strategy
5 Tips For Giving A Persuasive Presentation
When you need to sell an idea at work or in a presentation, how do you do it? Five rhetorical devices can help — Aristotle identified them 2,000 years ago, and masters of persuasion still use them today: Ethos. Start your talk by establishing your…
Strategies to Use When You’re Feeling Anxious
It’s normal to experience occasional anxiety — for example, when we’re faced with a high-stakes meeting, a stressed-out boss, or a conflict with a colleague. Feeling anxious can make you more vigilant, engaged, and productive, but it can also exacerbat…
For Cybersecurity Even ‘Trusted Sources’ Need To Be Watched.
The prevailing wisdom when protecting yourself from online scams is never open files sent to you by people you don’t know. While this is good advice, it still leaves you open to problems caused by “trusted sources.” You may know that …
Stop Second-Guessing Your Decisions
Do you find yourself revisiting every decision you make, agonizing over whether it really was the right one? While everyone has doubts, second-guessing yourself too often can affect your leadership— and the perception of your leadership among other peo…
Set A Timer When Making A Tough Decision
We spend a lot of time and energy each day making choices — some minor, and some serious. But it’s possible to handle decisions of all kinds more efficiently. One strategy is to use a timer for the most difficult and unpredictable decisions. Some …
Focus on Your Breath to Sound More Persuasive
Breathing plays a big role in how you sound. The ability to harness your breath is critical when you’re speaking up in a meeting or giving a speech or presentation. To speak with more confidence and power, focus on your breath. Stand with your feet sho…
Developing Ideas Requires More than A Presentation
We often think a one-way presentation during meetings is the best way to share ideas. But presentations are really meant to inform or persuade an audience. If you’re looking to develop, build upon, and get consensus on an idea, you need to facili…
Motivate People By Changing One Word
If you’re trying to motivate someone make the decision to act, it’s important to show that you’re focused on their needs, not yours. Pronouns can help. They’re small, but potent, signals that communicate a speaker’s focus of attention. The key to helpi…
Learn Into Adversity
When times get tough, many people think the first thing they need to do is minimize the pain. It’s a reasonable idea. No one wants to suffer after all. If you minimize the pain it’s easier to get through the adversity. That may or may not b…
Don’t Brush Off Positive Feedback — Study It
Most of us remember critical feedback. Criticism is jarring and threatening, so it tends to stick in our brains. Most of us dismiss positive feedback, sometimes people think of it as people being nice and sometimes people assume that it’s sarcasm…