599: Listen, Choose, and Breathe: Parse Your Story to Meet Your Audience, Create a Strong Call-to-Action, and Recap with Communications and Public Relations Expert Jeanne Alford

What this episode covers

Jeanne Alford -- author, speaker and communications expert -- directed PR and communications programs for such brands as Dolby Laboratories, Philips Electronics, Visa and Sony. She focused on media perception, crisis communications and international issues. As an executive coach, today, she specializes in communications and media training including speaking, presenting and writing to guide business leaders to tell their most compelling stories in their own words. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0HnQTm14yU&pp=ygUPcm9iZXJ0cGxhbmsgNTk5 Quotes: “We all think the same thing about ourselves. What we do is ordinary, because we're in it every day. We don't always see the extraordinary.” – Jeanne Alford “If we don't understand where our audience is coming from, all we're doing is throwing words at them and looking for something to stick.” - Jeanne Alford “We have about two seconds to make an impression on somebody. We have micro expressions that we exude without even being aware of, because they're in our subconscious mind.” - Jeanne Alford Takeaways: 05:00 Understanding your audience's perspective is more important than sharing raw information. 10:29 Tailoring your message to different audience groups helps your communication hit the mark more effectively. 23:17 Breathing deeply and staying calm allows you to think more clearly and respond thoughtfully in high-pressure situations. 28:56 Most people only hear half of what's being said, making active listening a critical communication skill. 33:13 Practice makes communication skills become natural, just like muscle memory when learning to drive or ride a bike. Resources Jeanne Alford (LinkedIn) Jeanne Alford on Alignable (Business Card) Jeanne Alford on Clarity (Coaching Session) Jeanne Alford on Medium (Blog) Jeanne Alford (Twitter)

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