I get really nervous when I present; can you help me eliminate my anxiety?” And my answer is that having at least some anxiety is actually a good sign. It means that, at that moment, you’re engaged. You are plugged into your audience […]
Anxiety When Speaking? That’s Actually Good
Posted On July 5, 2017 BY Dean Brenner
Originally published with the Forbes Coaches Council at Forbes.com on June 9, 2017. The question I’m asked most often in workshops and coaching sessions is, “I get really nervous when I present; can you help me eliminate my anxiety?” And my answer is that having at least some anxiety is actually a good sign. It […]
Video: How to Become an Olympic-Level Communicator
Posted On June 21, 2017 BY Dean Brenner
Want to communicate at the Olympic level? Work on the 4 skills of great communication one by one, and when you put them all back together, you’ll be communicating at a much higher level. What are the 4 skills? Dean lays them out for us in the video below: At The Latimer Group, our […]
Steve Jobs, On PowerPoint
Posted On June 19, 2017 BY Dean Brenner
I recently stumbled across a great quote from Steve Jobs, that captures exactly how we feel about PowerPoint here at The Latimer Group: “I hate the way people use slide presentations instead of thinking. People confront problems by creating presentations. I want them to engage, to hash things out at the table, rather than show […]
The Words We Use Matter. Choose Them Carefully.
Posted On June 12, 2017 BY Dean Brenner
The recent controversy over Bill Maher’s use of a racial epithet was yet another example of the power of language. Words have meaning, both good and bad. Words have power, both good and bad. Words make us feel things, both good and bad. This post is not about Bill Maher, the politics of language or […]
Your Colleagues Will Build a Statue in Your Honor
Posted On May 18, 2017 BY Dean Brenner
In nearly every workshop I teach, I ask a question that sounds something like this: “How many of you attend too many meetings that run long?” Nearly every hand goes up, every time. “How many of you get too many emails that are too overwhelming to read?” Nearly every hand goes up, every time. “How […]