Blogs

The following is an edited version of a fascinating article that appeared in the Yorkshire Post last Saturday written by Jeremy Kourdi:
"What make a good speech and why are there so few great orators today?
Barack Obama is so popular because he appeals to our emotions and aspirations and one reason British MP's are so unpopular is because they don't.
People believe that communication is easy when the opposite is true for two reasons
First the way the words are used and second they are amplified through modern technology,spreadng further and faster»more

Every day, all over Britain, people gather in groups to make decisions. Some big, some small, some important, some fairly trivial. That’s the decisions, not the people. The outcome could affect anything from the way a business develops, to the route a new trunk road takes. It could create a hundred new jobs or add a hundred to the dole queue. And the really frightening thing is that most executives are happy if they get just 60% of decisions right. Which means they don’t much mind if they get almost half the decisions wrong.»more

Before I became a professional speaker I used to work in the advertising industry; where it’s widely acknowledged that the more creative you are, the more successful your campaign will be. And exactly the same is true when it comes to developing your business. Encourage your people to be more creative in their thinking and it will pay dividends in the long term. The famous maxim that ‘If you always do what you have always done you’ll always get what you’ve always got’ is nonsense. In today’s climate you will get less.»more

Shortly before he died Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, asked his team to compile some of his, and other people he admired, thoughts on leadership. These might inspire you next time you have a leadership challenge:

• Looking for leadership? Look in the mirror.
• A leader is… a dealer in hope.
• Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.
• Where there is no vision… the people perish.
• Study the past, live the moment, plan the future.
• Leadership is action… not position.
• There are no short cuts…to any place worth going.»more

One of my friends from my Rotary Club sent me this
It takes just a few seconds...
Whilst sitting down lift your right foot off the floor and move it in clockwise circles
Now,whilst doing that,draw the number 6 in the air with your right hand
Your foot will change direction
It would appear that you have no control over it....or have you?
Make of that what you will
I would love to know what you think about it

In our house I read the Guardian and sad to say, from my point of view, my wife Candy reads the Daily Mail. My feelings are if you want to feel better about the credit crunch, swine flu etc start by stopping reading the Dail Mail. However I feel the two papers are a great way to remind ourselves that people have very different views of the world and when you are presenting you must always bear this in mind.

On another note, last week in the Guardian readers sent in some of their favourite jokes. I'm a sucker for a good pun so the follwing made me smile:»more

My day started early with a breakfast meeting at my Rotary club in Leeds.I always really enjoy our meetings for lots of reasons.However,there is one reason in particular that I would like to share with you»more

I've just been out to look at an injured crow which is hoping about our garden.
I noticed it's being protected by two other crows. I orginally went out to investigate after hearing the enormous racket being made by the two protectors as they dive bombed a large cat who had unwisely got too near. Once they'd driven away the cat I also saw one of the birds feed the injured crow. Perhaps they are its parents. Either way it's an impressive display of loyalty.

I always recommend that people visit a website called www.ted.com»more

I don't know if you've ever had to be vetted (and I'm not talking about Pets at Home here). It happens to me now and again. It's when a potential customer wants to speak to you first before giving you the work. This week I have been speaking to an American in Paris (no not Gene Kelly)about training his team of mainly French and Italians to be Jedi presenters.»more

I don't know if you have to visit many organisations as part of your job but I do. I'm always very sensitive to how I'm greeted when I arrive. Sometimes it's brilliant but all too often it's not. If you've read my book you'll know all about the importance of "The Four Minute Rule". Put simply this states if you get it wrong in the first four minutes then it's game over. For example, if you turn up at a hotel and there is no one around to check you in.»more