Persuasive Humor Is Serious Business
Humor can be your most powerful tool for getting attention and connecting with your audience, but it can also backfire on you. Follow these tips to be seriously funny.
Sep 25, 2018•21 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Practical Eloquence podcast
Practical Eloquence, with Jack Malcolm, is dedicated to helping you "express your full potential" by mastering the art, science and skills of persuasive communication. Practical Eloquence is filled with practical strategies and tips for informing, influencing and inspiring others.
Last refreshed: ⓘ
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
Episodes
How to Use Numbers Properly
There sometimes seems to be two tribes in business today: the numbers tribe and the words tribe. Effective persuaders are "bilingual"--they know themselves and their audience and know how to strike the right balance.
Sep 18, 2018•18 min•Season 1Ep. 33
The Language of Leadership
Part 2 of my leadership communication series. Sometimes how you say it is just as important as what you say. And, contrary to what most people may think, rhetoric is not dead.
Sep 11, 2018•23 min•Season 1Ep. 32
The Stuff of Leadership Communication
As Nitin Nohria said, "Communication is the real work of leadership." IN this podcast, I talk about the additional layer of skill you need to add to your communication toolbox and what your followers need to hear from you.
Sep 04, 2018•16 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Embrace the Chase
"Embrace the chase" is a quote by swimming superstar Katie Ledecky, and reading it inspired me to reflect on the mindsets that can make all the difference in work and in life.
Aug 28, 2018•15 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Thinking on Your Feet
Despite all your preparation, there is a good chance you will get hit with a question you have not planned for. In this podcast, I share 9 steps for ensuring you can think on your feet and ace this portion of any meeting or presentation.
Aug 21, 2018•15 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Persuasion without Drama
The idea of the hero swaying a hostile audience through the force of their eloquence makes for great movies, but in real life, the most successful persuaders do all the work beforehand to stack the deck and avoid the drama.
Aug 14, 2018•17 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Sales Professionalism
Over decades of training salespeople, I've met an elite few who embody professionalism in their attitudes and actions. Here's what true professionals know, care about, and do, and why it matters.
Aug 07, 2018•19 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Max Cred Factor #7: Cultivating
If you follow the advice so far in this series, you will definitely be the most credible person in the room, no matter where you are. And that is a huge asset. Like any asset, Max Cred needs to be protected, maintained, and cultivated.
Jul 31, 2018•18 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Max Cred Factor #6: Commitment
Deep commitment to a cause or an idea is one of the most powerful and sustainable factors of credibility because it reflects on your good character, good sense, and goodwill.
Jul 25, 2018•16 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Max Cred Factor #5: Caring and Connection
The first four factors of Max Cred: Credentials, Content, Confidence and Candor can compel credibility, but it also help to be liked by others, which you can accomplish by improving your skills (yes, skills) of caring more for others and connecting with them on a personal level.
Jul 12, 2018•19 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Can Engineers Sell?
Your engineers may be one of the greatest untapped sales assets you have, because they have access, credibility and knowledge. The big question is: will they and can they? Spoiler alert: the answer is yes, if they understand the essence of selling.
Jun 28, 2018•18 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Max Cred Factor #4: Candor
Candor is a powerful factor in credibility because it does so much for you. It checks off every one of Aristotle's tests of credibility, showing your good sense, good character, and goodwill.
Jun 22, 2018•16 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Max Cred Factor #3: Confidence
Confidence is the third factor of Max Cred because others won’t believe if they don’t think you believe . In this podcast, I talk about the four levels of confidence and what you can do to project just the right amount.
Jun 13, 2018•14 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Max Cred Factor #2: Rock-Solid Content
Valid credentials are like putting a deposit on your listeners’ belief, but you need solid content to complete the transaction. Content is the most permanent element in credibility; it’s the solid core inside your outward image.
Jun 07, 2018•17 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Max Cred Factor #1: Credentials
Credentials are the first Max Cred factor we discuss because they start speaking for you before you open your mouth. In this podcast, I talk about what constitutes a valid credential and how to present your credentials in a way that guarantees maximum credibility.
May 30, 2018•18 min•Season 1Ep. 19
PE 18: Max Cred
If you’re a knowledge worker, your personal credibility is your most precious asset. It’s not your knowledge, which is worthless if others don’t believe what you say; it’s not your eloquence, if others don’t listen; it’s not your power, if others only agree grudgingly. Like any asset, you want to preserve it, grow it, and put it to work.
May 18, 2018•15 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Pre-Speech Jitters: Three Steps to Make Fear Your Friend
My fondest wish is that this podcast will change someone’s life—maybe even yours. If you’ve held yourself back from accepting speaking engagements because of nerves, it can make an immediate and obvious change to your career. That’s not a bad benefit, but the ideas I’ll talk about here will apply to just about any challenge you face in your life and even impact your physical health.
May 02, 2018•14 min•Season 1Ep. 17
PE 16: You Won't Listen Fully to this Podcast
Listening is one of the most important activities of your job and your life, but you don't do it nearly as well as you should and you could. In this episode, I tell you why, and what you can do about it.
Apr 27, 2018•17 min•Season 1Ep. 16
PE 15: Make It Happen
How many times have you walked out of a meeting with someone with a clear sense that everybody is on board and knows what to do, and after time passes nothing has happened? In this podcast, I cover the three principal reasons for inaction and what you can do about it.
Apr 17, 2018•17 min•Season 1Ep. 15
PE 14: Make It Memorable
Unless your listeners are going to decide right away, they have to remember what you said in order to act on it. I cover four principles which will ensure that what you say will stick in their minds.
Apr 11, 2018•17 min•Season 1Ep. 14
PE 13: Appeal to the Emotions
Despite the best efforts of corporations to implement elaborate processes and systems to inoculate themselves, emotions are impossible to remove from every business decision, especially the more important ones. Gut-level Gus always has a place at the table, and effective persuaders ignore him at their peril – but they also know how to get on his good side.
Apr 04, 2018•20 min•Season 1Ep. 13
PE 12: Who Do They Think They Are?
What if you could get the other person to make a decision that would not only be good for you but make them feel good about themselves? You can, by appealing to the decision maker in their mind that I call Norma. Who is Norma and how does she affect decisions?
Mar 19, 2018•18 min•Season 1Ep. 12
PE 11: Decisions Aren't Exactly Rational
As we saw in the last episode, “Rational Randy” holds the title of decision maker, but he usually defers at least in part to “Aileen”, who leans in ways that may seem irrational but are at least predictable. In this episode, I describe three ways decisions veer from rationality and five ways to use this to your advantage.
Mar 13, 2018•20 min•Season 1Ep. 11
PE 10: Sway Their Decision
This is the first of three podcasts about the psychology of decision making, which is a fascinating and difficult topic, mostly because the way in which people decide is often much different from how they actually do. Business communication is ideally completely rational and evidence-based, but it’s not really that simple. The various approaches to decision-making can be understood through the four types, which I call Randy, Aileen, Norma, and Gus.
Mar 08, 2018•18 min•Season 1Ep. 10
PE 9: Make them Believe You
In this episode, we turn to the "persuasive" aspect of communication. I discuss the 5 C's that will ensure max credibility on your part.
Mar 05, 2018•18 min•Season 1Ep. 9
PE8: Help Them Understand
There are an unlimited number of wrong ways your message can be taken, and only one right way. So, you must ensure that you are crystal clear in what you’re trying to convey, first in your own mind and then in the mind of the listener.
Feb 28, 2018•21 min•Season 1Ep. 8
PE 7: Grab and Hold Their Attention
Attention is the foundation of all communication. Like the old saying about if a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it actually make a noise? It determines how much of your message they get, how they perceive it, and how much they remember. Have you ever had the experience of having someone hang on your every word, giving you their full attention in a sincere effort to profit from what you’re saying? Feels great, doesn’t it? But how often does that happen? This podcast will show yo...
Feb 23, 2018•19 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Episode 6: The Power of First Impressions
Even though content is king, a lot happens before you even open your mouth, and the impression you make can have a large, and even decisive impact on your effectiveness. What are the two principal qualities that others use to form impressions of you, and how can you present yourself to best advantage?
Feb 21, 2018•19 min•Season 1Ep. 6
PE 5: Be Yourself -- With an Asterisk
This may be my most controversial topic so far. It’s important to “be yourself”; for example, too many people become too formal or awkward when they stand at a podium, or “kiss up and kick down.” But it’s also possible to overdo the authenticity idea. If authenticity is about being honest and true to yourself, I’m all for it, but if should not mean communicating the same way to all people and in all situations, being “brutally honest”, or being fully transparent.
Feb 20, 2018•17 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Hosted on Libsyn
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android