communication skills with aliens

Communication lessons from Star Trek TNG

George TorokCommunication skills, Leadership communication, Story telling Leave a Comment

The fiction is only one part of the story. The  setting is a spaceship, yet the individual episodes are often about relationships and communication challenges.

What might we learn about communication while humans attempt to communicate and forge relationships with alien species about the cosmos?

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Start your presentation

How to open your presentation

George TorokInsights, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Leave a Comment

Your first words are important because your audience is judging you. They are scrolling through questions in their mind:
Should I listen? How long will this take? Do I trust the person? How painful will this be? When will we get to the relevant part? What does this mean to me?

The purpose of your opening is to grab their attention, establish rapport and set the direction.

Most importantly – grab attention. How might you do that?

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Grab attention when you open your presentation

Grab Attention when You Open Your Presentation

George TorokInsights, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Leave a Comment

How to open your presentation
Your first words are important because your audience is judging you. They are scrolling through questions in their mind:
Should I listen? How long will this take? Do I trust the person? How painful will this be? When will we get to the relevant part? What does this mean to me?

The purpose of your opening is to grab their attention, establish rapport and set the direction.
Most importantly – grab attention. How might you do that?

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CEO says silly things on Linkedin profile

President says silly things on Linkedin profile – nonsense

George TorokCommunication skills, Insights Leave a Comment

People say silly and ridicules things in their Linkend profile.
This is an example of both silly and ridicules. Would you hire this person? Would you even invite this person to have a conversation? The Linkedin profile is vague, cliché  and lacking in accomplishments.
This could easily be text that was lifted from a university text book.
Notice that not a single accomplishment is stated nor measured.

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Open and close your presentation

Orchestrate the first and last impressions of your presentation

George TorokCommunication skills, Insights, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Leave a Comment

Spend more time and effort getting your opening and close right.
When creating your opening and close, consider the possibility that they might only remember these two parts. If that was true, would they have received your intended message? If not, revise your opening and close. The body is the detail, the opening and close provide the motivation and the direction.

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Silly things that people post on their Linkedin profile

Silly Linkedin Profiles: Entrepreneur, innovator, visionary- and King of the World

George TorokCommunication skills, Insights Leave a Comment

Another silly Linkedin profile. About
Entrepreneur, innovator, visionary, embracer of change elements, and pursuer of higher learning with tenacity, patience, and judgement in decision-making resulting in a great deal of stamina and resolve mentally and physically.

Entrepreneur – So What? Innovator – So What? What did you innovate? Visionary – So What? What does this mean?

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results driven professional

Are you a Results Driven Professional? Really?

George TorokCommunication skills, Insights 2 Comments

A results driven professional with business and human resources mangement experience in a global environment. What mistakes do you see with this opening statement on their profile?
You might notice that it’s full of vague terms. There’s nothing specific. What has this person accomplished? Nothing that we can see. It feels cliché and nothing grabs your attention.
It appears that they have written their profile to attract “click bait”. Key words that they believe recruiters might be looking for.
Nothing specific, nothing about their accomplishments. Simple click bait or so they hope.

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Introduce your guest speaker

How to Introduce your Guest Speaker – live or virtual

George TorokInsights, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Leave a Comment

Introduce Your Guest Speaker with Bravado
When you are asked to introduce a guest speaker, grab the opportunity because it’s a chance to practice your speaking skills and connect with the speaker.
An introduction is a mini speech. Remember you are not the star so don’t try to steal the stage from the guest speaker. The audience didn’t show up to listen to your introduction so don’t try to be the entertainment. The speaker will appreciate a warm and inviting introduction.

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