In this still-wobbly economy managers have to communicate bad news more often than they’d like. Whether it’s a poor quarterly report, a staff layoff or a salary freeze, delivering difficult news is one of a presenter’s biggest challenges, but one that offers an opportunity to build credibility and respect, says Dianna Booher, one of this month’s contributing authors.
When hard times arrive, Booher says, leaders don’t resort to platitudes or pep talks. Rather they acknowledge the negative situation while still providing a healthy diet of hope. For more advice, read her article, 3 Tips for Communicating Bad News in Tough Times.
Steve Jobs’ Untapped Speaking Potential By Rick Altman
The world is surely a diminished place in the wake of the passing of Steven Paul Jobs. He is arguably the greatest public speaker of his generation, and while many analyzed and parsed his manner and tried to dissect the secret of his success, few succeeded. He was great simply because he was. Learn More
How to Create a Master Slide (or Two) in PowerPoint By Ellen Finkelstein
I’ve discovered that many presenters don’t know how to use PowerPoint’s slide master. As a result, they create all sorts of workarounds like putting full-slide images on every slide (which makes for a huge file). This especially becomes difficult when they want more than one background. Let me take you through the process of creating a presentation with two backgrounds. Learn More
3 Tips for Communicating Bad News in Tough Times By Dianna Booher
The volatility in the stock market of late—along with the pundits on TV—reminds me of the Chicken Little fable. Just in case you’ve forgotten this classic, let me refresh you: One day, Chicken Little is walking in the woods when an acorn falls on her head. Learn More
5 Quick Ways to Organize a Presentation By Nick Morgan
Too many people structure their presentations by pulling together slides and then assembling them like a deck of cards, in what seems like an OK order. That usually means that no one except the presenter can divine where the speech is headed. That’s a bad idea. Learn More
In The Spotlight: Manage Your Digital Signage Content
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