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# Communication Matters

Coaching & Training to Grow Your Executive Presence

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://commmatters.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Blog](https://commmatters.com/blog/)
- [What is Executive Presence..and what can you do about yours?](https://commmatters.com/what-is-executive-presence-and-what-can-you-do-about-yours/) - Last week I talked with a group of women leaders about what differentiates a great leader from a good leader. Not surprisingly lots of things were mentioned -- many focused on a leader's ability to set and enroll others in her vision and communicate credibility and connect powerfully with others. But the thing that got
- [What do Halloween and executive presence have in common?](https://commmatters.com/what-do-halloween-and-executive-presence-have-in-common/) - It's not often you get to tie executive coaching to one of the most important days of the year for kids.
- [Do you need a Personal Board of Directors?](https://commmatters.com/do-you-need-a-personal-board-of-directors/) - Last week I participated in a well-run board meeting led by a smart woman who knows she benefits from the input of other smart people. Suzanne, not her real name but a real person, is ready to make some big life changes so she's calling on her Personal Board of Directors. She intentionally put her board in place to provide her with guidance and different perspectives as she moves through her change process.
- [Are Your New Year's Resolutions Still Relevant?](https://commmatters.com/are-your-new-years-resolutions-still-relevant/) - Everyone I know (including me) makes New Year's resolutions on January 1. But research shows that nearly 80% of all new-year's resolutions are broken by January 31. Many of my executive coaching clients are committed to making 2013 their best year yet, and are committed to doing the hard work to make it happen. I
- [Do People Know How Good You Are?](https://commmatters.com/do-people-know-how-good-you-are/) - Lots of smart people believe they shouldn't have to say how good they are -- people should just get it; their results should speak for themselves. Many of these same folks can't stand the idea of touting their accomplishments. It seems like bragging to them, completely self-serving and unnecessary. And besides that, it takes time
- [Do You Leverage Your Strengths?](https://commmatters.com/do-you-leverage-your-strengths/) - Think back to your last performance review. What do you remember most -- the feedback on what you did really well or the feedback on what you didn’t do so well?
- [What's Your Preferred Communication Style?](https://commmatters.com/whats-your-preferred-communication-style/) - Organizations talk frequently about the importance of their employees working together.
- [What Are You Saying When You Haven't Said a Word?](https://commmatters.com/what-are-you-saying-when-you-havent-said-a-word/) - In his book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell cites research that says in as little as two seconds we make numerous snap judgments about who someone is based on nonverbal clues such as age, gender, ethnicity.
- [Debunking The Executive Presence Myth](https://commmatters.com/debunking-the-executive-presence-myth/) - I had the opportunity to work with each woman, one-on-one, to help her grow her executive presence by focusing on her verbal and non-verbal communication skills
- [Fake it or Make it?](https://commmatters.com/fake-it-or-make-it/) - I'm bothered by the idea of 'fake it till you make it' - seems insincere, not smart, not sustainable. But in Lean In Sheryl Sandberg cites research done in 2010, and published in Psychological Science, that says there's some science behind this strategy. "One study found that when people assumed a high-power pose (for example,
- [Are you having the Real Conversation?](https://commmatters.com/are-you-having-the-real-conversation/) - Too often we find ourselves talking around issues. For lots of reasons we leave meetings without saying what has to be said --- and then we engage in the 'side conversation'.
- [What's Your Story?](https://commmatters.com/whats-your-story/) - As simple as it sounds, one of the challenges my clients often ask help on is figuring out how to tell stories - and how to tell them in a way that connects with other people.
- [Creating Your 2014 Personal Strategic Plan](https://commmatters.com/creating-your-2014-personal-strategic-plan/) - End-of-year is a great time to work on (or update) your personal strategic plan. If you're not convinced, consider for a moment the benefits of having a well-thought out plan to help guide your life over the coming year. Some people have no plan and are passive spectators as their lives unfold before them. Those
- [Talking Points # 1*](https://commmatters.com/talking-points-1/) - (*Public speaking, formally and informally, is a key skill for leaders and a necessary part of a strong executive presence. In this limited blog series we'll focus on the main steps for building your public speaking presentation skills. Your questions are welcomed and will be addressed in future Talking Points.) Fear of public speaking is
- [Competence or Confidence in Associations?](https://commmatters.com/competence-confidence-associations/) - Associations Now's "Leaning In Is Just the Beginning,"Contributing EditorMark Athitakis looks at how women in associations are stepping up and speaking out.
- [Inspired by these Women!](https://commmatters.com/inspired-by-these-women/) - Congratulations to the 2015 Class of WCS at Yale - you inspire me!
- [Your Resiliency Impacts Your Executive Presence](https://commmatters.com/your-resiliency-impacts-your-executive-presence/) - Do you know some people who just seem to sail through the bumpy patches of life more easily than others? These people probably have strong “resiliency muscles” – and this means that they show up better, perhaps by projecting more calm and confidence in the face of uncertainty or adversity, than those who allow the
- [Year-End Communication Tips](https://commmatters.com/year-end-communication-tips/) - How you show up at the end of the year is just as important as how you show up at the beginning of the year. In December there are usually more opportunities to connect with colleagues (think office holiday party), as well as with family and friends. Although the content and tone differ depending on
- [Love The One You’re With](https://commmatters.com/love-the-one-youre-with/) - “Would I rather be feared or loved? Umm...easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.” – Michael Scott, The Office Though Michael Scott may not be what is traditionally called a “great leader,” he may have some insight into how to best lead a team. A recent study by
- [Have You Done Your Personal Year-end Review?](https://commmatters.com/have-you-done-your-personal-year-end-review/) - This month I've talked with many of my clients about the year-end reviews they're doing for their direct reports, as well as the year-end reviews they're getting from their bosses.
- [Making the First 100 Days Count for the New Employee and the Employer](https://commmatters.com/making-the-first-100-days-count-for-the-new-employee-and-the-employer/) - The first few months on a new job present opportunities and challenges for both the employee and the employer. In fact, studies show that new hires, at all levels, are most vulnerable during this period, but also more receptive to establishing new patterns of behavior for long-term job success.
- [Strategic Planning Isn't Just For Organizations](https://commmatters.com/strategic-planning-isnt-just-for-organizations/) - Perhaps you have had an opportunity in your work to lead or be part of creating an organization's strategic plan. The plan, if used properly, is intended to help steer the organization's work over a certain time period.
- [Difficult Conversations at Work](https://commmatters.com/difficult-conversations-at-work/) - Difficult conversations are just that – difficult. Lots of us go out of our way to avoid them, but it usually comes at a cost. At work it may mean we don't ask for what we want; we avoid having those hard conversations around accountability with our colleagues; or we don't provide our direct reports
- [Know Your Reputation —Ask How Others Perceive You](https://commmatters.com/know-your-reputation-ask-how-others-perceive-you/) - Without specific input about how others perceive us, it's tough to do the hard work of fine-tuning our executive presence and managing our reputation.
- [It May Not Sound Perfect - Speak Up Anyhow](https://commmatters.com/speak-up/) - Individuals, like organizations, grow and thrive by taking risks, by accessing their confidence and stepping out even when they're not perfect!
- [Bragging Done Right: Tell an Accomplishment Story](https://commmatters.com/accomplishment-story/) - Accomplishment stories can show you’re credible and good at what you do, which can help people make wiser business decisions.
- [Feedback is a Sweet Gift](https://commmatters.com/employee-performance-review-feedback/) - Feedback isn't just for end-of-year performance reviews, rather feedback, both the positive and negative, needs to happen every day, in real time or as close to real time as possible.
- [Creating Your 2016 Personal Strategic Plan](https://commmatters.com/creating-your-2016-personal-strategic-plan/) - I think for all of us this time of year is really busy — wrapping up business while also wrapping up plans, and presents, for the holidays. It's easy to get caught up in all the activity, the must-do's and the should-do's. When things slow down and you're able to focus on you, I recommend finding some quiet, uninterrupted time to do your own personal strategic plan for 2016.
- [Communicate Like an Executive](https://commmatters.com/communicate-like-an-executive/) - How we communicate has a direct impact on our career success and is the most visible sign of our leadership presence. Study after study confirms this. I’ve seen it play out many times both as a coach to C-level and rising leaders, and in the organizations I worked in earlier in my career. Our use
- [Powerful Speaking](https://commmatters.com/powerful-speaking/) - I spent last week with 80 women from around the world. These women are committed to making change in their communities. As the communications coach at the Women's Campaign School at Yale University, I had the privilege of coaching these women to speak up, speak out, and speak powerfully. The ability to communicate is a
- [What Are Your Team's Communication Norms?](https://commmatters.com/what-are-your-teams-communication-norms/) - Every team has its own way of communicating, its own communication norms. These norms can either ensure new ideas are shared and team relationships are built and nurtured in a productive, respectful manner, or they can go the other way and jeopardize the success of the team. At the end of last year, I worked
- [Are You Communicating Your Strong Executive Presence?](https://commmatters.com/are-you-communicating-your-strong-executive-presence/) - Last week I enjoyed speaking at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business’ Booth Women Connect Conference on executive presence and why it matters for driving organizational and career success. It was fun to have the ink factory “record” the session (check out their drawing!) – and it provided me a very visual way to see
- [Strategically Strengthen Your Professional Network](https://commmatters.com/strategically-strengthen-your-professional-network/) - (Originally published on ASAE's Associations Now Daily News, January 10, 2020) The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to review and strengthen your professional network. Start by thinking strategically about your career goals and needs. Then, apply a proven framework for optimal success. When was the last time you reviewed and strengthened

## Pages

- [New home](https://commmatters.com/) - Communication Matters LLC is a Washington, DC-based executive coaching and training firm. We help leaders and teams become even more effective. Using proven, results-oriented solutions and assessment tools, we focus on fine-tuning the soft skills of leadership communications and the skills and “mind shifts” needed to prosper in the increasingly complex work world. When leaders
- [Services](https://commmatters.com/services/)
- [About Us](https://commmatters.com/about-communication-matters/) - At Communication Matters: Executive Coaching, we believe soft skills are the foundation of leadership success. Leaders can’t wait until they ascend to the highest levels to learn these skills. Leaders at all levels need them now and these skills need to continue to evolve as the leader grows. We coach and train leaders and teams
- [Resources](https://commmatters.com/resources/)
- [Contact Us](https://commmatters.com/contact-us/)
- [Thank you!](https://commmatters.com/contact-us-success/) - Thanks for contacting us! Make sure to check out our resources page and review our latest blog posts. We will be in touch shortly. Have a great day!
- [Privacy Policy](https://commmatters.com/privacy-policy/) - Privacy Policy Who we are Our website address is: https://commmatters.com/ What personal data we collect and why we collect it Cookies We use the following types of cookies: Strictly necessary cookies. These are cookies that are required for the essential operation of our Website such as to authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use. Analytical/performance cookies. They allow

## Personnel

- [Annette Hurley](https://commmatters.com/personnel/annette-hurley/)
- [Jo-Anne Goldman Chase](https://commmatters.com/personnel/jo-anne-goldman-chase/)
- [Vincent Randazzo](https://commmatters.com/personnel/vincent-randazzo/)
- [Wendy Hancharick](https://commmatters.com/personnel/wendy-hancharick/)

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://commmatters.com/category/uncategorized/)
- [Executive Coaching](https://commmatters.com/category/executive-coaching/)
- [Communication](https://commmatters.com/category/communication/)
- [Workshops](https://commmatters.com/category/workshops/)

## Tags

- [Executive](https://commmatters.com/tag/executive/)
- [Leadership](https://commmatters.com/tag/leadership/)
- [Leader](https://commmatters.com/tag/leader/)
- [Coaching](https://commmatters.com/tag/coaching/)
- [Process](https://commmatters.com/tag/process/)
- [year end](https://commmatters.com/tag/year-end/)
- [reviews](https://commmatters.com/tag/reviews/)
- [development](https://commmatters.com/tag/development/)
- [goals](https://commmatters.com/tag/goals/)
- [career](https://commmatters.com/tag/career/)
- [women leaders](https://commmatters.com/tag/women-leaders/)
- [strategic plan](https://commmatters.com/tag/strategic-plan/)
- [personal strategic plan](https://commmatters.com/tag/personal-strategic-plan/)
- [personal growth](https://commmatters.com/tag/personal-growth/)
- [end of year planning](https://commmatters.com/tag/end-of-year-planning/)
- [career planning](https://commmatters.com/tag/career-planning/)
- [executive coach](https://commmatters.com/tag/executive-coach/)
- [DC leadership program](https://commmatters.com/tag/dc-leadership-program/)
- [association leadership](https://commmatters.com/tag/association-leadership/)
- [women leadership programs](https://commmatters.com/tag/women-leadership-programs/)
- [Executive Coaching](https://commmatters.com/tag/executive-coaching/)
- [Communication](https://commmatters.com/tag/communication/)
- [Year end Personal Plan](https://commmatters.com/tag/year-end-personal-plan/)
- [New Year personal plan](https://commmatters.com/tag/new-year-personal-plan/)
- [speaking](https://commmatters.com/tag/speaking/)
- [communication skills](https://commmatters.com/tag/communication-skills/)
- [community](https://commmatters.com/tag/community/)
- [association professionals](https://commmatters.com/tag/association-professionals/)
- [networking](https://commmatters.com/tag/networking/)
- [work relationships](https://commmatters.com/tag/work-relationships/)
- [professional growth](https://commmatters.com/tag/professional-growth/)

## Personnel Category

- [affiliates](https://commmatters.com/personnel_category/affiliates/)