I am going to buy a new bicycle. I did a bit of research over the weekend and have decided that what I need is a road bike. I want to switch from daily running to daily cycling. Running is hard enough on the joints, especially when you get older, and cycling seems to be… Continue reading Buying a new bicycle
Category: Self Improvement
Stories and storytelling-what is the point?
Stories are a way we give meaning to our activity and life. We can choose the stories we tell ourselves, and it is vitally important that we choose the right one. Take three men working on a construction site laying blocks. One guy says he is a blocklayer. One guy says he is building a… Continue reading Stories and storytelling-what is the point?
Being compelled to learn something quickly
I bought a chainsaw at the weekend. Little did I know until I opened the box at home that I had to assemble it. This involved putting on the chain with the little blades, the guide bar, the clutch cover and then tensioning the chain to the right tension for use. I spent the best… Continue reading Being compelled to learn something quickly
How to communicate well
I have been doing a short course over the last few weeks by Conor Neill on Udemy. It is about communication, and it has given me some tremendously valuable insights into communication. Before I share some of what I learned I have to say that I am an evangelical fundamentalist when it comes to communication… Continue reading How to communicate well
5 steps to a logos based persuasive speech
We know that Aristotle wrote the seminal work on the art of persuasion when he wrote “Rhetoric”. We know, too, that he identified three fundamentals in persuading: How do you make a logos based persuasive speech? Persuasive speech, remember, is the basis of excellent communication.
The structure of communication to aid a shared objective
One effective way to structure communication and ensure you can persuade is to use four stages: These four steps allow you to bring the other person through certain steps to arrive at a shared solution or answer. This allows you both to be on the same side. The alternative is to impose an answer from… Continue reading The structure of communication to aid a shared objective
Influence and shared objectives-lessons from John Kiely and Jim Gavin
A key factor in the building of influence and being able to persuade others, to lead, is to have shared objectives. This is the team ethic. Allowing other people to be part of a bigger dream is immensely powerful. You will always hear successful sports people speaking about how being part of the team and… Continue reading Influence and shared objectives-lessons from John Kiely and Jim Gavin
How to build trust
In order to build trust, you must first earn it. Trust comes from Avoid self-orientation and focusing on “I”.
2 types of communication
I learned recently that there are essentially two types of communication: Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, asks his executives to prepare a 6-page memo prior to meetings so they are forced to think about what they want to say. He recognises that this work is hard for the person doing the work but easy… Continue reading 2 types of communication
Self-awareness-a valuable skill in self-management
Being aware of your strengths and weaknesses is vital if you are concerned about being a good manager. For you need to be able to manage yourself first before you can manage others. And to manage yourself you need to be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses. This will allow you to double down… Continue reading Self-awareness-a valuable skill in self-management