Recently Patti Sanchez gave a talk titled, “Influencing through Story” at Elevance Health. She received many great questions from the live audience—below is a transcription of those questions and answers. Here’s a description of the talk: A leader is anyone who can see a better future and rally people to reach it. By harnessing the [...] continue reading The post Q&A: Influencing through story appeared first on Duarte, Inc ..read more

Mark Twain once said, “There are two types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars.” That might sound a little extreme, but it’s not far from the truth. As an executive speaker coach, clients often ask me, “What do I do about stage fright?” “How do I deal with my anxiety [...] continue reading The post 3 ways to overcome public speaking fear appeared first on Duarte, Inc ..read more

In our recent webinar, “Influence Through Visual Storytelling”, we received many thoughtful questions about using visuals in presentations. In part one of this two-part blog post, our host, Ryan Orcutt, creative director, head of design at Duarte, answers the top questions received so you can learn to think, speak, and work like a designer. Do [...] continue reading The post Q&A: How to Influence Through Visual Storytelling appeared first on Duarte ..read more

If I were to ask you to describe the average hybrid presentation, what words would you use? Clunky? Awkward? Disjointed? Distracting? There’s a good reason for that: Presenting to both in-person and virtual teams is still somewhat new. Sure, years ago we had a few lone rangers who worked from home and dialed in virtually. [...] continue reading The post 5 Keys to Perfecting Your Presentation Delivery in a Hybrid World appeared first on Duarte ..read more

Have you ever played a game of telephone? The concept is simple. Yet, it’s notoriously difficult to win. Someone starts by whispering a word or phrase in someone’s ear. That person whispers the same word or phrase into another person’s ear. And on it goes until you arrive at the last person who then reveals [...] continue reading The post Preferred Ways to Communicate Effectively at Work appeared first on Duarte ..read more

You can call it a comeback—we’ve been here already. Long before closets became home offices and kitchen tables doubled as desks, we had hybrid work environments. Maybe a small portion of your team was remote. Maybe your event brought some customers and clients onsite while others attended via live stream. Maybe an employee felt too [...] continue reading The post 3 Lessons Learned From the Return to Hybrid Presenting appeared first on Duarte ..read more

With a new year upon us, we propose a collective resolve to make 2022 the Year of the Empathetic Virtual Presenter. You can captivate your virtual audience by honing your verbal communication skills and body language. Establishing quick rapport is important. According to a 2017 psychological study published by the University of Toronto, most people [...] continue reading The post Build These Physical and Verbal Communication Skills to Deliver a Better Virtual Presentation appeared first on Duarte ..read more

In our recent webinar Master the Skill of Virtual Presentations we received many thoughtful questions. Here Patti Sanchez, our Chief Strategy Officer and author of the new book Presenting Virtually: Communicate and Connect With Online Audiences, answers the top questions collected so you can improve your own virtual communication. What is the optimum amount of [...] continue reading The post Q&A: Master the Skill of Virtual Presentations appeared first on Duarte ..read more

Think back to the last time you traveled through the airport and how much goes into catching a flight. Show up two hours early, park in a distant cornfield, ride shuttles and trams, struggle through security (shoes on or off?) and walk miles of tunnels to your gate. These are just a few of the [...] continue reading The post Drive Sales with These Virtual Presentation Tips appeared first on Duarte ..read more

Many organizations attempted a transition to online work during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect the health of staff and customers. While remote communication technology helped keep businesses open, many workers struggled with communicating and collaborating at a distance. After 18 months in the “new normal,” it’s safe to say the status quo for virtual communication [...] continue reading The post Master Virtual Communication by Honing Soft Skills [Infographic] appeared first on Duarte ..read more