Heather Muir
Heather directs Mandel’s marketing, branding, and communications strategies, in collaboration with the Executive Team. In addition, Heather leads Mandel’s public and industry relations activities. Prior to joining Mandel in 2010, Heather held several marketing and communications roles within the learning and training industry and is an active member of the Association for Talent Development (ATD-ASTD); Training Industry, Inc.; eLearningGuild; and the Association of Briefing Program Managers (ABPM). Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Davis, and has completed graduate courses in business and entrepreneurship at the University of Washington.
Recent Posts
October 10
Challenging questions, even confrontational ones, present an opportunity. Tough questions, when handled well, can help you and your team strengthen credibility and gain support for your ideas and solutions. The only question is, how to do it well?
Learn Mandel’s 3-step model for skillfully responding — not reacting — to tough questions with confidence and ease.
Learn Mandel’s 3-step model for skillfully responding — not reacting — to tough questions with confidence and ease.
August 15
Imagine being asked to present to your entire company tomorrow. Does the idea of it make you nervous? You might be tempted to get right to work, writing every word down and committing them to memory. Now, what if I said you couldn’t memorize your talk? Whoa, wait a minute. You wonder, “How am I supposed to remember what to say?”
Find out why memorizing is a terrible idea and what you should do instead to prepare for your next presentation.
Find out why memorizing is a terrible idea and what you should do instead to prepare for your next presentation.
May 23
There’s a treacherous siren threatening learning effectiveness today. It seductively sings, “Don’t make it too difficult. Make it easy.” Now, there’s nothing wrong with trying to make learning more physically convenient for people. But is your learning at risk of becoming too convenient?
Read the blog to discover why learning should be uncomfortable.
Read the blog to discover why learning should be uncomfortable.
April 25
How do you feel about building rapport? Many introverts feel uncomfortable when it comes to rapport-building because they think it means having to make “small talk” with others. If that’s you, fear not. You don't need the gift of gab to build good rapport. And having the gift of gab (or being extroverted) doesn't guarantee success either — especially if you're the one doing most of the talking.
Read the blog to get specific rapport-building tips anyone can use to quickly make a strong connection with others.
Read the blog to get specific rapport-building tips anyone can use to quickly make a strong connection with others.
March 07
Listening is the most important communication skill. Why? Because nothing kills relationships or productivity faster than NOT listening. Communication barriers, like poor active listening, cost the average organization a staggering $62.4 million a year. Want to improve your team's listening skills? Want to become a better active listener yourself? Use these 4 steps to become a better active listener and start having more productive conversations with your colleagues and customers.
January 24
What's the one virtual communication skill that nearly everyone struggles with? Hint: um, well, err, still not sure? It's your delivery. This includes things like composure, intonation, energy, pausing, eliminating clutter words, etc. Poor delivery skills get magnified in virtual settings. It's the #1 reason why web meetings and webcasts earn a bad rap. The good news? Anyone can improve their virtual delivery skills by mastering composure and amplifying their energy. Read on to learn how.
November 15
Strong and engaging public speakers are powerful people who make change happen. Through their words and presence, they can influence people’s thoughts, decisions, and actions for the better. That’s why this week, I thought I’d share 5 of my favorite TED Talks to help you improve your speaking skills. I guarantee you’ll be entertained watching them. But more than that, I hope you’ll feel empowered to become the speaker or change agent you were meant to be.
October 04
When team performance sinks, it’s the responsibility of the team’s captain to right the ship. Better yet, a great team captain can prevent their crew from crashing against the rocks or getting stranded in the shallows to begin with. How? Here are 3 things leaders of high-performing teams do extraordinarily well.
September 06
Communication is the skill most in demand across 100 major US cities, according to LinkedIn research. That may be why more than 2000 talent professionals and executives identified soft skills as their #1 development priority for 2018. But in a world obsessed with data, why do soft skills matter? And how can companies meet demand in the face of such a huge shortage?
August 23
Communicating complexity is challenging. For technical teams, presenting data-driven topics engagingly and concisely may be as easy as herding cats. That's because (1) the more specialized your knowledge is, the harder it becomes to present to people not “in the know" and (2) your audience is overwhelmed and overburdened by data already. So how can you simply communicate complex ideas? Try these two proven tactics.
March 01
You’ve no doubt felt the impact of poor communication at some point in your life. What’s less clear is just how much poor communication costs. Specifically, how much does it cost the typical business? According to this first-of-its-kind 2017 report on workplace productivity, the price may shock you. Find out what it is and why getting specific is critical to making the case for training investment.
December 28
As the year comes to a close, here's a look back at Mandel's most popular skill-building content of 2017. Whether trying to make a great first impression, give a persuasive presentation, or convince others to support your idea, how you communicate will be key to your success in 2018. To help you prepare, we’ve curated this list of the most downloaded skill-building content just for you.
December 21
The holiday season means more joy. . . and more stress! If you're feeling it, you're not alone. 62% of people describe their stress level as "very or somewhat elevated" during the holidays. Here's what the science says about how to experience more joy and less stress this season. And here's a wish for you, from all of us here at Mandel. (Of course, we had to SCI-PAB it.)
December 07
A recent MIT Sloan/Deloitte study named innovation the second most important issue companies are grappling with today. Most organizations aren't lacking for ideas—the challenge is making sure the best ones get heard and funded. Unfortunately, too often, even great ideas get lost when poorly communicated. If you can't make a clear enough case for your idea, it ends up ignored, shelved, abandoned— or it may even get defeated by a weak idea, better presented. Don't let your best ideas get lost in presentation. Here's how.
November 02
Change. Disruption. Digital Transformation. They can wreak havoc on organizations. What can you do about it? How should training and development organizations adapt? Soft skills — even the ability to manage meetings well or to write clear and succinct emails — can reduce workplace confusion and employee frustration in the face of disruptive forces. They can help create calmer, more creative, and goal-oriented workplaces. Here's why your company's ability to do that now is more important than ever.
October 05
Unpredictable schedules. Different locations. On-the-job demands. Has rolling out live training to thousands at once been a challenge? Announcing The Breakthrough Communicator ONLINE — state-of-the-art, high-impact, semi-synchronous, world-class communications training. Now, train 1000+ professionals anytime, anywhere, on any device. Personalized. Social. Hands-on. Effective. Build stronger communication skills — faster and at scale. Read the blog to learn more.
September 21
Curiosity makes learning possible. Ultimately, it’s a powerful driver of innovation and progress. So what does it take to make colleagues, customers, and other decision-makers CURIOUS enough to want to learn more? How can you communicate in a way that inspires curiosity for your ideas, your products, and your solutions? Read this week’s blog to find out.
September 07
A lot of research highlights differences between Generations X, Y, and Z. But one thing they share is a desire to lead. Preparing them to be leaders is a mission-critical task for organizations. But what will it really take to get there? Read the blog to find out.
July 27
If you want to connect with more people on LinkedIn, I have a foolproof tip: Make a real connection. What I mean is, if you want to productively connect with someone—whether virtually through a social network or in-person—don't send a generic invite. They don't work. Read the blog to find out why, and what you can do instead to craft irresistible LinkedIn messages or networking emails that get results.
June 29
Are you one of the 2 billion people on Facebook? Then, we want to connect with you! Here are 3 reasons to follow Mandel Communications on social media. Plus, don't miss your chance to win a complimentary seat (a $1495 value) in one of our open enrollment presentation and public speaking workshops!
June 06
You worked really hard on your presentation. You practiced it multiple times end-to-end. You feel good. You look great. You got this. Suddenly, your presentation time gets cut from 60 minutes to 10. Uh-oh. Moments like this can catch anyone by surprise—and they happen all the time. When the squeeze is on, will you be ready? Can your presentation pass the Pressure Test? Read on to find out.
November 10
Do you have the skills you need to land that promotion or new role? Does your team have what it takes to keep your business competitive in the face of new market challenges? Because, according to a recent analysis, technical skill and subject matter expertise may no longer be enough. If you're striving for career and company growth, here are 6 smart reasons to invest in people skills.
June 25
Web meetings and conference calls can be boring. Disruptive. Irritating, even. They can make you feel like you’re being deprived of time that you could be spending doing “real" work. Do they have to be unproductive and awkward? Definitely not! Here are 8 things you can do to take the pain out of your virtual meetings.
September 25
The webcast is a more difficult medium to master than most assume. Mastering virtual presentations takes experienced coaching, structured practice, and developmental feedback. But, there are things you can do right now to improve your delivery and head off a virtual disaster.
Latest Posts
- How Well Does Your Team Handle Tough Questions?
- The Science of Presenting Data Visualizations Effectively
- Presenting Technical Ideas to Business Audiences
- A Little-Known Technique for Calming Your Anxiety About Public Speaking
- Is Memorizing Your Presentation a Bad Idea?
- Are Your User Conference Speakers Ready for the Spotlight?
- What Is the Secret to Nobel Laureate Success?
- Influencing Others Through Story; A Valuable Lesson from Game of Thrones
- Because Executive Briefings & Meetings Don't Run Themselves
- Is Your Learning at Risk of Becoming Too Convenient?
