Executive Speaking Survey Finds CEOS Overestimate Speaking Ability

Executive Speaking Survey Finds CEOS Overestimate Speaking Ability Executive Speaking Survey Finds CEOS Overestimate Speaking Ability The study analyzed video interviews of 40 CEOs and focused on their responses to two questions What are your strengths as a communicator? and What are your weaknesses as a communicator?We discovered some pretty significant gaps between how they perceived themselves as speakers versus how they actually were, Executive Speaking founder Anett Grant said. CEOs just arent as self-aware as they may think, at least with regard to their speaking skills.Grants team analyzed responses in terms of two criteria delivery and content. Many CEOs who claimed they had strong delivery skills actually had a high degree of filler words like ah and er, and many who claimed they had strong content skills were lacking in the signs of quality content that have been identified by communications scholars.CEOs need to realize that they cant just say whatever comes into their h eads. They need to learn skills that give them thinking time while they speak, so that they can edit their thoughts without hesitating - and project positive energy at the same time, Grant said.But its not just about faux pas. The always-on nature of the business world means CEOs must be prepared to give smart comments immediately.Its not enough to know your stuff and rely on scripted speeches, Grant said. Whether its a discussion with the board, a town hall, or a media interview, it is absolutely essential for CEOs to master key skills to excel at impromptu speaking.

The Value of Finding -- and Being -- a Mentor in the Legal Profession

The Value of Finding -- and Being -- a Mentor in the Legal ProfessionThe Value of Finding and Being a Mentor in the Legal ProfessionThere are many different types of mentoring relationships, but all provide benefits to both the advisor and the protg. behauptung pairings are becoming more and more desirable, to the point that many legal job applicants inquire about a firms mentoring program during the interview process.Value of a professional mentorGood mentoring relationships are important from the very beginning of a legal career. In fact, they can be pivotal to the success or failure of law students. Good mentors, be they professors or practicing attorneys, can help students decide which type of law might suit themand how they can tailor their educational and career paths to align with their aspirations.In addition, mentors can help law students expand their professional networks so they can land a promising internship, clerkship or legal job. Some mentors prepare mentees for job interviews by going over possible questions, the best answers and even salary negotiation strategies.Long-lasting effects of mentoring at workuntersttzung doesnt end after the mentee starts to practice. According to the National Legal Mentoring Consortium, Clients, the public and the profession are best served through healthy lawyering practices and by the highest ideals of professionalism and collegiality, which can be effectively developed through mentoring. The best mentoring relationships are long-term.When paired with an in-house professional mentor, new lawyers and legal support staff have a sounding board for career advice and an experienced guide for the cases theyre preparing.Midlevel associates and senior attorneys also can provide novices with valuable coaching and can help them navigate the office culture and the courtroom. By offering insights, insider knowledge and gentle correction, mentors increase the chances that their mentees will have a successful legal career.M entoring as a two-way streetThe mentee isnt the only one who benefits from this relationship. By offering mentoring at work, a more experienced lawyer gets great satisfaction from helping less experienced ones develop into seasoned professionals. In addition, by introducing promising young legal talent to their professional network, mentors strengthen their own reputations. And as their protgs expand and develop their own practices, they often introduce their professional mentor to new contacts, returning the favor.Whats more, the best teachers often learn from their students. Junior lawyers, paralegals and legal staff members are more apt to spend time poring over legal texts and researching strategies. In the process, they may come across a new application of a ruling that a more experienced lawyer hasnt considered. Younger legal professionals may also have fresh and interesting ways of using law office technology in their jobs. Mentors can gain new perspectives from their protgs, which in turn can spark new ways of thinking, working and strategizing.Types of mentoring relationshipsMany firms are recognizing the increased demand for mentoring at work and are responding by implementing formal programs. Practices that dont have mentorships could experience retention problems because young lawyers dont have the guidance they need to stay engaged with their jobs. They could also have trouble recruiting new talent, as legal job candidates value such programs for personal growth and consider them highly when deciding which firm or organization to join.While in-house mentorships are the most effective and yield a high return on investment, other options are possible. In workplaces without a structured program, junior lawyers can approach respected mid- or senior-level attorneys about the possibility of a mentoring relationship. Another option for new legal professionals is to continue a relationship with an existing mentor, such as a former professor. In addition, professional associations can match law students, paralegals and legal secretaries with mentors in their specialty. Nothing beats in-person mentorships, but such relationships can also exist online, by phone or via Skype.There are no losers when it comes to mentoring at work and being mentored. With a little time investment, the less-experienced legal professional gains a wealth of knowledge that cant be found in the classroom. The professional mentor gets the satisfaction of paying it forward and learning in return. And the legal organization benefits by having more engaged employees, lower turnover and a core team of associates ready to succeed retirees.

Amazon wants Alexa to be your new coworker

Amazon wants Alexa to be your new coworkerAmazon wants Alexa to be your new coworkerDo you need an executive assistant who can stay out of sight and always be ready to complete your bidding at your command?Thats what Amazon is banking on when it announced its new Alexa for Businessservice at its annual Web Services conference last week. Using the location of your device and the company information youre willing to feed it, Alexa, the voice-controlled virtual assistant in Amazon Echo devices, can now book you a conference room, call the help desk, manage your work calendar, and order new printer paper.In the promotional video for its new service, Amazon imagines a world where companies manage thousands of employees shared Echo devices and employees go about their days speaking their requests out loud. You can say, Alexa, pull up last quarters sale report, and that report appears seamlessly on a screen without the presenter needing to click a mouse.At its best, integrating artificial v oice intelligence into your company will buy you back time you wasted on mundane tasks like finding an empty meeting room. In its testimonial about the service, office-sharing company WeWork said that having an Alexa to dim lights and set the temperature at the office simplified the everyday hassles of the workplace. I think that the more natural our interfaces become - the more they disappear - the better, WeWorkHead of Product Research Josh Emig told the Wall Street Journal.Alexa needs to eavesdrop to be the best assistantBut the drawback to making technology work assistants seem natural is that we forget who were talking to - if we treat it as a co-worker with a human name, we forget that its actually owned by one of the worlds largest corporations that benefits from receiving as much personal data as it can get on us to influence our choices.In order for Alexa to work, it needs to be listening to what you say - and that can be embarrassing or career-ending talk. Although Ama zon promises to delete specific voice recordings, you may naturally forget to censor yourself when you treat it as just another assistant.By making its personal Alexa device a professional one, Amazon is signaling that it wants its products to take over your workplace as much as it already has your home. If Amazon succeeds in making Alexa go mainstream at work, there will be a future where employees have Alexas making thousands of choices on their behalf. Have my A.I. schmelzglas your A.I. The real privacy and ethical questions will become making sure that these selected choices are the right ones.