Business Communication

Learn to influence audiences with storyopia: Stories that take them on a journey from what is to what could be: Storytelling in Presentations For Dummies shows you how to develop and deliver a presentation through storytelling, keeping audience interested, and most importantly, making them heroes that take action towards change. You’ll learn how to cull stories from your own experiences, and before you know it, you’ll have more stories than Aesop has fables. You’ll learn about the latest presentation software, so you can integrate visuals into your presentations and avoid the dreaded “Death by PowerPoint.” You’ll also learn how to deal with challenging on-the-spot situations, deliver investor pitches and executive briefs, and present a paper at a conference. Additionally, find out how to deliver someone else’s content and make it your own. This book will help you level up anywhere you need to present information by mastering the art of savvy presentations—the most effective business communications tools of our time. Identify experiences that can be molded into stories that drive change. Prepare powerful openings to hook your audience right away whether delivering in person, online, or hybrid Have your audience get the most from your presentation with an effective call to action Prepare a storyboard, which is like a frame-by-frame roadmap, that will mesh together what you’ll show and what you’ll tell Leverage software like Canva, Prezi, and Storyboarder to tie your presentation together Enjoy the colorful 8-page mini-booklet, “Storytelling to Storyboarding”This Dummies guide is perfect for any professional who needs to present, and at some time all professionals do. It’s also for entrepreneurs who want to build community and grow their business, in addition to students who want to wow teachers and classmates.

Soft skills make the hard skills work! Soft skills are the personal qualities that make you a great communicator, problem solver, and leader on the job—and in your personal life. Soft Skills For Dummies helps you hone in on the traits you already have—or fine tune the ones that may need some extra attention—to market yourself as a workplace leader who’s in touch with what today’s employers are looking for: people who can lead and inspire through interpersonal communication, cultural awareness, time management, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving. • Sharpen the skills you need for a successful career • Improve your ability to work with others • Become a more confident job seeker and leader • Grasp the concept of soft skills through real-world applications, inspirational stories, and industry spotlights With content based on a time-tested curriculum designed to prepare you for work and life success, this book is packed with everything you need to build your soft skills to make the strongest impact possible.

Learn how to write for the results you want every time, in every medium! Do you wish you could write better? In today’s business world, good writing is key to success in just about every endeavor. Writing is how you connect with colleagues, supervisors, clients, partners, employees, and people you’ve never met. No wonder strong writers win the jobs, promotions and contracts. Business Writing For Dummies shows you, from the ground up, how to create persuasive messages with the right content and language every time—messages your readers will understand and act on. This friendly guide equips you with a step-by-step method for planning what to say and how to say it in writing. This sytem empowers you to handle every writing challenge with confidence, from emails to proposals, reports to resumes, presentations to video scripts, blogs to social posts, websites to books. Discover down-to-earth techniques for sharpening your language and correcting your own writing problems. Learn how to adapt content, tone and style for each medium and audience. And learn to use every message you write to build better relationships and solve problems, while getting to the “yes” you want. Whether you’re aiming to land your first job or are an experienced specialist in your field, Business Writing For Dummies helps you build your communication confidence and stand out.  Present yourself with authority and credibility Understand and use the tools of persuasion Communicate as a remote worker, freelancer, consultant or entrepreneur Strategize your online presence to support your goals Bring out the best in people and foster team spirit as a leader Prepare to ace interviews, pitches and confrontations Good communication skills, particularly writing, are in high demand across all industries. Use this book to gain the edge you need to promote your own success, now and down the line as your career goals evolve.

Project self-assurance when speaking — even if you don't feel confident! When you speak in public, your reputation is at stake. Whether you're speaking at a conference, pitching for new business, or presenting to your Executive Board, the ability to connect with, influence, and inspire your audience is a critically important skill. Public Speaking Skills For Dummies introduces you to simple, practical, and real-world techniques and insights that will transform your ability to achieve impact through the spoken word. In this book, champion of public speaking Alyson Connolly takes you step by step through the process of conceiving, crafting, and delivering a high-impact presentation. You’ll discover how to overcome your nerves, engage your audience, and convey gravitas—all while getting your message across clearly and concisely. Public Speaking Skills For Dummies shows you how to: •    Bring ideas to life through business storytelling •    Use space and achieve an even greater sense of poise •    Get your message across with greater clarity, concision, and impact •    Deal more effectively with awkward questions Get ready to win over hearts and minds — and deliver the talk of your life!

Get ahead in the workplace by influencing others  Influence is a timeless topic for business leaders and others in positions of power, but the world has evolved to the point where everyone needs these skills. No matter your job, role, rank, or function, if you want to get things done you need to know how to influence up, down, across, and outside the organization. Increasing Your Influence at Work All-in-One For Dummies shows you how to contribute more fully to important decisions, resolve conflicts more easily, lead and manage more effectively, and much more. Plus, you'll discover how to develop the most important attributes necessary for influence—trustworthiness, reliability, and assertiveness—and find out how to move beyond. Includes easy-to-apply information for influencing managers, peers, and subordinates Shows you how to build trust with your co-workers and cultivate reliability through consistency and being personal Illustrates how influencing others in the office helps you enjoy a greater measure of control over your work life  Helps you advance your career more rapidly than others No matter who you are, where you work, or what your professional goals are, achieving more influence in the workplace is critical for success. 

Be the speaker they follow with breakthrough innovative presentations Innovative Presentations For Dummies is a practical guide to engaging your audience with superior, creative, and ultra-compelling presentations. Using clear language and a concise style, this book goes way beyond PowerPoint to enable you to reimagine, reinvent, and remake your presentations. Learn how to stimulate, capture, and hold your audience in the palm of your hand with sound, sight, and touch, and get up to speed on the latest presentation design methods that make you a speaker who gets audiences committed and acting upon your requests. This resource delves into desktop publishing skills, online presentations, analyzing your audience, and delivers fresh, new tips, tricks, and techniques that help you present with confidence and raw power. Focused and innovative presentations are an essential part of doing business, and most importantly, getting business. Competition, technology, and the ever-tightening economy have made out-presenting your competitors more important than ever. Globally, an estimated 350 PowerPoint presentations are given every second. When it's your turn, you need to go high above and far beyond to stand out from the pack, and Innovative Presentations For Dummies provides a winning game plan. The book includes extensive advice on the visual aspect of presentations and, more importantly, it teaches you how to analyze your audience and speak directly to them. A personalized approach combined with stunning visuals and full sensory engagement makes for a winning presentation. Learn how to be an innovative, not just "effective" presenter in any situation Understand how to read and cater to specific audiences Create captivating visual materials using technology and props Creative customize presentations to best communicate with audiences More and more employees are being called upon to make presentations, with or without prior training. With step-by-step instruction, vivid examples and ideas and a 360-degree approach to presentations, Innovative Presentations For Dummies will help to drastically improve your presentation outcomes as never before.

The easy way to communicate best when it matters most Most people are aware of the importance of handling critical conversations well. However, when it comes down to actually being in a difficult situation that calls for key communication skills, many do not know how to practically apply their own thoughts. Critical Conversations For Dummies is a step-by-step reference for the variety of crucial conversations life presents in the workforce. It's packed with strategies for preparing for high-stakes situations; being persuasive (not abrasive); knowing the value of assertive communication; resolving failed promises and missed deadlines; maintaining morale when firing staff; getting new employees off on the right foot; managing staff relations and strengthening team relationships; understanding audience needs and motivations to get positive results; altering confrontational language to cooperative language during difficult conversations; and building relationships in the face of conflict. Improve communication skills in crucial conversations Avoid common pitfalls and emotional tendencies Discover the benefits of success in crucial conversations This book is especially relevant to the hundreds of thousands of leaders who are tasked with multiple duties, whether addressing complex problems from stakeholders or achieving exceptional results from staff.

Find your voice, and communicate with confidence Ever wondered why nobody hears you in meetings, or wished people would take you more seriously? Or maybe you're unhappy with your accent, or you feel insecure about your high-pitched or monotonous voice? Voice and Speaking Skills For Dummies will help you to discover the power of your voice, understand how it works, and use your voice like a professional whether in meetings, addressing an audience, or standing in front of a classroom. Take a deep breath, relax those vocal cords, and make your speech sparkle! We're not all planning to become politicians, or likely to address large audiences on a regular basis, but we all need to be able to communicate well to achieve success. Certain professions require a high level of vocal confidence, notably teachers and business leaders. As well as using body language effectively, we also rely on our voice to convey passion, exude enthusiasm, and command attention--and that's before we've considered the content of our words! A clear understanding of how your voice works, how to maximize its effectiveness, and ways to overcome voice 'gremlins' such as speaking too fast, stuttering, or sounding childish, is pivotal to enabling you to succeed, whatever the situation. Highlights the importance of your voice, explains how to use it effectively Gives you confidence in public speaking Helps you use your voice to make a great first impression in all aspects of your life Includes a CD with vocal exercises to help you communicate with confidence. Whether you're looking to improve your speaking skills for work or personal gain--or both--Voice and Speaking Skills For Dummies gives you everything you need to find your voice and communicate with confidence. Note: CD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of the e-book file, but are available for download after purchase.

Make no mistake, etiquette is as important in business as it is in everyday life — it’s also a lot more complicated. From email and phone communications to personal interviews to adapting to corporate and international cultural differences, Business Etiquette For Dummies, 2nd Edition, keeps you on your best behavior in any business situation. This friendly, authoritative guide shows you how to develop good etiquette on the job and navigate today’s diverse and complex business environment with great success. You’ll get savvy tips for dressing the part, making polite conversation, minding your manners at meetings and meals, behaving at off-site events, handling ethical dilemmas, and conducting international business. You’ll find out how to behave gracefully during tense negotiations, improve your communication skills, and overcome all sorts of work-related challenges. Discover how to: Make a great first impression Meet and greet with ease Be a good company representative Practice proper online etiquette Adapt to the changing rules of etiquette Deal with difficult personalities without losing your cool Become a well-mannered traveler Develop good relationships with your peers, staff, and superiors Give compliments and offer criticism Respect physical, racial, ethnic, and gender differences at work Learn the difference between “casual Friday” and sloppy Saturday Develop cubicle courtesy Avoid conversational faux pas Business etiquette is as important to your success as doing your job well. Read Business Etiquette For Dummies, 2nd Edition, and make no mistake.

Proven techniques that maximize media exposure for your business A seasoned PR pro shows you how to get people talking When it comes to public relations, nothing beats good word of mouth. Want to get customers talking? This friendly guide combines the best practical tools with insight and flair to provide guidance on every aspect of PR, so you can launch a full-throttle campaign that'll generate buzz -- and build your bottom line. Discover how to * Map a winning PR strategy * Grab attention with press releases, interviews, and events * Cultivate good media relations * Get print, TV, radio, and Internet coverage * Manage a PR crisis