The 'Water Cooler Test'

Ultimately, if your audience doesn’t remember what you said, it’s the same as if they never attended your presentation in the first place.

Given the fragility of human memory, you need to design your presentations to pass the “Water Cooler Test.”

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldDecember 1, 2020Business presentations, Memorable presentations, Professional Communicators, Business Communication

Bite-Sized Content

Our attention span is less than a goldfish (8 seconds, by the way)…

With our ability to pay attention going in the wrong direction, you must partition your content into bite-sized portions if you want people to retain the information you’re presenting.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldNovember 1, 2020Efficiency, Memorable presentations, Take aways, Communication, Professional Communicators

Listening: A Presenter Perspective

My job is to present. Their job is to listen.

That’s a mistaken mindset.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldOctober 1, 2020Listening, Leadership communication, Executive communication, Public Speaking, Business Communication

Listening: An Audience Perspective

We sit, we click on one video call after another, after another, after another.

What used to be in-person meetings in a conference room are now video calls.

While a lot has changed in the last 6 months, one thing has not -- the need to listen.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldSeptember 1, 2020Listening, Communication, Audience engagement, Business communication

The Best Communication Adaptations

Communication was one area of business operations that was forced to rapidly evolve in response to the economic chaos and uncertainty of the pandemic. Specifically, the best leaders began to communicate:

More frequently,
With greater transparency,
Proactively as opposed to reactively,
From a position of deeper understanding and empathy,
And in a style that blended both data and humanity.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldAugust 1, 2020Leadership communication, Corporate communication, Communication adaptations, The Professional Communicators, Communication in the age of COVID-19

The Lost Handshake: Nonverbal Communication in Video Conferences

Many people may be lulled into thinking a video conference is the same as an in-person meeting, but there is an essential ingredient that is missing: THE BODY!

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldJuly 1, 2020Video conferencing, remote communication, Body language, Nonverbal communication, Leadership Communication, Public speaking, The Professional Communicators

Zoom Fatigue

While some of the factors contributing to Zoom Fatigue are beyond the control of a remote presenter, effective presenters should do everything possible to minimize audience Zoom Fatigue.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldJune 1, 2020Video conferencing, Zoom fatigue, remote communications, On-line communication, Virtual meetings, The Professional Communicators, Leadership communication

On-Camera: All Day Every Day

Imagine you get called by Good Morning America to appear live to talk about your experience with Shelter in Place. How would you plan for this highly-visible TV appearance? Would you carefully select your wardrobe or throw something together? Would you practice in front of a mirror or wing it? Would you care how you came across to your national audience or throw caution to the wind?

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldMay 1, 2020Video conferencing, Video calls, Remote workforce communication, Zoom conferencing, Public speaking coaching, The Professional Communicators

Your 'Everyday Impression'

Ten-time NCAA Championship coach John Wooden famously remarked,

“The true test of a [person’s] character is what [s]he does when no one is watching.”

When it comes to your professional conduct, someone is always watching.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldApril 1, 2020Impressions, Professional presence, Executive presence, Leadership, Career advancement, Unconscious bias, Professional Communicators