influence

Trust Me: This is How You Rebuild Trust

Roberta Matuson — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:22:39 -0400

When I help my clients create workplaces based on commitment, rather than compliance we discuss how building trust is a process. It takes time and lots of effort. However, the results far outweigh the effort that must be invested in order to make this happen.
Here are some tips to get you started:

Begin today - Every lost day is a lost opportunity to build a relationship with those members of your team, who you rely most heavily upon.

Are Your Employees Telling You What You Want to Hear?

Roberta Matuson — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:56:15 -0400

Are your employees telling you the truth or what they think you want to hear? Case in point. The other day I was speaking with a CEO who proudly mentioned that his employees were quite happy. I pushed back by asking him how he knew this. He said that he had personally visited each location and that his employees had no complaints.

Five Ways to Really Tick Off Your Employees!

Roberta Matuson — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:06:57 -0400

A recent survey from Adecco Group North America, highlights the increased dissatisfaction workers in America have with their employers. According to the survey:

• 54% of employees plan to look for a new job as soon as the economy turns around.
• Sentiment is even stronger among younger workers. Of those ages 18-29, 71% say they are likely to look for new jobs once the economy turns around.

Report: How Twitter Buzz Is Built

Chris Dannen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:28:27 -0400

It's not how you think. A Boston research group called the Web Ecology Project has analyzed 12 of the service's most popular users over the course of a 10-day period, in order to understand how influence works on Twitter. The result of the 18-page report (PDF)? It doesn't matter how often you tweet.

Trust Me

Roberta Matuson — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:33:52 -0400

I'm often asked by managers and executives for advice on how to build trust with their teams. People are hoping to build trust overnight, when in fact in can take months and in some cases even years to establish.

One of the ways we establish trust is by making sure our actions (behaviors) match up with what we are saying. Too often in organizations, there is a huge gap between what is said and what actually happens.

Here are some examples:

Are You Making Life More Difficult Than it Has to Be?

Roberta Matuson — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:43:06 -0400

I stopped in at Starbucks today on my way home from running errands. I just needed a quick pick-me-upper. I wanted to order a small latte with extra milk. However, I was forced to consider the three different ways that I could order that drink using the language of Starbucks. I almost walked out.

Why do places like Starbucks insist on making their customers work for their drinks? I can't imagine what it must be like for newly hired employees who must quickly learn the lingo or be banned from a future with this big company.

Maintaining Your Investment

Roberta Matuson — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:24:09 -0400

This morning, I went for a walk by the beach. Like most days, I admired some of the beautiful homes that were only a block away from the shoreline. This year, in particular, I noticed several homes that appeared to have been putting off maintenance. Paint was peeling, lawns overgrown and decks were falling apart, including balconies that could no longer be used because they were missing railings. These are million dollar homes. Homes where people have invested a heck of a lot of money. Yet, they are literally falling apart.

Why Your Employees Act Like Employees

Roberta Matuson — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:41:31 -0400

One of the most frequently asked questions I hear from my clients is, "Why do my employees act like employees?" In other words, why don't they act like me? I could write a book about this. In the interest of time and space, I'll limit my response.

Running of the Bulls American Style

Roberta Matuson — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:16:26 -0400

A recent survey from Adecco Group North America highlights the increased dissatisfaction workers in America have with their employers. According to the survey, 54% of employees plan to look for a new job as soon as the economy turns around. The sentiment is even stronger among younger workers. Of those ages 18-29, 71% say they are likely to look for new jobs once the economy turns around, the survey said.

Equal Isn't Always Fair

Roberta Matuson — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:18:09 -0400

Do you have employees who complain that you aren't treating everyone the same? If so, then you can skip today's lesson providing you are treating people fairly. For the rest of you, here are five reasons why treating all employees the same is a bad decision.

How to Avoid Going At It Alone

Roberta Matuson — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:17:29 -0400

Some of you may have reached the ranks of management as a result of a grand plan you had for working your way up the corporate ladder. Then there are the rest of you, (like myself), who woke up one day and discovered that you were in charge. At the age of 24, I was tossed into management without a safety net.

Hang On. It's Going to Be Quite a Ride!

Roberta Matuson — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:28:20 -0400

Congratulations! You are now part of an elite team of people called leaders. Okay, many of you are thinking exactly what I thought 20 years ago when this same thing happened to me. "Now what the heck do I do?" You can only fake it for so long before others find out that you haven't a clue what you are doing. Well, you could go to your training department and ask to attend the next session on leadership skills. Oh wait? The training department was eliminated last week along with the weekly pizza parties.

Public Speaking Coaching: Presentation Skills for the Shy

Sims Wyeth — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:32:01 -0400

LittleBear's shyness makes him more appealing. Does shyness make people appealing?

I have a new puppy named Little Bear. He hasshy moments that make my wife and I want to pick him up and cuddle withhim.

Coaching and Training for Effective Public Speaking Skills

Sims Wyeth — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:11:45 -0400

If you work for a company, and your job entails publicspeaking, you are paid to speak. That means you are expected to have effectivepresentation skills.

That's right, you are a professional speaker--in the samebusiness as Jack Welch, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton.

How Presentation Skills Control Presentation

Sims Wyeth — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:29:44 -0500

In a political revolution, insurgents quickly target the media outlets. Their reasoning? He who controls the language controls the thinking.

Public Speaking Coaching and Training

Sims Wyeth — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:31:52 -0500

Michael Jendrzejczyk was a happy warrior. He died at the age of 53. His obituary in the New York Times reveals a remarkable man: empathetic, principled, and, most instructive for those of us seeking to become more skillful influencers, a very effective advocate for what he believed in. His cause was human rights in Asia.

What set him apart from many advocates,” wrote Elizabeth Becker, the author of the obituary, “was his mastery of the details of his subject, as well as his network of contacts with officials, academics, and dissidents he helped protect.”

Being in the Present is a Good Presentation Skill

Sims Wyeth — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:33:03 -0500

Let's take the word presenting. Let's play with it.

Could it mean bringing ideas, and information into the present?

Presentation Skills Depends on Rehearsal

Sims Wyeth — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:22:15 -0500

I once had a colleague who said that everyone is in two businesses: their own, and show biz. He didn’t go far enough. Every business is show business. Business would be impossible without acting skills. Theater artists have the talent to believe in the imaginary circumstances of the script and act so as to induce the audience to believe in the characters and the story.

Presentation Skills AND the Placebo Effect

Sims Wyeth — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:17:51 -0500

The placebo effect is real. When we believe that a sugar pill is actual medicine, we get a positive physiological response. We get better.

Sims Wyeth on Public Speaking and Presentation Skills

Sims Wyeth — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:13:25 -0500

Elizabeth Newton is a psychologist who was curious about why smart people make dumb decisions. She found something she calls, “The curse of knowledge.”

Public Speaking Tips and Presentation Skills

Sims Wyeth — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:07:12 -0500

Elizabeth Newton is a psychologist who was curious about why smart people make dumb decisions. She found something she calls, “The curse of knowledge.”

Using Effective Hand Gestures In Public Speaking

Sims Wyeth — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:44:43 -0500

"What do I do with my hands?" is one of the most frequent questions I get from people striving to improve their public speaking skills and their body language. The answer is more complicated than you'd think.

Leaders Should Think Bigger

Donna Karlin — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:23:51 -0400

For everything you do, think bigger, think multi-dimensional, think ramifications and think ripple effect. Broaden your horizons.

Would you play a one-string guitar?

Rochelle Mucha — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:29:37 -0400

You don’t have to be a guitar player to know that a musician would not opt for a one-string guitar, in lieu of the standard six-string instrument ( original article, Virginia Griffin and inspired by Ian Prinsloo, former Artistic Director at Theatre of Calgary). The magic in making music and listening to music comes from the rich harmony of notes and chords. Talented artists mix and mingle the guitar strings to create a range of rhythms and melodies. Fewer strings would compromise the music and render the guitar barren. The six strings of a guitar parallel our six senses.

Leadership

Bloggers Influence And Shape Opinion

Kelly Jad'on — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:58:20 -0400

October 15th is a day recognized around the world as Blog Action
Day. An annual nonprofit event, this year's 2008 theme is Poverty.
The event's goal is to unite the world's bloggers, podcasters and
videocasters, by posting about the same issue on the same day.
Thousands of blogs post and millions of readers are reached. By