Dianna Booher's Blog, page 39

What Leaders Communicate With “The Little Things”

No doubt, leaders spread their message by taking the microphone at a major conference. But just as with games, movies, apps, and ideas, leaders grow in popularity and reach a tipping point in their influence when employees share their observations of that leader by word of mouth.

That is, Jeremy interacts with leader Kevin and comments on that experience to a friend—either positively or negatively. Most often, it’s not the leader’s speeches, policies, or plans that create the positive impr...

How Meeting Leaders Deal With a Dominating Person

In an ideal world, everybody would play nice. All meeting attendees would arrive on time, put away their devices, tune in to the discussion, contribute passionately, listen to their colleagues’ opinions, understand the logical flow of the meeting process, resolve conflict amicably, and leave fully committed to the decisions of the group.

But teleconferences and face-to-face meetings can unfold similar to those on the playground. You may have passive attendees and dominating participants th...

Political Debates, Network News, and Communicating With Skeptics

Are you tired of reading and hearing politicians and pundits tells us what “the American people want” or what “the American people don’t want”? It’s difficult to find a news publication or political debate without someone waxing eloquently on their understanding of what we, the people, want in the way of tax reform, social security reform, immigration reform, foreign policy, or domestic policy on any number of social or economic issues.

As a communicator, you have the same skeptics as thos...

10 Things That Reveal How Leaders Think

The current buzz word “thought leader“ captures clout for those who stand out in the industry. But for years in other organizations or communities, we’ve used other clichés to identify those who think well: “He’s fast on his feet” or “She has a clear head on her shoulders.”

Leaders look to hire, promote, and listen to those who think clearly and communicate well.

Leaders look to hire, promote, and listen to those who think clearly and communicate well.
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But what if you’re na...

Speaker Introductions: Rousing, Rough, or Ruinous?

Sooner or later, you’ll be called on to introduce someone—at an industry meeting, a client event, or a community gathering. And you don’t want to be that person who confuses the crowd, disappoints the speaker, and embarrasses yourself.

In the audience at a recent conference, I watched a painful experience unfold: The introducer made no pretense of being familiar with her comments beforehand. She simply walked to the front of the room, unfolded her sheet of paper, and began to read—very slo...

The ONE Best Way to Persuade

After registering to attend a writer’s conference, I began to see a thread of emails land in my inbox about the upcoming event. An inexperienced traveler emailed this question to the group: “Would someone familiar with the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex tell me about the advisability and ease of getting from Love Field to the Hyatt Hotel at the DFW airport for the conference?”

Within an hour, the person had 3 responses. Two were extremely detailed, identifying four options for the fellow conf...

10 Lessons Learned in Surviving Poor Customer Service

A recent renovation in our home due to a water leak became almost a 4-month, full-time job for my husband. Sharing some of the customer-service snafus with friends and colleagues, we’ve discovered that these happenings are all too common for the construction industry.

Reflecting on our experiences and hearing the tales of woe from others, I’ve put together “10 Lessons Learned” to help you survive your next customer-service nightmare.

On the other hand, if you own a business in ANY industry...

3 Things Leadership Is NOT

Leadership—or the lack of it—has been the theme of the last decade. From political pundits, to convention keynoters, to sports team coaches, everybody claims to want a cadre of leaders to carry out their mission.

So for all the talk, training techniques, and tips on the topic, you’d think everyone would have the concept down by now. But not so. A few carrying the title of leader are still off track.

Leadership Is NOT a Position

Real leadership requires personal influence—persuasion afforde...

Managers Who Motivate Rather Than Demoralize

I’ve never met a manager who intended to demoralize their staff. Many do. But that’s not their intention. In talking with them or those who report to them, what surfaces are habits, attitudes, practices, and skill deficiencies that lead their employees to disrespect, disengage, and decide to leave them for more pleasant environments.

When an executive at the top of the organization notices that a manager is struggling to keep good people and suggests that manager come to us for communicati...

4 Things Business Presenters Can Learn from Painters

A leaking water pipe inside our house recently caused damage that entailed major renovations. As the various work crews came in and out over the next three months to repair the damage, the paint contractor caught my attention.

Several things about their work processes struck me as they relate to my own line of work: public speaking and coaching executives in business presentations.

The More Time Spent in Preparation, the Less Time Spent in Clean Up

The painters took almost as long to “get...