Communication Archives - Page 5 of 6 - Motivational Speeches and books by Snowden McFall

Fire Up Your Communication with Clarification

Minimize the Stress of Conflict with Better Communication

So often when colleagues are disagreeing with each other, they rarely listen to what the other is saying. In today’s world, we are all so busy, it’s rare that people give each other their undivided attention. To help diffuse a potentially volatile situation, do the following for clear communication under pressure:

• turn off phones & beepers and give total eye contact to the other person

• be sure you understand exactly what the other person is saying. Rarely do we truly hear the message the first time. If you are unclear, own it. Say “I want to make sure I understand your perspective. Could you please restate it in another way for me?”

That action alone will disarm someone, because they realize you truly want to hear them. We all have that basic need. Most people are delighted to elaborate on their viewpoint.

• While listening, if you find yourself getting more and more agitated, stop the conversation and clarify again, respectfully, carefully. You could use phrases like: “Can you elaborate more on that? Please say more about____.”

Each time you do this, you honor the other person, you cool down and you actually clarify their viewpoint. You might also learn something new. And best of all, you have diffused a potentially volatile situation that might have led to unpleasant working relationships. Listening well is key to good communication.

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 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
or reprinting without permission and author reference.

Fire Up Your Presentations

How you finish a presentation matters as much as how you begin.

Whether you are delivering a 30-second introduction or a two-hour sales presentation, your closing moment shapes what people remember, how they feel, and whether your message lands.

Presentation Tip: Finish with Energy and Intention

I recently watched a speaker deliver a solid presentation. They used relevant stories, thoughtful examples, and engaging visuals. The content was strong.

But in the final moments, their voice trailed off. Their energy dropped. The close felt disconnected from the message that preceded it. The audience missed the final point not because it lacked value, but because it lacked presence.

Leaders are remembered for how they make people feel. When your energy fades at the end, the impact fades with it.

Finish with clarity, confidence, and purpose. Close with a story, question, or insight that reinforces the benefit to your audience. Speak with intention. Let your final words signal that what you shared matters.

This ability to communicate with steadiness and conviction under pressure is a core element of executive presence. Learn how leaders strengthen clarity, confidence, and impact in high-stakes moments at Communication and Executive Presence.

People may forget your slides, but they will remember how you showed up. Make your closing count.

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Get Fired Up! About Social Media

Make the Most of Your Posts

If you are one of the of people who regularly use social media to share information, here are a few tips to fire up! your social media and relieve stress from posting. (Learned some of this from Dan Zarella at Hubspot- thanks Dan.)

1. Complete the bio section on each social media platform. Include a photo, background info- anything you are willing to make public. People trust more when they can learn about you and see your face.

2. Don’t overdo it and don’t crowd your content. Posting 5 times within an hour is a waste. It works much better to post once an hour during your heavily trafficked times. Find out what those are by using Tweriod.com.

3. Use keywords in your content to increase your search engine rankings.

4. Keep your article posts short and to the point without lots of flowery language and adjectives. The KISS method works best.

4. Always add value in your posts. Make it about your followers.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
or reprinting without permission and author reference.

Be Proactive to Reduce Pressure and Regain Control

One of the fastest ways leaders accumulate stress is by constantly reacting to other people’s timelines. Missed deadlines, last-minute requests, and repeated vendor issues create unnecessary pressure that feels out of your control.

In most cases, the problem is not other people. The problem is the absence of a proactive system.

Why Proactivity Reduces Leadership Stress

Waiting for clients, employees, or vendors to change their behavior rarely works. A more effective approach is to anticipate needs, clarify expectations early, and create structure around timelines before pressure builds.

Proactive leaders do not eliminate uncertainty, but they dramatically reduce surprise.

Practical Ways to Be Proactive with Others

Ask forward-looking questions. Talk with clients and stakeholders about their plans for the next 6 to 12 months. Identify upcoming projects, decision points, and likely deadlines before they become urgent.
Schedule follow-ups in advance. Once timelines are discussed, place check-in dates on your calendar. Regular touchpoints prevent last-minute emergencies.
Set expectations with vendors early. Let vendors know when work is likely coming and ask them to reserve capacity. Clear communication reduces repeated breakdowns.

When you work proactively, you shift from reacting under pressure to leading with intention. Your pace becomes steadier, your decisions clearer, and your energy more sustainable.

This approach is a foundational element of a structured leadership resilience practice. You can see how proactive planning fits into a broader framework in the
Leadership Resilience System.

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Fire Up Your People By Including Them

Appreciate Your Employees & Give Them Feedback

In a study conducted by USA Today a few years back, the top three things that employees want are: interesting work, appreciation and being “in” on things. The U.S. Dept. of Labor said 46% of all people who quit do so because they felt they are not appreciated for the work they do. And James Howard discovered that when asked what their boss or supervisor says when they finish a task or project, 92% said their supervisor said nothing! 88% of Americans say they are never thanked for their work. Resilient leaders will acknowledge the challenges, the effort, and the stress experienced, while achieving great suvvess as a team.

What all this data means is that employees are HUNGRY for positive feedback. And so are we as human beings. We have a tendency to be very hard on ourselves and judge ourselves severely.

Daniel Pink, the author of Drive, says humans are motivated by autonomy, mastery and purpose.

Sometimes, the greatest thing you can do in a given day is give your employees or co-workers a few minutes of sincere, specific praise. Try something as simple as “Thanks for the good work on that project” or “I really appreciated your comments in the meeting today-they were valuable.” All too many employers save up their kind words for bonus time, instead of sharing them throughout the year. Connect their work to the greater purpose they have, give them greater control over what they do, and help them become better at it.

Employees hate to be ignored, to be left out, and to feel unappreciated. Be sure you take excellent care of your people, or you may lose them.

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 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
or reprinting without permission and author reference

Fire Up! Your Business Standards

You Do Have the Power to Stop Negative Behavior

No matter what kind of professional you are, CEO, executive, business owner, doctor, lawyer, manager, you have the right and indeed, the responsibility, to set standards for your workplace. Many fields have set standards already, from healthcare to law. However you can go further. You can set standards of excellence in work, but also standards in behavior and performance.

I was recently told, when discussing negative behavior of a high level professional, that “That’s just how they are.” I simply don’t accept that.

No matter what level you’re at, you are subject to behavioral standards and employment law experts agree. It’s very easy to build an “attitude, behavior and professional conduct” clause right into your policy manual and your employment contracts. It needs to be specific and clear about what is acceptable and flexible enough to help you achieve your results. It is not acceptable for anyone at any level to come in regularly in a bad mood, yell at the rest of the staff, complain and whine and make everyone else’s day miserable. That is unprofessional conduct and should not be tolerated.

Set the standards, put it in writing with your employment attorney, inform everyone, and refuse to settle for anything less. Good employees will be grateful and bad employees will leave- which is best for everyone.

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 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
or reprinting with permission and author reference.

Igniting Your Promotion- What You Can Do

5:15 Can Make All the Difference

In an article in Fortune Small Business, FSB, Pat Croce shared a clever way to stay on top of his employees’ progress, concerns and successes. Every Friday, all employees and managers write a progress report that lands on the desk or in the email of their supervisor. Eventually, all of the critical info gets to the CEO in an abbreviated version. It takes 5 minutes for the supervisor to read and 15 for the employee to write.

What Croce does next is the important part. By the next Monday, he has responded to specific questions and concerns via email or in box. He has given out praise and made notes on future issues. He is demonstrating a core principal of resilient leadership through consistent, appropriate communication.

By learning what his staff is doing on all levels, he has a pulse on all aspects of his business He also has received great information for future performance reviews.

I remember once hearing about a woman who turned in weekly progress reports to her boss. She was continually promoted- not because she was so much better than others, but because her boss KNEW what she was doing.

What systems are in place for your people to communicate with you? Does your boss (or board of directors) know what progress you made this week? People can only congratulate you and support you when they know what you are achieving. Take the time to let them know and your career can accelerate.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
or reprinting with permission and author refere

Fire Up Your Communications at Work

If You Don’t Know What’s Going On, Ask

One of the hardest parts of any job is feeling like you are missing critical data you need. Sometimes that data is product and service-related and other times, it is personnel-related. If you are in a situation where you don’t know the guidelines, you don’t understand the dynamics or ramifications of a decision, or you are not sure of the politics around a given issue, ask someone wise whom you trust ( preferably someone higher up.)

Explain that you sense there might me something more to a given issue, and that you would like the history of it, Ask if they could they please share their perspective. Then, make your decision from a more informed viewpoint.

There are politics in every job, in every workplace. Some are minor and insignificant, others are insidious and unfortunately, critical to your success.

Diplomacy and tact are key in every workplace, and thinking rather than reacting will serve you well. It can be time consuming to flesh out all the dimensions to a given situation, but it may well be worth it if you want to be successful, get promoted and create greater results. When in doubt, ask. This kind of communication discipline is a core element of executive presence, especially in complex workplaces.

It is far better than assuming, which can frequently get you in trouble! Knowledge is power.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
or reprinting with permission and author reference.

FIre Up Performance with Praise

Management Tip: Catch People in Act of Doing it Right

At a recent networking function, I hugged a business associate and praised her for her recent accomplishments. She said “I wish they treated me this way at work.”

How sad that so many workplaces don’t emphasize praise, but rather just numbers and performance. Your employees will run through walls with a little praise and your resilient leadership skills in the face of adversity. While sales are more important than ever, the people making the sales are often overlooked.

To motivate your people, you MUST praise them, find out what is important to them and reward them. A handwritten card can go a long way. Catch people in the act of doing something right and specifically praise them for a job well done. Go on an active search for success in your people.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication
without acknowledging source or author.

Let Go of Control and Relieve the Stress in Your Relationships

Ignite the Fire of Good Communication with Others

Human beings are master control freaks; we all want what we want when we want it the way we want it- myself included. The problem is that other people have their own timetables and needs, and frequently, they conflict with ours.

An important lesson I continue to learn is to let go of control- on any level. Any attempts to cajole, manipulate, demand or force your needs on friends or loved ones will most likely be met with resistance and negativity.

Consider this: how do you feel when a parent or relative demands you visit them or forbids you to do something? Like most people, you probably bristle and want to rebel. The same is true of your loved ones. No adult wants to be told what to do when by a loved one or friend. At work. we are constantly dealing with pressure and we have built in resilience to that pressure but at home, we different expectations.

The solution: let go of control.

Release expectations and demands on others. If you need something, make a request, ask them if they would be willing to do such and such at a time that works for them, and then give them complete space to say yes or no. If they say no, accept it gracefully and back off. They may opt to do it on their own time or never. Be OK with that.

No one wants to be controlled. People want to be loved, appreciated and respected. Letting go of control and demands will improve your relationships.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication