Wherever there are large organizations, there will be meetings. People can accomplish in groups what they can't accomplish individually. Whether large or small meetings, participants pool knowledge and experience in order to make decisions that will...(more)

Video conferencing is now ubiquitous, and not only in the enterprise world. About 70 percent of employees prefer video conferencing to traveling to physical meetings, while a whopping 87 percent of executives favor working in organizations that have...(more)

With the well-warranted national conversation on good health, it’s time we talk about another area where health is important – our own conversations.  We’ve got obesity on the national scale and bloated conversations in the...(more)

There are many moments in a conference meeting where important details need to be jotted down. This especially goes for meetings that go well over an hour long. There are just too many details for someone to over glance, especially during video...(more)

Have you ever tried to pitch an idea? In public speaking we are often times trying to sell something, sell change, sell innovation...    Noteworthy speakers are able to engage the audience, inspire, and have a successful call to action. The...(more)

Just as high quality ingredients make every recipe more nutritious and delicious, a specific set of healthy communication practices can make every relationship more nourishing and life affirming. Read on to learn more about foundational communication...(more)

You know you want to.  In fact you're dying to pop off some expletives that would make Mom turn ten shades of red.  Whether you receive news about a coming reorganization, unrealistic client deadline or one of your peers being absent AGAIN,...(more)

Quick. Think fast. What’s your first thought when I say “workplace communication?”    Did you think of written communication like texts, emails, memos, policies or reports?  Did you think of verbal communication like...(more)

If you are like millions of other Americans who work full-time, you probably spend more time at work than you spend anywhere else. You probably want your workplace to be a comfortable and positive place where you feel valued and appreciated, and where...(more)

While Halloween is long gone, we still are graced with a scary word that is permeating corporate consciousness.  It’s four-----teen letters.  It has executives, middle management and front line  supervisors stumbling and bumbling...(more)

Many managers and supervisors tell me that they wish their employees would be more engaged. They want to see higher degrees of enthusiasm, ownership, commitment and accountability throughout the ranks on a daily basis. Maybe you have felt this way. But...(more)

Not to be confused with the great Bruno Mars’ song Marry Me, we do have an engagement of sorts when we ask for someone’s hand in helping to develop our career. Whether it be an informal or formal relationship, there are great ways of asking...(more)

Instructions to create messages that destroy value: Open mouth, insert foot.  Instructions to create positive messages that create value: Open mind, open mouth.   I know the former sounds familiar to you.  Have you ever thought about...(more)

Much is being bandied about on how to best engage employees. We have employers who want engaged employees and employees who want to be engaged. From the employer side, research shows us engaged employees lead to better results. Kenexa reports that...(more)

Some days I feel powerless.    It starts with a trigger.    My manager uses “that tone.” My kids “overlook” their home chores. My direct report hasn’t completed the task that I thought was a given. A...(more)

By Peter Watts, Writer, Coach & Trainer, The Presenters' Blog  Around the USA, beautiful towns and villages celebrate in the title of "Artist's Colony". Long before tourists arrived, a diversity of artists congregated to work together and...(more)

Rules, often the unwritten ones, can stifle the creativity of an organization.   As managers, most of us spend a fair bit of time trying to move our organizations forward by orchestrating behavioral change. We look for ways to enhance some...(more)

We all seem to know when we are ready to move onward and upward in our career, but often get frustrated when it does not happen the way we would like. There is a difference between expressing an interest in career growth and proving yourself ready. This...(more)

The only thing worse than wasting time away in an unproductive meeting is having others feel they are wasting their time away in YOUR meeting. It doesn't have to be that way.   When you take the time to plan your meeting, you can take the team...(more)

Our words go much deeper than the standard definitions we see in a dictionary, however we may not intend them to be viewed that way. In order to connect with people we must understand how our words will be perceived and choose them wisely. It is an...(more)

Why do so many of us feel it's best to avoid sharing our opinions when we make presentations at work? Opinions are powerful if you know how to use them properly, especially when you are trying to draw people in and have them believe in what you are...(more)

Here is a great communication skill that anyone can do if they pay attention to those around them.  Mirroring the behaviors, gestures, words and mood of others can build an instant bond that opens people up to you, gives you an opportunity to...(more)

By Peter Watts, Writer, Coach & Trainer, The Presenters' Blog Metaphor and simile bring speaking to life by creating comparisons between objects and concepts.   In normal speech we all use them constantly, yet when we attempt to consciously...(more)

By Peter Watts, Writer, Coach & Trainer, The Presenters' Blog Using “but” in business presentations reduces your influence.   It raises defensiveness in others by implying disagreement or excuses.   The word sounds dull;...(more)

By Peter Watts, Writer, Coach & Trainer, The Presenters' Blog Procrastination is putting off a task we don’t want to do today, so that it can become a task we want to do even less tomorrow. Creating the opportunity to speak in public for...(more)

By Sherri Petro, President of VPI Strategies & California Miramar University (CMU) Professor We all know texting and driving is a monumentally bad combination.  What about texting and working?  This is not in reference to texting...(more)

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions In the workplace, there’s something about questions that makes people uncomfortable. As a result, we often fail to ask the questions that would elicit information we need in...(more)

By Claire Laughlin, Consultant & Trainer, Leadership 4 Design Don’t you love the feeling of being curious? I associate it with awe, wonder, interest and spark. Imagine a company culture where this feeling exists at all levels, what a...(more)

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions You’re good at what you do, but you may be doing too much by hanging on to work that you shouldn’t be doing. No matter what your job title is, there are people around you...(more)

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions In any given work week, there is at least one conversation you’d rather not have. One conversation that you know won’t go well, where people will express emotions that make...(more)

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions As humans, we prefer a state called homeostasis. It’s the state in which a person’s relationship to the environment is stable. It’s in our very nature to strive for...(more)

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions It’s been said that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks (I can say that because I’d qualify as an “old dog”). There would be a true statement if it were...(more)

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions In the past decade, trust has become a hot topic in business. Maybe it’s a reaction to the big corporate scandals that rocked the U.S. and led to stringent accounting practices or...(more)

…You are fresh out of college; you made it through the interview process and got your first break into the workforce.  You want to do great things and believe you have a lot to offer. …As an employer you have given this recent...(more)

No matter what position you hold in your company, you have the opportunity to be a leader, influence others, solve problems for those around you and become an expert resource for your organization or team.  If you can cultivate these leadership...(more)

It is human nature to have a positive correlation between an individual’s motivation and their productivity.   Taking it a step further, a group of motivated individuals can make a productive & creative team which can build better...(more)

There are several great online survey templates you can use for standard measurements such as employee reviews, customer satisfaction surveys, product ratings and many others.  My message to you, however, is to go outside of those templates and...(more)

It may seem counter intuitive to think that the less you speak, the more you are heard, but it's true.  Why do you think that is?  Let's review a few reasons... People tune out individuals that never stop talking, inevitably missing...(more)

How do you define a GREAT presentation?  Is it the comfort level you feel when presenting, OR the positive response you get from your audience? What if I told you that it should be both…by that definition, are you a great...(more)

By Deb Calvert, President, People First Productivity Solutions I blame book reports. I can remember doing them as early as 4th grade in Mrs. Sisney’s class. The one I remember standing in front of the class and describing was a Dr. Doolittle...(more)

How do you use information to stay competitive? As professionals, we are inundated daily with information: E-mails, reports, news, blogs, social media…the list goes on and on.  Those who are able to efficiently digest, assimilate and...(more)

At work, at home, in social settings, with friends or colleagues, your ability to communicate defines who you are to those around you.  Are you shy, outgoing, a trivia fanatic, a news junkie, a sports enthusiast, the guy who loves to hear the sound...(more)