Carrying a Heavy Load!
Are you good at multitasking? Well your audience may not be. Have you heard of Cognitive Load? Apparently people can’t read and listen at the same time. And that means slides full of bullet points just don’t deliver. In fact, speaking the same words as...
Exhibitions – pain or pleasure?
Expos and Industry Shows are expensive to arrange, and often costly to exhibit at. We visited one yesterday which had over 100 speakers talking throughout the day – and came to 3 realisations: As most of you will know, “we all do the best we can with the resources we...
Everyone Needs A Darren
One of the biggest barriers to communication is language – particularly the shorthand we use at work every day –
And he should know….
When the Sage of Omaha speaks, people listen. Because Warren Buffett talks and writes pretty well. He was recently asked what advice he’d give to young people who’d just graduated. “Invest in yourself. One easy way to become worth 50% more than you are...
Feel the fear and…….
...realise that you’re in good company.There have probably been more books and articles written about the fear of presenting than about Napoleon, Wagner (a lot- believe me) and the Beckhams put together. Most Prime Ministers loathe prime ministers question...
PowerPoint is ruining your presentations – Here’s why
Think for a moment - why do you use powerpoint? As your notes or crutch so that you don’t get lost or forget stuff? Wrong tool To organise your thoughts? Wrong tool Because everyone else does? Wrong thinking To show photos and videos? Good - but be ruthless...
Jargon destroys your credibility
Many think that a simple style often reflects a simple mind. Every sector or profession is mired in jargon and the overuse of “professional speak”. I’ve worked with many of them, and not one is immune from this virus. And it’s getting worse. Offices and...
Get Ready for the “Smart Machine Age”
Get ready for the "Smart Machine Age" Thus spake the Washington Post in mid February. Is it serendipitous, coincidental, or just a sign of the times that I read 2 articles on the same afternoon about the same subject? Jamie Nimmo writes in the Evening Standard from...
Communication is the most important skill for a CEO
Communication is not just vital for CEOs and leaders, it's arguably the most important skill in life. This excellent article by Steve Tappin makes the point succinctly and well. There are only 6 points - all are worth taking on board. Especially 1, 2, 4 and 6. ...
Are you employable in the 21st Century?
Remaining employable is a challenge that touches all of us. Anthony Hilton wrote the article, "How to survive work in the 21st Century", I quote below. It was published in London’s Evening Standard on Tuesday 18th October. Pretty well everything he writes is worth...
