Meetings, conference calls and presentations are the blood cells that regulate the blood flow of your business. In a healthy organization, the meetings, conference calls and presentations are well run. In other words, the “informational blood flow” is healthy, because the “meeting blood cell” is healthy.

The single most frequently asked question I hear regarding public speaking is this… “Dean, how can I be more confident as a speaker?” I’ve been in this line of work for more than 15 years, and every year, I hear that question more than any other.

And throughout my time leading The Latimer Group, my answer has remained essentially the same:

Do you want to be seen as “essential” by your manager, leader or executive? I will assume for a moment that your answer is “yes.” So let’s talk about what that will require.

Next time you’re getting ready to meet, speak, call or present something, simply ask yourself: Am I prepared to make my message clear for them, or am I leaving gaps they will need to somehow fill in on their own?

We recently had a conversation with a good friend of The Latimer Group, who said something really powerful to us. Our friend shared that her firm no longer calls communication a “soft skill.” Instead, they refer to communication as a “power skill.”

Twice a week, The Latimer Group’s experienced facilitators deliver clear, succinct, and actionable lessons about business communication to tens of thousands of readers worldwide. Here’s the latest entry:

Great communication is based on the ability to ask the correct questions, listen carefully, and make consistently good choices. Great communication is about seeing the whole board in front of you.