Navigating Your Team of Introverts to Success
Do you self-identify as an introvert, extrovert, or perhaps somewhere in the middle on this spectrum? IntrovertAmbivertExtrovert Many people (like me) self-identify as an "Ambivert". Ambiverts are capable of tapping into their extrovert selves when they need to, or if...
How To Ask For Feedback
How To Ask For Specific Feedback That Is Measurable And Helps You Improve If you’ve ever had a manager or boss give you feedback that was vague, abstract, or ambiguous, you’re not alone. It is common for me to hear a client say some version of this statement, “I got...
Unless Your Grandma Cuts Your Hair, Listen Up
Read Your Audience and Adapt to Their Needs Understanding your audience is critical, no matter the context you are communicating. A peer level audience provides you with much more flexibility does an executive audience, where you must be the agile presenter and...
What goes in, to an “outro?”
We've all had to introduce ourselves at one time or another which can be daunting in its own right, but have you ever been asked to introduce someone else? If you find this trickier than introducing yourself, here's a guide for what goes in, an Outroduction. Be...
Webinars – Love em’ or Loathe em’, they’re here to stay ~ So Keep Your Shirt On (please!)
A few weeks ago, I realized the reality of our virtual realities. Half way through a webinar I was leading for a group of speakers, one of the participants proceeded to stand up, remove his t-shirt, apply spray-on deodorant, and put on a different...
Your “but” dressed in a tuxedo… is still a “but”
Communication Tip of the Day on Giving Tough Feedback Anytime you communicate a verbal message that is positive to another person, and follow it up with a "but..." you deflate the message you just sent to that person. When your employee, staff, spouse,...
Storytelling Made Simple
Storytelling Made Simple Storytelling is HOT right now! We know from research that including stories in a presentation or interview adds value for your audience. Storytelling makes you more memorable by engaging the right hemisphere of your listeners' brain,...
Three Simple Steps to Writing a Classy Wedding Toast
Follow these Three Simple Steps to Writing a Classy Wedding Toast Key Point 1 - Describe your history with the person you are standing up for / representing (e.g., your best man / made of honor). Share a well organized and illustrative story that has a clear...
Weed out the junkers – a playful analogy for the potential home buyer
In June of 2012 my husband and I sold our house in San Jose. Before we sold, we began looking for a new home the March prior, we did not find anything. In June we moved to Santa Cruz and began renting a small bungalow three blocks from the beach. We continued our...
So…what is the difference between an analogy and a metaphor?
I have noticed that analogies and metaphors are sometimes difficult to decipher for those wanting to include one or the other in a presentation, as a way of bringing key points to life. Below is a definition of both provided by my Mac's dictionary application. An...