Speak As Well As You Think

by Jenn Alex

Welcome to the Speak As Well As You Think podcast, brought to you by Vautier Communications. I’m your host, Jenn Alex. The goal of this show is to uncover communication strategies and behaviors you can use to improve the way you show up and perform at work. I’ll sit down with communication experts and professionals across different fields to uncover what effective communication looks like in action, so you can apply to your own ...   ...  Read more

Podcast episodes

  • Season 3

  • 3 Steps for Effective Visual Presentations

    3 Steps for Effective Visual Presentations

    We spent the last two episodes honing our Executive Presence skills. In this episode, we're focusing on the actual visual presentation. In our opinion, there are 3 steps you can implement to be successful: Plan: Before you open up PPT, figure out who you're speaking to, what they need to know, what you're hoping to accomplish with them, and storyboard those details out. Build: Create your presentation in PPT (or something similar). Use a template that's been successful before to avoid creating more work for yourself. Consider colors, design, animation, data, graphics, text size, etc. Make it easy for you and your audience to see and consume the slide. Practice: Put your deck in slide show mode and actually go through it. Say it out loud. Make sure your design elements complement the story you need to share. Make sure everything shows up in the order you want. A dry run is always a good idea. The keys to success aren't hard. But we can't skip or leave out steps when we want to perform well.

  • I can't hear you - Executive Presence

    I can't hear you - Executive Presence

    This month we're taking a deep dive into the vocal executive presence skills as a follow-up to last month's chat. As speakers, we need to understand how to use our vocal energy and ensure it portrays what we need it to. During this episode, we're discussing the three components of vocalics: Volume - the level or loudness in which we speak Inflection - the variation in our tone or peaks and valleys of our voice Pace - the speed at which we share information Listen in for some tips on being purposeful with these areas and why they're so important individually and as a packaged deal.

  • Let's get physical - Executive Presence

    Let's get physical - Executive Presence

    This month we're honing in on the physical executive presence skills. We break them up into three categories: Eyes - Where are you looking and speaking? Hands - What are they doing or not doing? Posture - How are you standing, sitting, and/or moving? We read body language in other people all the time, but are you aware of what your body language is saying to your listeners? These three areas impact how our audience perceives our message. We'll discuss recommendations for what to do with all three areas, why we suggest the tips we do and some ways to start making these small changes today.

  • Top 3 Must Have's for Effective Communication

    Top 3 Must Have's for Effective Communication

    In today's episode, we're discussing the top 3 things the Vautier Communications' team thinks you need to do in order to have clear and effective communication. These include: Knowing your audience Simplifying your message Creating and owning your own presence Listen in for tips on how you can think about each of these areas and relate them to your own meetings and talks moving forward.

  • Difficult or Crucial Conversations in the Workplace

    Difficult or Crucial Conversations in the Workplace

    In this month's episode, we're talking about difficult and/or crucial conversations in the workplace. They're an inevitable part of our communications at some point. We discuss what these conversations look like, ways to prepare for them, how to deliver them appropriately and empathetically to a person/group, and ways to consider purposeful next steps as a follow-up.