Your Voice Is Your Key to Success

by Steve Knight

How to hone your vocal delivery to mesmerize your audience with confidence, style and passion.

In the last article on Passion when we communicate, we discussed Facial Expression.

Here I would like to share with you the vital role that your Voice plays in conveying passion.

When many of my clients first come to me they ask why they don’t seem to be able to capture the attention of their audience when they are speaking in a meeting or delivering a presentation. They feel disillusioned that people are gazing out the window or looking down at the floor. Of course part of the reason for that could be that they have not assessed what their audience needs to hear, i.e. the message needs to be accurate and relevant, so that it strikes a chord. However, once that aspect is covered you absolutely need to deliver your message with confidence, style and passion. The voice plays a crucial role in conveying those three qualities. Continue reading

4 Steps to Building a Culture of Accountability

by Gwen Moran

When it comes to managing your company and serving your customers, you need to be confident that things are getting done. If you don’t build a culture of accountability, holding your employees and yourself responsible for behavior, follow-through and values, it could soon start affecting your bottom line. Continue reading

Stop Blabbing About Innovation And Start Actually Doing It

By Aaron Shapiro

These days, every established company is at risk of having its industry–and its own business–disrupted by a startup. Cognizant of this, companies devote a lot of time to talking about how important it is to innovate. But here’s the truth: most companies can’t innovate because everyone is paid to maintain the status quo.

This is the single biggest reason companies fail to do anything new or exciting. You and everyone else are maxed out making sure your company is doing what it’s supposed to do; innovation is what the weekends are for. Continue reading

The One-Minute Trick to Negotiating Like a Boss

80-heidi-grant-halvorson-1By Heidi Grant Halvorson

Life is full of negotiations, big and small. We negotiate for raises, we negotiate with clients and providers over prices, and we negotiate for more staff, the best projects, and flex time. (Then we go home and negotiate with our kids about how old you have to be to get your own smartphone.)

To be successful, you really need to know how to negotiate well. But the truth is, this particular skill doesn’t come naturally to many people. This is because a negotiation is an experience that is rife with conflicting motivations. When you haggle with another party over price, you need to somehow reconcile your desire to pay (or be paid) your target amount with your fear that if you push too hard, the negotiation may break down. You might end up empty-handed, humiliated, or out of a job. Negotiations are always gambles, and there is always risk. Continue reading

10 Secrets to Influencing Absolutely Anyone

How to get people to do what you want–no arm twisting, blackmail, or other slimy trick required.

Ever wish you were better at getting people to do what you want? You can be. All it takes is practice and desire.

I know this from experience. When I first got involved in the American Society of Journalists and Authors, I quickly learned a few things about freelance writers. They’re (mostly) brilliant. They’re creative and articulate, accustomed to living literally by their wits. But for the most part, they are not joiners. They’re self-motivated, self-directed, and not inclined to go with the flow (or else they’d be working in an office somewhere). They’re individualistic and can be cantankerous. And here I was, trying to get them to follow my lead. Continue reading