What’s the secret to running great meetings? Stellar content and a modicum of charisma?  According to Kenning Partner Laurie Burkland Waller, that’s not enough. Experience with hundreds of leaders has shown her that great meetings are actually the product of carefully considered preparation.

An experienced executive coach and leadership development expert who helps senior leaders show up with impact when it matters most, Laurie has developed a practical preparation framework called “The 5 Ps of Meeting Mastery.” This checklist highlights the importance of carefully planning for:

1. Purpose
2. Process
3. People
4. Pivot
5. Presence.

Join Laurie as she demonstrates the value of each element with scientific research and provides real world examples of their successful application.

References

• Harvard Business Review (2017), “Stop the Meeting Madness.”
• Fortune (2023), “The Art of the Effective Meeting.”
• Harvard Business Review (2022), “The Science of Communicating with Impact.”
• Forbes (2023), “Mastering Difficult Conversations.”
• Harvard Business Review (2024), “The New Rules of Executive Presence.”

To reach Laurie: https://www.kenningassociates.com/laurie-burkland-waller/

Everyone tells stories. It's a natural part of our everyday lives. But should you tell stories at work? And if so, how can you do so skillfully?

In this episode of the Knowing Kenning podcast, Partner Cathy Boeckmann speaks with Ramya Mahalingam, Expert Practitioner, about the power storytelling. Ramya explains how telling a story is one of the most powerful ways to make the information you share memorable. She gives her take on why anyone who is trying to grow as a leader should also sharpen their skills for telling stories. And Ramya offers five practical tips for how to make stories effective:

1. Identify a micro story
2. Build a world
3. Focus on the people
4. Work in an exterior-interior frame
5. Find the emotion and show, don't tell

Can joining a college a capella group help launch a career in the family business? Yes it can, Eliah Seton, CEO of SoundCloud tells Kenning Associates Partner, Daryl Ogden–and it can provide the foundation for a marriage and family to boot!

Eliah joins us on the pod to discuss his career in music: One deeply rooted in his personal and family history, and one that was shaped by mentors and mentorship throughout. Eliah explains what he gleaned from his mentors (e.g., where to find energy, how to measure progress) as well what he still gathers from those he mentors (e.g., a new way to use a product, a fresh perspective from another company).

Eliah and Daryl go on to dig deep into what makes Soundcloud supremely well-poised to exploit the disruptions in the music industry–trends that Eliah had seen first-hand in the making throughout his years at Warner Music. As one of his mentors told him: “When you’re on a train, you can walk or run… but what really matters is how fast the train is going.”