Are you tired of feeling nervous and unprepared before giving a presentation at work? Do you want to boost your confidence and skills when delivering important information? Group workshops can be a great place to start. The thing is, convincing your boss to sign you up and pay for a workshop or program can feel like a daunting task, and with the right approach, it can be done. 

Encore Communication Coaching is a six-session live program that helps you deliver more powerful presentations, and is a wildly valuable investment for anyone looking to improve their public speaking and communication skills. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to convince your boss to let you participate in Encore. 

After walking them through the benefits of Encore and following the steps in this post, your manager will be more than happy to invest in your personal development and anyone else on your team looking to elevate their communication skills.

What are some of the benefits of Encore?

Before havi...

After being an entrepreneur for over 40 years and growing an incredible team of like-minded people, I’ve learned a few things along the way about what it takes to run a successful business.

Having a strong mindset is at the top of my list. 

My mindset is something I’ve been developing my entire life and career, and I still find that it’s something I work on every day. And today I will share with you a few tools and perspectives that have helped along the way. 

In this blog post, I’ll cover what a business vision looks like and how to create one, a perspective shift for a more resilient mindset, why tracking your habits is such a powerful tool within entrepreneurship, and more.  

Have a Clear Vision 

This is something common we hear when starting a business – that we should have a ‘vision’ of what our business will look like. And what does having a vision actually mean?  

I’ve coached dozens of entrepreneurs over the years, and a recurring theme that comes up when I ask them th...

You know the expression “charity begins at home”? Well, I’m a firm believer that the same thing applies in communication, specifically within romantic partnerships. The people we date often act as our mirrors, showing us parts of ourselves that we wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. Relationships give us key insights into areas of our communication where we’re excelling, and areas that could use some work. 

I’ve always been fascinated by relationship dynamics. Specifically the question of, why do some marriages last while others don't? And, what are some of the qualities and practices that go into fostering a successful, happy marriage that stands the test of time? 

The truth is, so much can be learned about communication through our relationships. In this blog post, we’ll dive into some of the tools spoken about by leading relationship experts that can help foster life-long romantic partnerships, and how the same principles can be applied to our communication skills as a whole....

It’s no secret that the communication landscape has changed drastically in the last few years.

Back in 2020, we all had to figure out our new normal when it came to communication – which mostly involved online platforms. Whether it was phone calls, video calls or emails – it became clear that our days of communicating with others in person were behind us for the foreseeable future. We had to adjust.

After all, there’s a different energy communicating over Zoom compared to face-to-face communication. I don’t know about you, everything felt different and disconnected.

Fast forward to 2023 and things are looking hopeful again. Social and business gatherings are becoming more of a reality and presentations can be held in-person. As a Communication Coach, I’ve found that there are a lot of differences when it comes to in-person communication vs. video communication, and there are also some similarities.

If we’ve learned anything over the last three years – it would be that it’s crucial ...

Visualization is a powerful tool that I’ve used over the course of my career to reach some of my biggest goals.

In case you’re new to the Connect To The Core Blog, I often speak about mindfulness and how I use tools like meditation, yoga and journaling to bring me into the present moment. Visualization is another important piece to that puzzle that I have yet to dedicate a full post to – until now.

In this blog I’m covering what visualization is and why I believe it’s critical for success, some easy ways to implement visualization into your life, and why visualization is only the first (yet extremely important) step to conquering your goals.

What is visualization and why is it so important for success?

In the context of goal-setting, visualization is a practice that can be used to help visually motivate or stimulate someone to take action. It can also be used to relieve anxiety, rehearse a presentation, enhance confidence and gratitude, and so much more.

I believe that writing a g...

Have you ever made a decision that went against your intuition? If you have, you’re not alone.

Some people call intuition a gut feeling, other times it’s more complicated than that. I like to call my intuition my “inner knowing”.

Every time I’ve acted in a way that conflicted with my intuition, it hasn’t worked out in my favour. With that said, I also don’t regret any choices I’ve made because I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. It’s hard to make a “wrong” decision if you recognize that every choice leads to a lesson, and I find a lot of comfort in that. Your intuition is there to guide you, and it shouldn’t be the only deciding factor (1).

Intuition is a powerful tool to hone not only within the decisions in your life – also in your communication. It can help you think quicker on your feet, be more authentic, cultivate more natural stage presence and so much more.

Before we dive into some ways to help you tap into your intuition, let’s talk more about how it ...

Have you ever been stuck wondering how to move during a presentation? Maybe you’ve asked the famous, What do I do with my hands?! question before.

Body language is an important element to any kind of public speaking delivery. When you’re more conscious of how and when you move, it will make your presentation that much more effective.

Here are five of my top tips for body language during a presentation, and how to leverage things like natural movement, stage setup, clothing and more so you can deliver your best presentation yet.

1. Avoid using a podium

One of the first things I always consider before giving a presentation is what my setup will be like. Will there be a podium? A screen for my slides? Am I on a stage or on Zoom? There are a lot of factors that can affect the way we deliver information.

In general, I always recommend that it’s best to avoid using a podium where possible. Even though podiums can be a tempting and “easy” setup for your presentation, they will ultimately...

Are you someone who loves quizzes? You know, those famous Buzzfeed ones that tell you what kind of bread you would be based on questions about your personality? Or the old Cosmopolitan quizzes that reveal who your celebrity boyfriend or girlfriend would be?

Personally, I’m a big fan of quizzes like these. Even if most of them aren’t overly intellectual, they’re a lot of fun and have the potential to be quite revealing – even if you don’t take them too seriously.

Interactive Content Is the New Way

I’m not the only one who finds themselves drawn to these types of quizzes. Thousands and thousands of people engage in interactive content every single day. It was found that 96% of users who start Buzzfeed quizzes finish them, and there’s a quiz on their website called “What City Should You Actually Live In?” that’s been viewed over 22 million times (1).

Knowing statistics like these, it’s clear that people love quizzes and interactive content. They’re an amazing medium to keep people eng...

It won’t come as a shock when I say that stories are one of the most important elements of presentations and communication in general.

They help us connect with our audience, keep them engaged, share parts of ourselves that wouldn’t otherwise be known, be seen as a leader, drive home the points we want to make in our communication, the list goes on.

I happen to come from a long line of storytellers. Growing up visiting my grandparents farm in Michigan, my family members were constantly telling stories to pass the time especially while working, because there were no iPods or anything else to pass the time.

I was enchanted by the stories they would tell. If you’re anything like me at the beginning of my communication journey, I always wondered how to be a great storyteller.

I would hear the word storytelling all the time, and I would listen to my family and friends recount fascinating stories, so I knew that the topic was important. And it was also a challenge to know what steps I co...

It’s no secret that confidence plays a big role in our lives and careers. I’ve learned that confidence is a life-long journey that we never really “arrive at”, and there are steps we can take to feel more confident day-to-day.

I’m a big believer that you don’t have to wait until the New Year to make changes or set new goals for yourself, you can do that anytime. 

With that said, I often find January to be a motivating time for me. I’m recharged after spending time with family and friends over the holidays and I’m ready to set and achieve my goals.

If that’s the same for you, you’re in the right place. In this blog, I’ll be sharing 10 ways to build confidence that will in turn motivate you to crush the goals you’ve set for yourself.

1. Take small steps out of your comfort zone

I saw this awesome image on Instagram the other day that used the analogy of walking up a set of stairs in comparison with reaching your goals over a long period of time. Each step you take up the stairs feel...