Recently a client told me, “All of my days are about influencing other people, often when I don’t have any authority over a person . . . got any ideas to help me with this?” Read more…

Recently, I was re-reading my professional thoughts journal from 2003 and found an entry entitled ‘Two questions to ask yourself before a meeting’. These ideas came from David Maister’s book, The Trusted Advisor. Read more…

. . . . and strengthen your argument’. Lebanese Proverb.

Tomorrow, 16 April 2013, is World Voice Day*. World Voice Day is a worldwide celebration of the phenomenon of voice. In addition to the opening quotation, below are my other favourite quotations about the voice. Read more…

“Small wins do not combine in neat, linear, serial form, with each step being a demonstrable step closer to some predetermined goal . . . more common is the circumstance where small wins are scattered . . . like miniature experiments Read more…

When you have a short slice of face to face time with a senior executive to tap their wisdom consider what questions you would ask them? Last week I shared how to pitch a 20 minute meeting. When you get a meeting (my hit rate for getting a meeting with last week’s pitch is between 15-20%) below are steps and questions you can ask in the meeting. Read more…

Recently an executive I was coaching in planning and delivering sales presentations wanted to know how to increase his contact with senior executives in other divisions of his organization.

I gave him the below template for an email pitch for the meeting. Read more…

Recently I asked members of my Mastermind Group* to respond to the following question: “How do I fool myself by holding a perception that is lesser or greater than reality?” Read more…

“Words use by corporate heavies or upper management ‘Suits’ to confuse, convince, intimidate, or otherwise baffle an office drone or associate into compliance.” This is the opening sentence defining the term ‘Suit Speak’ from an entry in the Urban Dictionary. The entire definition can be accessed through the following link: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Suit%20Speak. Read more…

At a recent sales presentation workshop I coached a participant to use a paperclip to help her make a firm, hand gesture, in order to support her spoken messages. Read more…

Kevin Rudd has been fending off leadership questions this week as he increases his public exposure, such as on the Sunrise programme and in extended interviews with Sky News. My read of Rudd’s presentation is this: ‘It’s still, all about me’. Read more…

“There is no expedient to which a man will not resort, to avoid the real labour of thinking.” Sir Joshua Reynolds. Reynold’s quotation underpins why I regularly suggest that you reflect (ie. take time to think) in the ‘How to apply’ section of many of my posts.

Albert Schweitzer echos Reynold’s sentiments with an answer to a question posed to him in 1952. He was asked: “What’s wrong with men today?” he replied: “Men simply don’t think”.

The ‘how to apply’ for this post: Aim in 2013 to regularly take time to reflect and think on the important matters in your business life. Schedule time in your Outlook calendar (eg. send an Invitation to yourself) to reflect and think on a specific matter. Even just 20 minutes of concentrated thinking/reflecting can be valuable.

Craig Thomson was again the victim in his press conference yesterday with his, “I have done no wrong-doing” comment (Below is a link to a Daily Telegraph, Honestly believing that he is a victim article with my body language and speech analysis of Thomson’s May 2012 Federal Parliament address.) Also below is yesterday’s press conference clip. Read more…

As you may know Stephen Covey passed on this year. Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (The Business Library 1990) made a big impact on me when it was first released. Particularly at this time the Seventh Habit in the book – Sharpen the Saw – is relevant in my business. It might be relevant in your business/work too. Read more…

“Here’s the thing . . . blah, blah, blah . . . here’s the thing . . .  blah  blah blah . . . here’s the thing.” Recently I sat in a workshop where the workshop leader interjected the “Here’s the thing” phrase every 30-45 seconds. Read more…

In the third presidential debate, leaving aside who won the battle of the ideas – the person who won the battle of the words, body language and voice, consistent with a commander-in-chief and leader of state, was Barack Obama.

I gave Obama 8.5/10; Romney 7.5/10. Read more…