Shannon Alter is president of Alter Consulting Group. She helps managers and companies succeed by developing the skills they need to provide client solutions. Her book, “Say it With Success: Foolproof Ways to Improve Your Presentation Skills” is available at www.alterconsultinggroup.com.

You’re on the way to pitch your services to a promising prospective client. As you step out of the car, you feel a trickle of sweat making its way down your spine. In fact, you’re just a little bit dizzy. Nervously adjusting your new suit, you grasp the problem: You hate making presentations. For many professionals, the mere thought of pitching new business can be nerve-wracking. It’s no surprise: Studies show that 75% of Americans fear public speaking over just about anything else, including death and snakes.

Which public speakers do you admire most? Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and even Lady Gaga are often at the top of the list. No matter who your favorite is, good speakers have several traits in common: confidence, charisma, calmness and poise. Here are three surefire strategies you can use now to boost your confidence and power up your next pitch:

1. Have a conversation: A client recently asked me to evaluate one of its team members, a long-time industry executive. The executive was very knowledgeable, however, his customers complained that they didn’t have a good sense of how their project was coming along. As a result, he didn’t appear credible. Both his reputation, and the company’s, suffered. What was the problem? He had lots — and lots — of information, so that wasn’t it. Plain and simple: The executive wasn’t connecting with his audience.

Think of it as having a conversation. When you’re wooing new business, effectively getting your message across is crucial. Help your new clients connect the dots by offering pertinent examples of how your company has handled a situation. Be sure to share how you recovered from a problem; it will illustrate your strategic skills. (read more…)

SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 160,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each Tuesday in our e-newsletter.

Last week, we asked: How candid are you with job applicants when they don’t get the job?

• I’m completely honest with the candidate as to why they didn’t get the role: 25.44%
• I’m straightforward but a little vague when I tell them why they didn’t get the role: 48.6%
• I’m evasive when I tell them why they didn’t get the role: 7.02%
• I let Recruiting break the bad news and explain why they didn’t get the role: 18.95%

Can we be a little more direct? It’s hard to stomach that 75% of people who interview and don’t get the job really don’t know why they weren’t selected. As difficult as it might be to tell them why they didn’t get it (poor interview performance, another better candidate, lack of training, etc.), put yourself in their shoes. All they know is they didn’t get it, and they’re wondering how they can perform better next time. We’re all tired of hearing about unemployment numbers — how about we try leading those seeking a job, too? Otherwise, they’re left to their own devices and to reading blog posts about the real reason they didn’t get the job.

Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS and author of “One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.”

SmartBrief is partnering with Big Think to create a weekly video spotlight in SmartBrief on Leadership called “VIP Corner: Video Insights Powered by Big Think.” This week, we’re featuring John Kotter, chief innovation officer at Kotter International.

Globalization and technological advances are pushing businesses to change and adapt at a faster rate, said John Kotter, the chief innovation officer at Kotter International.

Globalization will force companies to acknowledge both domestic and international competitors, while technological changes are inevitably going to affect any business, Kotter said. While changes can be both big and small, businesses that remain dynamic and flexible enough to proactively handle any bumps along the way will be the ones that come out on top.

As part of looking to stay competitive and at the top of their industries, business leaders have been looking toward innovation. But, Kotter said, innovation needs to be considered as part of a larger institution of change.

“It’s very difficult to innovate without requiring people to do something different. And whenever you require people to do something different, you’re talking about change,” Kotter said.

Big Think is a forum in which top experts explore big ideas and core skills defining the 21st century. Learn more from its editors, fellows and guest speakers.

• Lessons To Learn From China’s Not-So-Big Spenders
• How to Become More Creative
• How Positive Thinking Keeps You Healthy

Art Markman is a professor of psychology and marketing at the University of Texas at Austin and director of the program in the Human Dimensions of Organizations. His latest book, “Smart Thinking” was published in January.

Innovation has been a core theme in business over the past few years. The mantra is that companies need their employees to work smarter, not harder. As I discuss in my new book “Smart Thinking,” there are some straightforward things you can do to help everyone in your organization think more effectively. The more you know about the way your mind works, the more that you can improve the thinking of the people around you. I call this “creating a culture of smart thinking.”

Here are five things you can do to get the ball rolling toward a smarter organization.

1. Stamp out multitasking. The human mind simply isn’t designed to do more than one kind of complex thinking at a time. When people are working on complex material, give them permission to ignore the phone, shut off the e-mail and shut down instant messaging. When you bring everyone together for a big meeting, get them to “be here now.” Ban smartphones and Internet browsing during meetings. (read more…)