Language in the workplace matters, and it can inspire as easily as it can deflate. An essential aspect of any organization is the way it communicates both internally and externally, and the language used contributes greatly to its potential for success or failure. Bad business language has become commonplace, making this book essential reading for professionals. From HR, marketing, finance, consulting, and I.T. to local politicians, "Bad Language" considers the chaotic garbled words and phrases that are too commonly used, and the resulting issues of spin, manipulation, and plain deceit.

The communication role in organizations has changed, just as the nature of organizations has changed in response to the explosion of new communication technologies as well as global networks within organizations. Communication is more complex, strategic, and vital to the health of the organization than it used to be, and it will become increasingly important in the information-driven economy. This book builds upon the authors' 2010 book, Corporate Communication: Strategic Adaptation for Global Practice, which focused on the role of the communicator. This volume examines, analyzes, and illustrates the practice of corporate communication as a critical business asset in a time of global change. It looks at the major communication needs in the lifecycle of organizations: M&A (mergers and acquisitions), structural change, culture change, innovation, new leadership, downsizing, global expansion, competition, ethical decision-making, political action, and employee engagement. These are all significant value-creating, and potentially value-destroying, events in which corporate communication, if used correctly, functions as a critical and strategic business asset.

Forensics, more commonly known as speech and debate, is one of the most rewarding and beneficial educational activities available to students. This textbooks is designed to introduce students to individual forensic events, giving suggestions and guidelines for their preparation. The text describes each event and the experience of competing. Students are shown how to select and perform winning materials, and how to achieve success. Chapters describe the structure and strategies of original oratory, extemporaneous speaking, humorous, dramatic, poetic, and duet interpretation, as well as prose interpretation, impromptu and expository speaking required by many national forensics contests. Also includes a chapter on competitive mock legislatures. For speech and debate contests, this book can help anyone become a winner! Seven chapters: Forensics Overview, Original Oratory, Extemporaneous Speaking, Oral Interpretation of Literature, Student Congress, Supplementary National Events. Privately Sponsored Speech Contests.

How much longer do you want to put it off? How long can you manage your organisation, your team or your life without making some fundamental change? Above all, how long can you avoid being overtaken by others because you stick to your method and your comfort zone? Our society is changing and crying out for a new model. We are living in a digital age where everyone and everything is connected, where competition no longer comes from the sector, and customers, users and citizens are in the driver's seat. Data are gold and sharing is the new having. The digital age requires a new approach and a new model. This book beckons you to dare - dare to help build a different business world, with a balance between short and long term results, but just as much to help build a different society through personal choices, a society that is ready for the next generation.

Doch die Kunst des Fragens als Grundkompetenz fur Fuhrungskrafte ist ein unterbelichtetes Feld. Andreas Patrzek, Fuhrungskraftetrainer, Berater und Dozent, hat immer wieder festgestellt, dass es Fuhrungskraften an einer effektiven Fragetechnik mangelt. Die richtigen Fragen sind jedoch Grundlage jeder strategisch wirksamen Gesprachsfuhrung. Jenseits manipulativer Ansatze, die es in der Managementliteratur genugend gibt, geht es Patrzek um ein Verstandnis dessen, was wir wirklich tun, wenn wir kommunizieren. Gut Fragen will gelernt sein.

A groundbreaking approach to creating memorable messages that are easy to process, hard to forget, and impossible to ignore using the latest in brain science Audiences forget up to 90% of what you communicate. How can your employees and customers decide to act on your message if they only remember a tenth of it? How do you know which tenth they'll remember? How will you stay on their minds long enough to spark the action you need? Many experts have offered techniques on how to improve your own memory, but not how to influence other people's memory-and impact their decisions. Drawing on the latest research in neuroscience and cognitive psychology, Carmen Simon, PhD, reveals how to avoid the hazards of random recall and deliver just the right amount of content. No more redundant meetings, rambling e-mails, or anemic presentations. In Impossible to Ignore, she shows you how to execute a proven three-step plan for persuasion: 1. Create cues that attract attention and connect with your audience's needs 2. Use memory-influencing variables to control what your audience remembers 3. Turn today's intentions into tomorrow's actions This practical guide is filled with case studies, examples, and a checklist to help you put the power of cognitive science to work for your business. Whether you're giving a presentation, conducting a meeting, delivering training, making a sales pitch, or creating a marketing campaign, these field-tested techniques will help you develop content that speaks to people's hearts, stays in their heads, and influences their decisions. It's not just memorable-it's Impossible to Ignore.

This book demonstrates the power of writing in informal and formal organizations in the past and the present. It shows how writing, despite long lasting criticisms that can be traced back to Plato, and in spite of its frequent definition as a mere recording medium is in fact a creative mode of communication that supports the expression of emotions, the developing knowledge, and the building of strong communities among faraway individuals. The first part of the book illustrates how this has been true historically. The focus on writing as a fundamental mode of communication - the other being speech or the oral mode - is still important in our technology-infused world, where writing seems to have been reduced to short cryptic text messages or tweets. Precisely because of their heavy reliance on technology, current practices are in need of a deeper understanding that focus on deep as opposed to surface features and unveil the four essential mechanisms - objectification, reflecting, specifying, and addressing - that give writing its creative powers. In the second part of the book, we use contemporary case studies and interviews to illustrate how shifting our focus from the media to the mode of communication and focusing on the mechanisms of writing allows us to go beyond current debates about the capabilities of various communication media and to understand better today's communicative practices. This book is an attempt to unveil the powers of writing as well as to highlight the implications for organizations of the potential loss of these powers in today's world where writing-based distributed collaborations, interpersonal relationships, and online communities are key sources of innovation and support for individuals and organizations.

NEW from the bestselling HBR's 10 Must Reads series. The best leaders know how to communicate clearly and persuasively. How do you stack up? If you read nothing else on communicating effectively, read these 10 articles. We've combed through hundreds of articles in the Harvard Business Review archive and selected the most important ones to help you express your ideas with clarity and impact--no matter what the situation. Leading experts such as Deborah Tannen, Jay Conger, and Nick Morgan provide the insights and advice you need to: * Pitch your brilliant idea--successfully * Connect with your audience * Establish credibility * Inspire others to carry out your vision * Adapt to stakeholders' decision-making styles * Frame goals around common interests * Build consensus and win support Looking for more Must Read articles from Harvard Business Review? Check out these titles in the popular series: HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials HBR's 10 Must Reads on Collaboration HBR's 10 Must Reads on Innovation HBR's 10 Must Reads on Leadership HBR's 10 Must Reads on Making Smart Decisions HBR's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself HBR's 10 Must Reads on Strategic Marketing HBR's 10 Must Reads on Teams

This is the fully revised and updated edition of the ground-breaking self-help book on improving communicating and socializing skills in business and life. How To Work A Room lays down the fundamentals for savvy socializing, whether at a party, a conference, or even communicating online. RoAne clearly shows how to overcome the five roadblocks that keep most people from making new contacts; mix chutzpah and charm to start and end conversations smoothly; know when to use humor--and when not to; and follow simple rules of etiquette. Incorporating years of feedback from hundreds of presentations, as well as anecdotes from around the globe, RoAne keeps How To Work A Room fresh and on target. New chapters include: strategies starting, maintaining, and exiting conservations; and advice on commutating effectively in today's tech driven world.

Each year, thousands of new MBA and executive education students are introduced to a new learning tool: the business case. This book provides a distinctive and useful framework for analyzing, discussing, and writing about cases. It addresses the case method for students, a much larger market than case method teachers. At Harvard Business School alone, there are nearly 1,000 first-year MBA students per year, and few of them have any prior experience with the case method. HBS receives approximately 6,000 to 7,000 MBA applications per year, and all of the applicants who aspire to attend Harvard are potential customers for this book. Rather than a hodgepodge of tools and tips, this book offers a unique, integrated approach to case analysis, organized into three major case categories. The book provides detailed analyses of sample cases to demonstrate the use of the method in combination with the specialist methods taught in MBA classes. The book includes examples of effective student writing. The content of the book has had extensive field testing over a long period at Harvard Business School. A single book is a tiny investment compared to the cost of an MBA education and the career benefits the degree can yield. Audience: Current and potential MBA students; executive education students. Announced first printing: 20,000 Laydown goal: 3,500

Giving good presentations is not just common sense. Cognitive neuroscientist Stephen M. Kosslyn shows how to make presentations work better based on how our brains work. Where many books focus on how to create a first draft, Better PowerPoint gives you quick steps to improve one you already have.
. 8 key rules that are easy to remember and use
. Clear principles about how to design effective slides based on well-established scientific data
. Quick steps to sharpen and strengthen your presentation
. Easy-to-use checklists guide you through each aspect of your presentation
. Chapters are structured to help you prioritize the most effective edits
. Memorable examples and illustrations to show what works, and what doesn't
. Lessons in what to fix can also help you create better first drafts faster.
If you have a PowerPoint presentation that is not giving you the results you want, take advantage of what scientific research can tell you about how your audience is seeing and thinking about what you have to say."

Filled with real-life e-mail success (and horror) stories and a wealth of entertaining examples, "Send" reveals the hidden minefields and pitfalls of e-mail. Now with a new Preface by the authors, "Send" is more than ever the essential book about e-mail for businesspeople and professionals everywhere.

Straight-talk at work Grumblings in offices everywhere suggest that we crave more, but don't get often enough of it. "Beyond Bullsh*t" reveals the dynamics of bullsh*t and why it has become the corporate etiquette of choice. It also explains how telling it straight contributes to personal well-being and business success.
After decades of research and consulting, Samuel A. Culbert is convinced that straight-talk at work "is" possible. But it requires more than luck and willing people. Straight-talk is the product of thoughtful, caring relationships, built upon trust and commitment. There's no greater contribution to operational effectiveness and success than conversations in which people with conflicting viewpoints discuss their differences forthrightly.
Readers will be engaged and delighted as the text demystifies the obstacles to getting beyond bullsh*t and guides them in developing straight-talk relationships. Further details are available at www.straighttalkatwork.com.

It doesn't matter how smart your idea is. If you aren't in sync with the decision maker's mindset, you are bound to fail. That's the message of "The 5 Paths to Persuasion". This revolutionary new book shows how one can project key decision makers into one of five basic categories - Charismatics, Thinkers, Skeptics, Followers, and Controllers. Once you know which category the decision maker falls into, you can quickly determine which is the best pathway to follow when making your presentation.

Addressing the prevalent issue of poorly designed quantitative information presentations, this accessible, practical, and comprehensive guide teaches how to properly create tables and graphs for effective and efficient communication. The critical numbers that measure the health, identify the opportunities, and forecast the future of organizations are often misrepresented because few people are trained to design accurate, informative materials, but this manual helps put an end to misinformation. This revised edition of the highly successful book includes updated figures and 91 additional pages of content, including new chapters about quantitative narrative and current misuses of graphs--such as donut, circle, unit, and funnel charts--and new appendices that cover constructing table lens displays and box plots in Excel and useful colour palettes for presentation materials.

"[Think on Your Feet] is a helpful maven's guide ideal for anyone who views a podium with fear and trembling."-Publishers Weekly Get out of your own way! Our professional lives are full of situations outside of our control. A job interviewer asks a question out of left field. A coworker puts you on the spot in front of the boss. Your PowerPoint presentation crashes at a critical moment. Most people react to the unexpected with anxiety and unease. We get rattled, stumble over our words, and overthink the situation. Others, though, handle it with self-assurance and aplomb. They gain a sense of empowerment and energy when the pressure is on. Like great improv actors, they're able to think on their feet. The great thing is, improv isn't about winging it or flying by the seat of your pants; improv at its core is about listening and responding. It's based on rules and techniques, and it taps directly into your soft communication skills. By incorporating it into your prep work for professional situations, you'll learn how to retrain your brain for the unexpected and get out of your own way in those unexpected-and expected-professional situations. Practicing improv isn't about being funny. Instead, it's about developing the mental agility to spin any surprise in your favor and to communicate with confidence. Filled with engaging improv activities, this interactive guide will ensure you never come away from a tough moment pondering the woulda, coulda, shoulda! again. You'll learn how to nurture your personal style for communicating in every professional situation. From effective listening in the office, giving presentations, and leading meetings to negotiating a raise, acing an interview, and more, you'll start communicating with confidence and stop letting the unexpected hold you back. Take your workplace communication-and your career-to the next level by mastering the art of Thinking on Your Feet.

People buy more and buy more happily when in good humor. Understanding humor and being able to effectively use it for your sales and persuasion purposes is a powerful advantage--for any speaker, salesman or writer."
Drawn from 30 years' experience as a popular professional speaker, author of 13 books, columnist and advertising copywriter, Dan Kennedy looks at humor as an instrument of persuasion and influence. Anyone--amateur--or pro--who must stand and deliver speeches, seminars, group sales presentations, serve as toastmaster, or write advertisements, sales letters or newsletters will find fodder here, to be faster on their feet, more confident and adept at being funny with a purpose. The book contains thoughtful insight but also simple shortcuts. Reading it, you'll get a better appreciation for the humor around you and humor professionals who entertain you, and you'll exit stage left with humor strategies and tricks you can use. Even if you're not all that funny. Note: this book contains adult material and may not be suitable for minors. Or for the easily offended.
From the author. . .
"I first titled this book "Mugging for Fun and Profit," but then thought better of it. Reminds me of Napoleon Hill being threatened by his publisher with the title 'Use Your Noodle To Get The Boodle, ' which Hill transformed to 'Think And Grow Rich.' Overnight. The power of a deadline and desperation. And one of the all-time bestselling books on the subject of success the result. Anyway, unless you are just doing to hit 'em over the head and drag them out into the desert to empty their pockets, I'd suggest, you need to know how to make 'em laugh.

"Can you believe standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people has become my comfort zone? It could be yours!" Once upon a time, Esther Stanhope was just like you. She was shaky, red-faced and stumbling on stage. Now she speaks to audiences all over the world - and it's her mission to help you say goodbye to glossophobia too. This book is for you if you...; hate having all the eyes on you; would rather stick pins in your eyes than speak in public; think `Oh ****' in the Q&A after a presentation; need to be more visible to build your career and your business; dread the thought of introducing yourself round the table (creeping death); need confidence to do it and help NOW!

Addressing the unique difficulties involved in day-to-day project management communication, The Project Manager s Communication Toolkit provides proven methods for creating clear and effective communications including text-based plans, reports, messages, and presentations. It examines the many tools available and goes beyond traditional coverage to define their proper use and application.

Using language that s easy to understand, the author explains how to determine the appropriate tools for specific communication needs. This time-saving resource provides the understanding to harness the power of everyday communication, such as email and PowerPoint(r) to:

• Gain control over project parameters
• Overcome conflict
• Create effective project plans, charters, and statements of work

Considering that most projects fail due to lapses in communication, it is essential for project managers to understand how to communicate their plans and ideas clearly and effectively. Complete with numerous examples and case studies, this book provides the understanding required to select the right tools, as well as the insight to use those tools effectively in a wide range of real-world situations.

Praise for:

... a slam dunk in providing the reader a foundation, emphasizing various tools, techniques; and in which situations they should be applied. The case studies further challenge the day-to-day situations one may face; providing techniques that work Anyone that has been part of a project team will benefit from this book.
Lisa Holowiak, Quality Assurance Specialist, Pfizer, in PM World Today, Vol. XII, Issue X

a valuable resource for program and project managers at all levels and all industries. Shankar very successfully managed very large and complex projects for my organization utilizing many of these tools and techniques.
Nancy Couture, V. P. Enterprise Intelligence, Ingenix

Is Your Networking Net Working? is the how-to guide for professionals and entrepreneurs to become their own center of influence using a unique and exciting business networking strategy. Like it or not, everyone needs to meet more people. Professionals, entrepreneurs, and business owners need to network in order to get their name, face, product, or service out in front of the public. They need a constant flow of new, quality prospects and clients in order to become a high-profile, sought-after, respected professional. Financial service professional John Dade emphasizes the importance of business networking to business and income growth. He reveals how it doesn't have to be a chore or stressful endeavor. Is Your Networking Net Working? serves as a step by step guide for readers to build their own networking group based on their likes and passions and how to become their own center of influence and Go To Person. For anyone looking for a way to network, or even those who think they aren't the networking type, this guide helps them build relationships and get better results.

The ultimate guide to the undervalued yet essential skill of selling yourself and becoming an outstanding communicator. In today's competitive business landscape, the art of communication is more important than ever. It's essential to develop a deep awareness of not only what we say, but also how we deliver it, resulting in a message that is both credible and incredibly impactful. In this era of digital communication and information overload, clear messaging has never been more vital - and personal credibility has never been more valuable. Regardless of experience or expertise, no interview, pitch or meeting will be successful unless it is succinctly, confidently and convincingly delivered. InCredible Communication brings 75 years' combined experience of practical expertise to the art of effective business communication. Exploring both individual credibility and wider corporate culture, this book provides intuitive tools and techniques that anyone can use to become a more effective communicator or salesperson. It explores the best techniques when communicating in any medium - whether you are conversing in-person, over Zoom or even via social media.