Business Development Skills

Karen Hough doesn't want you to be "perfect." People fear public speaking because they worry about having to conform to all sorts of handed-down rules that tie them up in knots and put their audiences to sleep. It's authenticity and passion that win people over, she says, not "polish." But you can't be authentic if you’re following guidelines that drain the life and personality out of your presentation. Hough debunks over a dozen myths about presenting to make it more fun and natural for everyone.

We've all been taught that we must suppress or avoid emotions at work, but this inevitably leads to a loss in productivity, diminished creativity, and crushing job dissatisfaction. Research shows 85 percent of us avoid communicating crucial workplace problems upward, and many of us who are employed are actively looking for a different job. What's going on?

As the founder and CEO of the management training organization Executive Essentials, Michelle Tillis coaches and trains leaders to experience continual growth and achieve results through the power of collaboration, communication, and relationships. In 11 Laws of Likability, she presents activities and real-life anecdotes from professional and social settings to show listeners how to identify what's likable in themselves and use those characteristics to build connections with other professionals.

Based upon research of what successful teams do to overcome severe odds, Do Big Things presents an intuitive, seven-step process that equips teams with how to quickly and consistently operate in a manner necessary for success. Filled with practical tools and engaging stories of teams today, Do Big Things equips leaders with “the how” to quickly identify and activate the behaviors needed to achieve more than you or your team ever thought possible.

In our increasingly complicated and data-driven world, many new developments are so complex that only experts comprehend their nuances. But what they don't grasp is how to tell the world about them. Communicating technical content to nontechnical listeners has fast become a critical 21st-century skill. Explaining what you do and why it's important drives funding, policy decisions, media exposure, public awareness, and customer adoption.

Do you think that you have to be a lawyer to have the skills that are needed to become a leader and resolve problems that you may come across? Think again. What if I told you that simply by listening to this audiobook, you will be in a better place to solve any problem or become a leader in any situation? Think Like a Lawyer...Even if You’re Not One is the audiobook that you need to make sure that you have the skills and tools you need to take on anything that gets in your way, and solve any problem like a boss.

Story isn't just one way to persuade. It's the way. It's built into the architecture of the brain, and has been since early humans gathered around the camp fire, trying to figure out how to outsmart the lion next door. In Story or Die, story coach Lisa Cron sets out to decode the power of story, first by examining how the brain processes information, translates it into narrative, and then guards it as if your life depends on it.

How to Wash a Chicken is not an audiobook about public speaking (or chickens); it’s a comprehensive playbook for business leaders and people on their way up to give the best presentations of their lives and embark on a circle of presentation success. With concrete suggestions, helpful tricks, and step-by-step guidance that’s applicable to all industries, Tim Calkins sets out to propel his listeners to create and deliver effective business presentations and pitches.

If you want to improve your conversational skills - and achieve greater levels of personal and professional success - The Art of Talking to Anyone is the ultimate book. Rosalie Maggio has built a career on teaching people how to say the right thing at the right time - and she's made her techniques available to you.

Your guide to becoming an explanation specialist. You've done the hard work. Your product or service works beautifully - but something is missing. People just don't see the big idea - and it's keeping you from being successful. Your idea has an explanation problem. The Art of Explanation is for business people, educators, and influencers who want to improve their explanation skills and start solving explanation problems.

Imagine turning what could be a contentious conversation with a family member, a friend, or a coworker into a fruitful exchange that enlightens everyone’s minds and inches both of you toward a solution. Steven T. Collis, one of the world’s leading experts on civil discourse, reveals ten practical habits that can help you navigate the potential minefields of hard topics and leave you and those you converse with feeling thoughtful and productive.

Research has increasingly shown that nonverbal communication prowess is absolutely essential in seemingly unrelated areas of our lives (investment decisions, salary levels, etc.). However, as our society becomes more modernized and we incorporate new forms of technology into our daily interactions, we are becoming less and less capable of understanding one another as well as we should be. In The Art of Social Excellence, Henrik Fexeus combines his own expert knowledge as a mentalist with psychology studies to create a complete guide to social interaction.

If your answer to any of the following questions is yes, listen to this book now. Don't walk into another situation without being 100 percent confident. 1. Have you ever been unsure as to who should be introduced first? 2. Have you ever placed your keys, purse, or cell phone on a table at a restaurant? 3. Have you ever worn your name tag on your left lapel? 4. Have you ever buttered your entire dinner roll before taking the first bite? 5. Have you ever sat down to dine and not known which glass was yours?

The 25 Minute Meeting goes beyond "cut to the chase" and shows you how to take back your work day with smarter planning and more productive action. Meetings have become a de facto way of working, and as they pile up and stretch to interminable lengths, they eat up our days and sink productivity - if they are poorly planned and run. Done well, meetings are short, sharp, productive affairs that provide critical time and space for the interactions that drive business forward.

In The Storytelling Edge, the strategy minds behind Contently, the world renowned content marketing technology company, reveal their secrets that have helped award-winning brands to build relationships with millions of advocates and customers. Join as they dive into the neuroscience of storytelling, the elements of powerful stories, and methodologies to grow businesses through engaging and accountable content.

The people we surround ourselves with may impact our lives more than any other factor, yet most people leave their social lives to chance. What would happen if you treated social skills as though they were indeed skills and became proactive about your social life? Superhuman Social Skills is a transformative book that analyzes and explains how to be likeable, how to converse, how to tell stories, how to make friends, and how to combine those friends to create an incredible social circle.

Are you intrigued by the idea of influence? Ever wondered how some people can sway decisions in their favor? Want to learn how to persuade like a pro? Look no further. How to Strategize Like a Lobbyist by Scott Cardin unlocks the secrets behind one of the most misunderstood and powerful professions in America—lobbying.

Your projects, programs, and career turn on the difference between "no" and "yes". Yet selling ideas, especially the kinds of ideas that make organizations work, is a skill shrouded in mystery. Part emotional intelligence, part politics, part rhetoric, and part psychology, selling ideas is not like tricking someone out of his money. It's about helping others to see things your way: engaging their minds and imaginations.

What hidden skill links successful people in all walks of life? What helps them make smart decisions? The answer is surprisingly simple: They know how to ask the right questions at the right time. Questions help us break down barriers, discover secrets, solve puzzles, and imagine new ways of doing things. But few of us know how to question in a methodical way. Emmy-award-winning journalist and media expert Frank Sesno aims to change that with Ask More.

Organizational psychologist and executive coach Rebecca Newton has found that even her most successful clients still want more of one quality: gravitas. They want their words to carry weight, to have a positive, lasting impact on those around them. Gravitas can seem like an elusive, intangible quality, but it isn't about adopting the style of another or being someone you're not. Newton draws on extensive research and experience coaching business leaders to show what underpins authentic gravitas and how anyone can develop it.