And the beat goes on … readers continue indicating interest in this concise Q & A format for sharing simple Presentations Best Practices. This month, readers asked about stage fright, handouts vs. slides and eye contact.
Articles
Don’t be a Card Shark!
I’ve been ranting about business card finesse for over 25 years and I thought by now there would be no need to keep doing it. I assumed business people would get it, change behavior and stop being card sharks forever. Apparently, that’s not the case … so here we go again!
Make Listening Work
Admit it – we’re all poor listeners. Very poor. No surprise here – it’s the nature of our beast in the modern world. But, instead of just lamenting about it … or ignoring the condition … there are lots of simple ways to Make Listening Work for you if you want to improve this critical skill.
More Questions About Presentations
I’m pleased with your very positive reaction to this new feature. Several readers commented on how useful the short answers were and others offered new questions. So, here are more Questions About Presentations:
You’ve Got More Questions About Presentations
Glad to see this new feature went over so well. Three more questions about Presentations this month and two of them came in recently.
Brainstorming Brilliance
When was the last time you held a team brainstorming meeting to identify a name for a new product, solve some problem or even a come up with a location for the next staff happy hour … and you got nothing? You asked for input, but only a few spoke up and others criticized or made fun of those ideas. Most people just sat there silent starring at their blank sheets of paper … or, phones. One person had enough courage to tell you that you’re the boss and you’ll do whatever you want anyway, so why bother with this waste of time?
Pro Bono Power
Here’s a simple but very effective strategy to maximize the impact of a ‘No Budget Marketing’ campaign you may create for your employer or your own business – harnessing the ‘Power of the Pro Bono’ or what I like to call ‘Strategic Volunteering’.
Phil’s Faves on Workplace Writing
If I had to condense my workplace writing feature articles down to one page … here’s what that could look like:
You’ve Got Questions … About Presentations
Readers regularly send in questions about specific presentation issues or challenges and I respond privately and promptly. Some responses are general enough that I run them here in the Quickie section of ‘Communicate Confidently’.
Going forward, I’ll be highlighting three of those answers each month on different specific topics to reinforce what you already know or even add some new skills to your Workplace Presenter Tool Kits. And, if you send in a question now, you might find the answer helping other readers in a future issue.
Why I Hate Networking … And So Should You!
(FYI … I wrote this for COSE’s ‘Mind Your Business’ blog last month. Enjoy …)
I hate networking. I really hate it. Rather strange comment coming from the self-proclaimed Godfather of Networking in COSE-land. Yes … but let me explain.