Are Millennials better or worse at interacting on a one-on-one basis because of the prevalence of technology in their lives? I’m not sure what the long-term effects of growing up in a world of computers and cellphones will be. However, watching high school and college students communicate leads me to believe that texting and digital communication have affected their “in-person” communication skills (but that is a completely unscientific observation). When looking at what skills to develop, face-to-face communication is a critical place to start. The more effectively you interact with others, both online and off-line, the more powerful … [Read more...]
2 Simple Secrets Professional Public Speakers Use
Public speaking remains one of the biggest fears that people wrestle with, and it is only made worse by the fact that we seem to be speaking in front of groups more and more often! Office meetings, sales presentations, networking events; our schedules are filled with opportunities to share our ideas in front of an audience (and get nervous about it...). It's worth developing your comfort, though, because confidence in public speaking can have a direct and positive influence on your career success. Managing Stage Fright Even experienced professional speakers get a little nervous before they take the microphone. But what if you are in the … [Read more...]
3 Keys to Introducing Yourself to a Group
At some point in your professional career you are going to have to stand up in front of a group of people and introduce yourself. It might be at a formal networking event where everyone is going around the room and giving their “elevator speech”, or maybe it’s a professional conference where you are each introducing yourself during a seminar or a break-out session. Whatever the scenario, you are going to be standing in a room of strangers, telling them who you are. And like it or not, they are going to make judgments about you based on how you introduce yourself. They are going to decide how competent and skilled you are in your … [Read more...]