Public speaking – a fearful or fun experience?
Today, many work environments require you to do some degree of public speaking. It may be speaking at a workplace meeting, giving a presentation to your team, delivering a workshop at a conference or presenting awards. We are also called on to give speeches at weddings, funerals, ‘big’ birthdays and farewells. Whatever the reason, for many people the prospect of standing up in front [...]
It’s people, people, people
Like pretty much everyone else I know, I am heading towards Christmas trying to get everything up-to-date before the magical date of December 25th. Why this becomes an unspoken deadline I don’t know, but every year it’s the same. An Asian proverb says that “He that will not reflect is a ruined man”, so not wanting to be ruined, in the middle of the [...]
Are you busy?
How often do you find yourself being asked this question or worse still, asking it? I run my own small business and I often get asked are you busy? I’m never quite sure how to respond. If I say no, will they think I am a failed business owner even though I have a steady but manageable stream of work, which doesn’t fit into my [...]
Positive self-talk
Internal communication influences our external communication I needed a par on the 16th hole. I was having a great round and as a result, I began to put myself under pressure. I stood over the ball and took extra care to line up properly. I visualised my landing spot—a nice flat patch about 40 metres to the left of the green. A perfect spot that [...]
Starting with a blank page?
Your boss has asked you to write an article on how to take care of cats. The laptop is open and the screen is eagerly awaiting to be filled with words that are interesting, intelligent and informative. The clock ticks, another minute passes. Time for a coffee. You gently close the laptop so it doesn’t keep staring back at you, ghost-like, blank. Coffee consumed, [...]
Business Writing – your compelling story
The New Zealand festival is well underway in Wellington. The range of performing arts means that there is something to suit everyone’s taste. All art tells a story. A narrative is not merely words on paper. It moves through a dance piece, it flows from the end of a paintbrush onto canvas, it is chiselled into a piece of marble and it is woven through [...]
Plan your writing
This is the time of year where we plan our business strategy, goals, marketing and budgets. But have you thought about planning your business writing? Communication is a key part of any organisation. We produce web content, blogs newsletters, daily emails, marketing collateral, articles, reports and proposals. But how much time do you invest in planning what you write? So often we write as [...]
Is your Christmas phone manner warm and inviting?
Christmas is supposed to be a time of great joy, yet often we become harried and stressed as clients and customers demand Christmas deadlines. December 25th is looming and our patience is wearing thin. Under these circumstances it is easy to convey this frame of mind in your tone of voice. In the middle of the stress and rush don’t forget that without your [...]
Communicating for your audience
A good writer should write for their audience and it's no different for verbal communication. We should speak for our listener, not ourselves. I’ll give you an example. My grandmother is 99 years old in two weeks time. She has had a bit of trouble with her hearing aids so I took her to have them checked out and tuned up. The hearing technician [...]
Tug boat attentiveness – lessons in listening
This morning I paused on my morning walk to stand on the ridge above my house overlooking the bay. I watched two bright red tug boats bring a large container ship into the harbour. Against the back drop of the grey steel hull they looked like bath toys bouncing on the waves. I watched fascinated as they worked together to bring the ship to a [...]
Write great emails – 5 easy tips
Most emails are written to inform or persuade but how many emails are long winded and never seem to get to the point. Do you send out emails like this? If you do, don’t worry. You can learn to write effective, clear and concise emails. Emails that get read. There is an art to writing great emails but once you have the hang of it [...]
How fresh is your website content?
Last week a client of mine rang me to talk about his new website. After 30 years as a tradesman his son told him he needed to have an internet presence. So my client dutifully set about getting a website designed and I worked with him on the content. He was ringing to say thanks because he had so much work through his website that [...]