A couple of night’s ago I attended my local Toastmasters club and one of the guest’s comments got me thinking….When people come to the club for the first time most are nervous and not a little afraid. Standing up and speaking in front of a group of strangers can certainly be scary, at least…

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Today being Friday, I’d like to share some practical thoughts on assertive communication. This follows on nicely from yesterdays tip on negotiation skills because, successful negotiators always negotiate in an assertive rather than aggressive or non-assertive manner. The good news is that Assertiveness is not a personality trait, it is a set of learned behaviours…

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The other evening I was watching the BBC Programme on Climate Change, anchored by veteran broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. Listening to him made me wonder, why is he such successful and authoritative presenter and what can we learn from his style? Well for me there are two key factors. Firstly he is authentic – He…

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I ran a presentation skills workshop for two amazing young ladies today. Both were reluctant presenters whose nerves had previously been getting the better of them and and as a result their future career progression was effected. They did three practice presentations over the day and the difference was staggering! One said that she was…

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Just home after leading a retreat holoday in Cazorla, Spain. It really is amazing the effect that our environment has on us. Stepping off the treadmil and spending a week amid the nature of rural spain created so much “thinking space” for myself as well as our participants. How does your environment effect you? What…

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