Whatever your profession, you also need to be a professional communicator. ETC is pleased to share these essential Bits & Pieces to help you polish those skills.
My recent rant about dumb questions at networking events, like ‘Do you have a business card?’ generated some interesting reactions. One reader sent me a note indicating she didn’t like my approach. Here’s an excerpt from my response. ‘Thanks so much for your sincere feedback. As a writer and communication practitioner, my goal is always … Read more
A quick and easy read that reinforces basic skills … ‘Courage To Be Naked – the Ultimate Guide to Presenting and Communicating your Message’ By Fred Sarkari, 2011
Looks like this growing list of ‘recurring themes’ from my training and coaching engagements has become a popular section – thanks a lot. So, two more Faves to add to your list: 1. Strive for Reader-Centricity. Write for them, not for you. Write the way they want you to write for them, not the way … Read more
Very interesting, entertaining and useful … ‘Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln -21 powerful secrets of history’s greatest speakers’, James C. Humes, Three Rivers Press, New York, 2002
An 11-CD audio book with lots of comments from leading professional speakers: ‘Public Speaking Superstar – overcome stage fright, develop compelling stories and riveting presentations’, Made for Success, Inc., 2010 Happy Listening!
Two more of my favorite … and often-repeated … lines from my training and coaching engagements: 1. ‘The process of creating effective workplace messages is essentially the same. The variable is the medium you choose to transmit those messages.’ 2. ‘With all emails, include something in the subject line to help your readers quickly assess … Read more
(Some of my comments from a recent LinkedIn group discussion thread about the importance of a presentation’s introduction …) The first few minutes of any presentation are most important minutes. Start strong, powerfully, engaging and immediately so you don’t blow your intro. And never start with a joke unless you were hired as an entertainer … Read more
Whenever I want to use a quote, but don’t want to take the time to research who originally said it, I call it an ‘Old Sicilian Proverb’. So, here are two for this month: ‘In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.’ (Old Sicilians were not into political correctness or gender-neutral references.) … Read more
Another audio book worth the listen time: ‘101 Secrets of Highly Effective Speakers’, Caryl Rae Krannich, Ph.D, Listen & Live Audio, 2004 Happy Learning … PJS
Looks like this new content item was a hit, based on reader reactions. So, a few more ‘Best Practices’ you’d hear in one of my workshops: Err on the side of over-communicating important messages to increase your probability of success. Go beyond the ‘first word you can think of’ or the ‘word you usually think … Read more