As a business owner and author, I speak at a number of conferences; others I attend purely for my own professional growth. Since we’re back to in-person events, I needed to research which L&D conferences and expos I wanted to attend this year. As a fellow Learning and Development specialist, you know that one’s quest...
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A myth we thought was long debunked came back around a few weeks ago. In talking about how to do demonstration presentations, an experienced presenter (not a Turpin trainer) said that real eye contact isn’t necessary, “Just look at the back wall, and people will think you’re looking at them,” she said. Even if that...
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The Foundation for What Comes Next Every presentation needs to take place within a solid frame. When you begin to speak, listeners need to know what you’ll be talking about, what you want to achieve, and why it’s important to them. Doing so will give them confidence in you as a presenter because you’ve assured...
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If you’re a leader or an aspiring leader, emotional intelligence (EQ) is essential for your success. It helps you build relationships and communicate more effectively with the people you work with. In many ways, your reputation as a leader is built and maintained through meetings. Meetings may be, after all, the only time some people...
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A crucial but often neglected part of successful business communication is making it easy for your audience to understand what you are communicating. The use of jargon or acronyms with no explanation is a frequent error that really works against the idea of making it easy. Too often, we assume people will understand us because...
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We recently had a multi-phase engagement with a client during which we got to know their culture quite well. As is sometimes the case, the bit of wisdom our learners needed to hear most came from one of their own. “If there isn’t an agenda, it’s not a meeting; it’s a conversation.” I wholeheartedly agree....
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One lasting effect of the pandemic has been an upheaval in people’s expectations of where and how they work. Job-seekers are targeting remote-only positions that give them the freedom to search for employment across the country or even globally and to work from wherever they are. Long-term employees are negotiating with their companies to stay...
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A recent article at trainingindustry.com has us thinking about the importance of emotional intelligence, or EQ, as US businesses start to return to in-person work. Of course, EQ and its component parts—self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills—have been considered an essential management skill set for decades. At the same time, in conversations we’ve been...
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According to an article on MIT’s human resources blog, over 25 million professional meetings are held every day in the US. That’s a staggering amount of time spent away from the rest of the work employees are paid to do. Combine that quantity with the qualitative change in attitudes brought about by the pandemic and...
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When people participate in Turpin workshops, individual members and teams enjoy a host of secondary benefits beyond greater comfort with their own communication skills. Managers and leaders are often pleasantly surprised by how team meetings become more efficient, leadership skills start to emerge, relationships blossom, and so on. We often hear that teams “Turpinize” their...
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