How to Listen – NYTimes.com

So a major corporation decides to “raise its profile” by giving a sports award to an athlete on live, national television. You would think they’d give the presenter adequate training to protect their image and brand. Apparently, Chevrolet didn’t think it was worth the time and money. There’s the old saying, “Any publicity is good…

This week on TED talks, Julian Treasure gives an 8-minute presentation about the skill of listening. His claim: We are losing our ability to listen. Is he right? One observation I have is that many interviewers don’t listen to the people they’re interviewing. In their rush to impress the viewing audience (and their producer/boss), interviewers…

Early today, NPR reporters were skeptical about how well Mary Barra, the “new” GM CEO, would fare in speaking before Congress. Stories posted later by NPR make me think that she approached this critical appearance with much more than a little training and foresight (as you’ll see in the story below). One more interesting point:…

Whether you like the President’s policies or not, his approach on last night’s State of The Union was interesting. He took a very positive approach and showed leadership while side-stepping some issues. Overall, he was impressive; not unlike the card player that NPR used for as an analogy. Obama Showed A Deft Hand With Speech….

Often, presenters feel compelled to fill a “time slot” they’ve been given just out of courtesy. What you want to do is tell the best story — educate, energize and motivate people — in less time than you’ve been given. This takes practice. Check out Seth Godin’s Blog: On going over your time Seth’s Blog:…