Leadership Communication Skills

The more experienced you become, the more roles you need to juggle. This series explains how to balance more effectively and find time for the three major roles you will face every day throughout your career: manager, leader, and coach.

Skills that worked earlier in your career sometimes don't work as well today. There are amazingly predictable patterns in any career, any industry, on a professional level that we've observed over time. At Change Masters, we've come to call this pattern Decade Shifts, representing the changes in expectations people have of you as you progress over time. We'll walk you through some of the behavioral highlights of the 20s, 30s, 40s, and your 50s and 60s.

Conversations at the elevator, a cocktail party, or the water cooler can do a great deal to boost your career - if you know how to approach them correctly. We'll give you tips on how to increase your comfort in preparing for the spontaneous moment.

The Center for Creative Leadership has found that the number-one skill shared by top executives is outstanding listening. Listening is the single greatest connector you can have with someone. Hearing the facts and the emotion allows you to understand where others are coming from and to learn what you need to know early enough to take corrective action.

Negotiations happen constantly in big ways and small at work. We'll give you tips on how to successfully plan and execute negotiations, as well ways to avoid getting blindsided.

Dealing with resistance to change when you get a promotion can make or break your first 90 days. Many people are burned out on change, and they can be glassy-eyed at the prospect of anything you suggest. Hear how three respected leaders went through the school of hard knocks, and see what you can borrow from their journey to be more successful. They can help you better navigate the corporate river.

Selling your accomplishments to the right people in the right way isn't selling out, it's critically important in today's competitive work environment. Learn how to become an internal marketer for your ideas by using your voice to effectively deliver your message.

Doesn't it seem as though some people are just impossible to work with at times? If you've ever felt this way, you may be stuck in a cycle of mistrust. When trust breaks down, it's ugly. Rebuilding trust when it has broken down is aided by looking at the cycles of trust, but it also needs some other realizations and applications to make it really work. It's not quick or easy to rebuild broken bridges, but it can be done. We'll help you identify the ways to break out of this spin cycle and start to rebuild.

Did you know that the average employee needs five positive indicators for every critical one they get to think that you think they're OK? Reinforcement isn't just about giving a couple of "atta boys" now and again. Authentic inspiration and praise has many facets to it. We'll share some best practices from the best communicators Change Masters has seen.

You can choose to be at your very best when giving a presentation to a large or small group. Professional speakers and actors know that a critical success factor is preparing your body for the presentation so you are relaxed and energetic to be at your very best. This segment will help you prepare for a presentation or a big meeting.

Ever have a project derail due to botched communication? Ever had someone say something you said earlier, and then get credit for it? Irritating, isn't it? To get your ideas heard and remembered, listen to this segment. You'll be much more effective in getting credit for your ideas and keeping your projects on track.

Presentations have a disproportionate amount of impact on our careers. Great ones can glean more positive attention than you can imagine. However, so often we talk ourselves out of being our best as presenters. This piece talks about some great ways to get your mind and body on your side instead of working against you.

You have great instincts, but do you always listen to them? Why not? You or those you lead have more to offer than they're currently sharing. We've put together a terrific guide to help you trust your gut effectively. The payback is huge!

We've all seen people who are amazingly persuasive. We'd all like to be even more effective as persuaders ourselves. We've put together how some of the best persuaders we've seen at Change Masters manage this art. Their tips will help you achieve even better persuasive success.

In order to maximize your political savvy, you need to become more aware of your power and those who are successfully managing the informal organizational chart around you. We'll give you tips on power and politics that will make you more effective and positively impact your perception in the workplace.

Ever joined a new team and found them resistant to your direction or ideas? Here are some great easy and creative approaches to get people engaged and moving along when they have stalled or are stuck in a rut.

You have to deal with difficult people all the time, including whiners and bullies. Whining is one of the most difficult behaviors to deal with. Get some perspectives on why whiners whine and what you can do to help yourself and them. In addition, you might be surprised to learn that some of the most brutal people are actually extremely sensitive inside. Get tips in this piece on how to help them take down their walls so your life can be a whole lot easier.

Anyone who is in a position where leadership is essential must possess some skills of persuasion and manipulation in order to get the results they need. Often, these skills develop slowly, over a long period of time, but for some, there may be a need to improve much faster, and that is where this book comes in.

Authenticity, compassion, and alignment are the new paths to leadership success. Whether you’re the coach of a sports team; a nonprofit executive; or leading a small organization, or Fortune 500 company, the secret sauce lies in your ability to connect. Don't know how, or what to do? Executive coach, business professor, and author Dr. Michelle K. Johnston, along with the voices of 18 leaders at large and small organizations across North America, South America, and Europe, empower you to project your authentic leadership style. Start listening!

If a picture is worth a thousand words, and finding the right words takes time, and time is money, then wouldn't it follow that business leaders could make more money-in less time-if they simply took a more "visual" approach to how they manage and lead? Okay, it's not quite that simple...but VisuaLeadership will forever change the way you think and communicate by showing how you can quickly and easily leverage the power of visual imagery, mental models, metaphor, analogy, storytelling, and humor to help you take your game to a whole new level.