browse our blog archive - start with a search:
I had a really interesting conversation recently about how hard it can be to communicate asynchronously, through email, Slack, or text. This person pointed out that in his work environment, he felt like he might be one of the only people who really felt like he needed the nonverbal cues we get from in-person communication. ... Continue Reading
Um. Uh. Ah. These are the classic filler words that pepper almost everyone’s speech from time to time. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I’m not that bothered by filler words. Research has shown that most people use them at least occasionally, and that people listening aren’t put off ... Continue Reading
I heard a phrase recently that was new to me. “Back yourself.” We’re more familiar with backing other people, right? Colleagues, leaders, people we admire, even sports teams. We invest in them, we give them our support. We back them. But in this case, the idea was simply to back yourself. This twist on a ... Continue Reading
One of the very best things I get to do in my job is watch my colleagues absolutely kill it. Last week, Ignite CSP had a big team of coaches at an engagement, and I got to see them do their thing at the highest level. Ignite CSP senior coach Neela Muñoz was delivering the ... Continue Reading
A great speaker acts like they deserve to be there.* In some ways, this encapsulates everything we need to know about the nebulous terms “executive presence,” “confidence,” and “charisma.” When you know you’re going to say something worth hearing, a point of view worth sharing, that knowledge affects everything about how you show up. A ... Continue Reading
Practicing your presentation is a gift you are giving to your audience. Even if you feel totally comfortable, spending some time bringing some forethought and planning to what you’re going to say signals to the people listening to you that you cared enough to put your thoughts in order. Don’t skip this.
There’s an unspoken secret that many coaches and teachers have. If your job is to help other people perfect a skill–to coach them–you sometimes secretly wish no one else had ever coached your client before they came to you. (That’s a broad statement: maybe it’s more accurate to say that you wish all their previous ... Continue Reading
Today is Damn Glad to Be Alive Day! A little backstory: On February 6, 1995, I was working as a production resident for Playwrights Horizons, an off-Broadway theatre company in New York City. We were in technical rehearsals for a new musical called “Jack’s Holiday,” (about Jack the Ripper—don’t ask), and the master electrician asked ... Continue Reading
When we’re talking casually, many of us have run-on sentences that follow our stream of consciousness, it’s s conversational habit, there’s nothing wrong with doing that, but if you’re speaking to a group of people and it’s not a conversation, you might think about figuring out where you want to stop and which points you ... Continue Reading
This seems obvious. When someone gives you bad advice, just…don’t do it. Ignore it. The problem comes when you can’t identify the advice as being bad. You’re not an expert in the topic, and whatever you’ve been told seems reasonable. How can we protect ourselves from the bad advice when we can’t tell it’s bad? ... Continue Reading
© 2016 - 2024 IgniteCSP LLC | Site by TheFieryWell.com
