In today’s world, we often find ourselves communicating in international contexts without even realizing it. To be an effective, persuasive communicator, it’s important to understand who’s in your audience and anticipate any cultural gaps that could obscure your message.

You need your credibility if you want to accomplish anything. And it is hard to have any credibility if you always disappoint. We’re focused on simple ideas here at The Latimer Group. And today, we’re thinking about honest communication that manages expectations.

How would you describe the authentic versions of you that show up at work? At home?

Great and powerful communication is not a single skill set. No, in fact great and powerful communication is actually four skills.

Let’s talk about building credibility… real credibility. Not the short term version of credibility that comes from a referral or a common friendship or the personal courtesy of someone giving you a chance. No… let’s talk about the long-term credibility that is built by you, your actions and your performance.

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:

Where does true credibility come from? The short answer is “many places,” including the following three critical areas

The point of today’s post is this… listening matters. And not all forms of listening are equal. There are surface ways of listening, and deeper ways of listening. And when we can understand what those levels are, then we have a full toolbox and a stronger skill set.

When you are thinking about your communication skills, you also have to think about your delivery, AND part of your delivery will be your ability to mask your real emotions in times of stress.

Think not only about the way you conduct yourself in the workplace, and how vulnerable you allow yourself to be. But also think about the company culture that you contribute to

Be intentional with how you give feedback. We all have a story of receiving feedback at the wrong time, in the wrong place, or in the wrong direction.

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.

I’m here today to remind you that your work is important, but so is having the space to rest, recharge and recover. My time in the kitchen mixing dough and baking bread is my “me time.” It clears my mind and makes my heart happy.

personal accountability and planning is enormously helpful in the workplace

As comfortable as I am as a speaker, managing nerves is important for all of us. Here are three strategies that help manage nerves, all of them backed by neuroscience.

True power, influence and success comes when you can combine your expertise with the ability to translate what is important for others who are not fluent.

At The Latimer Group, we recommend a hybrid slide deck design that includes both text and visuals and doing your best to avoid these three common visual mistakes when creating your slide deck.

We preach preparation and audience understanding, all day, every day here at The Latimer Group. One of our foundational beliefs is that the more you understand about what your audience cares about, wants, needs, is motivated by, the easier it will be for you to…

In my workshops and coaching sessions, I often ask, “What are your coffee beans?” This metaphor represents the mindfulness practices that help you stay present and focused, even when it’s tough.

If we look at our communication as if it were a meal that our audience will consume, we’ll of course want to prepare a communication “meal” they will enjoy. And in order to do that, there are 5 ingredients that must be included in our recipe