The Beacon Newsletter LibraryIn the Spotlight Library   SoundWaves Library 4 Techniques that Set Powerful Communicators Apart - July 2010 Great speakers can be found in a variety of places; in the business world, the entertainment industry, or in the sports arena. In the July 2010 edition of SoundWaves, Dean Brenner draws inspiration from an unexpected source… the Minister who recently baptized his son. Dean points to four distinct techniques the minister uses to make himself a compelling storyteller and which serve to illustrate how you can communicate more effectively. Length: 7:10 Lessons from John Wooden, 1910-2010 - June 2010 On June 4, 2010, legendary college basketball coach John Wooden passed away at the age of 99, and the sports world lost one of the most successful and celebrated coaches of all time. But beyond that, we lost a man who gave us many lessons on competition and life, and how to succeed while keeping everything in its proper perspective. In this edition of SoundWaves, Dean Brenner shares some of his thoughts on the impact of Coach Wooden. Length: 7:52 Rethinking the Elevator Pitch - May 2010 We’re all aware of the importance of being able to describe our business and our value clearly and concisely. And some of us do it well. But when we meet someone for the first time, is this the best approach? Is there a better way to develop business than to move into a highly polished 60 second “pitch”? We think there is. Length: 6:33 5 Ways to Keep Your Team from Falling Apart - April 2010 Disagreements within and among any team are inevitable, especially when facing a really challenging or divisive issue. When they happen, how can you keep your team together? It's not easy, but this is the real world and things don’t always run smoothly. It's important to have some key strategies in your back pocket that you can use to keep things on track. In this issue of SoundWaves, Dean shares five things to keep your team from falling apart. Length: 7:06 The Simple Three-Part Step Formula for High Performance - March 2010 Do you need a simple way to think about performing at your best? In this issue of SoundWaves, Dean Brenner offers a simple but powerful formula for identifying what matters most in your pursuit of success in the workplace or on the athletic field. Length: 5:12 How to Deal with Bad Team Leadership - February 2010 In January 2010, Dean Brenner shared five things good leaders can do to build an effective team. But what if your challenge is poor team leadership? In this issue of SoundWaves, Dean offers some steps to take when bad leadership has your team functioning poorly. Length: 6:38 How to Align and Motivate Your Team - January 2010 We live in a team-oriented business culture… project teams, sales teams, or product teams, to name a few common examples. The ability to organize and lead a productive, efficient and motivated team is critical to 21st century success. Good teams create more value. Good teams reduce time to market. Good teams solve problems. Good teams are creative. In this edition of SoundWaves Dean Brenner offers five key rules for building a well-aligned and motivated team. Length: 5:42 How to Communicate with Your Virtual Team - December 2009 Managing and communicating with a virtual team is a critical skill in the 21st century. Unfortunately, many team leaders struggle to keep their teams motivated, aligned and efficient. In this episode of SoundWaves, we discuss five ways to communicate more powerfully with your virtual team. Length: 6:43 How Great Teams Communicate to Make Good Decisions Under Pressure - October 2009 Great teams have several common characteristics. In this edition of SoundWaves, Dean Brenner discusses one primary characteristic of great teams – clear communication. Listen as he shares some lessons from the recently-completed Sonar Class World Championship, where Dean and his teammates finished in 3rd place out of 57 boats.  Length: 5:58 How to Run a Good Conference Call - September 2009 In May 2009, Dean Brenner narrated you through the requirements for running good, effective meetings. In this issue of SoundWaves, Dean takes you through the next logical step of meeting management, and shares some great strategies for running effective conference calls. Length: 7:25 Making Your Message More Audience-Focused - July 2009 A one-size-fits-all messaging approach is no longer acceptable or effective in today’s business climate. If you want your message to stand out amidst the clutter of information and to stand up to this economically challenging business environment, you need to build your communications from an audience-driven perspective. In this SoundWaves, Dean Brenner offers three ways to make your message more audience-focused. Length: 5:17 Making Your Message Stand Out in the 21st Century - June 2009 The daily barrage of email, voice mail, instant messaging, blog articles, Twitter Tweets, Facebook posts and more combine to create information overload. The biggest communication challenge today is simply being heard and keeping your message above the white noise. In this edition of SoundWaves, Dean Brenner reveals the three keys to make your message stand out adidst the clutter of our modern business environment. Length: 5:17 The Art of a Good Meeting - May 2009 Many organizations waste countless hours of time in meetings that are ineffective, don’t lead anywhere and probably didn’t need to happen in the first place. In this SoundWaves, Dean Brenner offers the four requirements for conducting effective meetings and the three criteria for deciding if and when meetings are necessary. Length: 5:44 Communicating a Positive Message in a Negative Environment - March 2009 With the country facing the worst financial crisis in recent history, we are surrounded every day with negative news and gloomy predictions. The biggest challenge for every professional today is to find ways to remain positive against this dark backdrop of negativity. How can we effectively communicate and project an air of optimism and confidence? In this SoundWaves, Dean Brenner offers three ideas that everyone can do daily to stay positive, add value, and perform more effectively. Length: 6:15 How to Deliver Bad News in Challenging Times - January 2009 Communication skills are always important, in any economic environment. But they are especially important in challenging times. How will you deliver bad news to your clients, employees, or investors? How will you communicate a budget cut, or poor investment returns, or employee layoffs? How can your communication skills help you survive, and even thrive, in this challenging market? In this SoundWaves audio blog, Dean Brenner offers three keys to effectively communicate bad news while continuing to maintain trust and motivate the people around you. Length: 5:45 The 2008 Presidential Election: A Study in the Value of Great Communication - November 2008 All political factors aside, Barak Obama’s ability to communicate effectively was a key factor in his success in this election. His ability to build consensus around a strategy, to talk to his audience inclusively by using the plural “we” rather than the singular “I”, and his talent in uniting and offering hope to all, made him the candidate of choice for the majority of Americans. In this audio podcast, Dean Brenner discusses how great communication skills can give you a significant competitive advantage, whether you are a Presidential candidate or a leader in your organization. Length: 8:06 Fighting Over the Question - September 2008 Many people believe that elections are won by candidates who have the best answers to the questions of the day. In actuality, what drives success is the ability to shape which questions are asked, to direct the agenda and to shift the focus to the issues that put one in a favorable position. Dean Brenner discusses the importance of defining the question not only in the political arena but in the workplace as well. Length: 5:28 In Pursuit of a Powerful Presence - April 2008 Have you ever heard someone speak who was in complete command of the room, and who had such a powerful presence that people were compelled to listen to him or her? Building true presence for yourself requires a focus on both external and internal factors, and Dean Brenner discusses the keys to creating a total sensory experience for your audience. Length: 5:00 The Key to Delivering a Powerful Message - March 2008 Great Delivery Skills: There is no one-size-fits-all-approach to public speaking. Contrary to popular opinion, there is no sure-fire list of “do’s” and “don’ts” to follow. The key to delivering great presentations is find your own authentic style and be true to who you are. Length: 5:03 Two Critical Rules for Great Leadership in the Workplace - Februrary 2008 Leadership is a huge topic and represents a billion dollar industry in the United States. So what can you learn in a short five-minute podcast? With examples from a leading Fortune 500 global organization, Dean Brenner shares the two critical requirements for great leadership. Length: 5:01 The Keys to Effective Verbal Persuasion and Motivation - Februrary 2008 Persuading people with your words to adopt a belief is hard. Motivating them to act and behave a certain way is far more challenging. So how can you achieve both? In this short four-minute podcast, Dean Brenner reveals a simple idea that everyone can relate to and put into practice. Length: 4:54 The Essence of Great Communication - Februrary 2008 Great communication skills will give you significant competitive advantage but too often they are hard to achieve. In this short four-minute podcast, Dean Brenner reveals that the secret to effective communication is in the three’s – 3 simple words and 3 easy-to-remember steps to success. Length: 4:41   The Beacon Blast is produced by Slater’s Garage Ads & Audio. You can learn more about Slater’s Garage at www.SlatersGarage.com.   Top of Page    Sign up to receive The Beacon Newsletter   © The Latimer Group, LLC.