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I spend a lot of time thinking about talking. Why, how, and even when people talk takes up a lot of my mental bandwidth. But in order to really create connection, we need to learn to be great listeners, not just talkers. We can learn how to be present, suspend our own agenda, ask relevant … Read more

Don’t practice your speech in front of the mirror.  I don’t know how this became such popular conventional wisdom, but it doesn’t make any sense. When you practice in the mirror, you’re doing the one thing you know for sure will not be happening when you actually present—looking right at yourself.  It’s way more helpful … Read more

For several years, I’ve been following the work, the thinking, and the writing of a man named Patrick Skinner. Skinner served in the Coast Guard, then worked for the CIA in counter-terrorism, and then moved back to his hometown of Savannah, Georgia, to become a police officer. Detective Skinner talks about the people he sees … Read more

My son Cameron is learning to drive. Watching him figure out how to learn this skill, one element at a time, is fascinating. He observes closely when I’m driving, and he asks lots of questions.  Recently, I asked him to move a car in our driveway. He got in, adjusted the seat (he’s about six … Read more

I watched a webinar this week that had been recorded live. The host* took the audience through some fairly technical processes that were important building blocks to be able to use a certain software. The aspect of her presentation that had the single biggest impact on me was this: she seemed like she wanted to … Read more

A long-time client told me recently that she spends all day in virtual meetings, and their company culture is to leave cameras off. Even conversations between two people take place on Skype for Business, not the phone, and they are audio only.  This practice predates the pandemic. Many global firms were used to meeting remotely, … Read more

A reader sent the article below, which describes the successful implementation of various hand signals in university classes taught via video.  Developed from one researcher’s experience using hand signals as a lifeguard, a group of students experimented with using the signals in class to “show agreement or dissent, to display concern or care, to congratulate … Read more

I don’t spend nearly enough time singing the praises of the Ignite CSP coaches, but today I’m going to take a step to rectify that. Neela Muñoz has been an Ignite CSP coach since 2008. If you don’t already know Neela, you can read about her here, but I want to share a particular accomplishment.  … Read more

When you’re learning to perform Shakespeare, you spend some time studying how verse works. When does he use it, when is it “regular” verse, when is it not, and when does he abandon verse altogether and use prose instead? Ultimately, we learn that Shakespeare is sending signals to us through the way he uses (and … Read more

If you’re familiar with this blog, the title of today’s post may have made you do a double-take. After all, the third part of our 3-part approach to developing communication skills is Practice!  (Intention and Alignment are steps 1 and 2.) So what’s all this “don’t waste your time practicing” stuff? When you practice, do … Read more