Leadership Communication Blog
The Blog
Essays on leadership communication, executive presence, and public speaking from Salvatore Manzi. Practical answers for analytical and introverted leaders.
LATESTOffer Boldly, Hold LightlyHow to speak with conviction without closing the conversation. Three small words keep your message at full strength and the door open.5 min read
The Room Was Speaking Before You Were
Your posture is a message. Your brain reads it first. What survived the power pose, and the twenty-second reset before your next meeting.
Read the essay
When a Teammate Doesn't Take Ownership
Motivation is never installed. It's awakened. Why capable teams wait for direction, and how leaders awaken drive by letting people feel the problem before the project.
Read the essay
The Ultimate Fear of Success
What's stopping you from going for it? That ceiling in career, income, and relationships comes from an endless series of tiny comforts, a mindset of Okay-ness.
Read the essay
When I Knew I Was an Introvert
Performing like an extravert worked for years. Then came the hotel ceiling, the backpack finally set down, and a strategy that protects the energy behind the role.
Read the essay
Tell It Once Before It Counts
A talk sagged in a room that mattered, and the ending got rushed. Here is the fix, tell it once somewhere low-stakes before it ever reaches a high-stakes moment.
Read the essay
The Ally in the Room
Say the smartest thing in the room and watch it vanish, then reappear with someone else's name on it. Here is the quiet practice that gets an idea heard, and what gathering book endorsements taught me about it.
Read the essay
The Truth Response: How to Know Someone Actually Feels Heard
A slow exhale, the shoulders settling, the face easing open. There is a name for the moment a person finally feels understood, and a move that gets you there.
Read the essay
How to Stop Using Filler Words When Speaking
Eliminating filler words is a three-step process: be conscious of your particular filler word, replace it with a pause, and identify the root cause.
Read the essay
Ask Forward
Empathetic leaders can get stuck in the validation loop. Ask Forward keeps care and momentum in the same conversation.
Read the essay
Embrace the Awkward
The fluency we want lives on the other side of the fumble. Discomfort is data. Awkward is a sign of growth.
Read the essay
Trust the Process
The incubation effect runs counter to workaholic tendencies, but helps leaders navigate stalled moments.
Read the essay