It feels like we could all use a refresher course on how we communicate, specially as we continue to adapt to video calls during the Covid-19 pandemic. At Day 3 of the iGaming NEXT ONLINE: Adventure of Change conference, Keynote speaker Alexander Grabner-Jarlung, TED Speaking Coach, Director, Partner Consultant & PowerPoint Specialist offered exactly that, talking about how we can ‘Optimize communication in your workplace.’

The pitfalls of communicating in the workplace are clear to anyone who’s experienced them. “Going into a meeting, we knew that there was going to be a bad PowerPoint, that the meeting structure would be bad, and you didn’t really understand why you were attending that meeting,” said Grabner-Jarlung.

The speaking coach promised he would offer a few important tips on how to make meetings more valuable, and get your point across more successfully. “You will always be the prime of every meeting. You will be fully responsible for the rest of your life of the outcome of every single meeting,” he said. “You are the one that will make that optimization.”

The problem with so many meetings is that they just don’t offer a clear reason for why we should care. 27% of respondents to a survey, Grabner-Jarlung noted, have fallen asleep during a video call. That’s because our brains are designed to filter out useless information, and if we aren’t properly introduced to why we should care about something, we simply won’t.