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An internet search on “COVID-19 crisis” produced 901 million results on Google in half a second this week. So it’s no wonder that many CEOs and business leaders are viewing COVID-19 through the lens of a crisis and applying crisis communication principles and practices to their leadership communication. The word “crisis” is prolific on COVID-19 […]

Even “ordinary” speeches call for effective leadership communication techniques. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Budget 2020 speech offers concrete ideas and inspiration for CEOs and business leaders everywhere.   Nations and businesses worldwide are opening back up – albeit slowly – after months of strict lockdowns since the coronavirus began traipsing across the globe. […]

Don’t give in to temptation. All those digital tools available for your virtual keynote presentation should complement – not replace – time-tested methods to engage and persuade your audience.   No doubt you’ve been attending virtual events these days. Perhaps you’ve even delivered a virtual keynote presentation as more business is conducted online. Around the […]

The fate of your keynote speech has been up in the air for weeks, and today you finally got the word: That association meeting or annual conference you were eagerly anticipating will now be a virtual event because the coronavirus remains a threat.   What does that mean for you and your keynote speech? You […]

Are you overwhelming audiences with flotsam and jetsam in your B2B communications? Now overflowing the inboxes of leaders at all levels are hourly announcements of online meetings, webinars and virtual events we “must attend” as we figure out how to do business in a world stricken by the coronavirus. All of us now have a […]

Getting ready to make a work presentation from home in light of COVID-19? You will come off more polished if you follow these five tips to improve your public speaking. 1. Think People right now are being bombarded with urgent messages from everywhere. Don’t waste their time. Think about what you want and need to […]

In two years, we’ve completed a half-dozen brand messaging projects for B2B and B2C companies ranging from professional services firms to associations, coaching firms and consultants. We’ve found that when a company is new or rapidly changing, developing or revamping great brand messaging becomes a high priority for the firm. It’s work that’s typically required ahead […]

B2B companies that are growing and changing need to pause, revisit and rewrite their B2B brand messaging if it doesn’t tell the current truth about who they are, what they do and why — and how they do it differently than any of their competitors. What’s the best way to do that? If you are […]

Use this checklist to determine if you are making mistakes with your presence when you speak in public:   1. Are you using your bio as your opening (“but first, a little bit about me”)? Inexperienced speakers sometimes bait and switch: They open by tempting the audience with the promise of a fascinating topic – […]

Use this checklist to determine if you are making mistakes with your message when you speak in public:   1. Are you being unclear about your purpose? If you can’t state in one sentence the purpose of your talk, you’ll find yourself including information that does not connect, is irrelevant or both. The fix: Take […]