Camera Shy on Video Conferencing: Get More Comfortable on Camera

camera shyness

Being Camera Shy is Quite Common With more people working from home, people are being asked to participate in video calls and video conferences over Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, and other apps. While video conferencing can be great for productivity and team collaboration, many people are uncomfortable on camera and have camera shyness. … Read more

Why Assertiveness is a Challenge for So Many Professionals

presentations for creative 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. Nevertheless, assertiveness is an important skill to master … Read more

Networking Skills: How to Start Conversations at Expos and Conferences

Getting Started with Networking Skills Expos, trade shows and conferences are great opportunities to build new connections in your industry. But what’s the best way to start conversations with people at these events? Here are some simple strategies to get things moving. I also discussed networking skills and a variety of tactics with Julie during … Read more

Technical Presentations: 3 Ways to Get Better at Technical Communication

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Technical Presentations Here are three strategies that you can use to improve your skill at technical presentations and communication, especially when speaking to non-technical audiences. This is a frequent challenge I see with data scientists, BI analysts, financial experts, and others from a variety of different technical fields. Many of these individuals have to present … Read more

Speaking Slowly Will Transform Your Communication

One of the most frequent changes I make with my clients is to force them to slow down when they speak. Speaking slowly, a seemingly simple adjustment, almost always creates a huge change in how they sound. But they sometimes ask: “If I slow down, will I be able to say everything I need to?” … Read more

Charisma is Not Just for Extroverts

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: “compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.” Notice anything in there about extroversion? Of course not. The essence of … Read more

4 Ways to Be Better Understood By Your Audience

It’s frustrating when you are speaking to a group of people and they just don’t seem to be grasping what you’re saying. You might feel at a loss. You thought you were communicating in a good way, but apparently not. Here a few ideas to make it easier for an audience to understand you. 1. … Read more

How and Why to Become More Concise When Speaking

Concise Speaking in Professional Communication Concise communication is a frequent challenge we see with clients and students. Concision is hard because professionals have lots of information to convey in a very limited time. Important decision-makers are usually very short on time, and have a limited attention span. You have to get your point across quickly and … Read more

How I Learned to Love Small Talk, Even as an Introvert

Introverts are notorious for hating small talk. I used to be one of them. I avoided small talk, and situations where I would need to partake in it. I preferred to focus on important discussions about things that mattered to me: philosophy and metaphysics, culture, psychology, business, economics, etc. In other words, heavy and fascinating … Read more