We’ve all been there … standing in front of a room full of people, our heart racing, palms sweating, and words threatening to tumble out in a rush or refusing to come out at all! Whether it’s a presentation, a high-stakes meeting, or an important conversation, staying calm under pressure is essential for effective communication […]
How do the best communicators stay calm under pressure? Read More »
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to students and older job seekers about how to make the best first impression at an interview. Lots of questions have ensued, but one of the key areas of concern was how to make sure you come across as professional and engaging during a
How to master the art of presenting online. Read More »
Walking into a networking event can feel a bit like stepping onto a stage—you want to make a great impression, but nerves and uncertainty can easily take over. “What do I say?” “Who should I talk to?” “What if I get stuck in an awkward conversation?” The truth is, great networking doesn’t start when you
How to fall in love with networking: feel calm, confident & ready to connect Read More »
Whether you’re delivering a presentation, asking questions of others, speaking to a customer or just having a chat, I’m pretty confident that you don’t pause often enough. Many people find silence really difficult to deal with, so fill it as quickly as they can. They speak very quickly, ask a 2nd or 3rd question before
Why you should pause more than you do? Read More »
We’ve recently started our Presentation Club. An opportunity for members to stand up in front of the room and deliver a short presentation. All the attendees create written feedback on how the speaker came across. You then get to keep all the sheets of feedback to digest in the comfort of your home. In can
How hard is giving and receiving feedback? Read More »
Stephen Covey relays a story in his book “7 Habits of Highly effective People” about how important it is to put the big rocks in life front and centre. In his analogy the big rocks are family, friendship, health, projects that will move you forward etc and the pebbles are the minutiae of life –
Make sure you have space in life for your big rocks. Read More »
Some years back I was invited to be a guest on Business Connections Live The UK’s leading online business television channel. And I won’t lie … I was nervous! Over the past few months, a couple of our clients have been presenting in studio for programmes to be aired in- house and for TV channels with
How comfortable are you in a TV studio? Read More »
If you’ve made a mistake? If your behaviour has been deemed to be inappropriate … even if you think it’s unfair? If the company has made a mistake … and you’re talking to the client? I remember being told never to use the word “sorry” at work. Apparently it diminishes your authority! I was told
Do you think you should say sorry? Read More »
When my mother died recently, my family were overwhelmed by the wonderful messages we received and naturally spent a lot of time reminiscing. Mum was born in 1934, so part of the generation who “just got on with it”. She rarely complained and played with the cards dealt to her; enjoying the good times and
Advice from my Mother Read More »
You know what you’re doing and why but does everyone else? Have you ever felt you appear to be speaking another language? You tell someone what’s needed and yet when you come back it’s not even close to what you expected? Is it that everyone you’re talking to just doesn’t “get” it … or could
Do you give good instructions? Do others know what you mean? Read More »
