Executive Presence Archives

Conference Room Bullies and How to Present to Them

by Brad Holst

Have you ever encountered an unfriendly meeting participant while presenting? Maybe you know someone who constantly interrupts, asks aggressive questions, or worse, tries to take over your meeting. Believe it or not, you have more control over these conference room bullies than you think. Learn how to recognize these strong personalities, the things you may be doing to trigger their behavior, and what you can do right now to strengthen your command of the room and feel more confident in front of any audience.

by Brad Holst

Briefing Center, Executive Presence, Messaging Skills, Presentation Slides, Training Evaluation

Ready For Your Close-Up?

by Brad Holst

Ever wonder how the best speakers fully engage their audience while looking natural and at ease? It starts with expanding your presentation comfort zone and seeing yourself objectively. Video recording, coupled with expert coaching, can take your communication skills to the next level. Find out how the experts do it.

by Brad Holst

Communication Skills, Executive Presence, Eye Contact, In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills, Soft Skills, Video, Vocal Energy

How Many Women Are In Your Leadership Pipeline?

by Beth Boone

Companies perform better financially when women are well represented in the workforce, in management, and on corporate boards. The problem is when a woman speaks, she can feel like she’s walking a tightrope. Many women report feeling like they’re either not heard at all at work or are judged as too aggressive when they speak. The research backs this up. As a result, women may decide that saying less is more. But this hurts them and their organizations. So what can your business do to tackle this problem head-on and build a stronger pipeline of women leaders? Read the blog to find out.

by Beth Boone

Conversation Skills, Executive Presence, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

What Is the Antidote to Business Anxiety?

by David Mears

Business anxiety is high. Geopolitics. Trade. Cyber security. Uncertainty reigns. One former White House economist suggests we're living in an "age of anxiety." Ready-aim-fire approaches to addressing the disruptive changes ahead won't work. Instead, businesses need to be proactive. How? Equip your people with the skills needed to create clarity from chaos and decisiveness from uncertainty. Learn why clearer thinking and speaking is the antidote to business anxiety and what 3 skills your talent needs to not only survive this new era, but to thrive in it.

by David Mears

Conversation Skills, Executive Presence, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

Are Your Slides Killing Your Sales?

by David Mears

Death by PowerPoint is real. I hear it all the time from executives and B2B buyers: “PowerPoint presentations do more harm than good.” Could your sales team's poor use of slides be killing your sales? Here are three things you can do to avoid "Death by PowerPoint" and deliver more powerful, precise, and persuasive sales presentations.

by David Mears

Briefing Center, Executive Presence, Presentation Skills, Presentation Slides, Presenting to Executives

In Sales, Content Delivery Is King

by David Mears

You've probably heard the expression, "Content is king." And, it's likely your company has spent a lot of money creating content that supports successful selling. But even the world's greatest message or content will fail to persuade if your sales reps can't deliver it effectively. When it comes to sales performance, here's why content delivery is king.

by David Mears

Executive Presence, Sales Readiness, Sales Training, Selling Skills

What Does Your Word Cloud Look Like?

by Kathleen Redd

When you’re talking to colleagues and customers, what does YOUR word cloud look like? Too often, clouds are filled with crutch words like, “ums” and “ahs” and “you knows.” The good news? People can change the shape of their word clouds using an underrated, yet powerful, communication skill: the ability to say nothing at all. Using the “power of the pause” will make you a more effective communicator. Read on to learn more.

by Kathleen Redd

Conversation Skills, Executive Presence, In-Person Presentations, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives

Are You Paying the Hidden Price of Workplace Distraction?

by David Mears

The decision makers whose attention you're trying to get are too distracted to hear a word you're saying. The implication: having a great business idea is no longer enough. You’ve got to be able to present it in a way that GRABS attention and KEEPS it. Your ability to do that boils down to whether you can accomplish these 3 things quickly…

by David Mears

Conversation Skills, Executive Presence, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

3 Ways to Communicate Authentically Around the World

by Kathleen Redd

In building Mandel's global training capability, one of the most thrilling things I realized is that there are ways of communicating that transcend borders. I want to tell you about 3 “tools” in particular that were instrumental in helping me to build stronger relationships with my new colleagues and partners around the world, from Shanghai to Buenos Aires.

by Kathleen Redd

Conversation Skills, Executive Presence

Can Your Sales Team Get Executive Buyers to Say Yes?

by David Mears

Executives today are making or influencing more and more buying decisions (especially when it comes to technology). Is your sales team ready to engage executives in conversations about the business challenges that keep them up at night? This is where traditional sales training fails. Here’s how you can fix it.

by David Mears

Conversation Skills, Executive Presence, Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

Bring Back the Art of Listening

by Kathleen Redd

Let's face it. We're losing the ability to listen in this always-on, multi-tasking world. And, we're paying a price for it. When we fail to listen well, we miss vital info, misinterpret messages, or even damage our relationships with others. But, still, there have always been those special people who seem to have a natural gift for knowing how to make you feel heard. People like Grandma Hendrickson. Here's how she practices the gracious art of listening...and how you can, too.

by Kathleen Redd

Conversation Skills, Executive Presence, Sales Readiness

The Surprising Reason Your Leadership Program is Failing

by David Mears

Leadership gaps are a top business challenge today, despite strong corporate investment in leadership development. Why is that? Leadership development programs may be missing the most critical skill set of all...

by David Mears

Business Transformation, Change Management, Conversation Skills, Executive Presence, Leadership, Presentation Skills

3 Ways to Manage Anxiety When Recording Your Video Presentation

by Brad Holst

Presenting on-camera can be a nerve-wracking experience. Just walking onto the video set at Harvard Business Publishing (HBP) raised my anxiety. Here are three suggestions I learned from my own experience that may help you better manage anxiety when it’s your turn to record a video.

by Brad Holst

Executive Presence, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives

Where’s the Fire in Your Belly?

by Steve Mandel

When you present to senior executives, you expect scrutiny. You know they'll be evaluating whether what you have to say is of value to them. But, there's something else they're looking for from you.... And, it's further proof that when the stakes are high, both what you say AND how you say it can make all the difference.

by Steve Mandel

Conversation Skills, Executive Presence, Messaging Skills, Presenting to Executives, Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

Entering the (Executive) Lion’s Den

by Brad Holst

Many people feel like they're being sent into the proverbial lion’s den when they have to present to senior executives. While there's reason to be wary, take a lesson from Androcles: Find the thorn and pull it out. Here's how to turn scary lions into career-building advocates.

by Brad Holst

Conversation Skills, Executive Presence, Messaging Skills, Presenting to Executives

How to Build (and Avoid Breaking) Rapport

by Steve Mandel

When you break rapport, you've communicated that you don't have your listener's best interests at heart. And when that happens, you lose your ability to keep his or her attention or to influence his or her thinking. So this week, I thought I’d focus on ways people break rapport and how to avoid them.

by Steve Mandel

Conversation Skills, Executive Presence, Sales Readiness

What Every Businessperson Can Learn from an Entrepreneur

by Brad Holst

By necessity, entrepreneurs understand something that other professionals can take a lifetime to learn. Learn this lesson early, and it could make the difference between career success and failure.

by Brad Holst

Executive Presence, In-Person Presentations, Messaging Skills, Presenting to Executives, Storytelling

Mom Was Right: Why Good Posture Matters

by Steve Mandel

Whether you're presenting standing up or sitting down (in a live meeting or presenting virtually), using good posture is important. We all remember mom's admonitions, “Sit up straight” or “Don’t slouch.” Well, she was right, especially when we communicate with others! After all, your posture is one of the first things people notice about you. What do you want it to communicate?

by Steve Mandel

Executive Presence, In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills

Selling Up: What Executives Want

by Steve Mandel

Even though you yourself might not be an executive, you must come across in a manner that demonstrates you're confident, credible, and someone who understands the executive's world. Here's how to project executive presence when selling up.

by Steve Mandel

Executive Presence, Presenting to Executives, Selling Skills

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

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

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