Speaking to Influence

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Jackie Linton shares how her organization works to keep their services in alignment with what the business community needs. Listen in as Laura and Jackie discuss the perception of vulnerability and how it can actually serve you in business, as well as the advantages to being a life-long learner and what supervisors are really asking when they say, “t...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Joyce Chester shares the challenge of staying connected to the community as a non-profit organization and how she works with her team to create new opportunities. Listen in as Laura and Joyce discuss empowering volunteers to embody the mission of your organization, teaching your staff to fail forward, and gathering feedback from hard conversations. Joyce a...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Jeannine Lisitski discusses how her organization focuses on fostering personal commitment to create community change. Listen in as Laura and Jeannine dive into how to influence the general public, communicating in new and different ways, and the importance of teaching leadership to putting together different puzzle pieces to create a strategy for success....

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Marcus Allen shares how your background influences your ability to seek opportunities and lead others. Listen in as Laura and Marcus discuss helping teams stay focused through communication, creating policies that impact a wide variety of people, and how Marcus initiated a difficult conversation that led to personal and company-wide growth. Marcus Allen, p...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Sam King reveals her best practices for maintaining communication and influence with over 2,500 clients while staying focused on authentic connection and maintaining focus on the company mission. Listen in as Laura and Sam discuss maintaining organizational relationships during remote work, the advantages of practicing micro communication, and how job role...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Karen Friar shares how her team managed the transition to a virtual workplace and how she has fostered motivation and engagement while navigating the uncertainties of the pandemic. Listen in as Laura and Karen discuss how to humanize your virtual meetings, understanding what’s important to your audience, and how gratitude improves communication. Kare...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Tom DeBiase reveals how he focuses on communicating risk and potential problems by translating his message into non-technical terms. Listen in as Laura and Tom discuss the difference between stories and explanations, the importance of shifting your perspective to your customer’s view, and how your ability to translate information impacts your leaders...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Janet Salazar reveals how her organization is navigating intercultural communication in a virtual landscape while remaining focused on making personal, intentional connections. Listen in as Laura and Janet discuss finding commonalities in human communication, being creative in your leadership approach, and the importance of correctly pronouncing someone&rs...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Laura shares the best 24-Hour Influence Challenges of 2020 and how you can use them to create actionable results in 2021. Listen in as past guests challenge you to evaluate your communication skills, create a system for accountability, and become an expert at providing feedback that creates an impact. To learn more about Dr. Laura Sicola and how mastering...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, David Cohen shares the importance of distilling complicated subject matter into simple and powerful messages for greater impact. Listen in as Laura and David discuss the importance of mastering virtual communication skills in today’s workplace, how law school helped David develop his communication skills, as well as his best advice for cultivating le...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Jamil Rivers shares how STEM education and workforce development align to create opportunities for disenfranchised people of color. Listen in as Laura and Jamil discuss why she is focuses on communicating with the people on the ground-level of the organization, keeping people engaged while working remotely, and the importance of translating value to all le...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Jonathan Rivers shares how he communicates with a wide variety of people by focusing on clear a clear message and not getting lost in the details. Listen in as Laura and Jonathan discuss mastering your public speaking through continuous learning, stepping into hard conversations, and the two types of negotiation you need to know in order to achieve better...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Sharmain Matlock-Turner shares how she identified a need to communicate with a wide variety of people in the nonprofit sector and how she continues to coordinate and communicate with those individuals as an organization. Listen in as Laura and Sharmain discuss how to set priorities and focus on the right message for your audience, and how telling your stor...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, David Marquet shares how words impact team performance and why leadership should not be viewed as a product to sell. Listen in as Laura and David discuss David’s experience as a Captain of a submarine and how it taught him that every organization needs a central focus of action. They also dive into how fatigue impacts communication and what it means...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Bill Sasso shares how his company focuses on cultivating a culture that fosters growth. Listen in as Laura and Bill discuss leaders who model vs. those who instruct, finding a strength within your weakness, and having the right perspective of a situation in order to lead. Bill also reveals why speakers should understanding timing when speaking to audiences...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Bryan Buckley discusses how a young company can create a centralized message in order to help communications flow throughout the organization. During this episode Laura and Bryan discuss the importance of believing in your message, why body language can sometimes distract your audience, and simple ways to bring your team together, operating under a cohesiv...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Donna Marie De Carolis shares why focuses on mindset vs. skills when communicating with her audience and how you can lower the risk of speaking with your own audiences. During this conversation Laura and Donna discuss how to communicate your credibility without self-promoting, getting the audience involved in the story, and understanding the introvert-extr...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Dana Donofree discusses how she improves her communication and relationships with her team through personal development and what she looks for in a potential leader. Listen in as Laura and Dana discuss how the pandemic has changed customer expectations for communication, why applying pressure to your team doesn’t deliver high quality results, and a s...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Ije-Enu Udeze Nwosu shares the communication strategies she uses to navigate the needs of businesses, consumers, and the environment in order to create a meaningful impact. Listen in as Laura and Ije discuss translating the needs of multiple groups at once, getting comfortable being uncomfortable, and getting over the hero complex in order to serve at a hi...

On this episode of Speaking to Influence, Donavan West reveals the two types of people he’s connecting with in order to build bridges and support businesses owners during the pandemic. During this conversation Laura and Donavan discuss the need to cut through industry noise, and why “yelling louder” only creates confusion for your audience. Donavan also shares how Covid has expos...

In this episode of Speaking to Influence, Lu Ann Cahn shares how to use storytelling to connect with your audience while being interviewed. During this conversation, Laura and Lu Ann discuss why stories matter, giving your message credibility, and the difference between explaining point and inspiring understanding. You’ll also learn Lu Ann’s best advice for speaking to large audience a...

In this episode of Speaking to Influence, Laura reveals how you can increase your effectiveness and communicate your message in a virtual setting. Learn how “Zoom fatigue” could be impacting your delivery, the best equipment for video communication, and how to keep your audience engaged and your energy level high in order to leave a memorable impression.   To learn more about Dr....

In this episode, Debbie Phillips reveals the impact of working from home on communication and workplace culture. In this conversation Laura and Debbie discuss how workplace culture has been influenced by transitioning to working from home and how managers can break through barriers created by a virtual environment. Debbie shares how to create trust within your organization, fostering opportunities...

In this episode, Wil Reynolds shares the importance of being able to articulate your ideas and expertise in a way that solves problems and fosters action. Communication requires skill, as well as an understanding of your audience’s knowledge and language surrounding the issue. Listen in as Wil and Laura dive into the difference between problem solving and communication, as well as the import...

In this episode, Erica Bennett reveals how custom programming and tools are able to close the leadership gap. Learn the power of demonstrating how your idea adds value to your organization while embracing failure and educating your team. Listen in as Laura and Erica teach you how to get in touch with your own emotional intelligence and how communication can help navigate times of prolonged uncerta...