Karen Friedman

A few years ago, one of our coaches went to help a group of high-powered executives put together what they called “a do or die presentation.” The coach is great. Smart. Thoughtful. Insightful. But due to traffic and some miscommunication on the part of the client, she arrived nearly an hour late.

Though not her fault, the group leader admonished her in front of everyone. Not a great way to start the day or make a good impression. She was flustered and unfortunately she showed it.

When she told me what happened, I couldn’t help but think about the Barefoot Contessa otherwise known as Chef Ina Garten. I’m a huge fan of her cookbooks. In her Barefoot Contessa party book, she has a section called “Stay Cool.” She says when having a party your guests must believe that you’ve whipped the party up just before you got dressed; not that you’ve been slaving for weeks, are exhausted and nervous that it might not go well. [Read more…] about A recipe for keeping your cool

The new client was a small startup company. I was brought in to help them explain how their rather complicated product could benefit various stakeholders including the media. From my vantage point, I wanted them to learn how to move the ‘why should I care’ dial.

The first person to enter room was the president and CEO who didn’t say hello but asked “where is the escape route?”

“Escape route” I asked. “Are you planning to leave?”

“It depends how your session is” he retorted. “I typically don’t like these things.”

“Have you ever attended media training?”

“No” he shot back, “but the media is wrong all of time and I already know how to talk about what we do.”

“Well,” I suggested as the rest of the group entered the room, “good media training is good communications training and perhaps you’ll learn something you didn’t know.”

“Maybe” he remarked, “but I doubt it.”

This is a man who is in charge of leading his young company and product to success. Aside from poor manners, his arrogance, ego, negative attitude and sour tone filled up the room like a stale aroma. [Read more…] about Moving the “why I should care” dial