executive presence Archives | Page 5 of 8

Confidence: “Perfect Practice Makes Perfect”

Imagine yourself standing in front of a room full of people. You’ve been asked to speak on something you know very well. You’ve got this…but maybe you are little nervous. Here are some ways to turn those nerves into confidence as you prepare for this moment.

1. Know the Room

In preparing for your presentation, if you aren’t bringing your own audio visual equipment, be sure to confirm and reconfirm that you will have everything you need. Access to the internet? Sound? A hand held clicker? Arrive early to confirm you have everything you need and that everything works. What is your backup plan if for some reason you do not have everything you need? Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the room. Where will the audience be seated? Find the best lighting when looking up at the stage […]

2022-04-22T08:32:59-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Leadership Presence, Public Speaking|Tags: audience preparation, confidence, executive presence, executive presence advisors, Nerves, Practice, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm, Public Speaking Preparation, speech preparation|1 Comment

What our clients are saying about us

Occasionally, I have a client ask for the chance to write about how we’ve helped him or her with their business communication skills. This week, Curt Gosman from Now Courier shares his thoughts…

“I had been working with a client for about a month, providing nearly daily cost analysis of their in-house delivery vs contracting with us, when suddenly communication from them stopped and I became concerned. After a couple of long weeks, I inquired and found there had been a personnel change, which of course would mean starting over from scratch. Not sure what to do, I consulted with Ellen Dunnigan, my business communication advisor, who gave me the confidence and advice to contact the CFO. Reluctantly, I called and was directed to a decision maker who was only slightly aware of their total company logistics need — yet at that very moment, was having a specific and pressing need […]

2022-04-22T08:32:59-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Accent Modification, Leadership Presence, Professional Communication, Public Speaking|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off

Attributes of a Great Leader

There have been many great leaders across the ages. This begs the question, what did they have in common? What about them made them such a good leader? Here is our answer:

2022-04-22T08:33:00-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Leadership Presence|Tags: Accountability, Adaptability, Attributes of Great Leaders, executive presence, executive presence advisors, Humility, Leadership, Leadership Development, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm, Resolve|1 Comment

Email Communications: 10 Tips on making a memorable first impression

Practice these tips and I promise you’ll feel that your message was better received and understood. Not only that, increase your efficiency on making it through your inbox. Be Heard. Get Results.

Hit the Floor and Give Me 20! – Is Business Coaching Right For You?

Coaching's three most common uses include leadership development, remedial performance improvement, and optimizing strong contributors. Most coaches meet with executives in person or by phone, either every other week or once a month for about a year, though they increasingly are available for emergency consults.

2022-04-22T08:33:00-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Leadership Presence, Professional Communication|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off

5 Things You Can Do Right Now To Improve Your Next Presentation

There have been many articles written over the last decade especially take a peak inside this magician’s tophat. I came up with five Jobsian tricks you can adapt to make your next presentation a little better without spending hours and hours in front of a mirror.

2022-04-22T08:33:00-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Professional Communication|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off

MultiTasking is a Myth! Now What?

A slew of cognitive studies over the last five years have shown that what we think is multitasking is in reality over-active and distracted brain activity. The brain can only focus on one process at a time, so we’ve actually become expert “start-and-stoppers.” What’s worse, our attempts at multitasking slow us down, as errors increase and fatigue quickly clouds any accomplishments we think we make.

2022-04-22T08:33:00-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Professional Communication|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off

Swing and a Miss

baseball-player-583658_1280 Today’s guest blog post is written by Matthew Williams, Communications Intern at Accent on Business.

For a long time, networking evoked a negative albeit vivid image in my mind. A large group of middle-aged strangers getting together in a large conference room drinking, laughing at unfunny jokes, and passing around business cards all the while trying to sell insurance or burial plots. I’m not entirely sure where this image came from but I was certain it was not the game I wanted to play.
From the time I entered college until the time I left, I would constantly hear professors espouse the virtues of networking:

“It’s not just what you know,” they would say. “It’s about who you know. If you don’t learn to network the odds of finding a good job are slim.”

I’d like to say that hearing this message repeatedly over time softened […]

2022-04-22T08:33:01-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Professional Communication|Tags: communication, conversation, executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off

Intonation Speaks Volume!

Intonation is the melody of speech. Speech scientists tell us that the intonation of a sentence provides us with 70% of its meaning. Consonants and vowels might be mispronounced, but if the intonation is correct, we are likely to understand the message. Say the following sentences on the left, and then match them up with their meanings on the right. (Hint: Stress the italicized words.)

1. I didn’t say Bill was fired. a. I wrote it!
2. I didn’t say Bill was fired. b. He was hired!
3. I didn’t say Bill was fired. c. Mary did.
4. I didn’t say Bill was fired. d. Phil was.
5. I didn’t say Bill was fired. e. I swear!

We cannot communicate effectively in a monotone, or by stressing the wrong words. The correct intonation pattern, both within words and across entire messages, is critical to clear and efficient communication.
Voice improvement can teach you the rules to intonation. […]

2022-04-22T08:33:01-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Public Speaking|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm, rules to speech intonation, speech intonation|Comments Off

What separates a good speech from a great speech?

A good speech has a clear, relevant message supported by facts. A great speech has a clear, relevant message supported by stories that make the topic being discussed more interesting and more memorable.

The goal of every speech is to be memorable and informative. People are inundated with messages and speeches in some shape or form on a daily basis. How can you help make your message stick? One of the simplest ways to make a speech memorable is to tell a story that serves as a real-life example of your message. A relevant, well-told anecdote engages audience members in a way that PowerPoint presentations or statistical data can’t. When an audience is engaged, they are more likely to retain the information being presented. If the story is interesting enough they may even relay it to someone else, spreading your message even further. People […]

2022-04-22T08:33:01-04:00By Ellen Dunnigan|Categories: Leadership Presence, Professional Communication, Public Speaking|Tags: executive presence, executive presence advisors, Professional Communication, professional communication advisors, professional communication advisory firm, professional communications, Public Speaking, public speaking firm|Comments Off