There’s a fine line—and sometimes no line at all—between Powerpoint that follow a standardized approach and Powerpoint that have no connection to each other in an organization. Too much standardization gets boring. No connection gets confusing. In the video above, I’ll help you and your organization find the sweet spot between lockstep rigid following of rules and presentations that are all over the map. It all comes down to following a few principles instead of following an endless list of … Continue reading →

Tough conversations challenge everyone. It’s human nature to want to avoid confrontation and difficult situations. But as managers, in order to really get the most out of your people, sometimes you have to have the courage to have the tough conversations. The topics can include underperforming employee, attendance issues, ethical issues, inconsistency, lack of dependability, lack of trust, and a long list that fall squarely in the tough conversation category. You don’t have to like having these conversations to be … Continue reading →

In the old town section of Barcelona, I was on a tour with my wife when I came across this opera singer who wanted to practice in front of a live audience. So she went to the busiest part of town and started practicing, started singing. You can even hear me talking to my wife at the front of the video. She was afraid I was going to fall to far behind our tour (which is why I didn’t shoot … Continue reading →

It’s a presenter’s nightmare: a low energy audience. You’ve spent real time and effort in preparing your presentation. You brought your A-game to the front of the room. You are ready. And your audience looks they are auditioning for the role of zombies in a new sci-fi movie. Lifeless. It’s not an impossible situation. In this video, I will share a few tried and true strategies for how to get a low energy audience more engaged. It takes a little … Continue reading →

Presenters frequently ask me, “How do I make my presentation more engaging.” I usually point out that there’s no “U” in presentation and that’s the problem. By “U” of course I mean “You.” Putting a little bit of personal information in your presentation, a little bit of vulnerability. That increased the chance of an emotional connection with your audience. Influence starts with emotional connection, not intellectual capital. In this video, I’ll show you how to use a little bit of … Continue reading →

Yes, they got the call wrong. Yes, the officials mistake had a direct impact on the LA Rams going to the Super Bowl instead of the New Orleans Saints. And yes, everyone outside the NFL, wants to see replay rules changed. All of that still misses the bigger issue, an issue that can affect your business as easily as the football business. The issue of transparency. The referee in the NFC Championship game, was Bill Vinovich. He’s a good ref—or … Continue reading →

When you watch great movies—from any genre—you’ll notice one consistent thing: They don’t start with an agenda slide. Your presentation shouldn’t either. And largely for the same reason they don’t use them in movies. They’re boring. The Down Side Audiences see agenda slide and they start doing a mental calculation of how long everything will take. And if you don’t get to everything, the audience will know that too. That’s a lot of downside. You want the open of your … Continue reading →

Jargon isn’t B.S. It’s shorthand language. Some of it is culture based. 24/7, ASAP, LOL, etc. Some of it is unique to your position, industry, industry, or organization. And every industry and organization has jargon.    Everyone has industry has terminology like that. The dead give away is it usually acronyms. Jargon isn’t a bad thing when you speak to people in your industry or organization. Like any good shortcut, it saves time. But when you speak to a broader audience, … Continue reading →