Back in the pre-Covid days, I once ran a short course in networking with researchers at the University of Glasgow. We had some fun, they picked up some useful techniques and strategies and we role-played joining a group of people we didn’t know. Afterwards, one person stayed behind and spoke about how hard she found […]
Start with what is important technically You want to look professional/like you know what you’re doing. Try to eliminate anything that is distracting and put yourself to best advantage. Start by checking where you are on the screen. Place yourself in the centre, with only a fairly small proportion of the visible space above your […]
Greeting someone with enthusiasm can make a difference to their day On one presentation and public speaking course I was running a few years back, we were doing an exercise where we asked the small group of participants to think about an experience which they had found moving in some way. We then recorded them […]
(Phone call from Orange, the telecoms company) I was not asked if it was a convenient time for me to talk, before the young woman launched into her spiel. “Did you know Orange (rapid speech)….to EE?” “Yes, but I’m actually doing some work right now. I only answered the phone because…” “…You’ve got X plan…Are […]
How do you tell what someone else means? Is it the words they choose? Their tone of voice? Body language? What kind of filters do you employ – your mood that day, how well you know the person, your joint history etc etc Most of us develop a capacity to think about the mental states […]