Become More Compelling
  • Start Here
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • YouTube Channel
    • Quiz - What's Your Communication Style?
    • Free Audio Guide
  • About
    • Contact
    • Media
  • Coaching
    • Private Coaching
    • Coaching Case Studies
    • Corporate Training
    • Free AI Coach
  • Courses
    • Social Accelerator

Blog


Do you know your
​communication style?
Take my quiz and get a custom report with specific tips ​based on your
​unique results.
START THE QUIZ

How To Make Conversation - 5 Tips To Help You Stand Out & Be Memorable

11/6/2020

 
How To Make Conversation - 5 Tips To Help You Stand Out & Be Memorable
Many of my readers ask me about how to make conversation. 

A conversation that feels natural and smooth.
Picture
Good news: These are learnable skills.

Having great conversation skills that you can "turn on" at a moments notice matter when you're:

  • Applying for a new job and you're making small talk with the interviewer.
  • You log on to the Zoom meeting early and your company's CEO is the only other person in the meeting room?
  • You're on a first date where you know you want to make a great first impression.

The better you are with these soft interactions, the better your career, business and social life's trajectory will be.

And the best part?

These skills compound over time.

​Like investing in a 401K, the more connections you make, the easier it is to call up good friends, find jobs fast, and get introduced to more people who can change your life.

Here are 5 tips that you can use starting today to make better, more memorable conversations. 

Every one of these skills are effective individually, but when you stack them together, they become extremely powerful.

Read More

How To Introduce People (With Word-For-Word Scripts)

5/29/2020

 
how to introduce people
Knowing how to introduce people is a great skill to have.

Example:  A friend's wedding.

At the reception, after grabbing a fresh drink, I saw my former co-worker, Michael.

He stood up and walked over, shook my hand, and we talked for a few minutes about the World Series.

As our conversation was wrapping up, he said "Hey! Let me introduce you to my wife."
What I was expecting: To walk over and be introduced with a simple "Hey, this is my buddy, Jeff."

Read More

Media Training 101 With Nicole Schwegman

12/26/2018

 
Media Training 101 With Nicole Schwegman
How can we craft a powerful message?

A message that says everything we need to say in a neat package?

A message that can inspire everyone from your small team at work, to tens of thousands when you're behind the camera or mic?

On this episode of Become More Compelling Radio, my friend Nicole Schwegman (@bffwiththechef on IG) is going to walk us through crafting a powerful, clear message.

Think of this episode as media training 101.


"But Jeff, I'm not media facing in my company, should I listen to this episode?"

YES!

Many of Nicole's tips will absolutely help if you're sitting down with media. (TV, Radio, Podcasts, etc.) But the lessons here are 100% applicable to you if you've ever:

  • Sat down for a job interview.
  • Had to answer tough questions asked by a boss.
  • Lead a team of any size.

More about Nicole:

Nicole Schwegman is a public affairs officer in the U.S. military. She’s served in the Navy for nearly 16 years where she’s had the opportunity to help media train some of American’s most senior military leaders.

She is also a home chef, food enthusiast and the host of BFF with the Chef, the podcast that aims to make home cooks better in the kitchen by sharing cheffy insights from each week's culinary guest.

Disclaimer for this show: Nicole's opinions expressed in this episode are her own, they do NOT reflect the views or opinions of the U.S. military.

Listen to Nicole's podcast BFF with the Chef here

Highlights:

  • 15:10 - Why having talking points is crucial.
  • ​43:11 - Nicole teaches Fact, Bridge, Message (FBM). Your secret weapon for staying on message every time.
  • 1:00:51 - How one of Nicole's students used FBM to handle a VERY tough question while on stage.

Listening Options:

Listen to Stitcher

Read More

8 Uncommon Tips To Make A Great First Impression

11/14/2018

 
How To Make A Great First Impression
​If you've ever wondered how to make a great first impression you're not alone. 

Here are a few messages from my readers who want to master first impressions. 
First Impression Question
First Impression Question
First Impression Question
It’s okay if you’ve made some cringe worthy first impressions. 

Take this gem from my wife:

A few years ago she was at her boss' house for a party. ​

She was joking around with some of her coworkers, who were on the other side of the room. 

She playfully extends her middle finger.

At that PRECISE MOMENT her boss' father turns around and intercepts the middle finger.

​I imagine that space and time slowed down while my wife watched him go through different emotions. Confusion, disbelief, denial, shock, sadness, and finally disdain. 

After the fabric of reality had stabilized, he looked away while saying "How RUDE."

This story makes me laugh every time.

First impressions are crucial:
  • When you walk into an interview for your dream job. 
  • When you meet your significant other’s family. 
  • When you meet a potential business partner for your company. 

Here’s the deal with first impressions: after people make up their mind about you, (Some studies say in as little as 1/10th of a second) they use confirmation bias to only look for evidence to back up their initial impression. 

I’m not here to sugar coat things. I’m here to supercharge your people skills.

So what can you do to reliably create great first impressions with almost everyone you meet?

Here Are 8 Uncommon Tips To Make A Great First Impression

​It all starts with your mindset because 80% of the work is done before you ever shake hands...

Read More

Confident Communication: 3 Skills That Will Supercharge Your Message Next Time You Speak Up

10/23/2018

 
Confident communication
Ever notice how life seems effortless for people who have a little extra confidence?  
  
  • When they're in meetings, more often than not people go for their ideas.
  • When they go to a conference, they're usually seen having a great time with a group of new friends.
  • When they pitch a new client, you can almost see the client's mouthwatering.

So what's the deal? Are these people mutants who have these unattainable traits that you can't have?

HELL NO!

Whether you’re leading a meeting, pitching a new client, or starting conversations at happy hour, confident communication is one of the most important skills you can have.

Each of the following three skill is powerful but I recommend stacking all three skills for maximum impact.

1. Eliminate Qualifying Words
Confident communication killers

You're in a meeting, your boss asks you a straightforward question about next steps on a project.

"Well, I just think that we maybe should consider...”

You trail off. 

Somewhere I am softly weeping while lighting a candle in memory of your fallen confidence and credibility.
  • "Just"
  • "Kinda"
  • "I think"
  • "Maybe"
  • “Does that make sense?”
How many times have you left a conversation feeling like you cut yourself off at the knees, and didn't say what needed to be said?

Did you water down your message until it's unrecognizable?

(This is a "hidden truth" that almost NO ONE acknowledges, but everyone feels.)

When we use timid language we get timid results...the ripple effects are wide-ranging:
​
  • We don’t win people over. 
  • We don’t inspire confidence in others. 
  • People don’t look to us as leaders. 

In the short term, we may not persuade people at the meeting, but spread out over 20-30 years, it can have a gigantic impact on our life's trajectory.

So what can we do to fix it? I want you to repeat after me:

“It is okay to present myself confidently.”

Step one: admitting to yourself that it's OKAY to test a new approach.

Step two: addition by subtraction. In most cases, you'll delete confidence undercutting words from your vocabulary.

This is simple, but not easy. 

At first, you'll use the same timid words, only this time, you'll notice them.

Over time, you'll be able to use alternatives or (in most cases) stop using those qualifying words altogether.

Use this action step to help:

Read More

Charisma Expert Felicia Spahr: Group Conversations, Creating Rapport, and Getting Digits

7/21/2015

 
On this episode of Become More Compelling Radio, I am joined by my friend Felicia Spahr.

Felicia has been featured in INC, Fast Company, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, Entrepreneur on Fire, Mind, Body, Green, and many others.

I love this conversation for so many reasons. After listening to this episode you will be able to:

• Craft an amazing introduction (10:00)
​
• Focus on the right things during group conversations (15:40)

• Create rapport during one-on-one conversations (38:02)

• Know how and when to exchange contact information (46:20)
Picture
"A good principle to remember is: Don't give people a reason to walk away." - Fel
It's basically a tactical guide to thrive at your next dinner party, conference, or networking event.


Read More

How To Conquer Your Inner Fears and Start a Conversation With Anyone

1/28/2015

 
One of the most common social skills questions I get is: 

"How do I start a conversation?!"

It's not rocket science, but it's about as terrifying as being strapped to a rocket.

To answer this question, I brought in an expert: the magnetic Felicia of Instantly Irresistible.

She's the real deal, and she created a video on how to conquer your inner fears and start a conversation with anyone.
Picture
Her gazes have been known to bring puppies back to life.
Also, she has a free gift for Become More Compelling readers. BOOM.

Enter Felicia:


I remember after reading Neil Strauss’s famous book, The Game, I was fascinated by this idea of ‘approach anxiety’. 

It’s typically what a lot of men feel as they are about to approach women -- a tightness in their chest, sweating, and of course, the prominent fear of being rejected.

But what I realized is that ‘approach anxiety’ is not limited to just men. Women feel it, too! And even I experience it myself--and this is what I help people with for a living. When I’m at an event and see a stranger I want to start talking to, my heart starts beating faster, I become self-conscious, and I start to think: “What am I going to SAY?”

Read More
    Charisma Course
    Private Social Skills Coaching
    Picture
    I'm Jeff.
    I'll help you supercharge your people skills so that you can have a more fulfilling 
    career,
     
    business & social  life.
    ​

    Over the last 15 years, I’ve learned... (Read More)

    Popular Posts

    • 5 Ways a Communication Coach Can Help You Become a Better Communicator

    ​• The Ultimate Guide To Joining & Enjoying Group Conversations

    ​
    • How to Never Run Out of Things to Say

    Topics

    All
    Become More Compelling Radio
    Building Rapport
    Charisma
    Coaching
    Conversation Advice
    First Impressions
    Networking
    Podcast
    Practical Philosophy
    Social Advice
    Starting Conversations

I've worked with great clients from...
Become More Compelling has worked with great clients from Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Visa, Stanford, Harvard, Shopify and more

Supercharge Your People Skills & Charisma
Join Thousands of ambitious overthinkers who are improving Their people Skills!​​

© Become More Compelling LLC Disclaimer: Results may, and probably WILL vary, and you should NOT use this information as a replacement for help from a licensed professional. 
Terms & Conditions. Privacy Policy. Disclosures. Contact. 
Become an Affiliate.
  • Start Here
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • YouTube Channel
    • Quiz - What's Your Communication Style?
    • Free Audio Guide
  • About
    • Contact
    • Media
  • Coaching
    • Private Coaching
    • Coaching Case Studies
    • Corporate Training
    • Free AI Coach
  • Courses
    • Social Accelerator