4 Characteristics of Effective Communicators

This is a guest post by my dear friend and business partner, Ken Davis. He’s also one of the best public speakers you will ever hear. You can also read his blog and follow him on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Listen to most presentations and you will hear a litany of stories half submerged in what might be major points—or maybe just another story.

Ken Teaching at SCORRE

Regardless, 75 percent of the people leave a presentation with no idea what the point of the message was. Even worse, 50 percent of speakers can’t identify the objective of their own talk.

How to Build (or Rebuild) Trust

Trust is to an organization what oil is to a car engine. It keeps the moving parts from seizing up and stopping forward motion.

Trust in Building a Human Tower - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/nuno, Image #4239994

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/nuno

But trust is not something you can take for granted. It takes months—sometimes years—to build. Unfortunately, you can lose it overnight.

5 Strategies for Becoming a Better Conversationalist

A few weeks ago, I was called by a consultant who was prospecting for business. He was a friend of a friend, so I felt duty-bound to give him thirty minutes to tell me about his company and the services he provides. Sadly, it was a complete waste of time.

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/dwphotos, Image #6070301

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/dwphotos

For starters, the guy talked non-stop. I probably didn’t say more than three sentences in the entire call. Worse, he made all kinds of assumptions about me and my business. Most of them were wrong.

How to Create a Life-Changing Presentation

This is a guest post by John Richardson. He is an author, speaker, and digital media creator. You can explore his blog and follow him on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

The side lights dim in the auditorium and the speaker walks on stage. As they are introduced you notice something different about them. The way they are dressed commands your attention. They start to speak and you are quickly drawn into a powerful story. There is drama, tension, and intrigue.

Abstract Blue Sparks - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/Nikada, Image #15137495

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/Nikada

Soon you are tracking with them. You can relate to their struggles and you marvel at their tenacity. Soon they share how they overcame obstacles and found a way to prosper. And then they do something amazing. They offer to share their secret with you.

What Could Becoming a Better Speaker Make Possible for You?

I spent the summer before my sophomore year in college as a summer missionary in Galveston, Texas. Each week my team visited a different church in the area and led vacation Bible school. It was fun, rewarding work.

In addition, I was assigned to a local church where I lived with the pastor, his wife, and their two children. They were both in their fifties and made me feel right at home.

Marketing Is Dead

Most creatives I know hate marketing. They want to write, speak, or entertain. But they hate the thought of promoting themselves or selling their art.

People Gathered at a Funeral - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/FrankVinken, Image #4382065

If this describes you, I have good news. Marketing is dead.

How to Train Your Brain

Jeff Henderson is the pastor of Gwinnett Church, a multi-site campus of North Point Ministries based in Alpharetta, Georgia. Before serving at Gwinnett Church, Jeff was the lead pastor of North Point’s Buckhead Church, and prior to that spent seventeen years in marketing and advertising, most of which was with Chick-fil-A. You can read more from Jeff on The Gwinnett Church Blog or follow him on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Has anyone ever taught you “how” to think? It might seem like an odd question but think about it for a moment. (No pun intended.)

Light Bulbs Sketched on Chalkboard - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/aluxum, Image #14314309

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/aluxum

We all think. We’ve all heard about the power of our thoughts. And we’ve all heard about positive thinking.

What Are You Doing to Become a Better Speaker?

When I was twenty-years-old, I participated in a summer missions trip in Galveston, Texas. I was assigned to assist the pastor of a small Baptist church. I thought I would mostly be helping with the youth program.

A Podium with Speaker Notes - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/DSGpro, Image #2948214

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/DSGpro

About two weeks into this project, the pastor announced that he would be out-of-town the next Sunday. He asked me to preach on his behalf. I was thunderstruck.

Seven Rules for More Effective Meetings

Earlier this week, I attended a very productive meeting. It was long, but we accomplished what we set out to do. We made significant decisions, established accountabilities, and left the meeting knowing exactly what was expected of us. I think everyone left feeling that it was a good use of time.

Business Meeting with Depth of Field - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/sandoclr, Image #77653

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/sandoclr

Unfortunately, too many corporate meetings don’t go this well. Often, they are a complete waste of time. But the good news is that they can be substantially improved by observing a few simple rules. Here is my list of seven rules for more effective meetings.

How to Take Your Speaking to the Next Level

In today’s environment, to be an effective leader you must be an effective communicator. The two go hand-in-hand. Whether you are the CEO of a company, the director of a division, or the pastor of a church, you must be able to write and speak well if you are going to maximize your influence.

More than ten years ago, when I was a marketing executive, I attended a week-long, “Copywriters Bootcamp” in Del Ray, Florida. The experience was invaluable. We listened to lectures, wrote headlines and advertising copy, and then read our work aloud to the group.

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