VoicePRO News & Blog
Leadership Training & Effective Communication Strategies.
5 Public Speaking Lessons From Comedians
Imagine your last business presentation. Ideally you were well prepared and your audience was eager to hear your ideas. Now, picture a slightly inebriated, potentially hostile audience with no qualms about voicing their displeasure, and you have one goal: Make them laugh. Such is the terrifying realm of the stand-up comic. In his memoir, Born […]
3 Political Tactics That Cripple Communication
Tired of politics as usual? Recent surveys say the average American is fed up. Congressional approval is at embarrassing lows, as both parties fail to co-operate and successfully combat the nation’s woes. Likewise, the GOP presidential candidates seem incapable of agreeing on anything. But not us. We’re above such petty disagreements, right? Sadly, our office […]
The Fire of Anger: Communication Skills to Douse the Flames
At VoicePRO® we hear a lot of stories about relationships gone awry – an occupational hazard, I guess. But this one may top them all. One person’s short temper (and a big ego) went a long way toward destroying a company’s reputation. You can read the full, messy story online, but here are the basics. A customer […]
4 Communication Skills For Experienced Performers
Shortly after I came on staff at VoicePro®, I participated in its Speak Present Influence! workshop. With years of performance under my belt and “stage presence” to spare, I was confident I would shock and awe everyone with my speaking prowess. Within five minutes, my ego was put in its place. My small supportive audience praised my […]
3 Word Types That Assassinate Good Communication
Hollywood loves assassins. Each year the silver screen is filled with deadly human predators stalking their prey, striking without warning, and disappearing into the night: veritable boogeymen. Though they don’t inspire the sensationalism and fear of their movie counterparts, three word types can be as just as deadly—to communication, that is. #1 But Regardless of […]
5 Management Resolutions For 2012
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Despite the constant change of modern society, popular New Year’s resolutions are fairly consistent from year to year. Get fit. Lose weight. Stop smoking. Spend more time with family. Reduce stress. These resolutions are popular enough to be listed on the government’s holiday website. It’s remarkable that, notwithstanding the […]
5 Reasons Communication Skills Training Won’t Work For You
Does this headline surprise you? Why would VoicePro®, with decades of experience and hundreds of clients, set you up for failure? Actually, this approach is my way of getting clients (and you!) to expect something different from presentation coaching, a deeper kind of change. So many clients in VoicePro presentation workshops arrive expecting drills on […]
5 Reasons Stories Are Better For Public Speaking
A common public speaking tip is to use humorous stories. Likewise, many of VoicePro®’s articles have stated that using funny personal stories far outweighs using jokes. Of course the question remains: Why not jokes!? To give insight into the benefit of storytelling, we offer you five reasons that stories are better than jokes when you give […]
5 Communication Skills That Tell The Story
Wow. That’s all I can say. If you haven’t seen science reporter Robert Krulwich’s commencement address at the Berkeley Journalism School, you’ll want to get to theDiscover Magazine blog by Ed Yong to read it. I think it’s likely to show up in VoicePRO’s Persuasive PowerPoint, one of our presentation skills workshops, as an example […]
Facts vs. Assumptions: A Communication Skills Audio Clip
In this VoicePro® audio clip, Luanne talks a little about the challenge of fact vs. assumption, and the possible ramification of their misidentification. Have a listen and let us know what you think. Luanne Paynick is Director of Creative Design, and a professional development coach at VoicePro Inc.
