Blog | Mandel Communications

Is Your PowerPoint Falling Flat?

by Brad Holst

Is your presentation falling flat and you can't figure out why? If your slides are dynamic and engaging, the content is spot-on, and you've prepared well, then why is your audience feeling disconnected and confused? It may be a commonly overlooked problem: slide transitions. Here's how to fix it.

by Brad Holst

PowerPoint, Presentation Skills, Presentation Slides, Virtual Presentations

A Better Way to Plan Your Presentation

by Steve Mandel

Want better presentation results? Plan strategically, not tactically. Instead of recycling slides from older decks and making them fit your presentation, start with who your audience is and what you want to accomplish. Here's how.

by Steve Mandel

Presentation Skills, Presentation Slides

Don’t Be a Stick in the Mud…Move!

by Steve Mandel

Moving around when you speak benefits both you and your audience. Here are some tips for how and where to move, so that you enhance your connection with your audience, as well as their enjoyment of your presentation.

by Steve Mandel

Executive Presence, In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills

Using Quotes to Punch Up Your Presentation

by Steve Mandel

Not only are quotes a great way to punch up what might otherwise be a dry presentation, but they lend credibility to your thoughts and ideas. Here are a few tips on where to source quotes and how to use them effectively in your presentations.

by Steve Mandel

Conversation Skills, Presentation Skills

Use the Power of Gestures

by Steve Mandel

Do you ever feel awkward about what to do with your hands when you give a presentation? You're not alone. Isn't it strange, though, that people almost never feel this awkwardness during everyday conversation? Gesturing comes naturally outside of the presentation environment. Anxiety interrupts the ability to gesture when presenting. Here's how to overcome your anxiety and use gestures effectively.

by Steve Mandel

Conversation Skills, Presentation Skills

When Stakes Are High in the Briefing Center

by Steve Mandel

Executive Briefing Center presentations are typically high stakes. When millions in revenue are on the line, expectations are high on both sides of the table. If you're asked to present, you feel the pressure. That's why preparation is essential. And, practice is mandatory. Here are a few essential tips to help you prep for and deliver world-class briefings.

by Steve Mandel

Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives

Don’t Let How You Communicate Set You Back

by Steve Mandel

In the business world, people and events seem to move faster than the speed of light. You've barely completed one task, when five more appear needing your attention. And, they were all due yesterday! Given that you can't stop the earth from spinning, or time itself, here are a few things you can do to keep your communications efficient and relationship-positive amidst the chaos.

by Steve Mandel

Conversation Skills, Presentation Skills

Slideware Trend: Why 16:9 is the New Black

by Brad Holst

Do your slides make you seem outdated? I can’t remember the last time I gave a presentation using the old 4:3 aspect ratio. When your slides are in the 16:9 aspect ratio, your audience is likely to perceive higher production values and a more modern presentation, which all reflects back positively on you—the presenter. Here's why the 16:9 ratio is just plain better.

by Brad Holst

PowerPoint, Presentation Slides, Slide deck

Tips on Presenting from the Big Stage

by Steve Mandel

Speaking to a big audience can be intimidating. Often, bright lights are shining in your eyes, the stage is huge and elevated above your audience, and the stakes may be very high. The pressure is on! At last month’s Cisco Live event, we provided coaching around the unique challenges of speaking to large audiences. Here are a few of the tips we shared for tackling these challenges.

by Steve Mandel

Executive Presence, In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills, Presentation Slides

Tough Questions: Keep Your Cool Under Pressure

by Steve Mandel

Everyone has had to deal with questions that are difficult, asked in an angry voice, or just plain hostile. And, when you're caught off guard by such questions, it's easy to be thrown into a panicky state and not answer well, jeopardizing your credibility. Here's how to avoid losing your cool under pressure.

by Steve Mandel

Conversation Skills, Presentation Skills, Selling Skills

What if Your Salesforce Asked Better Questions?

by Brad Holst

By asking better questions, your sales team can engage in stimulating and productive customer conversations. A recent book demonstrated how a lesson from the elementary classroom applies to Fortune 1000 sales executives.

by Brad Holst

Conversation Skills, In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives, Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

Are Your Sales Reps Presentation-Ready?

by David Mears

While customer-driven dialogue should be the goal of every sales meeting, make no mistake: there are key “moments of presentation” during these conversations that can determine your success or failure. The best sales people know when they need to shift gears and jump into presentation mode, and they do it well because it's a skill they've practiced.

by David Mears

Conversation Skills, In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives, Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

Sales Leaders: What is Costing You?

by Brad Holst

Search the internet for pipeline mortality and you’ll only get a handful of hits and not one of them will have anything to do with the sales process. But my colleague David Mears, Mandel’s Chief Sales Officer, loves to use this term. The meaning is fairly obvious – it describes the potential deals put into the sales pipeline that never close, either lost to competitors or inaction. And David believes that many sales leaders are willing to accept pipeline mortality rates that are needlessly high and costly.

by Brad Holst

Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

How to Pause When Presenting

by Steve Mandel

It's not uncommon to talk too fast and speed through a presentation. Too often, people fill potential pauses with filler words such as, “like” or “ya know” or “um” or “ah”. But, the effect on your audience can be devastating. Instead, learn how to use pauses effectively to enhance your audience's understanding of your message and their esteem of you as the messenger.

by Steve Mandel

Conversation Skills, Presentation Skills

You Can Pause Your Way Through Anything

by Brad Holst

I recently had a conversation with a former client that reminded me of how small changes in how you communicate can effect big results. Something as simple as mastering how to pause can influence how you're perceived by others and what you're able to achieve. Here's what she told me.

by Brad Holst

Conversation Skills, Presentation Skills

Leaders: Don’t Get Lost in Presentation

by Brad Holst

Employee-contributed innovation happens at every level of your organization. Are the best ideas being heard within your organization?

by Brad Holst

Conversation Skills, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

How to Communicate with Executives: Part III

by Steve Mandel

The two-part blog series on How to Communicate with Executives was so well-received, I wanted to write a third and final bonus post. Not to mention, Fortune 500 executives have shared so many invaluable tips with me with over the years, that it's difficult for me not to want to share them all. So, this week I'll conclude the series by focusing on (1) the use of slides when presenting to executives and (2) how to manage push back when interacting with executives.

by Steve Mandel

Executive Presence, PowerPoint, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives

How to Communicate with Executives: Part II

by Steve Mandel

This week, in Part II of this series, I'm going to focus on how to present yourself to executives in order to earn their respect and confidence. How do you communicate non-verbally? What's your body language saying? Or your vocal tone and volume? Here's what executives believe executive presence should look like.

by Steve Mandel

Executive Presence, Presenting to Executives

How to Communicate with Executives: Part I

by Steve Mandel

In Part I of this two-part series, Steve Mandel shares two common concerns Fortune 500 executives have voiced again and again about how people communicate with them. Their concerns directly correlate to steps you can take to become a more skilled, confident, and highly competent executive communicator.

by Steve Mandel

Conversation Skills, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives

Lessons from the Jungle Cruise

by Brad Holst

I'm proud to say that I was a Disneyland Jungle Cruise skipper. I wore the hat, shot the gun, and made “the backside of water” water joke more times than I can count. For me, it was the ultimate part-time college job. The pay was good, the work itself was crazy fun, and it turned out I learned lessons about effective presentations skills that stick with me today. Here are three that anyone can use to be a better presenter.

by Brad Holst

Presentation Skills

6 Essential Sales Communication Skills

by Greg Madsen

Help your sales professionals master these six Moment of Truth Readiness Communication Skills needed to ensure that they're game-time ready and prepared for any interaction—virtual or face-to-face—with today’s buyers.

by Greg Madsen

Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

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Mandel Concepts