“[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.

Inclusive Conversations at Work People often avoid difficult conversations; but these discussions need to happen to bring us together so we can all succeed. The best employees and leaders know that harnessing the power of our differences will build stronger teams, ideas, and organizations. If we all think, feel, and act so differently, how do we get anything done? The first step is recognizing that these differences exist. And that they’re here to stay. How to Listen and How to be Heard enables you to empower yourself and others to communicate with people who think, act, and experience things differently than you do, and do so with more confidence, candor, and authenticity. It shows you how to bridge the conversation gap and use your unique voice to start powerful conversations—learning to communicate with, through, and alongside what makes us different. It’s about open dialogue and practical tools for authentic communication in the workplace. It’s about remembering that we’re all here to work together. ALISSA CARPENTER is a multigenerational workplace expert and owner of Everything’s Not Ok and That’s OK, where she provides training, consulting, and speaking services to organizations all over the world. Carpenter has delivered a TEDx talk on authentic workplace communication, and has been featured in media outlets including Forbes, ABC, FOX, and CNN Money.

50 Scientifically-Supported Techniques to Create More Confident and Compelling Speakers

How often do you think, Im just not that good of a speaker? Do you ever blame your bad listening on being overworked or stressed out? Perhaps you wish you could think and respond faster, or that you should be more yourself, and you just dont know how? Improv(e) provides you with ideas and activities that will immediately bring out your best speaking, listening, and social skills, all while helping you become your best, authentic, and unapologetic self.

Have you ever... been caught off guard in a meeting?; been stumped by a query in a sales call?; suffered an embarrassing silence in a job interview?; thought of the perfect response -- after the conversation? In business, in community affairs, at home -- learn to think and speak on your feet, to respond appropriately and confidently, every time. Using proven strategies and practical examples, Marian will help you to improve your end of any conversation or interview. 'Buying Time' is the secret. Whether you need to learn to do it or just to polish your skills, improve your odds of mastering your half of communications.

Master the art of communication to improve outcomes in any scenario Simply Said is the essential handbook for business communication. Do you ever feel as though your message hasn't gotten across? Do details get lost along the way? Have tense situations ever escalated unnecessarily? Do people buy into your ideas? It all comes down to communication. We all communicate, but few of us do it well. From tough presentations to everyday transactions, there is no scenario that cannot be improved with better communication skills. This book presents an all-encompassing guide to improving your communication, based on the Exec|Comm philosophy: we are all better communicators when we focus focus less on ourselves and more on other people. More than just a list of tips, this book connects skills with scenarios and purpose to help you hear and be heard. You'll learn the skills to deliver great presentations and clear and persuasive messages, handle difficult conversations, effectively manage, lead with authenticity and more, as you discover the secrets of true communication. Communication affects every interaction every day. Why not learn to do it well? This book provides comprehensive guidance toward getting your message across, and getting the results you want. Shift your focus from yourself to other people Build a reputation as a good listener Develop your written and oral communications for the greatest impact Inspire and influence others Communicate more effectively in any business or social situation Did that email come across as harsh? Did you offend someone unintentionally? Great communication skills give you the power to influence someone's thinking and guide them to where you need them to be. Simply Said teaches you the critical skills that make you more effective in business and in life.