Brad Holst

How Can We Make Socially-Distanced Collaboration Work?

by Brad Holst

It happened fast. One day you were meeting with your colleagues at the office. The next day you and everyone you work with are working in remote isolation from home. Whether you’re new to working remotely or an experienced veteran, we all need to raise our virtual collaboration game to not only make this new reality work, but to make it work really well. Read on to discover seven practical, high impact tactics you can implement right now to ensure the success of your virtual meetings.

by Brad Holst

Collaboration Skills, Hybrid Work, Virtual Collaboration

Want to be a User Conference Hero? Follow These 5 Practical Speaker Tips

by Brad Holst

Customers coming to a user conference aren’t there for the fanfare, they’re there for the expertise. If you’re an expert speaking at a user conference, you’re highly knowledgeable and passionate about your topic, but you might not be an expert at speaking in front of an audience. Here are five practical tips that you can implement right away for any upcoming speaking event.

by Brad Holst

Presentation Skills

Empathy: The Secret Ingredient for Successful Business Meetings

by Brad Holst

Meetings are more effective when people aren’t distracted. If your team is being taken off course by unexpected emotions, empathy can help build the bridge between wasted time and productivity. Brad Holst shares three ways to increase meeting productivity with empathy in this week’s blog.

by Brad Holst

Communication Skills, Team Building

Why Don’t People Respond to My Emails?

by Brad Holst

by Brad Holst

Communication Skills

Should I Use the TED Talk Format for My Business Presentation?

by Brad Holst

TED Talks have become a go-to example for how to give an engaging presentation from the big stage. They can be informative, inspiring, and often incredibly entertaining. But is the TED Talk format right for a business presentation delivered in a conference room? Probably not — but the skills used by TED Talk presenters definitely are! Learn how to identify what goes into a successful TED Talk and how to make those skills work for you in your everyday business presentations.

by Brad Holst

In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives

The Science of Presenting Data Visualizations Effectively

by Brad Holst

Data visualizations can help the human brain make sense of complex information — but only if you know how to present them. No matter who your audience is, everyone’s brain is hardwired to process the flow of information in the same way. Learn science-based tips for presenting data visualizations in a way that keeps any audience focused on your message and prevents them from feeling overwhelmed or distracted.

by Brad Holst

Communication Skills, PowerPoint, Presentation Skills, Presentation Slides, Slide deck, Technical Professionals

Presenting Technical Ideas to Business Audiences

by Brad Holst

You know your scientists, engineers, and technology experts are the best around. They're proven innovators and solution providers within your organization. Why, then, is presenting to a business audience such a common challenge for technical professionals? Learn 11 tactics your technical team can use right now to make them more effective and influential communicators for any business decision maker.

by Brad Holst

Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Technical Professionals

Are Your User Conference Speakers Ready for the Spotlight?

by Brad Holst

You’ve got all the ingredients in place for a fantastic user conference. Prime venue in a desirable city. Former US president as the keynote. An iconic rock band to entertain attendees. Now, there’s just one question...Are your technical experts ready for their moment in the spotlight? Be sure to set your speakers up for success. Read this week's blog to find out how.

by Brad Holst

Event Preparation, Presentation Skills, Technical Professionals

Influencing Others Through Story; A Valuable Lesson from Game of Thrones

by Brad Holst

What inspires and motivates people to action? Here’s a hint: it’s not a PowerPoint deck filled with data points and analytics. Learning how to share a powerful story can positively influence others and help your ideas become memorable. Perhaps you need to promote a new idea or close that crucial sale. Learn how some of the most successful business ventures today got their start from sharing a powerful story and how you can make your own narrative work for you.

by Brad Holst

Business Transformation, Communication Skills, In-Person Presentations, Influencing Skills, Messaging Skills, Selling Skills, Storytelling

Want Your Presentation to Be Memorable? Follow the Rule of Three

by Brad Holst

Memory almost full. Imagine that warning flashing brightly on the forehead of every audience member. A successful presentation isn’t just about the speaker’s dynamic energy or their confident manner in front of an audience. Without compelling, easy to follow content, it doesn’t matter how comfortable you are in the spotlight. You and your topic will quickly be forgotten. So how do you ensure lasting, memorable impact? Learn how to be remembered by leveraging the ancient, globally relevant, and scientifically proven rule of three to focus your content, motivate your listeners, and make your executive presence shine.

by Brad Holst

Communication Skills, Critical Thinking Skills, Event Preparation, In-Person Presentations, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives, SCI-PAB, Selling Skills, Slide deck, Storytelling

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

The Little-Known Secret to More Productive Meetings

by Brad Holst

How many meetings have you gone to this week? Were they productive, or did they just create the need for more? Now think about how many meetings happen every day in your organization. Companies lose millions of dollars each year on wasted employee time in meetings and, as a result, employees become increasingly stressed and unhappy. Believe it or not, part of the problem is the meeting invitation. Learn how a simple, quick addition to your meeting invites can help you and your organization have consistent meeting success every time.

by Brad Holst

Briefing Center, Collaboration Skills, Communication Skills, Critical Thinking Skills, In-Person Presentations, Messaging Skills, Project Management, SCI-PAB

Are You Your Best Self While Presenting?

by Brad Holst

Why is it so difficult to be your best self in front of an audience? And what can you do to change that? Turns out, there is more within your control than you think. This week, experience a personal coaching session with 10 of the most powerful dos and don’ts that you can implement right now to have an immediate impact on your performance. Along with this seasoned advice, discover detailed examples and the science behind what it takes to show your most authentic self.

by Brad Holst

Communication Skills, Event Preparation, Eye Contact, In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills, SCI-PAB, Soft Skills, Vocal Energy

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

Lessons Learned From a Master Storyteller

by Brad Holst

I sat captivated, along with the rest of the audience, as General Colin Powell told a story about President Ronald Reagan and the squirrels that live around the Oval Office patio. It culminated in a potent lesson about influencing executive decision makers. It grabbed and held attention with just the right dollops of humor sprinkled throughout. It was told artfully and efficiently, in less than two minutes. Not a word wasted. I was watching a masterful storyteller at work and it was an afternoon I'll never forget. Here are the 3 storytelling lessons I learned from General Powell.

by Brad Holst

In-Person Presentations, Storytelling

How Storytelling Makes a Presentation More Influential

by Brad Holst

Has this ever happened to you? You’ve got a brilliant idea, one you know could deliver huge value. All the data supports it. But when you present it to others...they're just not that interested. Why? It could be that your presentation spoke only to their brains and not to their hearts. Learn how storytelling can help your audience emotionally connect with you and your ideas, making your presentation more memorable and influential.

by Brad Holst

Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills, Storytelling

Lessons Learned From Exceptional Business Communicators

by Brad Holst

What do wildly successful business people have in common? Multiple studies confirm they tend to be exceptional communicators—people who excel at moving information and insight into action. What can you learn from these communication superheroes? In all my years’ experience working in the business communication field, I’ve observed that two behaviors set exceptional communicators apart. Read this week's blog to learn what they are.

by Brad Holst

Conversation Skills, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

Do You Suffer From Post-Presentation Depression?

by Brad Holst

It’s a uniquely satisfying feeling when you end a high-stakes presentation knowing that you “crushed it.” And it's a uniquely depressing one when you don't. In my 15 years of experience as a coach, there's a big gap between what average presenters and great presenters do after their presentations are over. This week, I'll share what that difference is and also talk about why so few "naturally good" presenters ever become great. And if you're interested in becoming a truly GREAT presenter, keep reading until the end to learn what 3 steps you can take right now to get there.

by Brad Holst

Presentation Skills

How to Get in the Habit of Being a Great Listener

by Brad Holst

In this attention-anemic world, we humans are rapidly losing the ability to listen. One thing we've learned from the thousands of people who attend Mandel workshops every year is that most people have 3 damaging habits that disrupt their ability to express themselves—and also impede their ability to listen to others. This week's blog explores how to break those bad habits and replace them with ones that can help you become a truly great listener.

by Brad Holst

Briefing Center, Collaboration Skills, Conversation Skills, Eye Contact, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

Want to Be a Better Listener? Then Learn How to Be Heard

by Brad Holst

I think most of us would agree that nothing good happens when people stop listening to each other. So, how can you be a better listener? It may sound counterintuitive, but to be a good listener you have to learn how to be heard. This week, I want to talk about how not feeling heard sabotages effective listening and what you can do about it.

by Brad Holst

Conversation Skills, Messaging Skills

Please, Bow Your Heads…And Multitask

by Brad Holst

At the front of the room, the session leaders spoke what must have been profound words for the 200 people gathered that day, as nearly every person sat silently, head bowed. No, this wasn't a religious service — it was a global sales meeting. Professionals had gathered from around the world to learn how to execute their company's new go-to-market strategy. And, no one was paying attention. Sadly, this scene is not uncommon in business today. Fortunately, the root causes that drain the ROI out of meetings and training events like these are not only identifiable, they’re preventable. Here are the top 3 reasons audiences are likely to pay more attention to their smartphones than your content — and what you can do about it.

by Brad Holst

Event Preparation, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills, Sales Training

INSIGHTS

Mandel Concepts

Brad Holst