When to Use a Story “Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.” – Hans Christian Andersen, Danish Author “My biggest concern is that they won’t apply what they learn in your class. They won’t see how to use it in their every day work.” My customer expressed a very real concern and it was …
The Failure of STEM?
I recently had a conversation with a Senior Manager in Software Development. He manages a team of brilliant software developers who solve complex issues with their programming. But when they brought their findings to business management to request approvals to proceed, they failed to gain it. When the suggestion of simplified messaging was raised with …
If you’re moving to virtual training, you have Four Options
COVID-19 has turned the training world upside down. You’ve heard of flipped classrooms? Well guess what… now they’re all flipped with virtual training! How do you deliver training when people can’t gather together physically, for meetings, for training, for projects… for anything? You can either cancel all your training or you can find another way …
If you’re moving to virtual training, you have Four OptionsRead More
Your best source for a business story
Enjoying a cup of coffee and a conversation just like you’ve done many times before. You love conversations with this person. She always tells the best stories. Come to think of it… she’s not like everyone else you know. Not everyone keeps you this engaged with a story. Why is that? What makes her stories …
The Fable Story Template and When to Use it
From Aesop’s fablesto Jesus’ parables, we’ve heard these types of stories our whole life. The fable is both powerful and easy to implement. Here’s why you should consider using them the next time you want to focus on a truth and reinforce the core values of your corporate culture. Fables and parables are fictional stories …
How do you Influence Without Authority?
When I was young we used to find adventure on the new home sites at the end of our street. A big pile of dirt would quickly become a trophy centerpiece to do battle for the reigning title of “King of the Mountain.” If you’ve never played it before, every person tries their best to …
Positively stop saying… “I can’t!”
Before we start a new workshop, myself and my peers at iSpeak take the time to meet each individual in the room and learn their name. Throughout the workshop, we use our students’ names when we address them. Recently I was teaching a sales class and 5 minutes after class started, I mentioned a student …
Pie and Coffee
“I tell them anything just to get them out of my office!” was his comment. He was a leader taking my communication workshop in Oklahoma. He was speaking about his direct reports. “Come in and I’ll answer all your questions.” was the comment from a different leader who said he likes to have pie and …