Are you having trouble learning grammar? Consider the topic boring and painful? Let Weird Al help you with this great parody called ‘Word Crimes’ – Now … grammar isn’t so painful after all, is it?
If you had attended on of my PhonePower workshops dealing with enhancing customer communication over the phone, you would have heard these ‘Phil’s Faves’ strategies often:
Last month, we discussed the all-important Pre-Write phase of workplace writing: Plan What You Write. The piece encouraged you to ask four groups of questions about each document: What are your objectives? Who are your readers? What tone and style would be appropriate? What message format and structure would be best?
Your laptop or PC keyboard has 26 letters on it along with numbers, symbols and punctuation marks. When that computer is connected to a projector to run PowerPoint slides, my favorite is Letter ‘B’. Curious? … read on.
A reader asked about the logic of having the event host or moderator introduce a speaker. My comments should have value if you ever need to speak at a professional or industry group event. They even apply if you speak to another department or team at work where most of the audience doesn’t know you or your background.
A reader recently asked me to define ‘Networking’. So, here is one of my favorite ‘Phil’s Faves’ you would hear often in one of my Networking Strategies workshops:
‘Networking is simply the exchange of ideas, information or resources. It’s all about information. John Naisbitt first defined networking that way in ‘MegaTrends’ over 30 years ago.
I recently engaged in an on-line discussion group for professional speakers in which someone asked if it was appropriate for speakers to thank the audience. While my response was aimed at my fellow speakers, some of the points have value for routine workplace presenters as well.
In my Presentation Skill training and coaching engagements, I regularly recommend holding eye contact on one person at a time for 8 – 10 seconds or to complete a thought. Then, moving to a new person in silence in a random pattern. After reading one of my articles on this topic, a reader asked why I recommend that technique.
I recently responded to a LinkedIn entrepreneur group discussion question asking for the best advice we’d been given about starting our own businesses. So, here are three of ‘Phil’s Faves’ – advice I regularly share in my workshops and coaching engagements that I learned from a combination of input from colleagues and expert authors: Do … Read more
A reader recently asked a question about using speaker notes when delivering a presentation – ‘I need to use reading glasses to see my notes and that makes it difficult to focus in on audience members’ eyes. Now what?’ My Answer – Simply create actual speaker notes instead of a copy of your outline, or … Read more