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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Three Levels of Communication Success
Posted On September 14, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
Clear, persuasive communication skills are a source of competitive advantage in the workplace. The people who can get make their point clearly, get to the point quickly, and make a persuasive case will get noticed and be in demand. Period. But not everyone communicates at the same level of skill. Some have natural comfort or skill, […]
Leadership Tip: Look to Your Parenting for Help
Posted On September 8, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
My wife Emily and I are proud parents of two great kids, one age six, and one age sixteen months. We’re also both voracious readers, and we’re always looking for ideas and insight on better parenting. And much of what we read boils down to this: As a parent, will you make decisions that solve […]
My Stint in Mobile Device Rehab, Part 2
Posted On September 6, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
Earlier this summer, I wrote a short post about giving up my mobile devices for part of my vacation. So many of us struggle with the balance between being connected with the world vs being connected with the people right in front of us. And our mobile devices have become toxic roadblocks to attention span, […]
My Stint in Mobile Device Rehab
Posted On July 11, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
I spent the last week on vacation with my family. Which means that for a few days prior to the beginning of vacation, my wife and I had our annual negotiation about mobile devices and the boundaries during vacation. In general, she and I agree on the basic premise… it is healthy to turn off […]
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 […]
Expand Your World View, and Understand Your Colleagues
Posted On March 21, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
My family and I recently returned from a short trip to Mexico. We have visited family there several times with our son over the last six years, and this was the first plane trip for our infant daughter. Traveling with young kids can be a real challenge, no matter how hard you try to organize […]
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 […]