You are new to the organization. You are learning the ropes and trying to figure out the culture and the politics of the company you are now working for. You wonder how to fit in while standing out. You begin to find yourself in networking situations, company meetings and hallway conversations where it is important to be your authentic self while also demonstrating your professionalism.
Read MoreBryan Cranston was at his best accepting an Emmy for Best Actor at this week’s award ceremony. He crafted a perfect acceptance speech that included gratitude, appreciation, humor and heartfelt emotion. He utilized “circular construction” to highlight his most important message at the beginning and the end.th-1 I always encourage my speech coaching clients to utilize this technique in speeches and important presentations to capitalize on the fact that audiences remember best what we say first and last. Bryan Cranston provided a shining example of it.
Read MoreAre you experiencing wrinkles of confusion? Have you witnessed sagging relationships? Don’t panic, this may be occurring because your face has fallen into your phone.
Recently, I conducted my own informal research using Chicago’s Loop as my field of study and observation. I was in and out of meetings downtown and observed people at work, at lunch and traveling on the L. I would guesstimate that 80% of people did not go for more than a few minutes (at the most) without interacting with a cell phone or mobile device. Their faces mostly fell into their technology. I can’t remember making eye contact with anyone – I did get very familiar, however, with the tops of people’s heads.
What do we lose when our face falls?
Over this past weekend, visiting with family friends, I noticed my friend David’s 10-year old son, Carter, immersed in his iPad during the entire afternoon’s get-together. Carter sat in the living room surrounded by guests but in his own separate world playing games on his device, never really interacting with the group. In an attempt to engage him, I presented him with a good-natured challenge – for every thirty minutes he did not engage with his technology, I’d give him a dollar. Excited to earn some money, Carter took the challenge and by the end of the afternoon, devoid of the temptation of technology, he was interacting with guests, played outside with friends and even managed to do some homework. He earned five dollars and remarked that it was “more fun than I thought it would be.”
Read MoreEvery organization goes through change that needs to be communicated in a comprehensive, congruent manner. Perhaps yours is
* Emerging from a merger or acquisition
* Recovering from a crisis
* Preparing to enter a new market or re-branding
Whatever the change, it is essential not only to manage the immediate logistics and requirements inherent in that change, but to also bring your employees and the organizational culture along with you.
Read More
