Speak As Well As You Think

Hybrid work. It's not going away. So the best thing we can do is learn how to make it most effective, whether you use it daily or just a couple of times a month. You need to consider a few things: How to prepare before the meeting even begins The best practices that can help you be clear, confident, and prepared Whether cameras need to be on or off Understand how to end effectively A lot of people...

This month, we're discussing Storytelling as an influential tool. People tend to remember a story long after they forget the data. A great message may inform, but a great story can help people feel the message. We discuss a few specific areas: Why stories influence better than information alone Where we see stories show up, and why they work Some common mistakes people make with their stories Stor...

This month, we're talking about eye contact. We've all heard we should look at people as we speak, but what exactly does that mean? How long do we look at them? How do we move when there are multiple people to look at? If it feels awkward to the speaker, does it come across awkward to the listener? All great questions. Here's what we unpack: Why eye contact matters What does your eye contact commu...

We're talking communication anxiety this month. Nervousness is an age-old topic that we really can't discuss enough. This month, we'll cover: Common causes of communication anxiety What it can look and feel like to the speaker and audience Ways to manage the feeling in the moment Some long-term approaches to alleviating nerves

In today's episode, we're discussing persuasion at work. It's an element of many people's jobs, so understanding its importance and how to create a safe and comfortable space for persuasion to live is important. Here are a few things we'll discuss: Persuading is not convincing; it's alignment Know what your audience wants or needs (one we always talk about) Create credibility by asking questions a...

It's January, so of course, everyone is focused on goal-setting for the year to come. As you plan your goals out, consider a few things: Set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) Be realistic - lofty goals are fine, but know how you're going to get there Communicate your goal(s) clearly to yourself and others Check in often and reflect on how the goal is going -...

Some people can captivate an audience when they speak. Others, the audience walks away while they're still speaking. Many factors can influence this, but one key determinant of audience engagement is the speaker's ability to stay on message. Being clear and concise is a skill. It's important to understand: Why it can be so difficult to accomplish Understanding what your audience wants or needs Kno...

This month, we're exploring the 'empty boat' mindset parable and how it relates to effective communication and relationship building. The parable basically states that if an empty boat runs into yours, you navigate around it. But if someone is in that boat, you tend to react negatively, even though the same situation occurred. We discuss the importance of: Separating intent from impact Responding...

Sometimes the hardest people to coach aren’t those who struggle with communication; it's the ones who think they’ve already mastered it. Not because they lack skill, but because their blind spots are often more ingrained. In this episode, we'll take years of experience and explore: The Blind Spots of “Good Communicators” — from dominating conversations to resisting change. Coaching Without Clashin...

Some organizations have excellent communication cultures, while others struggle in this area. The organizations that have it down tend to do 3 things: They have access to communicate with anyone within the organization, no matter their title or role. They focus on development opportunities. They lead with a growth mindset, and their leaders "walk the talk". Listen along for more details on each of...

Keeping an audience engaged can feel like an uphill battle some days, but it's of the utmost importance when it comes to being an effective communicator. In this episode, we'll discuss our top 5 tips for keeping your audience engaged. We recommend: Make the talk about your audience Ask questions Give them something to do Change up your delivery at times Shorten sections Focusing on these five thin...

Have you ever wondered what evidence to bring to the table in your meeting? Evidence, or forms of influence (FOI), are necessary to engage and persuade your audience. We spend a lot of time talking about the physical and vocal skillset, which are extremely important in how you show up. But FOIs are equally important. As soon as you're done making those first impressions, the evidence and knowledge...

Digital communication is all around us. In our world today, it's very hard, if not impossible, to avoid it. Whether you want to or not, you're a part of it, so we need to understand how to be effective with this medium. We want to help your digital communication get noticed, read, and engaged with in some way. There are a few ways you can do that: Consider the look of your digital communication: D...

At some point in your career, you will disagree with someone. It probably happens quite often already. Sometimes, it's just a different opinion on an approach, and sometimes, it's a stark disagreement with what's being shared. The size of the disagreement isn't as important as knowing how to approach these situations with professionalism, an open mind, and an appropriate way to move the conversati...

This month we're discussing notes and other techniques for when a PPT deck doesn't seem the most appropriate or right fit. Repeat after me, PPT is not the enemy, but there are other options for you to use like an organized note template, a whiteboard, a flipchart, or some form of brainstorming technique. If you're not going with a PPT, you have to decide 3 things: What are you going with? Choose y...

Practicing a new skill is vital. But knowing we should practice and actually taking the step to practice are very different things. Listen in to hear us discuss these recommended techniques for setting yourself up for success: Do a self-assessment. Understand where you're starting point is. Practice the new skill anywhere and everywhere you can, not just in the setting it needs to be used. Set rea...

Welcome back to the Speak As Well As You Think Podcast! To kick off the year, we're discussing feedback. We want everyone to have an effective process in place if they're asked to provide feedback. A few things we'll discuss are: How might the person want feedback? Have you asked them? Do they prefer an "Oreo cookie sandwich", tough love, positives and negatives together? What framework will you u...

We're closing out 2024 reflecting on the purpose of having a plan. Most people fail without a plan. When it comes to communication, we don't want to fail. We want our messages to be clear, informative, and helpful. If we wing it, these things are harder to accomplish. We'll discuss preparation with the following: Knowing your audience (a favorite of ours) Understanding how to show up as a listener...

This month we're discussing all things listening. We touch on our Top 3 Do's, which include: Being aware of your non-verbal skills and what they're saying Listening with the intent to understand not simply reply Maintaining curiosity regardless of how you feel about the topic We'll then touch on our Top 3 Don'ts, including: Don't immediately defend your stance Be cautious of interrupting and consi...

We spent the last two episodes honing our Executive Presence skills. In this episode, we're focusing on the actual visual presentation. In our opinion, there are 3 steps you can implement to be successful: Plan: Before you open up PPT, figure out who you're speaking to, what they need to know, what you're hoping to accomplish with them, and storyboard those details out. Build: Create your presenta...

This month we're taking a deep dive into the vocal executive presence skills as a follow-up to last month's chat. As speakers, we need to understand how to use our vocal energy and ensure it portrays what we need it to. During this episode, we're discussing the three components of vocalics: Volume - the level or loudness in which we speak Inflection - the variation in our tone or peaks and valleys...

This month we're honing in on the physical executive presence skills. We break them up into three categories: Eyes - Where are you looking and speaking? Hands - What are they doing or not doing? Posture - How are you standing, sitting, and/or moving? We read body language in other people all the time, but are you aware of what your body language is saying to your listeners? These three areas impac...

In today's episode, we're discussing the top 3 things the Vautier Communications' team thinks you need to do in order to have clear and effective communication. These include: Knowing your audience Simplifying your message Creating and owning your own presence Listen in for tips on how you can think about each of these areas and relate them to your own meetings and talks moving forward.

In this month's episode, we're talking about difficult and/or crucial conversations in the workplace. They're an inevitable part of our communications at some point. We discuss what these conversations look like, ways to prepare for them, how to deliver them appropriately and empathetically to a person/group, and ways to consider purposeful next steps as a follow-up.

This month we're discussing English as the primary language for business, and how we can communicate effectively across cultures. We are breaking this episode into 2 sections: If you are a native English speaker, how can you consider communicating with non-native English speakers If English is an additional language, how can you continue to learn and grow the skillset of speaking English in a busi...