I thought all points were valuable. I know I'm sometimes guilty of "waiting for my turn" to talk instead of listening to what's being said, or not letting people finish before adding my two cents. I will take these suggestions and practice better listening skills.

I have been fortunate enough to work for an individual who was an outstanding story-teller. He actually belonged to a story-telling group and would often use some of his colleagues for a group presentation that was centered around "stories". Bill could put together two or three stories that were specifically tailored to particular objectives and intent. It was quite a remarkable and entertaining experience to be an audience member. His stories would "involve" the audience because they were stories that everyone could identify with; and really "paint" a mental picture that involved the listeners almost as characters/observers in the story. His stories were often very humorous, centered around common every day experiences and would really "bring the important points" home. The details of the story would remain in your mind for a day or so; the story itself a bit longer, maybe a week or so; but the "talking-points" would often remain in one's mind in such a way that anything that evoked a memory of the story (or a part of the story) would "automatically" and almost immediately bring the essence and purpose of the story back to mind. Some people are very good at story-telling; and story tellers usually have a talent for painting a "picture" that the mind retains. This being said, if one is a good story teller, he/she may want to utilize story-telling or give a "story-telling" presentation a try.

I was also taught that a meeting should be scheduled for at least 15-30 minutes longer than you intend to run it. This allows you to have buffer time for discussion and creates the impression that the meeting ended early when you don't need to cross over into the 30 minute buffer having the participants leave happier thinking they have a head start on the rest of their day and therefore, according to the training, more likely to accomplish their assigned tasks.

I recently had to conduct a training presentation for people who were not exactly thrilled to be there. The technique of asking questions to evoke responses worked like a charm. Once they realized I was there to learn from them as much as they were from me they relaxed and ended up responding well to the situation.

Is always very helpful! Much Appreciated. :) Sherrillann

What are the difference from creative versus technical writing?

My colleague and I have found that including vivid, interactive videos throughout the meat of the presentation really helps to keep the audience involved. Often times we will include animated visuals that the audience can relate to, that spark curiosity, and/or that convey our point in a humorous way. We then only use our words to supplement the information they gain from the visuals. This helps push the informality of our speaking environments. It also lets our audience know that we are as relaxed as they are, and confident enough about the subject matter that we can play and have fun while getting our point across. I'd love to hear your experiences with visual presentations!

This course allowed me to see how I may have been unexpectedly failing to listen to our students. I multi task and often I am doing computer work while conversing. I now see how this can be mistaken for poor listening or less than sincere interest in what students are communicating to me.

I found this writing to be very helpful.

I have never found this to be a successful or productive endeavor. Unless the boss's behavior is immoral, unethical or illegal, I have found that no matter how tactful or constructive the feedback these communications usually do not go well. This is an obvious testament to the vocational endeavors I have pursued, coupled with the industry's typical leadership style.

Hello, Many times I've been handed difficult students or alumni to help and career advise. I first LISTEN, ask questions but being careful not to prob to much were they mught feel uncomfortable. 8/10 times I realize that they missed a small step on how they behave towards others negative comments. I reintroduce the issue and allow them to problem solve and they give them m y constrictive opinion. Thank you, Cynthia De La Puente

Explain the definition of verbal and non verbal language... The importance of visual aids...

What are the rules on Instructor texting students back...

Feedback can be hard for all parties involved. It is very key that all parties that are involved are on the same page.

Do you find that when communicating with multiple people within a work team, that you must use different communication styles to accomodate different personalities?

What are your thoughts on the reading and understanding of emails to employees? Sometiems the wrong wording can communicate things incorrectly, can't it?

I learning that coaching is about performance problem and mentoring is about career development.

I feel this training was helpful not only for myself, but when also dealing with people who are not comfortable or well experienced in relating feedback to others (especially with difficult subjects/topics).

How do you have the "tough conversations" with employees who feel that they are having these with their subordinates?

I currently coach/manage an instructor who is 40 years older than me and has about as much teaching experience. He is therefore very set in his ways and is constantly comparing education today to when he was in school. He is always frustrated, saying that students don't have the same dedication or discipline these days. While I agree on one hand, I also see that the world is a different place, and these students have responsibilities and priorities that didn't exist 40 years ago. My question is, how can I get him to open his mind to the evolution of education and stop being such a curmudgeon?