Articles and News

It is no coincidence that students just beginning to learn to read are offered short, simple sentences of only two or three words each. This practice reflects the general understanding that the level of complexity inherent in a piece of writing will affect the reader’s ability to understand it.

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 [...]

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 [...]

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.

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 [...]