Articles and News

NLP and effective communication

Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP is an approach to psychotherapy which encourages people to actively use the mind, body and emotions to run their life more successfully, and communicate with others in an enhanced and extraordinary manner. It is said that becoming skilled in NLP will allow you to:
- Achieve better success at things you already [...]

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Thinking before you speak even when under pressure

Many of us in the business world are required to make presentations, whether we are delivering to a customer or colleagues.
We may also feel that verbal communication skills are not one of our best attributes, it is something that you will be required to think quickly about and use on-the-spot. It is easy for us [...]

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Spontaneous speaking – the essential skill…

Spontaneous speaking is an essential skill for leaders, managers and front line staff who want to engage their audiences.
Say the right thing at the right time… speak off the cuff… improvise… we can’t help but admire those who have the ability to be spontaneous – and rightly so. If you want to become [...]

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Verbal communication in business – more important than you think?

Talking to your boss, a colleague or customer…
Creating a podcast…
Being interviewed…

Good verbal communication skills are important in business, so that you can communicate effectively with people in a wide variety of situations. In some cases you may be dealing with people in other countries, people with different cultures, varying ages and with different levels [...]

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Don’t Blow It – Reach Out and Communicate Powerfully

Can you imagine yourself standing in front of an audience without PowerPoint, without notes, without a script? Just think back to the last time it was vital to get your message across. Did you fully succeed?
The problem is that many people have a small but insistent voice in their heads at such time telling them [...]

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‘A Quick Question For You…’ – Use Verbal Communication Skills When Caught on the Spot!

How to respond quickly and build (rather than damage) your credibility when you are asked an unexpected question
You are a young/not so young/mature (delete as appropriate) executive, professional/manager/director (again, delete as appropriate) grabbing a coffee first thing on a Monday morning. Your boss (or boss’s boss or head of another department) spots you, ‘Ah, glad [...]

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Saying the Right Thing… At the Right Time…

Who wouldn’t want to have the ability to say the right thing at the right time… to speak off the cuff, to improvise, even to wing it?
Have you ever admired someone who is spontaneous?  Someone who always seems to have the ‘right’ answer and is always cool, calm and collected? Could that be you?
Is this the gift of [...]

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Fear and excitement when communicating

You don’t have to look far to find some clear examples of people who try to be spontaneous only to fall flat on their face. So, let’s deal with any fears you might have about improvising.

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Helping listeners receive your message

There are two distinct parts in the majority of presentations; the part you can prepare for in advance, and the part that involves responding to challenges, questions and objections. In this article, Clive Lewis, Director of Illumine Training, looks at some of the pitfalls in both parts and suggests some ways of avoiding the common [...]

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20 Countries celebrate Global Think on Your Feet® Month

News Release from Think on Your Feet International, Inc.

The ability to think on your feet is now becoming a core global skill—even in these tough times!!
In fact, it’s a core skill because times are tougher. No better time than now to be clearer in your messages….
Over 20 countries are taking part in Global [...]

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Business relationships at work… that work!

Apapted from the original provided by Keith Dugdale and David Lambert co-authors of ”Smarter Selling – Next generation sales strategies to meet your buyer’s needs – every time”.
The main focus for the ground-breaking book Smarter Selling is external customers. This focus emerged as a result of the publisher’s desire to invent an eye-catching title that would [...]

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From Price to Value – how to build trust with buyers

Written by Keith Dugdale and David Lambert co-authors of ”Smarter Selling – Next generation sales strategies to meet your buyer’s needs – every time”.
“All my customers care about is price” is a commonly held belief among sales teams, managers and executives, especially as they start losing market share or as an economy tightens.
Of course everyone includes [...]

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From “Death of a Salesman” to “Smarter Selling”: developing partner relationships

In Arthur Miller’s famous play, the central character Willy Loman idolises Dave Singleman, a great salesman known all over New England. “When he died, hundreds of salesmen and buyers were at his funeral.” More than fifty years later, the business world needs more Dave Singlemans.
Increased buyer choice resulting from globalisation and the growth of the Internet [...]

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The importance of understanding your customer/client relationships as the economy tightens

Written by Keith Dugdale and David Lambert co-authors of “Smarter Selling – Next generation sales strategies to meet your buyer’s needs – every time”.
We recently had a conversation with two senior executives in competing organisations in Australia. Both very confident that they were leading the market in terms of growth and that the other was [...]

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Relationships are essential at work… will you be my partner?

Relationships are essential at work. We know this. But in helping people get better at selling to both their internal and external clients, there is particular value in developing partner relationships as a new imperative in these recession ridden times.
The truth about partner relationships is that they turn sales orthodoxy on its head. These sorts [...]

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Ideas, knowledge and perspectives are all very well…

…but little use if you can’t get them across
How many managers and leaders with brilliant ideas fail to impress and inspire the people they are trying to reach? It’s a big problem — and not just for those who have to make stand-up presentations. It’s also a challenge for those who are trying hard to [...]

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Silver tongues and fast feet

The ability to be spontaneous when speaking is essential for leaders, managers and front line staff who want to engage their audiences. Here Clive Lewis, MD of Illumine Training, reveals how you can begin to think on your feet.
Who wouldn’t want to have that ability to say the right thing at the right time…to speak [...]

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Engage Your Audience in Your Next Presentation

Can you wing it?
Spontaneity is essential for presenters who want to engage their audience and make an impact. Here Clive Lewis, MD of Illumine Training, reveals how to think on your feet.
Would you dare to wing it when making your next presentation? Or are you one of those people who won’t deviate one inch from [...]

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Talking big – reach out and communicate powerfully

When times are tough people need to ‘up their game’. Here Clive Lewis of Illumine highlights how leaders and managers can develop the ability to reach out and communicate more powerfully .

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More impact. More message – Discover NLP (Hints and Tips)

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a communication approach which can transform your impact and your ability to communicate. Here Anthony Landale outlines the fundamentals.

If you were advised to work on your communication to others, how would you go about it? Would you try to develop your Powerpoint presentation skills? Pay more attention to the way [...]

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