Leadership - Cool Communicator

Meeting Facilitation: How to Run a Meeting with Powerful People (5 Lessons)

Lessons in Meeting Facilitation from the 2020 Presidential Debates On October 22nd, 2020 Kristen Welker taught a masterclass in how to moderate a debate, and in doing so, taught us how to run a meeting with powerful personalities. What was fascinating though, was the difference between her debate an...

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...

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 18, 2020
Communication Skills , Leadership , Mindset , Persuasion
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5 Simple Ways to Get More Assertive at Work

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. 1. Raise Your Volume Assertive people tend to speak with ...

April 17, 2020
Communication Skills , Leadership , Presentation Skills
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Leading Remote Meetings: Assertiveness and Management Tips (video)

In this video I cover 3 simple ways you can convey more assertiveness and leadership when running remote meetings. Right now countless people are running meetings remotely over video conferencing like Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts or other apps. How can you project competence, keep your meeting organ...

presentations for creative professionals

April 12, 2020
Communication Skills , Conversation , Leadership , Psychology
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Why Assertiveness is a Challenge for So Many Professionals

Assertiveness doesn’t come naturally to a lot of us. It can often bring about an uncomfortable feeling that we’re rocking the boat or disrupting the status quo. So many of us are inclined to try to “fit in”, whether that’s within our families, with colleagues or friends. Neverthele...

December 3, 2017
Communication Skills , Leadership , Persuasion , Public Speaking
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3 Practical Ways to Gain More Social Presence

Social Presence seems like an elusive concept. We can definitely recognize it when others have it, but it’s tough to replicate. These are practical steps you can take to build your social presence immediately. 1. Say things that are slightly risky Key word being slightly. You want to push the ...

What a Natural Alpha Really Looks Like

(Listen or read the post below) The alpha is the big dog. The boss. The leader. The concept of the “alpha” was derived from observations of wolf packs in captivity in the mid 20th century. Since then, the alpha idea was applied in the spheres of personal development, business, leadership...

November 11, 2017
Communication Skills , Leadership , Persuasion
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Charisma is Not Just for Extroverts

(Listen to the audio or read the full post below) Charisma is “the ability to attract, charm, and influence the people around you.” It’s also defined as “a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure” And as: “c...