Blog - Cool Communicator

Why Your Zoom Meetings are Boring and Tedious (and How to Fix Them)

Making zoom meetings engaging is a skill that can be learned. Unfortunately, many people don’t have that skill, leading to lots of boring and awkward remote meetings. Here are some reasons why they can be boring, and what to do about it. Problem: No Fun, Just Awkward Sitting at home in front o...

Reimagining Public Speaking for the Covid Era

There will definitely be a jump in purely virtual events in the near future because of Covid-19. But there will always be an interest in live, in-person events. The question is how these events and conferences will reimagine themselves in the post-covid era. Here are some predictions. Livestreams an...

Microphone Tips for Public Speaking

It’s not natural to speak into a microphone. So using it properly will take some practice. Keep these tips in mind. It may seem inconvenient to remember all these things, but remember that your microphone is your voice. Poor use of the microphone means your voice will get lost, or the audience...

Presentation Training and Public Speaking Coaching

How to Rehearse for a Major Speech: 5 Best Practices

If you have a major speech coming up, it’s incumbent on you to rehearse and rehearse well. Whether it’s a keynote at a major conference, a critical presentation to your board of directors, or a major speech to the public, the stakes are high and you need to get it right. These are five b...

Dealing with Difficult Colleagues

Difficult colleagues are a fact of life at work. Your ability to deal with difficult colleagues and still get work done will make a big difference in your success. And it will be a key determinant of your sanity. These lessons are based on my own experience of working with or managing thousands of p...

Getting Assertive in Fast-Moving Conversations

You’re in a conversation with multiple colleagues or clients. You want to speak up to get your perspective heard. But the conversation is being dominated by a few loud and confident voices (usually those with the highest status in the group). And there’s a lot of quick comments being exc...

April 27, 2020
Leadership
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Why You Can’t Be Friends with Employees

We all want to be liked, even managers and leaders. While making friends with as many people as possible is a great way to network, it’s not a good way to lead. Of course, a friendly and comfortable work environment is important. But resist the temptation to become friends with your subordinates. ...

3 Key Ways to Gain Respect as a New Leader or Manager

Gaining respect as a new leader or manager is critical to your success. You’ve got to lead people who are new to you or those you were once on a team with, and earn their respect so they’ll follow you. If you’re younger than some on your team, you’ve got an even bigger barrier to […]...

April 19, 2020
Communication Skills , Presentation Skills
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Camera Shyness & Video Conferencing: Get More Comfortable on Camera (video)

With more people working from home, people are being asked to participate in video calls and video conferences over Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts and other apps. While video conferencing can be great for productivity and team collaboration, many people are uncomfortable on camera and have camera shyn...

April 18, 2020
Communication Skills , Leadership , Mindset , Persuasion
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5 Simple Ways to Get More Assertive (video)

You might want to get more assertive to get your ideas heard, command more respect at work, or get your team members to follow through on your guidance more consistently. Here are five simple strategies to get more assertive in the workplace Raise Your Volume Assertive people tend to speak with very...