STORYTELLING WITH THE 5C’S
Explaining a complex process or illustrating an abstract idea is easier when we take a picture of it. I expect the first travellers to the Egyptian Pyramids were met by itinerant sales people waiving paintings of the desert spectacle because they knew that the...
MANAGING UP
Derek’s latest promotion was a step up to the top. After working as a Product Specialist and then Country Key Accounts Manager, his next step was to take on a top management role with regional responsibility. Six months into his new role, Derek had learned a lot,...
Internal Vacancy: Champion for Critical Thinking (CT)
Dear Executive, What’s your view about Critical Thinking? Would it be correct to say that internal criticism of your company would only be acceptable if it were initiated by management. It’s difficult to imagine a situation where an employee would proactively aim a...
The Listening Muscle
When it comes to Communication Skills…’Listening’ is underrated. It’s considered to be passive. Our attention is focussed on what we’re saying. With Presentations, a lot of value gets missed because if the audience are listening it probably means the Presenter is...
Shiny, Happy People … Engaging!
‘If we end up working from home for, say, half the week, the fall in commuting would slash emissions, pollution and rush-hour traffic while boosting … happiness’ Simon Kuper, FT Weekend How will we work after Covid? It’s a question being asked now by the...
Make Friends with Time
Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into the future’‘Fly Like An Eagle,’ The Steve Miller Band Coming into my third week working from home, Steve Miller’s 1976 take on Time...
Home Sweet Office?
When the coronavirus first hit, a friend conducted a survey to see which of her staff would be interested in working from home. Three of them said they would agree to switch, a response rate of less than 50%. The others said they would rather stay in the office citing...
Engaging with the Audience – The Why & How
Recently, I asked 27 Presentation experts from 6 countries to share their top tips for success. The suggestion which came up most often? Engage with the audience. For many presenters, engagement – stopping and encouraging others to speak - isn’t always appealing. Just...
27 Trainers share their Tips on how to improve Your Presentation Skills
For many people speaking in front of an audience is scary. You must present a topic that you are supposed to know well (that’s why you were chosen to talk about it), while everyone in the room is staring at you. Hundreds of thoughts are going through your head…’Do I...
Interesting Experience in a Role Play
Recently I had an interesting experience in a role play during a negotiation workshop. Role plays are a great way for people to explore different options, allowing them to try out different behaviours in an environment sufficiently realistic to make it meaningful, yet...
Personality Testing – A Case of Tail Wagging Dog
An article about Personality Testing raises thoughts about developing our own perception of how we actually are as a manager rather than back fitting our behaviour into a prescribed model
Hidden Talent Revealed
Here are some fascinating insights into the early days of the Beatles following the death, at 90, of George Martin, their producer. Writing in the New York Times, Alan Kozin tells this story: ‘A Day in the Life’ , the Beatles song which ends the ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely...