The "back channel" will only be useful in a small number of communicating environments - at least for the next year or so. And I'm afraid that the thrust of the current Twitter buzz advocating twittering during speeches will cause an expectation of good communication that will not be met – and will lead the majority of people (like most of our clients) down the wrong path. This has been well documented by Edward Tufte and others, and I'll personally Business speakers (and leaders, keynoters, politicians, Pastors and, well, everyone…) need to be aware that like it or not, Twitter is coming to their speaking experience. Be Aware, and Beware!

Not transparent - and actually, why be on Twitter if you don't want to communicate rapidly, spontaneously and personally. Here are some people to start following from Decker Communications and other good people who will probably follow you back: @KellyDecker The effectiveness of your communication determines the effectiveness of your life.” ...Tags: Exploding - the word for Twitter, and Social Media for that matter. There's a lot of misunderstanding about Twitter, and particularly about getting started, so this post is JUST about that - and will

In fact, visitors searching our site for the phrase “content marketing” increased by 85% in 2009 over 2008. How To Create the All-Important Elevator Speech For Your Presentations and for Your Content Marketing It is so hard, but so important to explain what it is that you do and how it will benefit the person to whom you are communicating. But so concisely that it can be communicated in less time than it takes an elevator to go up a few floors. It’s been a very good year for content marketing. Social media certainly loomed larger in the past 12 months but interest

If you want to succeed in business, what are the critical communication skills? Tags: Connection Strategic Communicatio I’ve come up with nine. You need the ability to: Give a persuasive 10-minute presentation. Deliver an elevator pitch

In the communications and presentations industry there are generally just two research studies that are quoted when talking about the importance of nonverbal communication. In two previous posts, I showed how this has often been misinterpreted to apply to the meaning that is derived from a communication , or to the feelings that are engendered in the listener . (The Based on the fact that these are They were carried out by Albert Mehrabian and his colleagues in 1967. Forty-two years ago.

The Iran protests and Twitter's hand in dramatically showing that an oppressive regime can no longer censor dissent may have changed communications forever. The world perhaps watched even more intently because of this dramatic, historic and new communications experience - the perfect storm. There are other means of communicating privately - it's not on Twitter. Ahmadinejad 's r egime thought they had shut down all social media sites and Iranian ISP's even before the election. But they couldn't do it.

"What would you like to see in PowerPoint design in 2009?" That's what Olivia Mitchell, who writes the fantastic Speaking About Presenting blog, asked me last month. Lots of great ideas!) My PowerPoint design wishes for 2009? The look and feel of social media techniques will transition into PowerPoint design. The more people use Twitter, the more your audience will come to expect powerful Now, Olivia didn't ask just me: she also acted as community organizer, posing the question to a plethora of presentation bloggers. She asked us to write one post on this topic.

The theme is "What would you like to see in PowerPoint slide design in 2009?" And Garr Reynolds and Nancy Duarte (among others) have given us outstanding examples of how to improve the effectiveness of our visual communications.         So we've probably covered the range of PowerPoint slides from a design standpoint — unless we all want to follow Tom Peters's lead and make flaming red the new "white" for backgrounds (check out this example ) (and then never, ever do it). Let me then revise THERE'S AN INTERESTING TOPIC being bandied about by some of us presentation blogger types that you might find valuable.

Tags: Audience-Centered Speaking Authenticity Non-verbal Communication Public Speaking Rehearsal Speech Writing Storytelling Visual Aid 1.  0160; Lose the Power Point – when you put up Power Point slides you ask the audience to look at 2 – or 3 – things at once: you, your slides, perhaps a printout of your slides. That’s distracting.

Meetings - We all have 'em, can't live with 'em, and can't live without 'em. BNET did a video interview with me on some key points to communicate more effectively through meetings. Here are some additional tips we give to our clients at Decker Communications, Inc., where we train people to communicate 1. Cut the meetings you have in half.