Presentation Skills Archives

Mismanaged Meetings: Stop Wasting Scarce Executive Time

by David Mears

Executive time is a scarce commodity. Why do meetings squander it? Because, too often, they fail to focus on the strategic issues that are most important to executives. They fail to drive progress on the decisions that need to be made in order to move your business forward. Here are 3 things you can do to change that and to insure your executives' time is well-spent.

by David Mears

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

Mismanaged Meetings: Lessons from the Parole Board

by David Mears

What do business meeting attendees have in common with parole board officers? Both suffer from decision fatigue. The consequences? Productivity plummets. Decisions get delayed. Bad choices get made. Outcomes can be disastrous. How can you improve decision quality and productivity? Help your meeting leaders and attendees overcome decision fatigue with these three proven approaches.

by David Mears

Conversation Skills, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

Mismanaged Meetings: A Costlier Problem Than You Think

by David Mears

Is your organization stuck running mediocre meetings that fail to move the needle on important projects and business goals? You're not alone. Distraction and disengagement have reached epidemic proportions and it's killing the "Return on Meeting Time" of companies everywhere. What's the antidote? A common meeting communications framework. Here's why...

by David Mears

Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills, Project Management

Presenting Numbers to People Who Hate Numbers

by Bob Sherwin

Did you know that nearly a third of Americans surveyed said they'd rather clean the bathroom than try to solve a math problem? It’s no wonder presenting technical data can be a huge challenge. Next time you have to present numbers to a number-phobic audience, don't panic. Here are three tips to help you keep listeners engaged in what you have to say…instead of daydreaming about cleaning the bathroom.

by Bob Sherwin

Briefing Center, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills, Technical Professionals

3 Killer Fails of User Conference Speakers

by Brad Holst

Over many years of attending, speaking at, and preparing speakers for user conferences, I've learned there are three all-too-common deadly failures that conference speakers make. Learn what those 3 killer fails are, so you can avoid them.

by Brad Holst

Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

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

Don’t Throw Away Your Pen Just Yet

by Diane Burgess-Faber

I’m always excited and inspired after returning from events like ATD’s TechKnowledge… after this year’s conference, I was told a story by one of our Mandel trainers about a session she led in Paris with a group of millennials, and I’m reminded… it’s all about balance.

by Diane Burgess-Faber

Presentation Skills, Technical Professionals

Clearing Cobwebs: More Presentation Tips for 2016

by Steve Mandel

Ready or not, you’ve probably already had to present to stakeholders or customers this year. And, the stakes are high. Building on my last blog post, here are some additional presentation tips to help you hone your skills and start 2016 off right.

by Steve Mandel

Presentation Skills, Presentation Slides, Virtual Presentations

It’s a New Year…Time to Dust Off Your Presentation Skills

by Steve Mandel

Vacations are wonderful. That said, it’s easy for presentation skills to get a bit rusty over a long holiday break. Soon enough, you’ll be expected to present your ideas in person, or perhaps virtually, and many of those presentations will be high-stakes. So, here’s a quick refresher to help you brush up on your presentation skills.

by Steve Mandel

Presentation Skills

Can Great Presentations Help Save the Polar Bears?

by Steve Mandel

The scientists and staff at Polar Bears International are dedicated to polar bear conservation. And, they face many of the same challenges business presenters do: they need to present complex data in ways anyone can understand and they need to suggest solutions that others will buy into and adopt. They asked Mandel for advice on how to do that. Here are three tips we shared with them...

by Steve Mandel

In-Person Presentations, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

Do You Demonstrate the Most Desired Interpersonal Character Trait?

by David Mears

What characteristic do we prize most in the people with whom we interact? Learn how our perception of this trait is influenced by communication skills.

by David Mears

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

Why People Aren’t Hearing Your Ideas (And What to Do About It)

by Brad Holst

What can you do to get your ideas heard and to be recognized as a driver of innovation within your company? Every time you present your ideas, whether formally or informally, try to do these six things.

by Brad Holst

Conversation Skills, In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills, Selling Skills, Virtual Presentations

When Tough Questions Attack, Here’s How to Respond

by Steve Mandel

Everyone has had to answer tough questions in their careers. Questions that challenge your ideas and opinions – perhaps even your credibility. How you respond to tough questions can make or break your relationship with listeners. Here's how to handle tough questions, while staying calm, cool, and collected.

by Steve Mandel

Briefing Center, Conversation Skills, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

Millennials Want Feedback: What Will You Tell Them?

by David Mears

Millennials have surpassed Gen X to become the largest segment of the American workforce. Every company seeking to accelerate its performance needs to figure out how to engage and motivate this critical pool of talent. So, what is it Millennials want? And, how will you give it to them?

by David Mears

In-Person Presentations, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

Is Your Organization Lacking the Key Catalyst to Successful Innovation?

by David Mears

If you think about it, your organization’s performance depends on its best ideas being turned into profitable innovations. Yet, 87% of executives believe major unexploited opportunities, ones that could make their companies market leaders, are overlooked. Why are so many companies struggling to innovate? (Hint: It's not a creativity problem!)

by David Mears

Conversation Skills, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills, Selling Skills

The Credible Presenter

by Brad Holst

You may not need to be a presentation rock star. But, in order to be successful in your career, you do need to be credible. Here are three things that every credible presenter does well.

by Brad Holst

Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

Sell the Problem…And, They Just Might Adopt Your Idea

by Brad Holst

Innovation can be challenging, because organizations — and the people in them — are almost hard-wired to resist change. If you want your ideas to get adopted, here are three things you should know before presenting them.

by Brad Holst

Briefing Center, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives, Selling Skills

Throwback Thursday (#tbt): 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

Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills, Presentation Slides, Slide deck, Virtual Presentations

Last-Minute Presentation Tips

by Steve Mandel

Do you ever have to give a presentation at the last minute? Whatever you do, resist the temptation to re-label old slides or repurpose an entire presentation. Instead, when you have no choice but to do a rush job, here are some tips on how to prepare for and deliver last-minute presentations that your audience will appreciate.

by Steve Mandel

In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills

A Leading Cause of Pipeline Mortality

by David Mears

Your company, like most, probably invests in sales training that helps team members become more consultative, insight-driven, assertive, and challenging in their approach. But, none of that training addresses a leading cause of pipeline mortality. This week, find out what could be causing your sales opportunities to die prematurely and what you can do about it.

by David Mears

Presentation Skills, Sales Readiness, Selling Skills

In Business, It’s Personal…

by David Mears

It's just business - nothing personal." How often have you heard someone use that phrase to justify a decision based on the bottom line, even when that decision created pain and problems for employees or customers? It's called the "It's just business trap," and it can sabotage your organizations ability to succeed. Here's how to avoid it.

by David Mears

Conversation Skills, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives

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